PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT AMONG MFS VARIABLE INSURANCE TRUST, GREAT-WEST LIFE & ANNUITY INSURANCE COMPANY, FIRST GREAT-WEST LIFE & ANNUITY INSURANCE COMPANY, GWFS EQUITIES, INC. AND MFS FUND DISTRIBUTORS, INC.

PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT

 

AMONG

 

MFS VARIABLE INSURANCE TRUST,

 

GREAT-WEST LIFE & ANNUITY INSURANCE COMPANY,

 

FIRST GREAT-WEST LIFE & ANNUITY INSURANCE COMPANY,

 

GWFS EQUITIES, INC.

 

AND

 

MFS FUND DISTRIBUTORS, INC.

 

THIS AGREEMENT, made and entered into this 1st day of May, 2008, by and among MFS VARIABLE INSURANCE TRUST, a Massachusetts business trust (the "Trust"), GREAT-WEST LIFE & ANNUITY INSURANCE COMPANY, a Colorado corporation (“GWL&A”") on its own behalf and on behalf of each of the segregated asset accounts set forth in Schedule B hereto, as may be amended from time to time (the "Accounts"), FIRST GREAT-WEST LIFE & ANNUITY INSURANCE COMPANY, a New York corporation (“First GWL&A”) on its own behalf and on behalf of each of the Accounts set forth in Schedule B hereto, as may be amended from time to time (GWL&A and First GWL&A may be referred to herein individually or collectively as the “Company”), GWFS Equities, Inc. (“GWFS”) and MFS Fund Distributors, Inc. (“MFD”), a Delaware corporation.

 

WHEREAS, the Trust is registered as an open-end management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), and its shares are registered or will be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act");

 

WHEREAS, shares of beneficial interest of the Trust are divided into several series of shares, each representing the interests in a particular managed pool of securities and other assets;

 

WHEREAS, certain series of shares of the Trust are divided into two separate share classes, an Initial Class and a Service Class, and the Trust on behalf of the Service Class has adopted a Rule 12b-1 plan under the 1940 Act pursuant to which the Service Class pays a distribution fee;

 

WHEREAS, the series of shares of the Trust (each, a "Portfolio," and, collectively, the "Portfolios") and the classes of shares of those Portfolios (the “Shares”) offered by the Trust to the Company and the Accounts are set forth on Schedule A attached hereto;

 

WHEREAS, MFD is registered as a broker-dealer with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (hereinafter the "1934 Act"), and is a member in good standing of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (the "FINRA");

 

108683

WHEREAS, the Company will issue certain variable annuity and/or variable life insurance contracts (individually, the "Policy" or, collectively, the "Policies") which, if required by applicable law, will be registered under the 1933 Act;

 

WHEREAS, the Accounts are duly organized, validly existing segregated asset accounts, established by resolution of the Board of Directors of the Company, to set aside and invest assets attributable to the aforesaid variable annuity and/or variable life insurance contracts that are allocated to the Accounts (the Policies and the Accounts covered by this Agreement, and each corresponding Portfolio covered by this Agreement in which the Accounts invest, is specified in Schedule A attached hereto as may be modified from time to time);

 

WHEREAS, the Company has registered or will register the Accounts as unit investment trusts under the 1940 Act (unless exempt therefrom);

 

WHEREAS, Massachusetts Financial Services Company (“MFS”) is duly registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, and any applicable state securities law, and is the Trust's investment adviser;

 

WHEREAS, GWFS Equities, Inc. (“GWFS”), the underwriter for the individual variable annuity and the variable life policies, is registered as a broker-dealer with the SEC under the 1934 Act and is a member in good standing of the FINRA; and

 

WHEREAS, to the extent permitted by applicable insurance laws and regulations, the Company intends to purchase the Shares of the Portfolios as specified in Schedule A attached hereto on behalf of the Accounts to fund the Policies, and the Trust intends to sell such Shares to the Accounts at net asset value; and

 

WHEREAS, The Company intends to utilize GWFS to transmit instructions for the purchase, redemption and transfer of Shares of the Portfolios on behalf of the Accounts, and alone, or with the assistance of a recordkeeping affiliate, to perform certain recordkeeping functions associated with the transfer of Shares of the Portfolios into and out of the Accounts in order to recognize certain organizational economies;

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of their mutual promises, the Trust, MFD, and the Company agree as follows:

 

ARTICLE I. SALE OF TRUST SHARES

 

1.1.      The Trust agrees to sell to the Company those Shares which the Accounts order (based on orders placed by Policy holders prior to the pricing time set forth in the applicable Portfolio’s prospectus, e.g., the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. (the “NYSE”) on that Business Day, as defined below) and which are available for purchase by such Accounts, executing such orders on a daily basis at the net asset value next computed after receipt by the Trust or its designee of the order for the Shares. For purposes of this Section 1.1, the Company shall be the designee of the Trust for receipt of such orders from Policy owners and receipt by such designee shall constitute receipt by the Trust; provided that the Trust receives notice of such orders by 9:00 a.m. New York time on the next following Business Day. "Business Day" shall mean any day on which the NYSE is open for trading and on which the Trust calculates its net asset value pursuant to the rules of the SEC. The Company will ensure that orders for transactions in Shares

 

- 2 -

79619

by Policy owners comply with each Portfolio’s prospectus (including statement of additional information) restrictions with respect to purchases, redemptions and exchanges. The Company will not engage in, authorize or facilitate market timing or late trading in Shares and will take all reasonable steps necessary to identify and prevent market timing and late trading in Shares by Policy holders.

 

1.2.      All purchases, redemptions and exchanges of Shares for the Accounts shall occur via the NSCC Fund/SERV system and shall be governed by and subject to the terms of the Fund/SERV and Networking Supplement to Participation Agreement, by and between the Company, GWFS, the Trust and MFD, dated May 1, 2008.

 

1.3.      The Trust agrees to make the Shares available indefinitely for purchase at the applicable net asset value per share by the Company and the Accounts on those days on which the Trust calculates its net asset value pursuant to rules of the SEC and the Trust shall calculate such net asset value on each day which the NYSE is open for trading. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the "Board") may refuse to sell any Shares to the Company and the Accounts, or suspend or terminate the offering of the Shares if such action is required by law or by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction or is, in the sole discretion of the Board acting in good faith and in light of its fiduciary duties under federal and any applicable state laws, necessary in the best interest of the Shareholders of such Portfolio.

 

1.4.      The Trust and MFD agree that the Shares will be sold only to insurance companies which have entered into participation agreements with the Trust and MFD or its affiliates (the "Participating Insurance Companies") and their separate accounts, qualified pension and retirement plans and MFD or its affiliates, and any other person or plan permitted to hold shares of the Trust pursuant to Treasury Regulation 1.817-5 without impairing the ability of the Company, on behalf of its separate accounts, to consider the Shares as constituting investments of the separate accounts for the purpose of satisfying the diversification requirements of Section 817(h). The Trust and MFD or its affiliates will not sell Trust shares to any insurance company or separate account unless an agreement containing provisions substantially the same as Articles III and VII of this Agreement is in effect to govern such sales. The Company will not resell the Shares except to the Trust or its agents.

 

1.5.      The Trust agrees to redeem for cash or, to the extent permitted by applicable law, in-kind, on the Company's request, any full or fractional Shares held by the Accounts (based on orders placed by Policy owners prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE on that Business Day), executing such requests on a daily basis at the net asset value next computed after receipt by the Trust or its designee of the request for redemption. For purposes of this Section 1.4, the Company shall be the designee of the Trust for receipt of requests for redemption from Policy owners and receipt by such designee shall constitute receipt by the Trust; provided that the Trust receives notice of such request for redemption by 9:00 a.m. New York time on the next following Business Day.

 

1.6.      Each purchase, redemption and exchange order placed by the Company shall be placed separately for each Portfolio and shall not be netted with respect to any Portfolio. However, with respect to payment of the purchase price by the Company and of redemption proceeds by the Trust, the Company and the Trust shall net purchase and redemption orders with respect to each Portfolio and shall transmit one net payment for all of the Portfolios in accordance with Section 1.6 hereof.

 

- 3 -

79619

1.7.      In the event of net purchases, the Company shall use its best efforts to pay for the Shares by 2:00 p.m. New York time on the next Business Day after an order to purchase the Shares is made in accordance with the provisions of Section 1.1. hereof. In the event of net redemptions, the Trust shall use its best efforts to pay the redemption proceeds by 2:00 p.m. New York time on the next Business Day after an order to redeem the shares is made in accordance with the provisions of Section 1.4. hereof. All such payments shall be in federal funds transmitted by wire.

 

1.8.      Issuance and transfer of the Shares will be by book entry only. Stock certificates will not be issued to the Company or the Accounts. The Shares ordered from the Trust will be recorded in an appropriate title for the Accounts or the appropriate subaccounts of the Accounts.

 

1.9.      The Trust shall furnish same day notice (by wire or telephone followed by written confirmation) to the Company of any dividends or capital gain distributions payable on the Shares. The Company hereby elects to receive all such dividends and distributions as are payable on a Portfolio's Shares in additional Shares of that Portfolio. The Trust shall notify the Company of the number of Shares so issued as payment of such dividends and distributions.

 

1.10.    The Trust or its custodian shall make the net asset value per share for each Portfolio available to the Company on each Business Day as soon as reasonably practical after the net asset value per share is calculated and shall use its best efforts to make such net asset value per share available by 6:30 p.m. New York time. In the event that the Trust is unable to meet the 6:30 p.m. time stated herein, it shall provide additional time for the Company to place orders for the purchase and redemption of Shares. Such additional time shall be equal to the additional time which the Trust takes to make the net asset value available to the Company. If the Trust provides materially incorrect share net asset value information, the Trust shall make an adjustment to the number of shares purchased or redeemed for the Accounts to reflect the correct net asset value per share. Any material error in the calculation or reporting of net asset value per share, dividend or capital gains information (“Pricing Error”) shall be reported promptly upon discovery to the Company. The Trust or MFD shall reimburse the Company for the reasonable, documented, out-of-pocket additional costs made to adjust the Accounts due to a Pricing Error.

 

1.11     Each party or its designee shall maintain and preserve all records as required by law to be maintained and preserved in connection with providing the services hereunder and in making Shares available to the Policy holders. Upon the request of MFD or the Trust, the Company shall provide copies of all the historical records relating to transactions between the Portfolios and the Policy holders, written communications regarding the Portfolios to or from such Policy holders’ accounts and other materials, in each case to the extent necessary for MFD or the Trust to meet its recordkeeping obligations under applicable law or regulation, including to comply with any request of a governmental body or self-regulatory organization.

 

 

- 4 -

79619

ARTICLE II. CERTAIN REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND COVENANTS  

 

2.1.      The Company represents and warrants that the Policies are or will be registered under the 1933 Act or are exempt from or not subject to registration thereunder, and that the Policies will be issued, sold, and distributed in compliance in all material respects with all applicable state and federal laws, including without limitation the 1933 Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "1934 Act"), and the 1940 Act. The Company further represents and warrants that it is an insurance company duly organized and in good standing under applicable law and that it has legally and validly established the Account as a segregated asset account under applicable law and has registered or, prior to any issuance or sale of the Policies, will register the Accounts as unit investment trusts in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act (unless exempt therefrom) to serve as segregated investment accounts for the Policies, and that it will maintain such registration for so long as any Policies are outstanding. The Company shall amend the registration statements under the 1933 Act for the Policies and the registration statements under the 1940 Act for the Accounts from time to time as required in order to effect the continuous offering of the Policies or as may otherwise be required by applicable law. The Company shall register and qualify the Policies for sales in accordance with the securities laws of the various states only if and to the extent deemed necessary by the Company.

 

2.2.      The Company represents and warrants that the Policies are currently and at the time of issuance will be treated as life insurance, endowment or annuity contract under applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), that it will maintain such treatment and that it will notify the Trust or MFD immediately upon having a reasonable basis for believing that the Policies have ceased to be so treated or that they might not be so treated in the future.

 

2.3.      The Company represents and warrants that GWFS, the underwriter for the individual variable annuity and the variable life policies, is a member in good standing of the FINRA and is a registered broker-dealer with the SEC. The Company represents and warrants that the Company and GWFS will sell and distribute such policies in accordance in all material respects with all applicable state and federal securities laws, including without limitation the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act, and the ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇.

 

2.4.      The Trust and MFD represent and warrant that the Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement shall be registered under the 1933 Act, duly authorized for issuance and sold in compliance with the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and all applicable federal and state securities laws and that the Trust is and shall remain registered under the 1940 Act. The Trust shall amend the registration statement for its Shares under the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act from time to time as required in order to effect the continuous offering of its Shares. The Trust shall register and qualify the Shares for sale in accordance with the laws of the various states only if and to the extent deemed necessary by the Trust.

 

2.5.      MFD represents and warrants that it is a member in good standing of the FINRA and is registered as a broker-dealer with the SEC. The Trust and MFD represent that the Trust and MFD will sell and distribute the Shares in accordance in all material respects with all applicable state and federal securities laws, including without limitation the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act, and the ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇.

 

2.6.      The Trust represents that it is lawfully organized and validly existing under the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and that it does and will comply in all material respects with the 1940 Act and any applicable regulations thereunder.

 

- 5 -

79619

 

2.7.      MFD represents and warrants that MFS, as investment adviser to the Trust, is and shall remain duly registered under all applicable federal securities laws and that it shall perform its obligations for the Trust in compliance in all material respects with any applicable federal securities laws and with the securities laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. MFD represents and warrants that MFS is not subject to state securities laws other than the securities laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and that it is exempt from registration as an investment adviser under the securities laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

 

2.8.      No less frequently than annually, the Company shall submit to the Board such reports, material or data as the Board may reasonably request so that it may carry out fully the obligations imposed upon it by the conditions contained in the exemptive application pursuant to which the SEC has granted exemptive relief to permit mixed and shared funding (the "Mixed and Shared Funding Exemptive Order").

 

2.9.      The Company acknowledges that, with respect to Service Class Shares of a Portfolio, it or its affiliate(s) may receive payments under the Trust’s Rule 12b-1 plan. The Company, and not the Trust, MFD nor MFS, is responsible for providing any disclosures relating to this Agreement and/or payments made to the Company to Policy owners.

 

ARTICLE III. PROSPECTUS AND PROXY STATEMENTS; VOTING

 

3.1.      At least annually, the Trust or its designee shall provide the Company, free of charge, with as many copies of the current prospectus (describing only the Portfolios listed in Schedule A hereto) for the Shares as the Company may reasonably request for distribution to existing Policy owners whose Policies are funded by such Shares. The Trust or its designee shall provide the Company with as many copies of the current prospectus for the Shares as the Company may reasonably request for distribution to prospective purchasers of Policies. If requested by the Company in lieu thereof, the Trust or its designee shall provide such documentation (including a "camera ready" copy of the new prospectus as set in type or, at the request of the Company, as a diskette in the form sent to the financial printer) and other assistance as is reasonably necessary in order for the parties hereto once each year (or more frequently if the prospectus for the Shares is supplemented or amended) to have the prospectus for the Policies and the prospectus for the Shares printed together in one document; the expenses of such printing to be apportioned between (a) the Company and (b) the Trust or its designee in proportion to the number of pages of the Policy and Shares' prospectuses, taking account of other relevant factors affecting the expense of printing, such as covers, columns, graphs and charts; the Trust or its designee to bear the cost of printing the Shares' prospectus portion of such document for distribution to owners of existing Policies funded by the Shares and the Company to bear the expenses of printing the portion of such document relating to the Accounts; provided, however, that the Company shall bear all printing expenses of such combined documents where used for distribution to prospective purchasers or to owners of existing Policies not funded by the Shares. In the event that the Company requests that the Trust or its designee provides the Trust's prospectus in a "camera ready" or diskette format, the Trust shall be responsible for providing the prospectus in the format in which it or MFD is accustomed to formatting prospectuses and shall bear the expense of providing the prospectus in such format (e.g., typesetting expenses), and the Company shall bear the expense of adjusting or changing the format to conform with any of its prospectuses.

 

- 6 -

79619

3.2.      The prospectus for the Shares shall state that the statement of additional information for the Shares is available from the Trust or its designee. The Trust or its designee, at its expense, shall print and provide such statement of additional information to the Company (or a master of such statement suitable for duplication by the Company) for distribution to any owner of a Policy funded by the Shares. The Trust or its designee, at the Company's expense, shall print and provide such statement to the Company (or a master of such statement suitable for duplication by the Company) for distribution to a prospective purchaser who requests such statement or to an owner of a Policy not funded by the Shares.

 

3.3.      The Trust or its designee shall provide the Company free of charge copies, if and to the extent applicable to the Shares, of the Trust's proxy materials, reports to Shareholders and other communications to Shareholders in such quantity as the Company shall reasonably require for distribution to Policy owners.

 

3.4.      Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3 above, or of Article V below, the Company shall pay the expense of printing or providing documents to the extent such cost is considered a distribution expense. Distribution expenses would include by way of illustration, but are not limited to, the printing of the Shares' prospectus or prospectuses for distribution to prospective purchasers or to owners of existing Policies not funded by such Shares.

 

3.5.      The Trust hereby notifies the Company that it may be appropriate to include in the prospectus pursuant to which a Policy is offered disclosure regarding the potential risks of mixed and shared funding.

 

 

 

 

 

so long as and to the extent that the SEC continues to interpret the 1940 Act to require pass through voting privileges for variable contract owners. The Company will in no way recommend action in connection with or oppose or interfere with the solicitation of proxies for the Shares held for such Policy owners. The Company reserves the right to vote shares held in any segregated asset account in its own right, to the extent permitted by law. Participating Insurance Companies shall be responsible for assuring that each of their separate accounts holding Shares calculates voting privileges in the manner required by the Mixed and Shared Funding Exemptive Order. The Trust and MFD will notify the Company of any changes of interpretations or amendments to the Mixed and Shared Funding Exemptive Order.

 

ARTICLE IV. SALES MATERIAL AND INFORMATION  

 

4.1.      The Company shall furnish, or shall cause to be furnished, to the Trust or its designee, each piece of sales literature or other promotional material in which the Trust, MFD, any investment adviser to the Trust, or any affiliate of MFD are named, at least three (3) Business Days prior to its

 

- 7 -

79619

use. No such material shall be used if the Trust, MFD, or their respective designees reasonably objects to such use within three (3) Business Days after receipt of such material.

 

4.2.      The Company shall not give any information or make any representations or statement on behalf of the Trust, MFD, any investment adviser to the Trust, or any affiliate of MFD or concerning the Trust or any other such entity in connection with the sale of the Policies other than the information or representations contained in the registration statement, prospectus or statement of additional information for the Shares, as such registration statement, prospectus and statement of additional information may be amended or supplemented from time to time, or in reports or proxy statements for the Trust, or in sales literature or other promotional material approved by the Trust, MFD or their respective designees, except with the permission of the Trust, MFD or their respective designees. The Trust, MFD or their respective designees each agrees to respond to any request for approval on a prompt and timely basis. The Company shall adopt and implement procedures reasonably designed to ensure that information concerning the Trust, MFD or any of their affiliates which is intended for use only by brokers or agents selling the Policies (i.e., information that is not intended for distribution to Policy owners or prospective Policy owners) is so used, and neither the Trust, MFD nor any of their affiliates shall be liable for any losses, damages or expenses relating to the improper use of such broker only materials.

 

4.3.      The Trust or its designee shall furnish, or shall cause to be furnished, to the Company or its designee, each piece of sales literature or other promotional material in which the Company and/or the Accounts is named, at least three (3) Business Days prior to its use. No such material shall be used if the Company or its designee reasonably objects to such use within three (3) Business Days after receipt of such material.

 

4.4.      The Trust and MFD shall not give any information or make any representations on behalf of the Company or concerning the Company, the Accounts, or the Policies in connection with the sale of the Policies other than the information or representations contained in a registration statement, prospectus, or statement of additional information for the Policies, as such registration statement, prospectus and statement of additional information may be amended or supplemented from time to time, or in reports for the Accounts, or in sales literature or other promotional material approved by the Company or its designee, except with the permission of the Company. The Company or its designee agrees to respond to any request for approval on a prompt and timely basis. The Trust and MFD may not alter any material so provided by the Company or its designee (including, without limitation, presenting or delivering such material in a different medium, e.g., electronic or internet) without the prior written consent of the Company. The parties hereto agree that this Section 4.4. is neither intended to designate nor otherwise imply that MFD is an underwriter or distributor of the Policies.

 

4.5.      The Company and the Trust (or its designee in lieu of the Company or the Trust, as appropriate) will each provide to the other at least one complete copy of all registration statements, prospectuses, statements of additional information, reports, proxy statements, sales literature and other promotional materials, applications for exemptions, requests for no-action letters, and all amendments to any of the above, that relate to the Policies, or to the Trust or its Shares, prior to or contemporaneously with the filing of such document with the SEC or other regulatory authorities. The Company and the Trust shall also each promptly inform the other of the results of any examination by the SEC (or other regulatory authorities) that relates to the Policies, the Trust or its Shares, and the party that was the subject of the examination shall provide the other party with a copy of relevant portions of any "deficiency letter" or other correspondence or written report regarding any such examination.

 

- 8 -

79619

 

4.6.      No party shall use any other party’s names, logos, trademarks or service marks, whether registered or unregistered, without the prior written consent of such other party, or after written consent therefor has been revoked, provided that separate consent is not required under this Section 4.6 to the extent that consent to use a party’s name, logo, trademark or service ▇▇▇▇ in connection with a particular piece of advertising or sales literature has previously been given by a party under Sections 4.2 and 4.4 of this Agreement. The Company shall not use in advertising, publicly or otherwise the name of the Trust, MFD or any of their affiliates nor any trade name, trademark, trade device, servicemark, symbol or any abbreviation, contraction or simulation thereof of the Trust, MFD, or their affiliates without the prior written consent of the Trust or MFD in each instance. The Trust and MFD shall not use in advertising, publicly or otherwise the name of the Company or any of its affiliates nor any trade name, trademark, trade device, servicemark, symbol or any abbreviation, contraction or simulation thereof of the Company or its affiliates without the prior written consent of the Company in each instance.

 

4.7.      The Trust and MFD will provide the Company with as much notice as is reasonably practicable of any proxy solicitation for any Portfolio, and of any material change in the Trust's registration statement, particularly any change resulting in change to the registration statement or prospectus or statement of additional information for any Account. The Trust and MFD will cooperate with the Company so as to enable the Company to solicit proxies from Policy owners or to make changes to its prospectus, statement of additional information or registration statement, in an orderly manner. The Trust and MFD will make reasonable efforts to attempt to have changes affecting Policy prospectuses become effective simultaneously with the annual updates for such prospectuses.

 

4.8.      For purpose of this Article IV and Article VIII, the phrase "sales literature or other promotional material" includes but is not limited to advertisements (such as material published, or designed for use in, a newspaper, magazine, or other periodical, radio, television, telephone or tape recording, videotape display, signs or billboards, motion pictures, or other public media), and sales literature (such as brochures, circulars, reprints or excerpts or any other advertisement, sales literature, or published articles), distributed or made generally available to customers or the public, educational or training materials or communications distributed or made generally available to some or all agents or employees.

 

ARTICLE V. FEES AND EXPENSES

 

5.1.      The Trust shall pay no fee or other compensation to the Company under this Agreement, and the Company shall pay no fee or other compensation to the Trust, except that, to the extent the Trust or any Portfolio has adopted and implemented a plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act to finance distribution and for Shareholder servicing expenses, then the Trust may make payments to the Company or to the underwriter for the Policies in accordance with such plan. Each party, however, shall, in accordance with the allocation of expenses specified in Articles III and V hereof, reimburse other parties for expenses initially paid by one party but allocated to another party. In addition, nothing herein shall prevent the parties hereto from otherwise agreeing to perform, and arranging for appropriate compensation for, other services relating to the Trust and/or to the Accounts.

 

5.2.      The Trust or its designee shall bear the expenses for the cost of registration and qualification of the Shares under all applicable federal and state laws, including preparation and

 

- 9 -

79619

filing of the Trust's registration statement, and payment of filing fees and registration fees; preparation and filing of the Trust's proxy materials and reports to Shareholders; setting in type and printing its prospectus and statement of additional information (to the extent provided by and as determined in accordance with Article III above); setting in type and printing the proxy materials and reports to Shareholders (to the extent provided by and as determined in accordance with Article III above); the preparation of all statements and notices required of the Trust by any federal or state law with respect to its Shares; all taxes on the issuance or transfer of the Shares; and the costs of distributing the Trust's prospectuses and proxy materials to owners of Policies funded by the Shares and any expenses permitted to be paid or assumed by the Trust pursuant to a plan, if any, under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. The Trust shall not bear any expenses of marketing the Policies.

 

5.3.      The Company shall bear the expenses of distributing the Shares' prospectus or prospectuses in connection with new sales of the Policies and of distributing the Trust's Shareholder reports to Policy owners. The Company shall bear all expenses associated with the registration, qualification, and filing of the Policies under applicable federal securities and state insurance laws; the cost of preparing, printing and distributing the Policy prospectus and statement of additional information; and the cost of preparing, printing and distributing annual individual account statements for Policy owners as required by state insurance laws.

 

5.4.      In addition to the expenses set forth in this Article V, the parties shall bear certain other expenses incident to performance under this Agreement in accordance with Schedule C.

 

5.5.      With respect to the Service Class Shares of a Portfolio, the Trust may make payments quarterly to MFD under a Portfolio’s Rule 12b-1 plan, and MFD may in turn use these payments to pay or reimburse the Company for expenses incurred or paid (as the case may be) by the Company attributable to Policies offered by the Company, provided that no such payment shall be made with respect to any quarterly period in excess of an amount determined from time to time by the Trust’s Board of Trustees and disclosed in the Trust’s prospectus. MFD shall not be required to provide any payment to the Company with respect to any quarterly period pursuant to the Trust’s Rule 12b-1 plan unless and until MFD has received the corresponding payment from the Trust pursuant to the Trust’s Rule 12b-1 plan. MFD shall not be required to provide any payment to the Company with respect to any quarterly period pursuant to the Trust’s Rule 12b-1 plan if (i) the Trust’s Rule 12b-1 plan is no longer in effect during such quarterly period; or (ii) regulatory changes result in the rescission of Rule 12b-1 or otherwise prohibit the making of such payments. The Trust’s prospectus or statement of additional information may provide further details about such payments and the provisions and terms of the Trust’s Rule 12b-1 plan, and the Company hereby agrees that neither the Trust, MFD nor MFS has made any representations to the Company with respect to the Trust’s Rule 12b-1 plan in addition to, or conflicting with, the description set forth in the Trust’s prospectus.

 

5.6.      In calculating the payments due under this Agreement, the Company agrees that it will permit MFD or its representatives to have reasonable access to its employees and records for the purposes of monitoring of the quality of the services provided hereunder, verifying the Company’s compliance with the terms of this Agreement and verifying the accuracy of any information provided by the Company that forms the basis of the fee calculations. In addition, if requested by MFD, the Company will provide a certification (which may take the form of a control report or set of agreed upon standards) satisfactory to MFD that certifies the performance of the services by the Company and the accuracy of information provided by the Company.

 

- 10 -

79619

 

ARTICLE VI. DIVERSIFICATION AND RELATED LIMITATIONS

 

6.1.      The Trust and MFD represent and warrant that each Portfolio of the Trust will meet the diversification requirements of Section 817 (h)(1) of the Code and Treas. Reg. 1.817-5, relating to the diversification requirements for variable annuity, endowment, or life insurance contracts, as they may be amended from time to time (and any revenue rulings, revenue procedures, notices, and other published announcements of the Internal Revenue Service interpreting these sections), as if those requirements applied directly to each such Portfolio.

 

6.2.      The Trust and MFD represent that each Portfolio will elect to be qualified as a Regulated Investment Company under Subchapter M of the Code and that they will maintain such qualification (under Subchapter M or any successor or similar provision).

 

ARTICLE VII. POTENTIAL MATERIAL CONFLICTS

 

7.1.      The Trust agrees that the Board, constituted with a majority of disinterested trustees, will monitor each Portfolio of the Trust for the existence of any material irreconcilable conflict between the interests of the variable annuity contract owners and the variable life insurance policy owners of the Company and/or affiliated companies ("contract owners") investing in the Trust. The Board shall have the sole authority to determine if a material irreconcilable conflict exists, and such determination shall be binding on the Company only if approved in the form of a resolution by a majority of the Board, or a majority of the disinterested trustees of the Board. The Board will give prompt notice of any such determination to the Company.

 

7.2.      The Company agrees that it will be responsible for assisting the Board in carrying out its responsibilities under the conditions set forth in the Trust's exemptive application pursuant to which the SEC has granted the Mixed and Shared Funding Exemptive Order by providing the Board, as it may reasonably request, with all information necessary for the Board to consider any issues raised and agrees that it will be responsible for promptly reporting any potential or existing conflicts of which it is aware to the Board including, but not limited to, an obligation by the Company to inform the Board whenever contract owner voting instructions are disregarded. The Company also agrees that, if a material irreconcilable conflict arises, it will at its own cost remedy such conflict up to and including (a) withdrawing the assets allocable to some or all of the Accounts from the Trust or any Portfolio and reinvesting such assets in a different investment medium, including (but not limited to) another Portfolio of the Trust, or submitting to a vote of all affected contract owners whether to withdraw assets from the Trust or any Portfolio and reinvesting such assets in a different investment medium and, as appropriate, segregating the assets attributable to any appropriate group of contract owners that votes in favor of such segregation, or offering to any of the affected contract owners the option of segregating the assets attributable to their contracts or policies, and (b) establishing a new registered management investment company and segregating the assets underlying the Policies, unless a majority of Policy owners materially adversely affected by the conflict have voted to decline the offer to establish a new registered management investment company.

 

7.3.      A majority of the disinterested trustees of the Board shall determine whether any proposed action by the Company adequately remedies any material irreconcilable conflict. In the event that the Board determines that any proposed action does not adequately remedy any material irreconcilable conflict, the Company will withdraw from investment in the Trust each of the

 

- 11 -

79619

Accounts designated by the disinterested trustees and terminate this Agreement within six (6) months after the Board informs the Company in writing of the foregoing determination; provided, however, that such withdrawal and termination shall be limited to the extent required to remedy any such material irreconcilable conflict as determined by a majority of the disinterested trustees of the Board.

 

7.4.      If and to the extent that Rule 6e-2 and Rule 6e-3(T) are amended, or Rule 6e-3 is adopted, to provide exemptive relief from any provision of the 1940 Act or the rules promulgated thereunder with respect to mixed or shared funding (as defined in the Mixed and Shared Funding Exemptive Order) on terms and conditions materially different from those contained in the Mixed and Shared Funding Exemptive Order, then (a) the Trust and/or the Participating Insurance Companies, as appropriate, shall take such steps as may be necessary to comply with Rule 6e-2 and 6e-3(T), as amended, and Rule 6e-3, as adopted, to the extent such rules are applicable; and (b) Sections 3.5, 3.6, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3 and 7.4 of this Agreement shall continue in effect only to the extent that terms and conditions substantially identical to such Sections are contained in such Rule(s) as so amended or adopted.

 

ARTICLE VIII. INDEMNIFICATION

 

 

The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust, MFD, any affiliates of MFD, and each of their respective directors/trustees, officers and each person, if any, who controls the Trust or MFD within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act, and any agents or employees of the foregoing (each an "Indemnified Party," or collectively, the "Indemnified Parties" for purposes of this Section 8.1) against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities (including amounts paid in settlement with the written consent of the Company) or expenses (including reasonable counsel fees) to which any Indemnified Party may become subject under any statute, regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses (or actions in respect thereof) or settlements are related to the sale or acquisition of the Shares or the Policies and:

 

 

- 12 -

79619

 

 

 

 

as limited by and in accordance with the provisions of this Article VIII.

 

 

The Trust agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and each of its directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act, and any agents or employees of the foregoing (each an "Indemnified Party," or collectively, the "Indemnified Parties" for purposes of this Section 8.2) against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities (including amounts paid in settlement with the written consent of the Trust) or expenses (including reasonable counsel fees) to which any Indemnified Party may become subject under any statute, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses (or actions in respect thereof) or settlements are related to the sale or acquisition of the Shares or the Policies and:

 

 

- 13 -

79619

statement of additional information for the Trust or in sales literature or other promotional material for the Trust (or any amendment or supplement) or otherwise for use in connection with the sale of the Policies or Shares; or

 

 

 

 

 

 

as limited by and in accordance with the provisions of this Article VIII.

 

8.3.      In no event shall the Trust be liable under the indemnification provisions contained in this Agreement to any individual or entity, including without limitation, the Company, or any Participating Insurance Company or any Policy holder, with respect to any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses that arise out of or result from (i) a breach of any representation, warranty, and/or covenant made by the Company hereunder or by any Participating Insurance Company under an agreement containing substantially similar representations, warranties and covenants; (ii) the failure by the Company or any Participating Insurance Company to maintain its segregated asset account (which invests in any Portfolio) as a legally and validly established segregated asset account under applicable state law and as a duly registered unit investment trust under the provisions of the 1940 Act (unless exempt therefrom); or (iii) the failure by the Company or any Participating Insurance Company to maintain its variable annuity and/or variable life insurance contracts (with respect to which any Portfolio serves as an underlying funding vehicle) as life insurance, endowment or annuity contracts under applicable provisions of the Code.

 

- 14 -

79619

8.4.      Neither the Company nor the Trust shall be liable under the indemnification provisions contained in this Agreement with respect to any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses to which an Indemnified Party would otherwise be subject by reason of such Indemnified Party's willful misfeasance, willful misconduct, or negligence in the performance of such Indemnified Party's duties or by reason of such Indemnified Party's reckless disregard of obligations and duties under this Agreement.

 

8.5.      Promptly after receipt by an Indemnified Party under this Section 8.5. of notice of commencement of any action, such Indemnified Party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under this section, notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party will not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any Indemnified Party otherwise than under this section. In case any such action is brought against any Indemnified Party, and it notified the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it may wish, assume the defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to such Indemnified Party. After notice from the indemnifying party of its intention to assume the defense of an action, the Indemnified Party shall bear the expenses of any additional counsel obtained by it, and the indemnifying party shall not be liable to such Indemnified Party under this section for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such Indemnified Party in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation.

 

8.6.      Each of the parties agrees promptly to notify the other parties of the commencement of any litigation or proceeding against it or any of its respective officers, directors, trustees, employees or 1933 Act control persons in connection with the Agreement, the issuance or sale of the Policies, the operation of the Accounts, or the sale or acquisition of Shares.

 

8.7.      A successor by law of the parties to this Agreement shall be entitled to the benefits of the indemnification contained in this Article VIII. The indemnification provisions contained in this Article VIII shall survive any termination of this Agreement.

 

ARTICLE IX. APPLICABLE LAW  

 

9.1.      This Agreement shall be construed and the provisions hereof interpreted under and in accordance with the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

 

9.2.      This Agreement shall be subject to the provisions of the 1933, 1934 and 1940 Acts, and the rules and regulations and rulings thereunder, including such exemptions from those statutes, rules and regulations as the SEC may grant and the terms hereof shall be interpreted and construed in accordance therewith.

 

ARTICLE X. NOTICE OF FORMAL PROCEEDINGS  

 

The Trust, MFD, and the Company agree that each such party shall promptly notify the other parties to this Agreement, in writing, of the institution of any formal proceedings brought against such party or its designees by the FINRA, the SEC, or any insurance department or any other regulatory body regarding such party's duties under this Agreement or related to the sale of the Policies, the operation of the Accounts, or the purchase of the Shares.

 

ARTICLE XI. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

 

- 15 -

79619

 

11.1.    The Company has implemented controls and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, as well as the terms of this Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing, these controls and are reasonably designed to ensure, and MFD or the Trust may request certifications on an annual basis with respect to, each of the following:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11.2     The Company shall ensure that any other party to whom the Company assigns or delegates any services hereunder is responsible for, and has controls and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure, each of the items set forth in Section 11.1 above.

 

ARTICLE XII. TERMINATION  

 

12.1.    This Agreement shall terminate with respect to the Accounts, or one, some, or all Portfolios:

 

 

 

- 16 -

79619

did not meet the diversification or other requirements referred to in Article VI hereof; or if the Company would be permitted to disregard Policy owner voting instructions pursuant to Rule 6e-2 or 6e-3(T) under the 1940 Act. Prompt notice of the election to terminate for such cause and an explanation of such cause shall be furnished to the Trust by the Company; or

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12.2.    The notice shall specify the Portfolio or Portfolios, Policies and, if applicable, the Accounts as to which the Agreement is to be terminated.

 

12.3.    It is understood and agreed that the right of any party hereto to terminate this Agreement pursuant to Section 12.1(a) may be exercised for cause or for no cause.

 

- 17 -

79619

12.4.    Except as necessary to implement Policy owner initiated transactions, or as required by state insurance laws or regulations, the Company shall not redeem the Shares attributable to the Policies (as opposed to the Shares attributable to the Company's assets held in the Accounts), and the Company shall not prevent Policy owners from allocating payments to a Portfolio that was otherwise available under the Policies, until thirty (30) days after the Company shall have notified the Trust of its intention to do so.

 

12.5.    Notwithstanding any termination of this Agreement, the Trust and MFD shall, at the option of the Company, continue to make available additional shares of the Portfolios pursuant to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, for all Policies in effect on the effective date of termination of this Agreement (the "Existing Policies"), except as otherwise provided under Article VII of this Agreement. Specifically, without limitation, the owners of the Existing Policies shall be permitted to transfer or reallocate investment under the Policies, redeem investments in any Portfolio and/or invest in the Trust upon the making of additional purchase payments under the Existing Policies.

 

ARTICLE XIII. NOTICES  

 

Any notice shall be sufficiently given when sent by registered or certified mail, overnight courier or facsimile to the other party at the address of such party set forth below or at such other address as such party may from time to time specify in writing to the other party.

 

 

 

 

 

Attn: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, Vice President_

 

 

 

- 18 -

79619

▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇

Attn: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇, President

Cc: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇, Secretary and Chief Compliance Officerr

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE XIV. MISCELLANEOUS

 

14.1.    Subject to the requirement of legal process and regulatory authority, each party hereto shall treat as confidential the names and addresses of the owners of the Policies and all information reasonably identified as confidential in writing by any other party hereto and, except as permitted by this Agreement or as otherwise required by applicable law or regulation, shall not disclose, disseminate or utilize such names and addresses and other confidential information without the express written consent of the affected party until such time as it may come into the public domain.

 

14.2.    The captions in this Agreement are included for convenience of reference only and in no way define or delineate any of the provisions hereof or otherwise affect their construction or effect.

 

14.3.    This Agreement may be executed simultaneously in one or more counterparts, each of which taken together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

 

14.4.    If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of the Agreement shall not be affected thereby.

 

14.5.    The Schedule attached hereto, as modified from time to time, is incorporated herein by reference and is part of this Agreement.

 

14.6.    Each party hereto shall cooperate with each other party in connection with inquiries by appropriate governmental authorities (including without limitation the SEC, the FINRA, and state insurance regulators) relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

14.7.    The rights, remedies and obligations contained in this Agreement are cumulative and are in addition to any and all rights, remedies and obligations, at law or in equity, which the parties hereto are entitled to under state and federal laws.

 

14.8.    A copy of the Trust's Declaration of Trust is on file with the Secretary of State of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Company acknowledges that the obligations of or arising out of this instrument are not binding upon any of the Trust's trustees, officers, employees, agents or shareholders individually, but are binding solely upon the assets and property of the Trust in accordance with its proportionate interest hereunder. The Company further acknowledges that the assets and liabilities of each Portfolio are separate and distinct and that the obligations of or arising

 

- 19 -

79619

out of this instrument are binding solely upon the assets or property of the Portfolio on whose behalf the Trust has executed this instrument. The Company also agrees that the obligations of each Portfolio hereunder shall be several and not joint, in accordance with its proportionate interest hereunder, and the Company agrees not to proceed against any Portfolio for the obligations of another Portfolio.

 

- 20 -

79619

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties hereto has caused this Agreement to be executed in its name and on its behalf by its duly authorized representative and its seal to be hereunder affixed hereto as of the date specified above.

 

GREAT-WEST LIFE & ANNUITY INSURANCE COMPANY

By its authorized officer,

 

 

 

 

FIRST GREAT-WEST LIFE & ANNUITY INSURANCE COMPANY

By its authorized officer,

 

 

 

GWFS EQUITIES, INC.

By its authorized officer,

 

By:____________________________________

 

Title:___________________________________

 

MFS VARIABLE INSURANCE TRUST,

on behalf of the Portfolios

By its authorized officer and not individually,

 

▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇

Assistant Secretary

 

MFS FUND DISTRIBUTORS, INC.

By its authorized officer,

 

▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇

President

 

 

- 21 -

79619

 

- 22 -

79619

 

 

 

SCHEDULE A

 

PORTFOLIOS SUBJECT TO THE PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT

 

 

And any other Portfolios or series of shares of the Trust that are available and open to new investors on or after the effective date of this Agreement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- 23 -

79619

 

SCHEDULE B

 

ACCOUNTS SUBJECT TO THE PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT

 

Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company

 

FutureFunds Series Account

 

Variable Annuity-1 Series of Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company

 

 

First Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company

 

Variable Annuity-1 Series of First Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- 24 -

79619

 

SCHEDULE C

 

EXPENSES

 

The Trust and/or MFD, and the Company will coordinate the functions and pay the costs of completing these functions based upon an allocation of costs in the tables below.

 

 

 

- 25 -

79619