EXHIBIT 99.H1
TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made as of the 25th day of June, 1999, by and between BRAZOS
MUTUAL FUNDS, a business trust organized and existing under the laws of the
State of Delaware, having its principal place of business at ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇,
▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ (the "Fund"), and STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST
COMPANY, a Massachusetts trust company having its principal office and place of
business at ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ (the "Bank").
WHEREAS, the Fund is authorized to issue shares in separate series,
with each such series representing interests in a separate portfolio of
securities and other assets; and
WHEREAS, the Fund intends to initially offer shares in four series,
Brazos Micro Cap Growth Portfolio, Brazos Small Cap Growth Portfolio, Brazos
Real Estate Securities Portfolio and Brazos Growth Portfolio (such series
together with all other series subsequently established by the Fund and made
subject to this Contract in accordance with paragraph 17, being herein referred
to as the "Portfolio(s)");
WHEREAS, the Fund on behalf of the Portfolios 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:
1. TERMS OF APPOINTMENT; DUTIES OF THE BANK
1.1 Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement,
the Fund, on behalf of the Portfolios, 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 beneficial interest, ("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 each of the respective Portfolios of the Fund ("Shareholders")
and set out in the currently effective prospectus and statement of additional
information ("prospectus") of the Fund on behalf of the applicable Portfolio,
including without limitation any periodic investment plan or periodic withdrawal
program.
1.2 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 on behalf of each of the
Portfolios, as applicable 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 Declaration of Trust 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;
(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 on behalf of the
applicable Portfolio;
(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) Maintain records of account for and advise the Fund
and its Shareholders as to the foregoing; and
(x) Record the issuance of shares of the Fund and
maintain pursuant to SEC Rule 17Ad-10(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 of shares, to monitor the
issuance of such shares or to take cognizance of any
laws relating
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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, 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.
(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 Section I may be established from time to time by agreement
between the Fund on behalf of each Portfolio 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.
(e) The Bank shall provide additional services on behalf of the
Fund (i.e., escheatment services) which may be agreed upon in
writing between the Fund and the Bank.
2. FEES AND EXPENSES
2.1 For the performance by the Bank pursuant to this Agreement, the
Fund agrees on behalf of each of the Portfolios to pay the Bank an annual
maintenance fee for each Shareholder account as set out in the initial fee
schedule attached hereto. Such fees and out-of-pocket
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expenses and advances identified under Section 2.2 below may be changed from
time to time subject to mutual written agreement between the Fund and the Bank.
2.2 In addition to the fee paid under Section 2.1 above, the Fund
agrees on behalf of each of the Portfolios to reimburse the Bank for
out-of-pocket expenses, including but not limited to confirmation production,
postage, forms, telephone, microfilm, microfiche, tabulating proxies, records
storage, or advances incurred by the Bank for the items set out in the fee
schedule attached hereto. In addition, any other expenses incurred by the Bank
at the request or with the consent of the Fund, will be reimbursed by the Fund
on behalf of the applicable Portfolio.
2.3 The Fund agrees on behalf of each of the Portfolios to pay all fees
and reimbursable expenses within five days following the receipt of the
respective billing notice. Postage for mailing of dividends, proxies, Fund
reports and other mailings to all shareholder accounts shall be advanced to the
Bank by the Fund at least seven (7) days prior to the mailing date of such
materials.
3. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE BANK
The Bank represents and warrants to the Fund that:
3.1 It is a trust company duly organized and existing and in good
standing under the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
3.2 It is duly qualified to carry on its business in the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts.
3.3 It is empowered under applicable laws and by its Charter and
By-Laws to enter into and perform this Agreement.
3.4 All requisite corporate proceedings have been taken to authorize it
to enter into and perform this Agreement.
3.5 It has and will continue to have access to the necessary
facilities, equipment and personnel to perform its duties and obligations under
this Agreement.
4. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE FUND
The Fund represents and warrants to the Bank that:
4.1 It is a business trust duly organized and existing and in good
standing under the laws of the State of Delaware.
4.2 It is empowered under applicable laws and by its Declaration of
Trust and By-Laws to enter into and perform this Agreement.
4.3 All corporate proceedings required by said Declaration of Trust and
By-Laws have been taken to authorize it to enter into and perform this
Agreement.
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4.4 It is an open-end and diversified management investment company
registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
4.5 A registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended on behalf of each of the Portfolios 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.
5. DATA ACCESS AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION
5.1 The Fund acknowledges that the data bases, computer programs,
screen formats, report formats, interactive design techniques, and documentation
manuals furnished to the Fund by the Bank as part of the Fund's ability to
access certain Fund-related data ("Customer Data") maintained by the Bank on
data bases under the control and ownership of the Bank ("Data Access Services")
constitute copyrighted, trade secret, or other proprietary information
(collectively, "Proprietary Information") of substantial value to the Bank or
other third party. In no event shall Proprietary Information be deemed Customer
Data. The Fund agrees to treat all Proprietary Information as proprietary to the
Bank and further agrees that it shall not divulge any Proprietary Information to
any person or organization except as may be provided hereunder. Without limiting
the foregoing, the Fund agrees for itself and its employees and agents:
(a) to access Customer Data solely from locations as may be
designated in writing by the Bank and solely in accordance
with the Bank's applicable user documentation;
(b) to refrain from copying or duplicating in any way the
Proprietary Information;
(c) to refrain from obtaining unauthorized access to any portion
of the Proprietary Information, and if such access is
inadvertently obtained, to inform in a timely manner of such
fact and dispose of such information in accordance with the
Bank's instructions;
(d) to refrain from causing or allowing the data acquired
hereunder from being retransmitted to any other computer
facility or other location, except with the prior written
consent of the Bank;
(e) that the Fund shall have access only to those authorized
transactions agreed upon by the parties;
(f) to honor all reasonable written requests made by the Bank to
protect at the Bank's expense the rights of the Bank in
Proprietary Information at common law, under federal copyright
law and under other federal or state law.
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Each party shall take reasonable efforts to advise its employees of their
obligations pursuant to this Section 5. The obligations of this Section shall
survive any earlier termination of this Agreement.
5.2 If the Fund notifies the Bank that any of the Data Access Services
do not operate in material compliance with the most recently issued user
documentation for such services, the Bank shall endeavor in a timely manner to
correct such failure. Organizations from which the Bank may obtain certain data
included in the Data Access Services are solely responsible for the contents of
such data and the Fund agrees to make no claim against the Bank arising out of
the contents of such third-party data, including, but not limited to, the
accuracy thereof. DATA ACCESS SERVICES AND ALL COMPUTER PROGRAMS AND SOFTWARE
SPECIFICATIONS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH ARE PROVIDED ON AN AS IS, AS
AVAILABLE BASIS. THE BANK EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES EXCEPT THOSE
EXPRESSLY STATED HEREIN INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
5.3 If the transactions available to the Fund include the ability to
originate electronic instructions to the Bank in order to (i) effect the
transfer or movement of cash or Shares or (ii) transmit Shareholder information
or other information, then in such event the Bank shall be entitled to rely on
the validity and authenticity of such instruction without undertaking any
further inquiry as long as such instruction is undertaken in conformity with
security procedures established by the Bank from time to time.
6. INDEMNIFICATION
6.1 The Bank shall not be responsible for, and the Fund shall on behalf
of the applicable Portfolio 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 agents 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.
(c) The reliance on or use by the Bank or its agents or
subcontractors of information, records, documents or services
which (i) are received by the Bank or its agents or
subcontractors, and (ii) have been prepared, maintained or
performed by the Fund or any other person or firm on behalf of
the Fund including but not limited to any previous transfer
agent or registrar.
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(d) The reliance on, or the carrying out by the Bank or its agents
or subcontractors of any instructions or requests of the Fund
on behalf of the applicable Portfolio.
(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.
(f) The negotiation and processing by the Bank of checks not made
payable to the order of the Bank, the Fund, the Fund's
management company, transfer agent or distributor or the
retirement account custodian or trustee for a plan account
investing in Shares, which checks are tendered to the Bank for
the purchase of Shares (i.e., checks made payable to
prospective or existing Shareholders, such checks are commonly
known as "third party checks").
6.2 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
shall be indemnified by the Fund on behalf of the applicable Portfolio 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.
6.3 In order that the indemnification provisions contained in this
Section 6 shall apply, upon the assertion of a claim for which the Fund may be
required to indemnify the Bank, the Bank shall promptly notify the Fund of such
assertion, and shall keep the Fund advised with respect to all developments
concerning such claim. The Fund shall have the option to participate with the
Bank in the defense of such claim or to defend against said claim in its own
name or in the name of the Bank. The Bank shall in no case confess any claim or
make any compromise in any case in which the Fund may be required to indemnify
the Bank except with the Fund's prior written consent.
7. STANDARD OF CARE
The Bank shall at all times act in good faith and agrees to use its
best efforts within reasonable limits to insure the accuracy of all services
performed under this Agreement, but
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assumes no responsibility and shall not be liable for loss or damage due to
errors unless said errors are caused by its negligence, bad faith, or willful
misconduct or that of its employees.
8. COVENANTS OF THE FUND AND THE BANK
8.1 The Fund shall on behalf of each of the Portfolios promptly furnish
to the Bank the following:
(a) A certified copy of the resolution of the Board of Trustees of
the Fund authorizing the appointment of the Bank and the
execution and delivery of this Agreement.
(b) A copy of the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws of the Fund and
all amendments thereto.
8.2 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.
8.3 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.
8.4 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.
8.5 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.
9. TERMINATION OF AGREEMENT
9.1 This Agreement may be terminated by either party upon one hundred
twenty (120) days written notice to the other.
9.2 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 on behalf of the applicable Portfolio(s). Additionally, the Bank
reserves the right to charge for any other
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reasonable expenses associated with such termination and/or a charge equivalent
to the average of three (3) months' fees.
10. ADDITIONAL FUNDS
In the event that the Fund establishes one or more series of Shares in
addition to the Brazos Micro Cap Growth Portfolio, Brazos Small Cap Growth
Portfolio, Brazos Real Estate Securities Portfolio and Brazos Growth Portfolio
with respect to which it desires to have the Bank render services as transfer
agent under the terms hereof, it shall so notify the Bank in writing, and if the
Bank agrees in writing to provide such services, such series of Shares shall
become a Portfolio hereunder.
11. ASSIGNMENT
11.1 Except as provided in Section 11.3 below, neither this Agreement
nor any rights or obligations hereunder may be assigned by either party without
the written consent of the other party.
11.2 This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon
the parties and their respective permitted successors and assigns.
11.3 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)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended ("Section 17A(c)(2)"), (ii) a BFDS subsidiary duly registered
as a transfer agent pursuant to Section 17A(c)(2) 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.
12. AMENDMENT
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 Trustees of the Fund.
13. MASSACHUSETTS LAW TO APPLY
This Agreement shall be construed and the provisions thereof
interpreted under and in accordance with the laws of The Commonwealth of
Massachusetts.
14. FORCE MAJEURE
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.
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15. CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
Neither party to this Agreement shall be liable to the other party for
consequential damages under any provision of this Agreement or for any
consequential damages arising out of any act or failure to act hereunder.
16. MERGER OF AGREEMENT
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.
17. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY OF THE TRUSTEES AND SHAREHOLDERS
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the
Secretary of the State of Delaware, and notice is hereby given that this
instrument is executed on behalf of the Trustees of the Trust as Trustees and
not individually and that the obligations of this instrument are not binding
upon any of the Trustees or Shareholders individually but are binding only upon
the assets and property of the Fund.
18. COUNTERPARTS
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.
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.
BRAZOS MUTUAL FUNDS
BY: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
-----------------------------------------
Title: Vice President & Assistant Secretary
ATTEST:
/s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇
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STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
BY: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇
---------------------------------------
Vice Chairman
ATTEST:
/s/ Illegible
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▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ & TRUST COMPANY
FUND SERVICE RESPONSIBILITIES*
SERVICE PERFORMED RESPONSIBILITY
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BANK FUND
---- ----
1. Receives orders for the purchase
of Shares.
2. Issue Shares and hold Shares in
Shareholders accounts.
3. Receive redemption requests.
4. Effect transactions 1-3 above
directly with broker-dealers.
5. Pay over monies to redeeming
Shareholders.
6. Effect transfers of Shares.
7. Prepare and transmit dividends
and distributions.
8. Issue Replacement Certificates.
9. Reporting of abandoned property.
10. Maintain records of account.
11. Maintain and keep a current and
accurate control book for each
issue of securities.
12. Mail proxies.
13. Mail Shareholder reports.
14. Mail prospectuses to current
Shareholders.
15. Withhold taxes on U.S. resident
and non-resident alien accounts.
SERVICE PERFORMED RESPONSIBILITY
----------------- --------------
BANK FUND
---- ----
16. Prepare and file U.S. Treasury
Department forms.
17. Prepare and mail account and
confirmation statements for
Shareholders.
18. Provide Shareholder account
information.
19. Blue sky reporting.
* Such services are more fully described in Sections 1.2(a), (b) and (c)
of the Agreement.
BRAZOS MUTUAL FUNDS
BY: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
--------------------------
Vice President
ATTEST:
/s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇
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STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇
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Vice Chairman
ATTEST:
/s/ Illegible
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