FUND ACCOUNTING SERVICES AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made on the 31st day of December, 1997 between ▇▇▇▇▇▇ National
Tax-Free Income Series (the "Fund"), on behalf of ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Municipal Bond Fund
(hereinafter called the "Portfolio"), a registered open-end management
investment company with its principal place of business in ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Fund Accounting Corporation, with its
principal place of business in Boston, Massachusetts (hereinafter called "FUND
ACCOUNTING").
WHEREAS, the Portfolio has need to determine its net asset value which service
FUND ACCOUNTING is willing and able to provide;
NOW THEREFORE in consideration of the mutual promises herein made, the Fund and
FUND ACCOUNTING agree as follows:
Section 1. Duties of FUND ACCOUNTING - General
FUND ACCOUNTING is authorized to act under the terms of this Agreement to
calculate the net asset value of the Portfolio as provided in the
prospectus of the Portfolio and in connection therewith shall:
a. Maintain and preserve all accounts, books, financial records and
other documents as are required of the Fund under Section 31 of the
Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act") and Rules 31a-1,
31a-2 and 31a-3 thereunder, applicable federal and state laws and
any other law or administrative rules or procedures which may be
applicable to the Fund on behalf of the Portfolio, other than those
accounts, books and financial records required to be maintained by
the Fund's investment adviser, custodian or transfer agent and/or
books and records maintained by all other service providers
necessary for the Fund to conduct its business as a registered
open-end management investment company. All such books and records
shall be the property of the Fund and shall at all times during
regular business hours be open for inspection by, and shall be
surrendered promptly upon request of, duly authorized officers of
the Fund. All such books and records shall at all times during
regular business hours be open for inspection, upon request of duly
authorized officers of the Fund, by employees or agents of the Fund
and employees and agents of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
b. Record the current day's trading activity and such other proper
bookkeeping entries as are necessary for determining that day's net
asset value and net income.
c. Render statements or copies of records as from time to time are
reasonably requested by the Fund.
d. Facilitate audits of accounts by the Fund's independent public
accountants or by any other auditors employed or engaged by the Fund
or by any regulatory body with jurisdiction over the Fund.
e. Compute the Portfolio's public offering price and/or its daily
dividend rates and money market yields, if applicable, in accordance
with Section 3 of the Agreement and notify the Fund and such other
persons as the Fund may reasonably request of the net asset value
per share, the public offering price and/or its daily dividend rates
and money market yields.
Section 2. Valuation of Securities
Securities shall be valued in accordance with (a) the Fund's Registration
Statement, as amended or supplemented from time to time (hereinafter
referred to as the "Registration Statement"); (b) the resolutions of the
Board of Trustees of the Fund at the time in force and applicable, as they
may from time to time be delivered to FUND ACCOUNTING, and (c) Proper
Instructions from such officers of the Fund or other persons as are from
time to time authorized by the Board of Trustees of the Fund to give
instructions with respect to computation and determination of the net
asset value. FUND ACCOUNTING may use one or more external pricing
services, including broker-dealers, provided that an appropriate officer
of the Fund shall have approved such use in advance.
Section 3. Computation of Net Asset Value, Public Offering Price, Daily
Dividend Rates and Yields
FUND ACCOUNTING shall compute the Portfolio's net asset value, including
net income, in a manner consistent with the specific provisions of the
Registration Statement. Such computation shall be made as of the time or
times specified in the Registration Statement.
FUND ACCOUNTING shall compute the daily dividend rates and money market
yields, if applicable, in accordance with the methodology set forth in the
Registration Statement.
Section 4. FUND ACCOUNTING's Reliance on Instructions and Advice
In maintaining the Portfolio's books of account and making the necessary
computations FUND ACCOUNTING shall be entitled
2
to receive, and may rely upon, information furnished it by means of Proper
Instructions, including but not limited to:
a. The manner and amount of accrual of expenses to be recorded on
the books of the Portfolio;
b. The source of quotations to be used for such securities as may not
be available through FUND ACCOUNTING's normal pricing services;
c. The value to be assigned to any asset for which no price quotations
are readily available;
d. If applicable, the manner of computation of the public offering
price and such other computations as may be necessary;
e. Transactions in portfolio securities;
f. Transactions in capital shares.
FUND ACCOUNTING shall be entitled to receive, and shall be entitled to
rely upon, as conclusive proof of any fact or matter required to be
ascertained by it hereunder, a certificate, letter or other instrument
signed by an authorized officer of the Fund or any other person authorized
by the Fund's Board of Trustees.
FUND ACCOUNTING shall be entitled to receive and act upon advice of
Counsel for the Fund at the reasonable expense of the Portfolio and shall
be without liability for any action taken or thing done in good faith in
reliance upon such advice.
FUND ACCOUNTING shall be entitled to receive, and may rely upon,
information received from the Transfer Agent.
3
Section 5. Proper Instructions
"Proper Instructions" as used herein means any certificate, letter or
other instrument or telephone call reasonably believed by FUND ACCOUNTING
to be genuine and to have been properly made or signed by any authorized
officer of the Fund or person certified to FUND ACCOUNTING as being
authorized by the Board of Trustees. The Fund, on behalf of the Portfolio,
shall cause oral instructions to be confirmed in writing. Proper
Instructions may include communications effected directly between
electro-mechanical or electronic devices as from time to time agreed to by
an authorized officer of the Fund and FUND ACCOUNTING.
The Fund, on behalf of the Portfolio, agrees to furnish to the appropriate
person(s) within FUND ACCOUNTING a copy of the Registration Statement as
in effect from time to time. FUND ACCOUNTING may conclusively rely on the
Fund's most recently delivered Registration Statement for all purposes
under this Agreement and shall not be liable to the Portfolio or the Fund
in acting in reliance thereon.
Section 6. Standard of Care
FUND ACCOUNTING shall exercise reasonable care and diligence in the
performance of its duties hereunder. The Fund agrees that FUND ACCOUNTING
shall not be liable under this Agreement for any error of judgment or
mistake of law made in good faith and consistent with the foregoing
standard of care, provided that nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed
to protect or purport to protect FUND ACCOUNTING against any liability to
the Fund, the Portfolio or its shareholders to which FUND ACCOUNTING would
otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or
negligence in the performance of its duties, or by reason of its reckless
disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder.
Section 7. Compensation and FUND ACCOUNTING Expenses
FUND ACCOUNTING shall be paid as compensation for its services pursuant to
this Agreement such compensation as may from time to time be agreed upon
in writing by the two parties. FUND ACCOUNTING shall be entitled, if
agreed to by the Fund on behalf of the Portfolio, to recover its
reasonable telephone, courier or delivery service, and all other
reasonable out-of-pocket, expenses as incurred,
4
including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys' fees and reasonable
fees for pricing services.
Section 8. Amendment and Termination
This Agreement shall continue in full force and effect until terminated as
hereinafter provided, may be amended at any time by mutual agreement of
the parties hereto and may be terminated by an instrument in writing
delivered or mailed to the other party. Such termination shall take effect
not sooner than sixty (60) days after the date of delivery or mailing of
such notice of termination. Any termination date is to be no earlier than
four months from the effective date hereof. Upon termination, FUND
ACCOUNTING will turn over to the Fund or its designee and cease to retain
in FUND ACCOUNTING files, records of the calculations of net asset value
and all other records pertaining to its services hereunder; provided,
however, FUND ACCOUNTING in its discretion may make and retain copies of
any and all such records and documents which it determines appropriate or
for its protection.
Section 9. Services Not Exclusive
FUND ACCOUNTING's services pursuant to this Agreement are not to be deemed
to be exclusive, and it is understood that FUND ACCOUNTING may perform
fund accounting services for others. In acting under this Agreement, FUND
ACCOUNTING shall be an independent contractor and not an agent of the Fund
or the Portfolio.
Section 10. Limitation of Liability for Claims
The Fund's Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, as amended to date
(the "Declaration"), a copy of which, together with all amendments
thereto, is on file in the Office of the Secretary of State of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, provides that the name "▇▇▇▇▇▇ National
Tax-Free Income Series" refers to the Trustees under the Declaration
collectively as trustees and not as individuals or personally, and that no
shareholder of the Fund or the Portfolio, or Trustee, officer, employee or
agent of the Fund shall be subject to claims against or obligations of the
Trust or of the Portfolio to any extent whatsoever, but that the Trust
estate only shall be liable.
5
FUND ACCOUNTING is expressly put on notice of the limitation of liability
as set forth in the Declaration and FUND ACCOUNTING agrees that the
obligations assumed by the Fund and/or the Portfolio under this Agreement
shall be limited in all cases to the Portfolio and its assets, and FUND
ACCOUNTING shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the
shareholders or any shareholder of the Fund or the Portfolio or any other
series of the Fund, or from any Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the
Fund. FUND ACCOUNTING understands that the rights and obligations of the
Portfolio under the Declaration are separate and distinct from those of
any and all other series of the Fund.
Section 11. Notices
Any notice shall be sufficiently given when delivered or mailed to the
other party at the address of such party set forth below or to such other
person or at such other address as such party may from time to time
specify in writing to the other party.
If to FUND ACCOUNTING: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Fund Accounting Corporation
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Attn: Vice President
If to the Fund - Portfolio: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ National Tax-Free
Income Series
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Attn: President, Secretary
or Treasurer
6
Section 12. Miscellaneous
This Agreement may not be assigned by FUND ACCOUNTING without the consent
of the Fund as authorized or approved by resolution of its Board of
Trustees.
In connection with the operation of this Agreement, the Fund and FUND
ACCOUNTING may agree from time to time on such provisions interpretive of
or in addition to the provisions of this Agreement as in their joint
opinions may be consistent with this Agreement. Any such interpretive or
additional provisions shall be in writing, signed by both parties and
annexed hereto, but no such provisions shall be deemed to be an amendment
of this Agreement.
This Agreement shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws
of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
This Agreement may be executed simultaneously in two or more counterparts,
each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall
constitute one and the same instrument.
This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties
concerning the subject matter hereof, and supersedes any and all prior
understandings.
7
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed
by their respective officers thereunto duly authorized and its seal to be
hereunder affixed as of the date first written above.
[SEAL] ▇▇▇▇▇▇ NATIONAL TAX-FREE
INCOME SERIES
on behalf of ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Municipal
Bond Fund
By: /s/▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
---------------------------------
President
[SEAL] ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ FUND ACCOUNTING CORPORATION
By: /s/▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
---------------------------------
ATTEST:
/s/▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
--------------------------
Title: Executive Assistant
-------------------