CONCERNING CUSTODIAN (a) The Custodian shall be held to a standard of reasonable care in carrying out the provisions of this Agreement; provided, however, that the Custodian shall be held to different standard of care of imposed by any other provision of this Agreement or imposed upon Custodian by any applicable law or regulation, which by its terms cannot be contractually modified or waived. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, Custodian shall not be liable for any costs, expenses, damages, liabilities or claims, including attorneys' and accountants' fees (collectively, “Losses”), incurred by or asserted against the Fund, except those Losses arising out of Custodian's own negligence or willful misconduct. Custodian shall have no liability whatsoever for the action or inaction of any Depositories or of any Foreign Depositories, except in each case to the extent such action or inaction is a direct result of the Custodian' s failure to fulfill its duties hereunder. With respect to any Losses incurred by the Fund as a result of the acts or any failures to act by any Subcustodian (other than a BNY Affiliate), Custodian shall take appropriate action to recover such Losses from such Subcustodian; and Custodian's sole responsibility and liability to the Fund shall be limited to amounts so received from such Subcustodian ( exclusive of costs and expenses incurred by Custodian). In no event shall Custodian be liable to the Fund or any third party for special, indirect or consequential damages, or lost profits or loss of business, arising in connection with this Agreement, nor shall Custodian or any Subcustodian be liable: (i) for acting in accordance with any Certificate or Oral Instructions actually received by Custodian and reasonably believed by Custodian to be given by an Authorized Person; (ii) for acting in accordance with Instructions without reviewing the same; (iii) for conclusively presuming that all Instructions are given only by person(s) duly authorized; (00 for conclusively presuming that all disbursements of cash directed by the Fund, whether by a Certificate, an Oral Instruction, or an Instruction, are in accordance with Section 2(i) of Article II hereof; (y) for holding property in any particular country, including, but not limited to, Losses resulting from nationalization, expropriation or other governmental actions; regulation of the banking or securities industry; exchange or currency controls or restrictions, devaluations or fluctuations; availability of cash or Securities or market conditions which prevent the transfer of property or execution of Securities transactions or affect the value of property; (yi) for any Losses due to forces beyond the control of Custodian, including without limitation strikes, work stoppages, acts of war or terrorism, insurrection, revolution, nuclear or natural catastrophes or acts of God, or interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software and hardware) services; (yii) for the insolvency of any Subcustodian (other than a BNY Affiliate), any Depository, or, except to the extent such action or inaction is a direct result of the Custodian's failure to fulfill its duties hereunder, any Foreign Depository; or (yiii)l for any Losses arising from the applicability of any law or regulation now or hereafter in effect, or from the occurrence of any event, including, without limitation, implementation or adoption of any rules or procedures of a Foreign Depository, which may affect, limit prevent or impose costs or burdens on, the transferability, convertibility, or availability of any currency or Composite Currency Unit in any country or on the transfer of any Securities, and in no event shall Custodian be obligated to substitute another currency for a currency (including a currency that is a component of a Composite Currency Unit) whose transferability, convertibility or availability has been affected, limited, or prevented by such law, regulation or event and to the extent that any such law, regulation or event imposes a cost or charge upon Custodian in relation to the transferability, convertibility, or availability of any cash currency or Composite Currency Unit, such cost or charge shall be for the account of the Fund, and Custodian may treat any account denominated in an affected currency as a group of separate accounts denominated in the relevant component currencies.
(b) Custodian may enter into subcontracts, agreements and understandings with any BNY Affiliate, whenever and on such terms and conditions as it deems necessary or appropriate to perform its services hereunder. No such subcontract, agreement or understanding shall discharge Custodian from its obligations hereunder.
(c) The Fund agrees to indemnify Custodian and hold Custodian harmless from and against any and all Losses sustained or incurred by or asserted against Custodian by reason of or as a result of any action or inaction, or arising out of Custodian's performance hereunder, including reasonable fees and expenses of counsel incurred by Custodian in a successful defense of claims by the Fund; provided however, that the Fund shall not indemnify Custodian for those Losses arising out of Custodian's own negligence or willful misconduct. This indemnity shall be a continuing obligation of the Fund, its successors and assigns, notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement.
2. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Custodian sep be under no obligation to inquire into, and shall not be liable for:
(a) Any Losses incurred by the Fund or any other person as a result of the receipt or acceptance of fraudulent, forged or invalid Securities, or Securities which are otherwise not freely transferable or deliverable without encumbrance in any relevant market;
(b) The validity of the issue of any Securities purchased, sold, or written by or for the Fund, the legality of the purchase, sale or writing thereof, or the propriety of the amount paid or received therefor;
(c) The legality of the sale or redemption of any Shares, or the propriety of the amount to be received or paid therefor;
(d) The legality of the declaration or payment of any dividend or distribution by the Fund;
(e) The legality of any borrowing by the Fund;
(f) The legality of any loan of portfolio Securities, nor shall Custodian be under any duty or obligation to see to it that any cash or collateral delivered to it by a broker, dealer or financial institution or held by it at any time as a result of such loan of portfolio Securities is adequate security for the Fund against any loss it might sustain as a result of such loan, which duty or obligation shall be the sole responsibility of the Fund. In addition, Custodian shall be under no duty or obligation to see that any broker, dealer or financial institution to which portfolio Securities of the Fund are lent makes payment to it of any dividends or interest which are payable to or for the account of the Fund during the period of such loan or at the termination of such loan, provided, however that Custodian shall promptly notify the Fund in the event that such dividends or interest are not paid and received when due;
(g) The sufficiency or value of any amounts of money and/or Securities held in any Special Account in connection with transactions by the Fund; whether any broker, dealer, futures commission merchant or clearing member makes payment to the Fund of any variation margin payment or similar payment which the Fund may be entitled to receive from such broker, dealer, futures commission merchant or clearing member, or whether any payment received by Custodian from any broker, dealer, futures commission merchant or clearing member is the amount the Fund is entitled to receive, or to notify the Fund of Custodian's receiptor non-receipt of any such payment; or
(h) Whether any Securities at any time delivered to, or held by it or by any Subcustodian, for the account of a Fund are such as properly may be held by the Fund under the provisions of its then current prospectus and statement of additional information, or to ascertain whether any transactions by the Fund, whether or not involving Custodian, are such transactions as may properly be engaged in by the Fund.
3. Custodian may, with respect to questions of law specifically regarding an Account, obtain the advice and opinion of counsel to the independent trustees of a Fund or other counsel that is mutually agreed upon by the Funds and the Custodian and shall be fully protected with respect to anything done or omitted by it in good faith in conformity with such advice.
4. Custodian shall be under no obligation to take action to collect any amount payable on Securities in default, or if payment is refused after due demand and presentment.
5. Custodian shall have no duty or responsibility to inquire into, make recommendations, supervise, or determine the suitability of any transactions affecting any Account.
6. The Fund shall pay to Custodian the fees and charges as may be specifically agreed upon from time to time and such other fees and charges at Custodian's standard rates for such services as maybe applicable. The Fund shall reimburse Custodian for all costs associated with the conversion of the Fund's Securities hereunder and the transfer of Securities and records kept in connection with this Agreement. The Fund shall also reimburse Custodian, at cost, for out-of-pocket expenses which are a normal incident of the services provided hereunder.
7. Custodian has the right to debit any cash account for any amount payable by the Fund in connection with any and all obligations of the Fund to Custodian. In addition to the rights of Custodian under applicable law and other agreements, at any time when the Fund shall not have honored any of its obligations to Custodian, Custodian shall have the right without notice to the Fund to retain or set-off, against such obligations of the Fund, any Securities or cash Custodian or a BNY Affiliate may directly or indirectly hold for the account of the Fund, and any obligations (whether matured or unmatured) that Custodian or a BNY Affiliate may have to the Fund in any currency or Composite Currency Unit. Any such asset of, or obligation to, the Fund may be transferred to Custodian and any BNY Affiliate in order to effect the above rights.
8. The Fund agrees to forward to Custodian a Certificate or Instructions confirming Oral Instructions by the close of business of the same day that such Oral Instructions are given to Custodian. The Fund agrees that the fact that such confirming Certificate or Instructions are not received or that a contrary Certificate or contrary Instructions are received by Custodian shall in no way affect the validity or enforceability of transactions authorized by such Oral Instructions and effected by Custodian. If the Fund elects to transmit Instructions through an on-line communications system offered by Custodian, the Fund's use thereof shall be subject to the Terms and Conditions attached as Appendix J hereto, and Custodian shall provide user and authorization codes, passwords and authentication keys only to an Authorized Person or a person reasonably believed by Custodian to be an Authorized Person.
9. The books and records pertaining to the Fund which are in possession of Custodian shall be the property of the Fund. Such books and records shall be prepared and maintained as required by the '40 Act and the rules thereunder. The Fund, or its authorized representatives, shall have access to such books and records during Custodian's normal business hours. Upon the reasonable request of the Fund, copies of any such books and records shall be provided by Custodian to the Fund or its authorized representative. Upon the reasonable request of the Fund, Custodian shall provide in hard copy or on computer disc any records included in any such delivery which are maintained by Custodian on a computer disc, or are similarly maintained.
10. It is understood that Custodian is authorized to supply any information regarding the Accounts which is required by any law, regulation or rule now or hereafter in effect. The Custodian shall provide the Fund with any report obtained by the Custodian on the system of internal accounting control of a Depository, and with such reports on its own system of internal accounting control as the Fund may reasonably request from time to time.
11. Custodian shall have no duties or responsibilities whatsoever except such duties and responsibilities as are specifically set forth in this Agreement, and no covenant or obligation shall be implied against Custodian in connection with this Agreement.
Concerning the Custodian 1. The Custodian shall use reasonable care in the performance of its duties hereunder, and, except as hereinafter provided, neither the Custodian nor its nominee shall be liable for any loss or damage, including counsel fees, resulting from its action or omission to act or otherwise, either hereunder or under any Margin Account Agreement, except for any such loss or damage arising out of its own negligence, bad faith, or willful misconduct or that of its officers, employees, or agents. The Custodian may, with respect to questions of law arising hereunder or under any Margin Account Agreement, apply for and obtain the advice and opinion of counsel to the Fund, at the expense of the Fund, or of its own counsel, at its own expense, and shall be fully protected with respect to anything done or omitted by it in good faith in conformity with such advice or opinion. The Custodian shall be liable to the Fund for any loss or damage resulting from the use of the Book-Entry System or any Depository arising by reason of any negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Custodian or any of its employees or agents.
2. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Custodian shall be under no obligation to inquire into, and shall not be liable for:
(a) The validity (but not the authenticity) of the issue of any Securities purchased, sold, or written by or for the Fund, the legality of the purchase, sale or writing thereof, or the propriety of the amount paid or received therefor, as specified in a Certificate, Oral Instructions, or Written Instructions;
(b) The legality of the sale or redemption of any Shares, or the propriety of the amount to be received or paid therefor, as specified in a Certificate;
(c) The legality of the declaration or payment of any dividend by the Fund, as specified in a resolution, Certificate, Oral Instructions, or Written Instructions;
(d) The legality of any borrowing by the Fund using Securities as collateral;
(e) The legality of any loan of portfolio Securities, nor shall the Custodian be under any duty or obligation to see to it that the cash collateral delivered to it by a broker, dealer, or financial institution or held by it at any time as a result of such loan of portfolio Securities of the Fund is adequate collateral for the Fund against any loss it might sustain as a result of such loan, except that this sub-paragraph shall not excuse any liability the Custodian may have for failing to act in accordance with Article X hereof or any Certificate, Oral Instructions, or Written Instructions given in accordance with this Agreement. The Custodian specifically, but not by way of limitation, shall not be under any duty or obligation periodically to check or notify the Fund that the amount of such cash collateral held by it for the Fund is sufficient collateral for the Fund, but such duty or obligation shall be the sole responsibility of the Fund. In addition, the Custodian shall be under no duty or obligation to see that any broker, dealer or financial institution to which portfolio Securities of the Fund are lent pursuant to Article X of this Agreement makes payment to it of any dividends or interest which are payable to or for the account of the Fund during the period of such loan or at the termination of such loan, provided, however, that the Custodian shall promptly notify the Fund in the event that such dividends or interest are not paid and received when due; or
(f) The sufficiency or value of any amounts of money and/or Securities held in any Margin Account, Senior Security Account or Collateral Account in connection with transactions by the Fund, except that this sub-paragraph shall not excuse any liability the Custodian may have for failing to establish, maintain, make deposits to or withdrawals from such accounts in accordance with this Agreement. In addition, the Custodian shall be under no duty or obligation to see that any broker, dealer, futures commission merchant or Clearing Member makes payment to the Fund of any variation margin payment or similar payment which the Fund may be entitled to receive from such broker, dealer, futures commission merchant or Clearing Member, to see that any payment received by the Custodian from any broker, dealer, futures commission merchant or Clearing Member is the amount the Fund is entitled to receive, or to notify the Fund of the Custodian's receipt or non-receipt of any such payment.
3. The Custodian shall not be liable for, or considered to be the Custodian of, any money, whether or not represented by any check, draft, or other instrument for the payment of money, received by it on behalf of the Fund until the Custodian actually receives such money directly or by the final crediting of the account representing the Fund's interest at the Book-Entry System or the Depository.
4. With respect to Securities held in a Depository, except as otherwise provided in paragraph 5(b) of Article III hereof, the Custodian shall have no responsibility and shall not be liable for ascertaining or acting upon any calls, conversions, exchange offers, tenders, interest rate changes or similar matters relating to such Securities, unless the Custodian shall have actually received timely notice from the Depository in which such Securities are held. In no event shall the Custodian have any responsibility or liability for the failure of a Depository to collect, or for the late collection or late crediting by a Depository of any amount payable upon Securities deposited in a Depository which may mature or be redeemed, retired, called or otherwise become payable. However, upon receipt of a Certificate from the Fund of an overdue amount on Securities held in a Depository the Custodian shall make a claim against the Depository on behalf of the Fund, except that the Custodian shall not be under any obligation to appear in, prosecute or defend any action, suit or proceeding in respect to any Securities held by a Depository which in its opinion may involve it in expense or liability, unless indemnity satisfactory to it against all expense and liability be furnished as often as may be required, or alternatively, the Fund shall be subrogated to the rights of the Custodian with respect to such claim against the Depository should it so request in a Certificate. This paragraph shall not, however, excuse any failure by the Custodian to act in accordance with a Certificate, Oral Instructions, or Written Instructions given in accordance with this Agreement.
5. The Custodian shall not be under any duty or obligation to take action to effect collection of any amount due to the Fund from the Transfer Agent of the Fund nor to take any action to effect payment or distribution by the Transfer Agent of the Fund of any amount paid by the Custodian to the Transfer Agent of the Fund in accordance with this Agreement.
6. The Custodian shall not be under any duty or obligation to take action to effect collection of any amount if the Securities upon which such amount is payable are in default, or if payment is refused after the Custodian has timely and properly, in accordance with this Agreement, made due demand or presentation, unless and until (i) it shall be directed to take such action by a Certificate and (ii) it shall be assured to its satisfaction of reimbursement of its costs and expenses in connection with any such action, but the Custodian shall have such a duty if the Securities were not in default on the payable date and the Custodian failed to timely and properly make such demand for payment and such failure is the reason for the non-receipt of payment.
7. The Custodian may appoint one or more banking institutions as sub-custodian or sub-custodians, or as co-custodian or co-custodians including, but not limited to, banking institutions located in foreign countries, of Securities and money at any time owned by the Fund, upon such terms and conditions as may be approved in a Certificate or contained in an agreement executed by the Custodian, the Fund and the appointed institution.
(a) The Custodian will use reasonable care with respect to its obligations under this Agreement and the safekeeping of Securities and money owned by the Fund. The Custodian shall be liable to the Fund for any loss which shall occur as the result of the failure of a sub-custodian which is a banking institution located in a foreign country and identified on Schedule A attached hereto and as amended from time to time upon mutual agreement of the parties (each, a "Sub-custodian") to exercise reasonable care with respect to the safekeeping of such securities and money to the same extent that the Custodian would be liable to the Fund if the Custodian were holding such Securities and money in New York. In the event of any loss to the Fund by reason of the failure of the Custodian or a Sub-custodian to utilize reasonable care, the Custodian shall be liable to the Fund only to the extent of the Fund's direct damages, to be determined based on the market value of the Securities and money which are the subject of the loss at the date of discovery of such loss and without reference to any special conditions or circumstances.
(b) The Custodian shall not be liable for any loss which results from (i) the general risk of investing, or (ii) investing or holding Securities and money in a particular country including, but not limited to, losses resulting from nationalization, expropriation or other governmental actions; regulation of the banking or securities industry; currency restrictions, devaluations or fluctuations; or market conditions which prevent the orderly execution of securities transactions or affect the value of Securities or money.
(c) Neither party shall be liable to the other for any loss due to forces beyond its control including, but not limited to, strikes or work stoppages, acts of war or terrorism, insurrection, revolution, nuclear fusion, fission or radiation, or acts of God.
9. The Custodian shall not be under any duty or obligation (a) to ascertain whether any Securities at any time delivered to, or held by it, for the account of the Fund and specifically allocated to a Series are such as properly may be held by the Fund or such Series under the provisions of its then current prospectus, or (b) to ascertain whether any transactions by the Fund, whether or not involving the Custodian, are such transactions as may properly be engaged in by the Fund.
10. The Custodian shall be entitled to receive and the Fund agrees to pay to the Custodian all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses and such compensation as may be agreed upon from time to time between the Custodian and the Fund. The Custodian may charge such compensation, and any such expenses with respect to a Series incurred by the Custodian in the performance of its duties under this Agreement against any money specifically allocated to such Series. The Custodian shall also be entitled to charge against any money held by it for the account of a Series the amount of any loss, damage, liability or expense, including counsel fees, for which it shall be entitled to reimbursement under the provisions of this Agreement attributable to, or arising out of, its serving as Custodian for such Series. The expenses for which the Custodian shall be entitled to reimbursement hereunder shall include, but are not limited to, the expenses of sub-custodians and foreign branches of the Custodian incurred in settling outside of New York City transactions involving the purchase and sale of Securities of the Fund. Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything else contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Custodian shall, prior to effecting any charge for compensation, expenses, or any overdraft or indebtedness or interest thereon, submit an invoice therefor to the Fund.
11. The Custodian shall be entitled to rely upon any Certificate, notice or other instrument in writing, Oral Instructions, or Written Instructions received by the Custodian and reasonably believed by the Custodian to be genuine. The Fund agrees to forward to the Custodian a Certificate or facsimile thereof confirming Oral Instructions or Written Instructions in such manner so that such Certificate or facsimile thereof is received by the Custodian, whether by hand delivery, telecopier or other similar device, or otherwise, by the close of business of the same day that such Oral Instructions or Written Instructions are given to the Custodian. The Fund agrees that the fact that such confirming instructions are not received by the Custodian shall in no way affect the validity of the transactions or enforceability of the transactions thereby authorized by the Fund. The Fund agrees that the Custodian shall incur no liability to the Fund in acting upon Oral Instructions or Written Instructions given to the Custodian hereunder concerning such transactions provided such instructions reasonably appear to have been received from an Authorized Person.
12. The Custodian shall be entitled to rely upon any instrument, instruction or notice received by the Custodian and reasonably believed by the Custodian to be given in accordance with the terms and conditions of any Margin Account Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Custodian shall be under no duty to inquire into, and shall not be liable for, the accuracy of any statements or representations contained in any such instrument or other notice including, without limitation, any specification of any amount to be paid to a broker, dealer, futures commission merchant or Clearing Member. This paragraph shall not excuse any failure by the Custodian to have acted in accordance with any Margin Agreement it has executed or any Certificate, Oral Instructions, or Written Instructions given in accordance with this Agreement.
13. The books and records pertaining to the Fund, as described in Appendix E hereto, which are in the possession of the Custodian shall be the property of the Fund. Such books and records shall be prepared and maintained by the Custodian as required by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and other applicable securities laws and rules and regulations. The Fund, or the Fund's authorized representatives, shall have access to such books and records during the Custodian's normal business hours. Upon the reasonable request of the Fund, copies of any such books and records shall be provided by the Custodian to the Fund or the Fund's authorized representative, and the Fund shall reimburse the Custodian its expenses of providing such copies. Upon reasonable request of the Fund, the Custodian shall provide in hard copy or on micro-film, whichever the Custodian elects, any records included in any such delivery which are maintained by the Custodian on a computer disc, or are similarly maintained, and the Fund shall reimburse the Custodian for its expenses of providing such hard copy or micro-film.
14. The Custodian shall provide the Fund with any report obtained by the Custodian on the system of internal accounting control of the Book-Entry System, each Depository or O.C.C., and with such reports on its own systems of internal accounting control as the Fund may reasonably request from time to time.
15. The Custodian shall furnish upon request annually to the Fund a letter prepared by the Custodian's accountants with respect to the Custodian's internal systems and controls in the form generally provided by the Custodian to other investment companies for which the Custodian acts as custodian.
16. The Fund agrees to indemnify the Custodian against and save the Custodian harmless from all liability, claims, losses and demands whatsoever, including attorney's fees, howsoever arising out of, or related to, the Custodian's performance of its obligations under this Agreement, except for any such liability, claim, loss and demand arising out of the Custodian's own negligence, bad faith, or willful misconduct or that of its officers, employees, or agents.
17. Subject to the foregoing provisions of this Agreement, the Custodian shall deliver and receive Securities, and receipts with respect to such Securities, and shall make and receive payments only in accordance with the customs prevailing from time to time among brokers or dealers in such Securities and, except as may otherwise be provided by this Agreement or a