CUSTODIAN AGREEMENT
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THIS AGREEMENT made on January 31, 2000, between PRUDENT BEAR FUNDS,
INC., a Maryland Corporation, on behalf of Prudent Bear Large Cap Fund
(hereinafter called the ("Fund"), and FIRSTAR BANK, N.A., a national banking
association (hereinafter called "Custodian"),
W I T N E S S E T H
WHEREAS, the Fund desires that its securities and cash shall be
hereafter held and administered by Custodian pursuant to the terms of this
Agreement;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements herein made,
the Fund and Custodian agree as follows:
1. Definitions
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The word "securities" as used herein includes stocks, shares, bonds,
debentures, notes, mortgages or other obligations, and any certificates,
receipts, warrants or other instruments representing rights to receive, purchase
or subscribe for the same, or evidencing or representing any other rights or
interests therein, or in any property or assets.
The words "officers' certificate" shall mean a request or direction or
certification in writing signed in the name of the Fund by any two of the
President, a Vice President, the Secretary and the Treasurer of the Fund, or any
other persons duly authorized to sign by the Board of Directors.
The word "Board" shall mean Board of Directors of Prudent Bear Funds,
Inc.
2. Names, Titles and Signatures of the Fund's Officers
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An officer of the Fund will certify to Custodian the names and
signatures of those persons authorized to sign the officers' certificates
described in Section 1 hereof, and the names of the members of the Board of
Directors, together with any changes which may occur from time to time.
3. Receipt and Disbursement of Money
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A. Custodian shall open and maintain a separate account or accounts in
the name of the Fund, subject only to draft or order by Custodian acting
pursuant to the terms of this Agreement. Custodian shall hold in such account or
accounts, subject to the provisions hereof, all cash received by it from or for
the account of the Fund. Custodian shall make payments of cash to, or for the
account of, the Fund from such cash only:
(a) for the purchase of securities for the portfolio of the Fund upon
the delivery of such securities to Custodian, registered in the name of the
Fund
or of the nominee of Custodian referred to in Section 7 or in proper form
for transfer;
(b) for the purchase or redemption of shares of the common stock of
the Fund upon delivery thereof to Custodian, or upon proper instructions
from Prudent Bear Funds, Inc.;
(c) for the payment of interest, dividends, taxes, investment
adviser's fees or operating expenses (including, without limitation
thereto, fees for legal, accounting, auditing and custodian services and
expenses for printing and postage);
(d) for payments in connection with the conversion, exchange or
surrender of securities owned or subscribed to by the Fund held by or to be
delivered to Custodian; or
(e) for other proper corporate purposes certified by resolution of the
Board of Directors of the Fund.
Before making any such payment, Custodian shall receive (and may rely
upon) an officers' certificate requesting such payment and stating that it is
for a purpose permitted under the terms of items (a), (b), (c), or (d) of this
Subsection A, and also, in respect of item (e), upon receipt of an officers'
certificate specifying the amount of such payment, setting forth the purpose for
which such payment is to be made, declaring such purpose to be a proper
corporate purpose, and naming the person or persons to whom such payment is to
be made, provided, however, that an officers' certificate need not precede the
disbursement of cash for the purpose of purchasing a money market instrument, or
any other security with same or next-day settlement, if the President, a Vice
President, the Secretary or the Treasurer of the Fund issues appropriate oral or
facsimile instructions to Custodian and an appropriate officers' certificate is
received by Custodian within two business days thereafter.
B. Custodian is hereby authorized to endorse and collect all checks,
drafts or other orders for the payment of money received by Custodian for the
account of the Fund.
C. Custodian shall, upon receipt of proper instructions, make federal
funds available to the Fund as of specified times agreed upon from time to time
by the Fund and the custodian in the amount of checks received in payment for
shares of the Fund which are deposited into the Fund's account.
4. Segregated Accounts
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Upon receipt of proper instructions, the Custodian shall establish and
maintain a segregated account(s) for and on behalf of the portfolio, into which
account(s) may be transferred cash and/or securities.
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5. Transfer, Exchange, Redelivery, etc. of Securities
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Custodian shall have sole power to release or deliver any securities
of the Fund held by it pursuant to this Agreement. Custodian agrees to transfer,
exchange or deliver securities held by it hereunder only:
(a) for sales of such securities for the account of the Fund upon
receipt by Custodian of payment therefore;
(b) when such securities are called, redeemed or retired or otherwise
become payable;
(c) for examination by any broker selling any such securities in
accordance with "street delivery" custom;
(d) in exchange for, or upon conversion into, other securities alone
or other securities and cash whether pursuant to any plan of merger,
consolidation, reorganization, recapitalization or readjustment, or
otherwise;
(e) upon conversion of such securities pursuant to their terms into
other securities;
(f) upon exercise of subscription, purchase or other similar rights
represented by such securities;
(g) for the purpose of exchanging interim receipts or temporary
securities for definitive securities;
(h) for the purpose of redeeming in kind shares of common stock of the
Fund upon delivery thereof to Custodian; or
(i) for other proper corporate purposes.
As to any deliveries made by Custodian pursuant to items (a), (b),
(d), (e), (f), and (g), securities or cash receivable in exchange therefore
shall be deliverable to Custodian.
Before making any such transfer, exchange or delivery, Custodian shall
receive (and may rely upon) an officers' certificate requesting such transfer,
exchange or delivery, and stating that it is for a purpose permitted under the
terms of items (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), or (h) of this Section 5 and
also, in respect of item (i), upon receipt of an officers' certificate
specifying the securities to be delivered, setting forth the purpose for which
such delivery is to be made, declaring such purpose to be a proper corporate
purpose, and naming the person or persons to whom delivery of such securities
shall be made, provided, however, that an officers' certificate need not precede
any such transfer, exchange or delivery of a money market instrument, or any
other security with same or next-day settlement, if the President, a Vice
President, the Secretary or the Treasurer of the Fund issues appropriate oral or
facsimile
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instructions to Custodian and an appropriate officers' certificate is received
by Custodian within two business days thereafter.
6. Custodian's Acts Without Instructions
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Unless and until Custodian receives an officers' certificate to the
contrary, Custodian shall: (a) present for payment all coupons and other income
items held by it for the account of the Fund, which call for payment upon
presentation and hold the cash received by it upon such payment for the account
of the Fund; (b) collect interest and cash dividends received, with notice to
the Fund, for the account of the Fund; (c) hold for the account of the Fund
hereunder all stock dividends, rights and similar securities issued with respect
to any securities held by it hereunder; and (d) execute, as agent on behalf of
the Fund, all necessary ownership certificates required by the Internal Revenue
Code or the Income Tax Regulations of the United States Treasury Department or
under the laws of any state now or hereafter in effect, inserting the Fund's
name on such certificates as the owner of the securities covered thereby, to the
extent it may lawfully do so.
7. Registration of Securities
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Except as otherwise directed by an officers' certificate, Custodian
shall register all securities, except such as are in bearer form, in the name of
a registered nominee of Custodian as defined in the Internal Revenue Code and
any Regulations of the Treasury Department issued hereunder or in any provision
of any subsequent federal tax law exempting such transaction from liability for
stock transfer taxes, and shall execute and deliver all such certificates in
connection therewith as may be required by such laws or regulations or under the
laws of any state. Custodian shall use its best efforts to the end that the
specific securities held by it hereunder shall be at all times identifiable in
its records.
The Fund shall from time to time furnish to Custodian appropriate
instruments to enable Custodian to hold or deliver in proper form for transfer,
or to register in the name of its registered nominee, any securities which it
may hold for the account of the Fund and which may from time to time be
registered in the name of the Fund.
8. Voting and Other Action
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Neither Custodian nor any nominee of Custodian shall vote any of the
securities held hereunder by or for the account of the Fund, except in
accordance with the instructions contained in an officers' certificate.
Custodian shall deliver, or cause to be executed and delivered, to the
Corporation all notices, proxies and proxy soliciting materials with relation to
such securities, such proxies to be executed by the registered holder of such
securities (if registered otherwise than in the name of the Fund), but without
indicating the manner in which such proxies are to be voted.
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9. Transfer Tax and Other Disbursements
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The Fund shall pay or reimburse Custodian from time to time for any
transfer taxes payable upon transfers of securities made hereunder, and for all
other necessary and proper disbursements and expenses made or incurred by
Custodian in the performance of this Agreement.
Custodian shall execute and deliver such certificates in connection
with securities delivered to it or by it under this Agreement as may be required
under the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and any Regulations of the
Treasury Department issued thereunder, or under the laws of any state, to exempt
from taxation any exemptible transfers and/or deliveries of any such securities.
10. Custodian
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Custodian shall be paid as compensation for its services pursuant to
this Agreement such compensation as may from time to time be agreed upon in
writing between the two parties. Until modified in writing, such compensation
shall be as set forth in Exhibit A attached hereto.
Custodian shall not be liable for any action taken in good faith upon
any certificate herein described or certified copy of any resolution of the
Board, and may rely on the genuineness of any such document which it may in good
faith believe to have been validly executed.
The Fund agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Custodian and its
nominee from all taxes, charges, expenses, assessments, claims and liabilities
(including counsel fees) incurred or assessed against it or by its nominee in
connection with the performance of this Agreement, except such as may arise from
its or its nominee's own negligent action, negligent failure to act or willful
misconduct. Custodian is authorized to charge any account of the Fund for such
items. In the event of any advance of cash for any purpose made by Custodian
resulting from orders or instructions of the Fund, or in the event that
Custodian or its nominee shall incur or be assessed any taxes, charges,
expenses, assessments, claims or liabilities in connection with the performance
of this Agreement, except such as may arise from its or its nominee's own
negligent action, negligent failure to act or willful misconduct, any property
at any time held for the account of the Fund shall be security therefore.
11. Subcustodians
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Custodian is hereby authorized to engage another bank or trust company
as a Subcustodian for all or any part of the Fund's assets, so long as any such
bank or trust company is a bank or trust company organized under the laws of any
state of the United States, having an aggregate capital, surplus and undivided
profit, as shown by its last published report, of not less than Two Million
Dollars ($2,000,000) and provided further that, if the Custodian utilizes the
services of a Subcustodian, the Custodian shall remain fully liable and
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responsible for any losses caused to the Fund by the Subcustodian as fully as if
the Custodian was directly responsible for any such losses under the terms of
the Custodian Agreement.
Notwithstanding anything contained herein, if the Fund requires the
Custodian to engage specific Subcustodians for the safekeeping and/or clearing
of assets, the Fund agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Custodian from all
claims, expenses and liabilities incurred or assessed against it in connection
with the use of such Subcustodian in regard to the Fund's assets, except as may
arise from its own negligent action, negligent failure to act or willful
misconduct.
12. Reports by Custodian
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Custodian shall furnish the Fund periodically as agreed upon with a
statement summarizing all transactions and entries for the account of Fund.
Custodian shall furnish to the Fund, at the end of every month, a list of the
portfolio securities showing the aggregate cost of each issue. The books and
records of Custodian pertaining to its actions under this Agreement shall be
open to inspection and audit at reasonable times by officers of, and of auditors
employed by, the Fund.
13. Termination or Assignment
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This Agreement may be terminated by the Fund, or by Custodian, on
ninety (90) days notice, given in writing and sent by registered mail to
Custodian at X.X. Xxx 0000, Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx 00000, or to the Fund at Xxxxx
X. Xxxx & Associates, Inc., 0000 Xxxxxx Xxxx Xxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxxxxx, Xxxxx
00000, as the case may be. Upon any termination of this Agreement, pending
appointment of a successor to Custodian or a vote of the shareholders of the
Fund to dissolve or to function without a custodian of its cash, securities and
other property, Custodian shall not deliver cash, securities or other property
of the Fund to the Fund, but may deliver them to a bank or trust company of its
own selection, having an aggregate capital, surplus and undivided profits, as
shown by its last published report of not less than Two Million Dollars
($2,000,000) as a Custodian for the Fund to be held under terms similar to those
of this Agreement, provided, however, that Custodian shall not be required to
make any such delivery or payment until full payment shall have been made by the
Fund of all liabilities constituting a charge on or against the properties then
held by Custodian or on or against Custodian, and until full payment shall have
been made to Custodian of all its fees, compensation, costs and expenses,
subject to the provisions of Section 10 of this Agreement.
In the event that the Fund elects to terminate its relationship with
Custodian prior to the first anniversary of this Agreement, the Fund agrees to
reimburse Custodian for those fees representing a discount to Custodian's
standard fee schedule as provided to the Fund and given as a concession to the
Fund as part of a one year fee arrangement.
This Agreement may not be assigned by Custodian without the consent of
the Fund, authorized or approved by a resolution of its Board of Directors.
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14. Deposits of Securities in Securities Depositories
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No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to prevent the use by
Custodian of a central securities clearing agency or securities depository,
provided, however, that Custodian and the central securities clearing agency or
securities depository meet all applicable federal and state laws and
regulations, and the Board of Directors of the Fund approves by resolution the
use of such central securities clearing agency or securities depository.
15. Records
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To the extent that Custodian in any capacity prepares or maintains any
records required to be maintained and preserved by the Fund pursuant to the
provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the rules and
regulations promulgated thereunder, Custodian agrees to make any such records
available to the Fund upon request and to preserve such records for the periods
prescribed in Rule 31a-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to
be executed and their respective corporate seals to be affixed hereto as of the
date first above-written by their respective officers thereunto duly authorized.
Executed in several counterparts, each of which is an original.
FIRSTAR BANK, N.A.
By__________________________________
Vice President
PRUDENT BEAR FUNDS, INC.
By__________________________________
