CUSTODIAN AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT made as of June , 1998, between T.O. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Trust, a Massachusetts business trust (hereinafter called the ("Trust"), and
FIRSTAR TRUST COMPANY, a corporation organized under the laws of the State of
Wisconsin (hereinafter called "Custodian"),
WHEREAS, the Trust desires that its securities and cash shall be
hereafter held and administered by Custodian pursuant to the terms of this
Agreement;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements herein
made, the Trust and Custodian agree as follows:
1. Definitions
The word "securities" as used herein includes stocks, shares, bonds,
debentures, notes, mortgages or other obligations, and any certificates,
receipts, warrants or other instruments representing rights to receive, purchase
or subscribe for the same, or evidencing or representing any other rights or
interests therein, or in any property or assets.
The words "officers' certificate" shall mean a request or direction or
certification in writing signed in the name of the Trust by any two of the
President, a Vice President, the Secretary and the Treasurer of the Trust, or
any other persons duly authorized to sign by the Board of the Trust.
The word "Board" shall mean Board of Trustees of the Trust.
2. Names, Titles, and Signatures of the Trust's Officers
An officer of the Trust will certify to Custodian the names and
signatures of those persons authorized to sign the officers' certificates
described in Section I hereof, and the names of the members of the Board,
together with any changes which may occur from time to time.
Additional Series. The T.O. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust is authorized to issue
separate classes of shares of beneficial interest representing interests in
separate investment portfolios. The parties intend that each portfolio
established by the Trust, now or in the future, be covered by the terms and
conditions of this agreement.
3. Receipt and Disbursement of Money
A. Custodian shall open and maintain a separate account or accounts
in the name of the Trust, subject only to draft or order by Custodian acting
pursuant to the terms of this Agreement. Custodian shall hold in such account or
accounts, subject to the provisions hereof, all cash received by it from or for
the account of the Trust. Custodian shall make payments of cash to, or for the
account of, the Trust from such cash only:
(a) for the purchase of securities for the portfolio of the Trust upon
the delivery of such securities to Custodian, registered in the name of the
Trust or of the nominee of Custodian referred to in Section 7 or in proper form
for transfer;
(b) for the purchase or redemption of shares of the common stock of the
Trust upon delivery thereof to Custodian, or upon proper instructions from the
Trust;
(c) for the payment of interest, dividends, taxes, investment adviser's
fees or operating expenses (including, without limitation thereto, fees for
legal, accounting, auditing and custodian services and expenses for printing and
postage); for payments in connection with the conversion, exchange or surrender
of securities owned or subscribed to by the Trust held by or to be delivered to
Custodian; or
(e) for other proper corporate purposes certified by resolution of the
Board. Before making any such payment, Custodian shall receive (and may rely
upon) an officer's certificate requesting such payment and stating that it is
for a purpose permitted under the terms of items (a), (b), (c), or (d) of this
Subsection A, and also, in respect of item (e), upon receipt of an officers'
certificate specifying the amount of such payment, setting forth the purpose for
which such payment is to be made, declaring such purpose to be a proper
corporate purpose, and naming the person or persons to whom such payment is to
be made, provided, however, that an officer's certificate need not precede the
disbursement of cash for the purpose of purchasing a money market instrument, or
any other security with same or next-day settlement, if the President, a Vice
President, the Secretary or the Treasurer of the Trust issues appropriate oral
or facsimile instructions to Custodian and an appropriate officers' certificate
is received by Custodian within two business days thereafter.
B. Custodian is hereby authorized to endorse and collect all checks, drafts or
other orders for the payment of money received by Custodian for the account of
the Trust.
C. Custodian shall, upon receipt of proper instructions, make federal funds
available to the Trust as of specified times agreed upon from time to time by
the Trust and the custodian in the amount of checks received in payment for
shares of the Trust which are deposited into the Trust's account.
4. Segregated Accounts
Upon receipt of proper instructions, the Custodian shall establish and
maintain a segregated account(s) for and on behalf of the portfolio, into which
account(s) may be transferred cash and/or securities.
5. Transfer, Exchange, Redelivery, etc. of Securities
Custodian shall have sole power to release or deliver any securities of
the Trust held by it pursuant to this Agreement. Custodian agrees to transfer,
exchange or deliver securities held by it hereunder only:
(a) for sales of such securities for the account of the Trust upon receipt
by Custodian of payment therefore;
(b) when such securities are called, redeemed or retired or otherwise
become payable; for examination by any broker selling any such securities in
accordance with "street delivery" custom; in exchange for, or upon conversion
into, other securities alone or other securities and cash whether pursuant to
any plan of merger, consolidation reorganization, recapitalization or
readjustment, or otherwise;
(e) upon conversion of such securities pursuant to their terms into other
securities;
(f) upon exercise of subscription, purchase or other similar rights
represented by such securities;
(g) for the purpose of exchanging interim receipts or temporary securities
for definitive securities;
(h) for the purpose of redeeming in kind shares of common stock of the
Trust upon delivery thereof to Custodian; or
(i) for other proper corporate purposes.
As to any deliveries made by Custodian pursuant to items (a), (b), (d),
(e), (f), and (g), securities or cash receivable in exchange therefore shall be
deliverable to Custodian.
Before making any such transfer, exchange or delivery, Custodian shall
receive (and may rely upon) an officers' certificate requesting such transfer,
exchange or delivery, and state that it is for a purpose permitted under the
terms of items (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), or (h) of this Section 5 and
also, in respect of item (i), upon receipt of an officer's certificate
specifying the securities to be delivered, setting forth the purpose for which
such delivery is to be made, declaring such purpose to be a proper corporate
purpose, and naming the person or persons to whom delivery of such securities
shall be made, provided, however, that an officer's certificate need not precede
any such transfer, exchange or delivery of a money market instrument, or any
other security with same or next-day settlement, if the President, a Vice
President, the Secretary or the Treasurer of the Trust issues appropriate oral
or facsimile instructions to Custodian and an appropriate officer's certificate
is received by Custodian within two business days thereafter.
6. Custodian's Acts Without Instructions
Unless and until Custodian receives an officer's certificate to the
contrary, Custodian shall: (a) present for payment all coupons and other income
items held by it for the account of the Trust, which call for payment upon
presentation and hold the cash received by it upon such payment for the account
of the Trust; (b) collect interest and cash dividends received, with notice to
the Trust, for the account of the Trust; (c) hold for the account of the Trust
hereunder all stock dividends, rights and similar securities issued with respect
to any securities held by it hereunder; and (d) execute, as agent on behalf of
the Trust, all necessary ownership certificates required by the Internal Revenue
Code or the Income Tax Regulations of the United States Treasury Department or
under the laws of any state now or hereafter in effect, inserting the Trust's
name on such certificates as the owner of the securities covered thereby, to the
extent it may lawfully do so.
7. Registration of Securities
Except as otherwise directed by an officer's certificate, Custodian
shall register all securities, except such as are in bearer form, in the name of
a registered nominee of Custodian as defined in the Internal Revenue Code and
any Regulations of the Treasury Department issued hereunder or in any provision
of any subsequent federal tax law exempting such transaction from liability for
stock transfer taxes, and shall execute and deliver all such certificates in
connection therewith as may be required by such laws or regulations or under the
laws of any state. Custodian shall use its best efforts to the end that the
specific securities held by it hereunder shall be at all times identifiable in
its records.
The Trust shall from time to time furnish to Custodian appropriate
instruments to enable
Custodian to hold or deliver in proper form for transfer, or to register in the
name of its registered nominee, any securities which it may hold for the account
of the Trust and which may from time to time be registered in the name of the
Trust.
8. Voting and Other Action
Neither Custodian nor any nominee of Custodian shall vote any of the
securities held hereunder by or for the account of the Trust, except in
accordance with the instructions contained in an officer's certificate.
Custodian shall deliver, or cause to be executed and delivered, to the Trust all
notices, proxies and proxy soliciting materials with relation to such
securities, such proxies to be executed by the registered holder of such
securities (if registered otherwise than in the name of the Trust), but without
indicating the manner in which such proxies are to be voted.
9. Transfer Tax and Other Disbursements
The Trust shall pay or reimburse Custodian from time to time for any
transfer taxes payable upon transfers of securities made hereunder, and for all
other necessary and proper disbursements and expenses made or incurred by
Custodian in the performance of this Agreement.
Custodian shall execute and deliver such certificates in connection
with securities delivered to it or by it under this Agreement as may be required
under the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and any Regulations of the
Treasury Department issued thereunder, or under the laws of any state, to exempt
from taxation any exempt transfers and/or deliveries of any such securities.
10. Concerning Custodian
Custodian 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 between the two parties. Until modified in writing, such compensation
shall be as set forth in Exhibit A attached hereto
Custodian shall not be liable for any action taken in good faith upon
any certificate herein described or certified copy of any resolution of the
Board, and may rely on the genuineness of any such document which it may in good
faith believe to have been validly executed.
The Trust agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Custodian and its
nominee from all taxes, charges, expenses, assessments, claims and liabilities
(including counsel fees) incurred or assessed against it or by its nominee in
connection with the performance of this Agreement, except such as may arise from
its or its nominee's own negligent action, negligent failure to act or willful
misconduct.
Custodian agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust from all
charges, expenses, assessments, and claims/liabilities (including counsel fees)
incurred or assessed against it in connection with the performance of this
Agreement, except such as may arise from the Trust's own negligent action,
negligent failure to act, or willful misconduct.
11. Subcustodians
Custodian is hereby authorized to engage another bank or trust company
as a Subcustodian for all or any part of the Trust's assets, so long as any such
bank or trust company is a bank or trust company organized under the laws of any
state of the United States, having an aggregate capital, surplus and undivided
profit, as shown by its last published report, of not less than Twenty Million
Dollars ($20,000,000), and has had at least five years experience as custodian
for mutual funds, and provided further that, if the Custodian utilizes the
services of a Subcustodian, the Custodian shall remain fully liable and
responsible for any losses caused to the Trust by the Subcustodian as fully as
if the Custodian was directly responsible for any such losses under the terms of
the Custodian Agreement.
Notwithstanding anything contained herein, if the Trust requires the
Custodian to engage specific Subcustodians; for the safekeeping and/or clearing
of assets, the Trust agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Custodian from all
claims, expenses and liabilities incurred or assessed against it in connection
with the use of such Subcustodian in regard to the Trust's assets, except as may
arise from its own negligent action, negligent failure to act or willful
misconduct.
12. Reports by Custodian
Custodian shall furnish the Trust periodically as agreed upon with a
statement summarizing all transactions and entries for the account of Trust.
Custodian shall furnish to the Trust, at the end of every month, a list of the
portfolio securities showing the aggregate cost of each issue. The books and
records of Custodian pertaining to its actions under this Agreement shall be
open to inspection and audit at reasonable times by officers of, and of auditors
employed by, the Trust.
13. Termination or Assignment
This Agreement may be terminated by the Trust, or by Custodian, on
ninety (90) days notice, given in writing and sent by registered mail to
Custodian at ▇.▇. ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, or to the Trust at Two
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, as the case may be. Upon any
termination of this Agreement, pending appointment of a successor to Custodian
or a vote of the shareholders of the Trust to dissolve or to function without a
custodian of its cash, securities or other property, Custodian shall not deliver
cash, securities or other property of the Trust to the Trust, but may deliver
them to a bank or trust company of its own selection, having an aggregate
capital, surplus and undivided profits, as shown by its last published report of
not less than Twenty Million Dollars ($20,000,000), and has had at least five
years experience as custodian for mutual funds, as a Custodian for the Trust to
be held under terms similar to those of this Agreement, provided, however, that
Custodian shall not be required to make any such delivery or payment until full
payment shall have been made by the Trust of all liabilities constituting a
charge on or against the properties then held by Custodian or on or against
Custodian, and until full payment shall have been made to Custodian of all its
fees compensation, costs and expenses, subject to the provisions of Section 10
of this Agreement.
This Agreement may not be assigned by Custodian without the consent of
the Trust authorized
or approved by a resolution of its Board of Trustees.
14. Deposits of Securities in Securities Depositories
No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to prevent the use by
Custodian of a central securities clearing agency or securities depository,
provided, however, that Custodian and the central securities clearing agency or
securities depository meet all applicable federal and state laws and
regulations, and the Board of Trustees of the Trust approves by resolution the
use of such central securities clearing agency or securities depository.
15. Records
To the extent that Custodian in any capacity prepares or maintains any
records required to be maintained and preserved by the Trust pursuant to the
provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the rules and
regulations promulgated thereunder Custodian agrees to make any such records
available to the Trust upon request and to preserve such records for the periods
prescribed in Rule 3 1 a-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be
executed and their respective corporate seals to be affixed hereto as of the
date first above-written by their respective officers thereunto duly authorized.
Executed in several counterparts, each of which is an original.
Attest: FIRSTAR TRUST COMPANY
______________________________ By ___________________________
Assistant Secretary Vice President
Attest: T.O. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ TRUST
_______________________________ By _____________________________