EX-99.B(5)(b)
FLAG INVESTORS TELEPHONE INCOME FUND, INC.
SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made as of the 1st day of September, 1997 by
and among FLAG INVESTORS TELEPHONE INCOME FUND, INC., a Maryland corporation
(the "Fund"), INVESTMENT COMPANY CAPITAL CORP., a Maryland corporation (the
"Advisor"), and ALEX. ▇▇▇▇▇ INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, a Maryland limited
partnership (the "Sub-Advisor").
WHEREAS, the Advisor is the investment advisor to the Fund,
which is an open-end, non-diversified management investment company registered
under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"); and
WHEREAS, the Fund and the Advisor wish to retain the
Sub-Advisor for purposes of rendering advisory services to the Fund and the
Advisor in connection with the Advisor's responsibilities to the Fund on the
terms and conditions hereinafter set forth.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants herein
contained and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt whereof is
hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Appointment of Sub-Advisor. The Fund hereby appoints the
Sub- Advisor to act as the Fund's Sub-Advisor under the supervision of the
Fund's Board of Directors and the Advisor, and the Sub-Advisor hereby accepts
such appointment, all subject to the terms and conditions contained herein.
2. Delivery of Documents. The Fund has furnished the
Sub-Advisor with copies properly certified or authenticated of each of the
following:
(a) The Fund's Articles of Incorporation, filed with
the State of Maryland on November 4, 1988 and all amendments thereto
(such Articles of Incorporation, as presently in effect and as they
shall from time to time be amended, are herein called the "Articles of
Incorporation");
(b) The Fund's By-Laws and all amendments thereto
(such By-Laws, as presently in effect and as they shall from time to
time be amended, are herein called the "By-Laws");
(c) Resolutions of the Fund's Board of Directors and
shareholders authorizing the appointment of the Sub-Advisor and
approving this Agreement;
(d) The Fund's Notification of Registration filed
pursuant to Section 8(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 on Form
N-8A under the 1940 Act as filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "SEC") on October 21, 1983;
(e) The Fund's Registration Statement on Form N-1
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") (File No.
2-87336) and under the 1940 Act as filed with the SEC on October 21,
1983 relating to the shares of the Fund, and all amendments thereto;
and
(f) The Fund's most recent prospectus (such
prospectus, as presently in effect, and all amendments and supplements
thereto are herein called "Prospectus").
The Fund will furnish the Sub-Advisor from time to time with
copies, properly certified or authenticated, of all amendments or supplements to
the foregoing, if any, and all documents, notices and reports filed with the
SEC.
3. Duties of Sub-Advisor. In carrying out its obligations
under Section I hereof, the Sub-Advisor shall:
(a) provide the Fund with such executive,
administrative and clerical services as are deemed advisable by the
Fund's Board of Directors;
(b) determine which issuers and securities shall be
represented in the Fund's portfolio and regularly report thereon to the
Fund's Board of Directors;
(c) formulate and implement continuing programs for
the purchases and sales of the securities of such issuers and regularly
report thereon to the Fund's Board of Directors;
(d) take, on behalf of the Fund, all actions which
appear to the Fund necessary to carry into effect such purchase and
sale programs as aforesaid, including the placing of orders for the
purchase and sale of securities of the Fund; and
(e) obtain and evaluate pertinent information about
significant developments and economic, statistical and financial data,
domestic, foreign or otherwise, whether affecting the economy generally
or the Fund, and whether concerning the individual issuers whose
securities are included in the Fund's portfolio or the activities in
which they engage, or with respect to securities which the Advisor
considers desirable for inclusion in the Fund's portfolio.
-2-
4. Broker-Dealer Relationships. In circumstances when the
Sub-Advisor is responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities for the
Fund, broker-dealer selection, and negotiation of its brokerage commission
rates, the Sub-Advisor's primary consideration in effecting a security
transaction will be execution of orders at the most favorable price on an
overall basis. In performing this function the Sub-Advisor shall comply with
applicable policies established by the Board of Directors and shall provide the
Board of Directors with such reports as the Board of Directors may require in
order to monitor the Fund's portfolio transaction activities. In selecting a
broker-dealer to execute each particular transaction, the Sub-Advisor will take
the following into consideration: the best net price available; the reliability,
integrity and financial condition of the broker-dealer; the size of and
difficulty in executing the order; and the value of the expected contribution of
the broker-dealer to the investment performance of the Fund on a continuing
basis. Accordingly, the price to the Fund in any transaction may be less
favorable than that available from another broker-dealer if the difference is
reasonably justified by other aspects of the portfolio execution services
offered. Subject to such policies as the Board of Directors may determine, the
Sub-Advisor shall not be deemed to have acted unlawfully or to have breached any
duty created by this Agreement or otherwise solely by reason of its having
caused the Fund to pay a broker-dealer that provides brokerage and research
services to the Sub-Advisor an amount of commission for effecting a portfolio
investment transaction in excess of the amount of commission another
broker-dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction, if the
Sub-Advisor determines in good faith that such amount of commission was
reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services
provided by such broker-dealer, viewed in terms of either that particular
transaction or the Sub-Advisor's overall responsibilities with respect to the
Fund. The Sub-Advisor is further authorized to allocate the orders placed by it
on behalf of the Fund to such broker-dealers who also provide research or
statistical material or other services to the Fund or the Sub-Advisor. Such
allocation shall be in such amounts and proportions as the Sub-Advisor shall
determine and the Sub-Advisor will report on said allocation regularly to the
Board of Directors of the Fund, indicating the brokers to whom such allocations
have been made and the basis therefor.
Consistent with the Conduct Rules of the National Association
of Securities Dealers, Inc., and subject to seeking the most favorable price and
execution available and such other policies as the Directors may determine, the
Sub-Advisor may consider services in connection with the sale of shares of the
Fund as a factor in the selection of broker-dealers to execute portfolio
transactions for the Fund.
Subject to the policies established by the Board of Directors
in compliance with applicable law, the Advisor may direct Alex. ▇▇▇▇▇ & Sons
Incorporated ("Alex. ▇▇▇▇▇") to execute portfolio transactions for the Fund on
an agency basis. The commissions paid to Alex. ▇▇▇▇▇ must be, as required by
Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act, "reasonable and fair compared to the commission,
fee or other remuneration received or to be received by other brokers in
connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities during a
comparable period of time." If the purchase or sale of securities consistent
with the investment policies of the Fund or one or more other accounts of the
Sub-Advisor is considered at or about the same time, transactions in such
securities will be allocated among the accounts in a manner deemed equitable by
the Sub-Advisor. Alex. ▇▇▇▇▇ and the Sub-Advisor may combine such transactions,
in
-3-
accordance with applicable laws and regulations, in order to obtain the best net
price and most favorable execution.
The Fund will not deal with the Sub-Advisor or Alex. ▇▇▇▇▇ in
any transaction in which the Sub-Advisor or Alex. ▇▇▇▇▇ acts as a principal with
respect to any part of the Fund's order. If Alex. ▇▇▇▇▇ is participating in an
underwriting or selling group, the Fund may not buy portfolio securities from
the group except in accordance with policies established by the Board of
Directors in compliance with rules of the SEC.
5. Control by Fund's Board of Directors. Any recommendations
concerning the Fund's investment program for the Fund proposed by the
Sub-Advisor to the Fund and the Advisor pursuant to this Agreement, as well as
any other activities undertaken by the Sub-Advisor on behalf of the Fund
pursuant hereto, shall at all times be subject to any applicable directives of
the Board of Directors of the Fund.
6. Compliance with Applicable Requirements. In carrying out
its obligations under this Agreement, the Sub-Advisor shall at all times conform
to:
(a) all applicable provisions of the 1940 Act and any
rules and regulations adopted thereunder, as amended;
(b) the provisions of the Registration Statement of
the Fund under the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act;
(c) the provisions of the Articles of Incorporation;
(d) the provision of the By-Laws; and
(e) any other applicable provisions of state and
federal law.
7. Expenses. The expenses connected with the Fund shall be
allocable between the Fund, the Sub-Advisor and the Advisor as follows:
(a) The Sub-Advisor shall, subject to compliance with
applicable banking regulations, furnish, at its expense and without
cost to the Fund, the services of the President and certain Vice
Presidents of the Fund, to the extent that such officers may be
required by the Fund for the proper conduct of its affairs.
(b) The Sub-Advisor shall maintain, at its expense
and without cost to the Fund, a trading function in order to carry out
its obligations under Section 3 hereof to place orders for the purchase
and sale of portfolio securities for the Fund.
(c) The Fund assumes and shall pay or cause to be
paid all other expenses of the Fund, including, without limitation:
payments to the Advisor under the Investment Advisory Agreement between
the Fund and the Advisor, payments to the
-4-
Fund's distributor under the Fund's plan of distribution; the charges
and expenses of any registrar, any custodian or depository appointed by
the Fund for the safekeeping of its cash, portfolio securities and
other property, and any transfer, dividend or accounting agent or
agents appointed by the Fund; brokers' commissions chargeable to the
Fund in connection with portfolio securities transactions to which the
Fund is a party; all taxes, including securities issuance and transfer
taxes, and fees payable by the Fund to Federal, State or other
governmental agencies; the costs and expenses of engraving or printing
of certificates representing shares of the Fund; all costs and expenses
in connection with the registration and maintenance of registration of
the Fund and its shares with the SEC and various states and other
jurisdictions (including filing fees, legal fees and disbursements of
counsel); the costs and expenses of printing, including typesetting,
and distributing prospectuses and statements of additional information
of the Fund and supplements thereto to the Fund's shareholders; all
expenses of shareholders' and Directors' meetings and of preparing,
printing and mailing of proxy statements and reports to shareholders;
fees and travel expenses of Directors or Director members of any
advisory board or committee; all expenses incident to the payment of
any dividend, distribution, withdrawal or redemption, whether in shares
or in cash; charges and expenses of any outside service used for
pricing of the Fund's shares; charges and expenses of legal counsel,
including counsel to the Directors of the Fund who are not "interested
persons" (as defined in the ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇) of the Fund and of independent
certified public accountants, in connection with any matter relating to
the Fund; membership dues of industry associations; interest payable on
Fund borrowings; postage; insurance premiums on property or personnel
(including officers and Directors) of the Fund which inure to its
benefit; extraordinary expenses (including but not limited to, legal
claims and liabilities and litigation costs and any indemnification
related thereto); and all other charges and costs of the Fund's
operation unless otherwise explicitly provided herein.
8. Compensation. For the services to be rendered hereunder by
the Sub-Advisor, the Advisor shall pay to the Sub-Advisor monthly compensation
equal to the sum of the amounts determined by applying the following annual
rates to the Fund's average daily net assets: .60% of the first $100 million of
the Fund's average daily net assets, .55% of the next $100 million of the Fund's
average daily net assets, .50% of the next $100 million of the Fund's average
daily net assets, .45% of the next $200 million of the Fund's average daily net
assets, .40% of the next $500 million of the Fund's average daily net assets,
.37% of the next $500 million of the Fund's average daily net assets, and .35%
of that portion of the Fund's average daily net assets in excess of $1.5
billion. Except as hereinafter set forth, compensation under this Agreement
shall be calculated and accrued daily and the amounts of the daily accruals paid
monthly. If this Agreement becomes effective subsequent to the first day of a
month or shall terminate before the last day of a month, compensation for that
part of the month this Agreement is in effect shall be prorated in a manner
consistent with the calculations of the fees as set forth above. Payment of the
Sub-Advisor's compensation for the preceding month shall be made as promptly as
possible.
9. Delegation of Responsibilities. The Sub-Advisor may, but
shall not be under any duty to, perform services on behalf of the Fund which are
not required by this Agreement upon the request of the Fund's Board of
Directors. Such services will be performed
-5-
on behalf of the Fund and the Sub-Advisor's charges in rendering such services
will be billed monthly to the Fund, subject to examination by the Fund's
independent certified public accountants. Payment or assumption by the
Sub-Advisor of any Fund expense that the Sub-Advisor is not required to pay or
assume under this Agreement shall not relieve the Sub-Advisor of any of its
obligations to the Fund nor obligate the Sub-Advisor to pay or assume any
similar Fund expenses on any subsequent occasions.
10. Term. This Agreement shall become effective at 12:01 a.m.
on the date hereof and shall remain in force and effect, subject to Section 12
hereof, for two years from the date hereof.
11. Renewal. Following the expiration of its initial two-year
term, this Agreement shall continue in force and effect from year to year,
provided that such continuance is specifically approved at least annually:
(a) (i) by the Fund's Board of Directors or (ii) by
the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund
(as defined in Section 2(a)(42) of the ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇); and
(b) by the affirmative vote of a majority of the
Directors who are not parties to this Agreement or "interested persons"
of a party to this Agreement (other than as Directors of the Fund) by
votes cast in person at a meeting specifically called for such purpose.
12. Termination. This Agreement may be terminated at any time,
without the payment of any penalty, by vote of the Fund's Board of Directors or
by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund (as
defined in Section 2(a)(42) of the 1940 Act), on sixty (60) days' written notice
to the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor. This Agreement may be terminated at any
time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Sub-Advisor on sixty (60) days'
written notice to the Fund and the Advisor. The notice provided for herein may
be waived by any person to whom such notice is required. This Agreement shall
automatically terminate in the event of its assignment (as defined in Section
2(a)(4) of the 1940 Act).
13. Non-Exclusivity. The services of the Sub-Advisor to the
Advisor and the Fund are not to be deemed to be exclusive, and the Sub-Advisor
shall be free to render investment advisory or other services to others
(including other investment companies) and to engage in other activities, so
long as its services under this Agreement are not impaired thereby. It is
understood and agreed that partners of the Sub-Advisor may serve as officers or
Directors of the Fund, and that officers or Directors of the Fund may serve as
officers or partners of the Sub-Advisor to the extent permitted by law; and
that the partners of the Sub-Advisor are not prohibited from engaging in any
other business activity or from rendering services to any other person, or from
serving as partners, officers or directors of any other firm or corporation,
including other investment companies.
-6-
14. Liability of Sub-Advisor. In the performance of its duties
hereunder, the Sub-Advisor shall be obligated to exercise care and diligence and
to act in good faith and to use its best efforts within reasonable limits to
ensure the accuracy of all services performed under this Agreement, but the
Sub-Advisor shall not be liable for any act or omission which does not
constitute willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the
Sub-Advisor or its officers, directors or employees, or reckless disregard by
the Sub-Advisor of its duties under this Agreement.
15. Notices. Any notices under this Agreement shall be in
writing, addressed and delivered or mailed postage paid to the other party at
such address as such other party may designate for the receipt of such notice.
Until further notice to the other party, it is agreed that the address of the
Sub-Advisor, of the Advisor and of the Fund for this purpose shall be ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇.
16. Questions of Interpretation. Any question of
interpretation of any term or provision of this Agreement having a counterpart
in or otherwise derived from a term or provision of the 1940 Act shall be
resolved by reference to such term or provision of the 1940 Act and to
interpretations thereof, if any, by the United States Courts or in the absence
of any controlling decision of any such court, by rules, regulations or orders
of the SEC issued pursuant to said Act. In addition, where the effect of a
requirement of the 1940 Act reflected in any provision of this Agreement is
revised by rule, regulation or order of the SEC, such provision shall be deemed
to incorporate the effect of such rule, regulation or order. Otherwise the
provisions of this Agreement shall be interpreted in accordance with the laws of
Maryland.
-7-
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this
Agreement to be executed in duplicate by their respective officers on the day
and year first above written.
Attest: FLAG INVESTORS TELEPHONE
INCOME FUND, INC.
/s/ ▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------ -------------------------------
▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Name: ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Title: President
Attest: INVESTMENT COMPANY CAPITAL CORP.
/s/ ▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------ -------------------------------
▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Name: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Title: Executive Vice President
Attest: ALEX. ▇▇▇▇▇ INVESTMENT
MANAGEMENT
/s/ ▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ By: /s/ J. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, III
------------------------ -------------------------------
▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Name: J. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, III
Title: Chief Executive Officer
-8-