TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT
between
LINCOLN NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL FUND, INC.
and
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
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Article 1 Terms of Appointment; Duties of the Bank ....................1
Article 2 Fees and Expenses ...........................................5
Article 3 Representations and Warranties of the Bank ..................6
Article 4 Representations and Warranties of the Fund ..................6
Article 5 Indemnification .............................................7
Article 6 Covenants of the Fund and the Bank .........................10
Article 7 Termination of Agreement ...................................11
Article 8 Assignment .................................................12
Article 9 Amendment ..................................................12
Article 10 Massachusetts Law to Apply .................................13
Article 11 Merger of Agreement ........................................13
Article 12 Counterparts ...............................................13
TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made as of the 29th day of April, 1991, by and between LINCOLN
NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL FUND, INC., a Maryland corporation, having its principal
office and place of business at 0000 Xxxxx Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxxx
00000 (the "Fund"), and STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY, a Massachusetts
trust company having its principal office and place of business at 000 Xxxxxxxx
Xxxxxx, Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxxx 00000 (the "Bank").
WHEREAS, the Fund desires to appoint the Bank as its transfer agent,
dividend disbursing agent, custodian of certain retirement plans and agent in
connection with certain other activities, and the Bank desires to accept such
appointment;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants herein contained,
the parties hereto agree as follows:
Article 1 Terms of Appointment: Duties of the Bank
1.01 Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this
Agreement, the Fund hereby employs and appoints the Bank to act as, and the Bank
agrees to act as its transfer agent for the Fund's authorized and issued shares
of its common stock, $.01 par value, ("Shares"), dividend disbursing agent,
custodian of certain retirement plans and agent in connection with any
accumulation, open-account or similar plans provided to the shareholders of the
Fund ("Shareholders") and set out in the currently effective prospectus and
statement of additional information ("prospectus") of the Fund, including
without limitation any periodic investment plan or periodic withdrawal program.
1.02 The Bank agrees that it will perform the following services:
(a) In accordance with procedures established from time to time by
agreement between the Fund and the Bank, the Bank shall:
(i) Receive for acceptance, orders for the purchase of Shares,
and promptly deliver payment and appropriate documentation
thereof to the Custodian of the Fund authorized pursuant to
the Articles of Incorporation of the Fund (the "Custodian");
(ii) Pursuant to purchase orders, issue the appropriate number of
Shares and hold such Shares in the appropriate Shareholder
account;
(iii) Receive for acceptance redemption requests and redemption
directions and deliver the appropriate documentation thereof
to the Custodian;
(iv) In respect to the transactions in items (i), (ii) and (iii)
above, the Bank shall execute transactions directly with
broker-dealers authorized by the Fund who shall thereby be
deemed to be acting on behalf of the Fund;
(v) At the appropriate time as and when it receives monies paid
to it by the Custodian with respect to any redemption, pay
over or cause to be paid over in the appropriate manner such
monies as instructed by the redeeming Shareholders;
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(vi) Effect transfers of Shares by the registered owners thereof
upon receipt of appropriate instructions;
(vii) Prepare and transmit payments for dividends and distributions
declared by the Fund;
(viii) Issue replacement certificates for those certificates alleged
to have been lost, stolen or destroyed upon receipt by the
Bank of indemnification satisfactory to the Bank and
protecting the Bank and the Fund, and the Bank at its option,
may issue replacement certificates in place of mutilated
stock certificates upon presentation thereof and without such
indemnity;
(ix) Report abandoned property to the various states as authorized
by the Fund per policies and principles agreed upon by the
Fund and the Bank;
(x) Maintain records of account for and advise the Fund and its
Shareholders as to the foregoing; and
(xi) Record the issuance of shares of the Fund and maintain
pursuant to SEC Rule 17Ad-1O(e) a record of the total number
of shares of the Fund which are authorized, based upon data
provided to it by the Fund, and issued and outstanding. The
Bank shall also provide the Fund on a regular basis with the
total number of shares which are authorized and issued and
outstanding and shall have no obligation, when recording the
issuance
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of shares, to monitor the issuance of such shares or to take
cognizance of any laws relating to the issue or sale of such
shares, which functions shall be the sole responsibility of
the Fund.
(b) In addition to and neither in lieu nor in contravention of the
services set forth in the above paragraph (a), the Bank shall: (i) perform the
customary services of a transfer agent, dividend disbursing agent, custodian of
certain retirement plans and, as relevant, agent in connection with
accumulation, open-account or similar plans (including without limitation any
periodic investment plan or periodic withdrawal program), including but not
limited to: maintaining all Shareholder accounts, preparing Shareholder meeting
lists, mailing proxies, receiving and tabulating proxies, mailing Shareholder
reports and prospectuses to current Shareholders, withholding taxes on U.S.
resident and non-resident alien accounts, preparing and filing U.S. Treasury
Department Forms 1099 and other appropriate forms required with respect to
dividends and distributions by federal authorities for all Shareholders,
preparing and mailing confirmation forms and statements of account to
Shareholders for all purchases and redemptions of Shares and other confirmable
transactions in Shareholder accounts, preparing and mailing activity statements
for Shareholders, and providing Shareholder account information and (ii) provide
a system which will enable the Fund to monitor the total number of Shares sold
in each State.
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(c) In addition, the Fund shall (i) identify to the Bank in writing
those transactions and assets to be treated as exempt from blue sky reporting
for each State and (ii) verify the establishment of transactions for each State
on the system prior to activation and thereafter monitor the daily activity for
each State. The responsibility of the Bank for the Fund's blue sky State
registration status is solely limited to the initial establishment of
transactions subject to blue sky compliance by the Fund and the reporting of
such transactions to the Fund as provided above.
(d) Procedures as to who shall provide certain of these services in
Article 1 may be established from time to time by agreement between the Fund and
the Bank per the attached service responsibility schedule. The Bank may at times
perform only a portion of these services and the Fund or its agent may perform
these services on the Fund's behalf.
Article 2 Fees and Expenses
5
Article 3 Representations and Warranties of the Bank
The Bank represents and warrants to the Fund that:
3.01 It as a trust company duly organized and existing and in good
standing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
3.02 It is duly qualified to carry on its business in the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
3.03 It is empowered under applicable laws and by its Charter and
By-Laws to enter into and perform this Agreement.
3.04 All requisite corporate proceedings have been taken to
authorize it to enter into and perform this Agreement.
3.05 It has and will continue to have access to the necessary
facilities, equipment and personnel to perform its duties and obligations under
this Agreement.
Article 4 Representations and Warranties of the Fund
The Fund represents and warrants to the Bank that:
4.01 It is a corporation duly organized and existing and in good
standing under the laws of Maryland.
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4.02 It is empowered under applicable laws and by its Articles of
Incorporation and By-Laws to enter into and perform this Agreement.
4.03 All corporate proceedings required by said Articles of
Incorporation and By-Laws have been taken to authorize it to enter into and
perform this Agreement.
4.04 It is an open-end and diversified management investment company
registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
4.05 A registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended is currently effective and will remain effective, and appropriate state
securities law filings have been made and will continue to be made, with respect
to all Shares of the Fund being, offered for sale.
Article 5 Indemnification
5.01 The Bank shall not be responsible for, and the Fund shall
indemnify and hold the Bank harmless from and against, any and all losses,
damages, costs, charges, counsel fees, payments, expenses and liability arising
out of or attributable to:
(a) All actions of the Bank or its agent or subcontractors required
to be taken pursuant to this Agreement, provided that such actions are taken in
good faith and without negligence or willful misconduct.
(b) The Fund's lack of good faith, negligence or willful misconduct
which arise out of the breach of any representation or warranty of the Fund
hereunder.
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(c) The reliance on or use by the Bank or its agents or
subcontractors of information, records and documents or services which (i) are
received or relied upon by the Bank or its agents or subcontractors and/or
furnished to it or performed by or on behalf of the Fund, and (ii) have been
prepared, maintained and/or performed by the Fund or any other person or firm on
behalf of the Fund.
(d) The reliance on, or the carrying out by the Bank or its agents
or subcontractors of any instructions or requests of the Fund.
(e) The offer or sale of Shares in violation of any requirement
under the federal securities laws or regulations or the securities laws or
regulations of any state that such Shares be registered in such state or in
violation of any stop order or other determination or ruling by any federal
agency or any state with respect to the offer or sale of such Shares in such
state.
5.02 The Bank shall indemnify and hold the Fund harmless from and
against any and all losses, damages, costs, charges, counsel fees, payments,
expenses and liability arising out of or attributable to any action or failure
or omission to act by the Bank as a result of the Bank's lack of good faith,
negligence or willful misconduct.
5.03 At any time the Bank may apply to any officer of the Fund for
instructions, and may consult with legal counsel with respect to any matter
arising in connection with the services to be performed by the Bank under this
Agreement, and the Bank and its agents or subcontractors shall not be liable and
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shall be indemnified by the Fund for any action taken or omitted by it in
reliance upon such instructions or upon the opinion of such counsel. The Bank,
its agents and subcontractors shall be protected and indemnified in acting upon
any paper or document furnished by or on behalf of the Fund, reasonably believed
to be genuine and to have been signed by the proper person or persons, or upon
any instruction, information, data, records or documents provided the Bank or
its agents or subcontractors by machine readable input, telex, CRT data entry or
other similar means authorized by the Fund, and shall not be held to have notice
of any change of authority of any person, until receipt of written notice
thereof from the Fund. The Bank, its agents and subcontractors shall also be
protected and indemnified in recognizing stock certificates which are reasonably
believed to bear the proper manual or facsimile signatures of the officers of
the Fund, and the proper countersignature of any former transfer agent or former
registrar, or of a co-transfer agent or co-registrar.
5.04 In the event either party is unable to perform its obligations
under the terms of this Agreement because of acts of God, strikes, equipment or
transmission failure or damage reasonably beyond its control, or other causes
reasonably beyond its control, such party shall not be liable for damages to the
other for any damages resulting from such failure to perform or otherwise from
such causes.
5.05 Neither party to this Agreement shall be liable to the other
party for consequential damages under any provision
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of this Agreement or for any consequential damages arising out of any act or
failure to act hereunder.
5.06 In order that the indemnification provisions contained in this
Article 5 shall apply, upon the assertion of a claim for which either party may
be required to indemnify the other, the party seeking indemnification shall
promptly notify the other party of such assertion, and shall keep the other
party advised with respect to all developments concerning such claim. The party
who may be required to indemnify shall have the option to participate with the
party seeking indemnification in the defense of such claim. The party seeking
indemnification shall in no case confess any claim or make any compromise in any
case in which the other party may be required to indemnify it except with the
other party's prior written consent.
Article 6 Covenants of the Fund and the Bank
6.01 The Fund shall promptly furnish to the Bank the following:
(a) A certified copy of the resolution of the Board of Directors of
the Fund authorizing the appointment of the Bank and the execution and delivery
of this Agreement.
(b) A copy of the Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws of the Fund
and all amendments thereto.
6.02 The Bank hereby agrees to establish and maintain facilities and
procedures reasonably acceptable to the Fund for safekeeping of stock
certificates, check forms and facsimile signature imprinting devices, if any;
and for the preparation or use, and for keeping account of, such certificates,
forms and devices.
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6.03 The Bank shall keep records relating to the services to be
performed hereunder, in the form and manner as it may deem advisable. To the
extent required by Section 31 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended,
and the Rules thereunder, the Bank agrees that all such records prepared or
maintained by the Bank relating to the services to be performed by the Bank
hereunder are the property of the Fund and will be preserved, maintained and
made available in accordance with such Section and Rules, and will be
surrendered promptly to the Fund on and in accordance with its request.
6.04 The Bank and the Fund agree that all books, records,
information and data pertaining to the business of the other party which are
exchanged or received pursuant to the negotiation or the carrying out of this
Agreement shall remain confidential, and shall not be voluntarily disclosed to
any other person, except as may be required by law.
6.05 In case of any requests or demands for the inspection of the
Shareholder records of the Fund, the Bank will endeavor to notify the Fund and
to secure instructions from an authorized officer of the Fund as to such
inspection. The Bank reserves the right, however, to exhibit the Shareholder
records to any person whenever it is advised by its counsel that it may be held
liable for the failure to exhibit the Shareholder records to such person.
Article 7 Termination of Agreement
7.01 This Agreement may be terminated by either party upon one
hundred twenty (120) days written notice to the other.
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7.02 Should the Fund exercise its right to terminate, all
out-of-pocket expenses associated with the movement of records and material will
be borne by the Fund. Additionally, the Bank reserves the right to charge for
any other reasonable expenses associated with such termination and/or a charge
equivalent to the average of three (3) months' fees.
Article 8 Assignment
8.01 Except as provided in Section 8.03 below, neither this
Agreement nor any rights or obligations hereunder may be assigned by either
party without the written consent of the other party.
8.02 This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding
upon the parties and their respective permitted successors and assigns.
8.03 The Bank may, without further consent on the part of the Fund,
subcontract for the performance hereof with (i) Boston Financial Data Services,
Inc., a Massachusetts corporation ("BFDS") which is duly registered as a
transfer agent pursuant to Section 17A(c) (1) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended ("Section 17A(c)(1)"), (ii) a BFDS subsidiary duly registered
as a transfer agent pursuant to Section 17A(c) (1) or (iii) a BFDS affiliate;
provided, however, that the Bank shall be as fully responsible to the Fund for
the acts and omissions of any subcontractor as it is for its own acts and
omissions.
Article 9 Amendment
9.01 This Agreement may be amended or modified by a written
agreement executed by both parties and authorized or approved by a resolution of
the Board of Directors of the Fund.
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Article 10 Massachusetts Law to Apply
10.01 This Agreement shall be construed and the provisions thereof
interpreted under and in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts.
Article 11 Merger of Agreement
11.01 This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the
parties hereto and supersedes any prior agreement with respect to the subject
matter hereof whether oral or written.
Article 12 Counterparts
12.01 This Agreement may be executed by the parties hereto on any
number of counterparts, and all of said counterparts taken together shall be
deemed to constitute one and the same instrument.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to
be executed in their names and on their behalf by and through their duly
authorized officers, as of the day and year first above written.
LINCOLN NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL
FUND, INC.
BY: /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
--------------------------------
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
Chairman of the Board and President
ATTEST:
/s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
--------------------------------
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
BY: /s/ Xxxx Xxxxxx
--------------------------------
Vice President
ATTEST:
/s/ X. Xxxxxxxxxx
--------------------------------
Assistant Secretary
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