INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT BETWEEN PSOIX FUNDING I LLC AND PALMER SQUARE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC
INVESTMENT
ADVISORY AGREEMENT
BETWEEN
PSOIX FUNDING I LLC
AND
▇▇▇▇▇▇ SQUARE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC
THIS INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”), dated as of ______ , 20__, is entered into by and between PSOIX Funding I LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability Company (the “Fund”), and ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Square Capital Management LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability Company (the “Advisor”).
WHEREAS, the Advisor has agreed to furnish investment advisory services to the Fund, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Square Opportunistic Income Fund (the “Trust”), a closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”);
WHEREAS, the Fund’s primary purpose is to invest proceeds consistent with the objective and strategies of the Trust from borrowings via a credit facility;
WHEREAS, this Agreement has been approved by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”), and the Advisor is willing to furnish such services upon the terms and conditions herein set forth;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual premises and covenants herein contained and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, it is agreed by and between the parties hereto as follows:
1. In General. The Fund hereby appoints the Advisor, and the Advisor accepts such appointment and agrees, all as more fully set forth herein, to act as investment advisor to the Fund with respect to the investment of the Fund’s assets and to supervise and arrange for the day-to-day operations of the Fund and the purchase of securities for and the sale of securities held in the investment portfolio of the Fund.
2. Duties and Obligations of the Advisor with Respect to Investment of Assets of The Fund.
(a) Subject to the succeeding provisions of this paragraph and subject to the direction and control of the Board, the Advisor shall (i) act as investment advisor for and supervise and manage the investment and reinvestment of the Fund’s assets and, in connection therewith, have complete discretion in purchasing and selling securities and other assets for the Fund and in voting, exercising consents and exercising all other rights appertaining to such securities and other assets on behalf of the Fund; (ii) supervise the investment program of the Fund and the composition of its investment portfolio; and (iii) arrange, subject to the provisions of paragraph 3 hereof, for the purchase and sale of securities and other assets held in the investment portfolio of the Fund.
(b) In performing its duties under this paragraph 2 with respect to the Fund, the Advisor may choose to delegate some or all of its duties and obligations under this Agreement to one or more investment sub-advisors. If the Advisor chooses to do so, such delegation may include but is not limited to delegating the voting of proxies relating to the Fund’s portfolio securities in accordance with the proxy voting policies and procedures of such investment sub-advisor; provided, however, that any such delegation shall be pursuant to an agreement with terms agreed upon by the Fund and approved in a manner consistent with the 1940 Act; and provided, further, that no such delegation shall relieve the Advisor from its duties and obligations of supervision of the management of the Fund’s assets pursuant to this Agreement and to applicable law.
3. Covenants. In the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Advisor:
(a) Shall at all times conform to, and act in accordance with, any requirements imposed by: (i) the provisions of the 1940 Act and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), and all applicable Rules and Regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”); (ii) any other applicable provision of law; (iii) the provisions of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust and By-Laws of the Trust, as such documents are amended from time to time; (iv) the investment objectives and policies of the Trust as set forth in its Registration Statement on Form N-2; and (v) compliance policies and procedures of the Trust adopted by the Board;
(b) Will, with respect to the Fund’s assets not managed by an investment sub-advisor, place orders either directly with the issuer or with any broker or dealer. Subject to the other provisions of this paragraph, in placing orders with brokers and dealers, the Advisor will attempt to obtain the best price and the most favorable execution of its orders. In placing orders, the Advisor will consider the experience and skill of the firm’s securities traders as well as the firm’s financial responsibility and administrative efficiency. Consistent with this obligation, the Advisor may select brokers on the basis of the research, statistical and pricing services they provide to the Fund and other clients of the Advisor. Information and research received from such brokers will be in addition to, and not in lieu of, the services required to be performed by the Advisor hereunder. A commission paid to such brokers may be higher than that which another qualified broker would have charged for effecting the same transaction, provided that the Advisor determines in good faith that such commission is reasonable in terms either of the transaction or the overall responsibility of the Advisor to the Fund and its other clients and that the total commissions paid by the Fund will be reasonable in relation to the benefits to the Fund over the long-term. In no instance, however, will the Fund’s securities be purchased from or sold to the Advisor, or any affiliated person thereof, except to the extent permitted by the SEC or by applicable law;
(c) Will treat confidentially and as proprietary information of the Fund all records and other information relative to the Fund, and the Fund’s prior, current or potential shareholders, and will not use such records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Fund, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld and may not be withheld when the Advisor may be exposed to civil or criminal contempt proceedings for failure to comply, when requested to divulge such information by duly constituted authorities, or when so requested by the Fund;
(d) Will notify the Fund before it reduces the amount of coverage under the Advisor’s errors and omissions insurance policy;
(e) Will supply such information to the Trust’s co-administrators and permit such compliance inspections by the Trust’s co-administrators as shall be reasonably necessary to permit the co-administrators to satisfy their obligations and respond to the reasonable requests of the Board; and
(f) Will use its best efforts to assist the Trust and the Fund in implementing the Trust’s disclosure controls and procedures, and will from time to time provide the Trust a written assessment of the Advisor’s compliance policies and procedures that is reasonably acceptable to the Trust to enable the Trust to fulfill its obligations under Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act.
4. Services Not Exclusive. Nothing in this Agreement shall prevent the Advisor or any officer, employee or affiliate thereof from acting as investment advisor for any other person, firm or corporation, or from engaging in any other lawful activity, and shall not in any way limit or restrict the Advisor or any of its officers, employees or agents from buying, selling or trading any securities for its or their own accounts or for the accounts of others for whom it or they may be acting; provided, however, that the Advisor will undertake no activities which, in its judgment, will adversely affect the performance of its obligations under this Agreement.
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5. Books and Records. The Advisor shall retain all records on behalf of the Fund as if the Fund were registered as an investment company under the 1940 Act. Consistent with the requirements of Rule 31a-3 under the 1940 Act, the Advisor ▇▇▇▇▇▇ agrees that all records which it maintains for the Fund are the property of the Fund and further agrees to surrender promptly to the Fund any such records upon the Fund’s request. The Advisor further agrees to preserve for the periods prescribed by Rule 31a-2 under the 1940 Act the records required to be maintained by Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, and to the extent permitted by applicable law, the Fund will not object to the Advisor maintaining copies of any such records, including the performance records of the Fund, and will not object to the Advisor using such performance records to promote its services to other accounts, including other fund accounts.
6. Agency Cross and Rule 17a-7 Transactions. From time to time, the Advisor or brokers or dealers affiliated with it may find themselves in a position to buy for certain of their brokerage clients (each an “Account”) securities which the Advisor’s investment advisory clients wish to sell, and to sell for certain of their brokerage clients securities which advisory clients wish to buy. The Advisor or the affiliated broker or dealer cannot participate in this type of transaction (known as a cross transaction) on behalf of an advisory client and retain commissions from one or both parties to the transaction without the advisory client’s consent. This prohibition exists because when the Advisor makes an investment decision on behalf of an advisory client (in contrast to a brokerage client that makes its own investment decisions), and the Advisor or an affiliate is receiving commissions from both sides of the transaction, there is a potential conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities on the Advisor’s part regarding the advisory client. The SEC has adopted a rule under the Advisers Act which permits the Advisor or its affiliates to participate on behalf of an Account in agency cross transactions if the advisory client has given written consent in advance. By execution of this Agreement, the Fund authorizes the Advisor or its affiliates to participate in agency cross transactions involving an Account. The Advisor agrees that it will not arrange purchases or sales of securities between the Fund and an Account advised by the Advisor unless (a) the purchase or sale is in accordance with applicable law (including Rule 17a-7 under the 1940 Act) and the Trust’s policies and procedures, (b) the Advisor determines that the purchase or sale is in the best interests of the Fund, and (c) the Trust’s Board has approved these types of transactions by approving a policy and procedures under Rule 17a-7. The Fund may revoke its consent at any time by written notice to the Advisor.
7. Expenses. During the term of this Agreement, the Advisor will bear all costs and expenses of its employees and any overhead incurred in connection with its duties hereunder. The Fund shall pay all of its expenses, including, among others, legal fees and expenses of counsel to the Fund, including trustees’ and officers’ errors and omissions insurance (if any); auditing and accounting expenses; taxes and governmental fees; listing fees; fees and expenses of the Fund’s custodians, administrators, transfer agents, registrars and other service providers; expenses for portfolio pricing services by a pricing agent, if any; expenses in connection with the issuance, offering and underwriting of shares issued by the Fund or with the securing of any credit facility or other loans for the Fund; costs, including interest expenses and loan commitment fees, of borrowing money; expenses of registering or qualifying securities of the Fund for public sale; brokerage commissions and other costs of acquiring or disposing of any portfolio holding of the Fund; expenses of preparation and distribution of reports, notices and dividends to shareholders; costs of stationery; any litigation expenses; and costs of shareholder, board of director and other meetings.
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8. Compensation of the Advisor. The Advisor will receive no compensation for the services it provides to the Fund.
9. Advisor’s Liability. The Advisor shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law, or for any loss suffered by Advisor or by the Fund in connection with the performance of matters to which this Agreement relates, except a loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty with respect to the receipt of compensation for services or a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Advisor in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by it of its duties under this Agreement. The Advisor may consult with counsel and accountants engaged by the Trust in respect of the Fund’s affairs and shall be fully protected and justified in any action or inaction which is taken in accordance with the advice or opinion of such counsel and accountants.
10. Duration and Termination.
(a) This Agreement shall become effective upon approval by the Board and unless sooner terminated as provided herein, this Agreement shall continue in effect until the second anniversary hereof. Thereafter, if not terminated, this Agreement shall continue in effect for successive periods of 12 months, provided that such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by both (i) the vote of a majority of the Board or the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund at the time outstanding and entitled to vote, and (ii) the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any party to this Agreement, cast at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
(c) This Agreement may be terminated by the Trust at any time, without the payment of any penalty, upon giving the Advisor 60 days’ notice (which notice may be waived by the Advisor), provided that such termination by the Trust shall be directed or approved by the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust in office at the time or by the vote of the holders of a majority of the voting securities of the Fund at the time outstanding and entitled to vote. This Agreement may also be terminated by the Advisor upon 60 days’ written notice (which notice may be waived by the Fund). This Agreement will also immediately terminate in the event of its assignment or in the event of the termination of the investment advisory agreement between the Trust and the Advisor (the “Trust Advisory Agreement”). (As used in this Agreement, the terms “majority of the outstanding voting securities,” “interested person” and “assignment” shall have the same meanings of such terms in the 1940 Act.)
11. Notices. Any notice under this Agreement shall be in writing to the other party at such address as the other party may designate from time to time for the receipt of such notice and shall be deemed to be received on the earlier of the date actually received or on the fourth day after the postmark if such notice is mailed first class postage prepaid.
12. Amendment of this Agreement. This Agreement may only be amended by an instrument in writing signed by the parties hereto. Any amendment of this Agreement shall be subject to the 1940 Act, as if the Fund was registered under the 1940 Act.
13. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware for contracts made and to be performed entirely therein without reference to choice of law principles thereof and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, as if the Fund was registered under the 1940 Act.
14. Additional Limitation of Liability. The undersigned authorized person of the Fund has executed this Agreement not individually, but as an authorized person under the Fund’s Limited Liability Company Operating Agreement, and the obligations of this Agreement are not binding upon any of the directors, officers or shareholders of the Fund individually. Subject to the Advisor’s rights under the Trust Advisory Agreement, the Advisor agrees that for services rendered to the Fund, or for any claim by it in connection with services rendered to the Fund, it shall look only to assets of the Fund for satisfaction.
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16. Miscellaneous. The captions in this Agreement are included for convenience of reference only and in no way define or delimit any of the provisions hereof or otherwise affect their construction or effect. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby. This Agreement shall be binding on, and shall inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors.
17. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts by the parties hereto, each of which shall constitute an original counterpart, and all of which, together, shall constitute one Agreement.
***Signature Page Follows***
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused the foregoing instrument to be executed by their duly authorized officers, all as of the day and the year first above written.
THE FUND:
PSOIX FUNDING I LLC
| By: | |||
| Name: ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ | |||
| Title: Authorized Person | |||
| THE ADVISOR: | |||
| ▇▇▇▇▇▇ SQUARE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC | |||
| By: | |||
| Name: | |||
| Title: | |||
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