Determination of Pass-Through Rates for COFI Certificates The Pass-Through Rate for each Class of COFI Certificates for each Interest Accrual Period after the initial Interest Accrual Period shall be determined by the Trustee as provided below on the basis of the Index and the applicable formulae appearing in footnotes corresponding to the COFI Certificates in the table relating to the Certificates in the Preliminary Statement. Except as provided below, with respect to each Interest Accrual Period following the initial Interest Accrual Period, the Trustee shall not later than two Business Days prior to such Interest Accrual Period but following the publication of the applicable Index determine the Pass-Through Rate at which interest shall accrue in respect of the COFI Certificates during the related Interest Accrual Period. Except as provided below, the Index to be used in determining the respective Pass-Through Rates for the COFI Certificates for a particular Interest Accrual Period shall be COFI for the second calendar month preceding the Outside Reference Date for such Interest Accrual Period. If at the Outside Reference Date for any Interest Accrual Period, COFI for the second calendar month preceding such Outside Reference Date has not been published, the Trustee shall use COFI for the third calendar month preceding such Outside Reference Date. If COFI for neither the second nor third calendar months preceding any Outside Reference Date has been published on or before the related Outside Reference Date, the Index for such Interest Accrual Period and for all subsequent Interest Accrual Periods shall be the National Cost of Funds Index for the third calendar month preceding such Interest Accrual Period (or the fourth preceding calendar month if such National Cost of Funds Index for the third preceding calendar month has not been published by such Outside Reference Date). In the event that the National Cost of Funds Index for neither the third nor fourth calendar months preceding an Interest Accrual Period has been published on or before the related Outside Reference Date, then for such Interest Accrual Period and for each succeeding Interest Accrual Period, the Index shall be LIBOR, determined in the manner set forth below. With respect to any Interest Accrual Period for which the applicable Index is LIBOR, LIBOR for such Interest Accrual Period will be established by the Trustee on the related Interest Determination Date as provided in Section 4.08. In determining LIBOR and any Pass-Through Rate for the COFI Certificates or any Reserve Interest Rate, the Trustee may conclusively rely and shall be protected in relying upon the offered quotations (whether written, oral or on the Reuters Screen) from the Reference Banks or the New York City banks as to LIBOR or the Reserve Interest Rate, as appropriate, in effect from time to time. The Trustee shall not have any liability or responsibility to any Person for (i) the Trustee's selection of New York City banks for purposes of determining any Reserve Interest Rate or (ii) its inability, following a good-faith reasonable effort, to obtain such quotations from the Reference Banks or the New York City banks or to determine such arithmetic mean, all as provided for in this Section 4.07. The establishment of LIBOR and each Pass-Through Rate for the COFI Certificates by the Trustee shall (in the absence of manifest error) be final, conclusive and binding upon each Holder of a Certificate and the Trustee.
Class B Shares (i) In consideration of the Underwriter's services as principal underwriter of each Fund's Class B shares pursuant to this Agreement and in accordance with the provisions of the Trust's Amended and Restated Distribution and Service Plan (the "Class B Plan") in respect of such shares each Fund agrees:
(I) to pay to the Underwriter or, at the Underwriter's direction, to a third party, monthly in arrears on or prior to the 5th business day of the following calendar month (A) a service fee (the "Service Fee") equal to 0.25 of 1% per annum of the average daily net asset value of the Class B shares of the Fund outstanding from time to time, and (B) the Underwriter's "Allocable Portion" (as hereinafter defined) of a fee (the "Distribution Fee") equal to 0.75% of 1% per annum of the average daily net asset value of the Class B shares of the Fund outstanding from time to time, and (II) to withhold from redemption proceeds in respect of Class B shares of the Fund the Underwriter's Allocable Portion of the Contingent Deferred Sales Charges ("CDSCs") payable in respect of such redemption as provided in the Prospectus of the Fund and to pay the same over to the Underwriter or, at the Underwriter's direction, to a third party, at the time the redemption proceeds in respect of such redemption are payable to the holder of the Class B shares redeemed.
(ii) The Underwriter will be deemed to have performed all services required to be performed in order to be entitled to receive its Allocable Portion of the Distribution Fee payable in respect of the Class B shares of the Fund upon the settlement date of each sale of a "Commission Share" (as defined in the Allocation Schedule attached hereto as Schedule A) of the Fund taken into account in determining the Underwriter's Allocable Portion of such Distribution Fees.
(iii) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement of (to the extent waiver thereof is permitted thereby) applicable law, the Fund's obligation to pay the Underwriter's Allocable Portion of the Distribution Fees payable in respect to the Class B shares of the Fund shall not be terminated or modified for any reason (including a termination of this Agreement) except to the extent required by a change in the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder or the Conduct Rules of the NASD, in each case enacted or promulgated after December 29, 1997, or in connection with a "Complete Termination" (as hereinafter defined) of the Class B Plan.
(iv) The Fund will not take any action to waive or change any CDSC in respect of the Class B shares of the Fund, except as provided in the Fund's Prospectus or statement of additional information as in effect as of the date hereof, without the consent of the Underwriter and the permitted assigns of all or any portion of its rights to its Allocable Portion of the CDSCs.
(v) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, neither the termination of the Underwriter's role as principal distributor of the Class B shares of any fund, nor the termination of this Agreement nor the termination of the Class B Plan will terminate the Underwriter's right to its Allocable Portion of the CDSCs in respect of the Class B shares of the Fund.
(vi) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Underwriter may assign, sell or pledge (collectively, "Transfer") its rights to the Service Fees and its Allocable Portion of the Distribution Fees and CDSCs (but not its obligations to the Fund under this Agreement) to raise funds to make the expenditures related to the distribution of Class B shares of the Fund and in connection therewith, upon receipt of notice of such Transfer, the Fund shall pay, or cause to be paid, to the assignee, purchaser or pledgee (collectively with their subsequent transferees, "Transferees") such portion of the Underwriter's Service Fees, Allocable Portion of the Distribution Fees and CDSCs in respect of the Class B shares of the Fund so Transferred. Except as provided in (iii) above and notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth elsewhere in this Agreement, to the extent the Underwriter has Transferred its rights thereto to raise funds as aforesaid, the Fund's obligation to pay the Underwriter's Allocable Portion of the Distribution Fees and CDSCs payable in respect of the Class B shares of the Fund shall be absolute and unconditional and shall not be subject to dispute, offset, counterclaim or any defense whatsoever, at law or equity, including, without limitation, any of the foregoing based on the insolvency or bankruptcy of the Underwriter's right to the Distribution Fees and CDSCs in respect of the Class B shares of the Fund, which have been so transferred in connection with such Transfer). The Fund agrees that each such Transferee is a third party beneficiary of the provisions of this clause (vi) but only insofar as those provisions relate to Distribution Fees and CDSCs transferred to such Transferee.
(vii) For purposes of the Agreement, the term "Allocable Portion" of Distribution Fees and CDSCs payable in respect of the Class B shares of the Fund shall mean the portion of such Distribution Fees and CDSCs allocated to the Underwriter in accordance with the Allocation Schedule attached hereto as Schedule A.
(viii) For purposes of this Agreement, the term "Complete Termination" of the Plan in respect of the Fund means a termination of the Class B Plan involving the complete cessation of the payment of Distribution Fees in respect of all Class B shares of the Fund, and the termination of the Class B Plan and the complete cessation of the payment of distribution fees pursuant to any other distribution Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act in respect of the Class B shares of the Fund and any successor fund or the Fund acquiring a substantial portion of the assets of the Fund and for every future class of shares which has substantially similar characteristics to the Class B shares of the Fund taking into account the manner of payment and amount of sales charge, CDSC or other similar charges borne directly or indirectly by the holders of such shares.