EXHIBIT e(3)
DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT, dated as of January 4, 1999, by and between CitiFunds Trust
III (formerly, Landmark Funds III), a Massachusetts business trust (the
"Trust"), and CFBDS, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation ("Distributor"). This
Agreement relates solely to Shares of Beneficial Interest designated "Class B."
WHEREAS, the Trust engages in business as an open-end management
investment company and is registered as such under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the "1940 Act");
WHEREAS, the Trust's shares of beneficial interest ("Shares") are
divided into separate series representing interests in separate funds of
securities and other assets;
WHEREAS, the Trust wishes to retain the services of a distributor for
Class B Shares of each of the Trust's series listed on Exhibit A hereto (the
"Funds") and has registered the Shares of the Funds under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended (the "1933 Act");
WHEREAS, the Trust has adopted a Distribution Plan pursuant to Rule
12b-1 under the 1940 Act (the "Distribution Plan") and may enter into related
agreements providing for the distribution and servicing of Shares of the Funds;
WHEREAS, Distributor has agreed to act as distributor of the Class B
Shares of the Funds for the period of this Agreement;
NOW, THEREFORE, it is hereby agreed between the parties hereto as
follows:
1. Appointment of Distributor.
(a) The Trust hereby appoints Distributor its exclusive agent for the
distribution of Class B Shares of the Funds in jurisdictions wherein such Shares
may be legally offered for sale; provided, however, that the Trust in its
absolute discretion may issue Shares of the Funds in connection with (i) the
payment or reinvestment of dividends or distributions; (ii) any merger or
consolidation of the Trust or of the Funds with any other investment company or
trust or any personal holding company, or the acquisition of the assets of any
such entity or another series of the Trust; or (iii) any offer of exchange
permitted by Section 11 of the ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇.
(b) Distributor hereby accepts such appointment as exclusive agent for
the distribution of Class B Shares of the Funds and agrees that it will sell the
Shares as agent for the Trust at prices determined as hereinafter provided and
on the terms hereinafter set forth, all according to the then-current prospectus
and statement of additional information of each Fund (collectively, the
"Prospectus" and the "Statement of Additional Information"), applicable laws,
rules and regulations and the Declaration of Trust of the Trust. Distributor
agrees to use its best efforts to solicit orders for the sale of Shares of the
Funds, and agrees to transmit promptly to the Trust (or to the transfer agent of
the Funds, if so instructed in writing by the Trust) any orders received by it
for purchase or redemption of Shares.
(c) Distributor may sell Shares of the Funds to or through qualified
securities dealers, financial institutions or others. Distributor will require
each dealer or other such party to conform to the provisions of this Agreement,
the Prospectus, the Statement of Additional Information and applicable law; and
neither Distributor nor any such dealers or others shall withhold the placing of
purchase orders for Shares so as to make a profit thereby.
(d) Distributor shall order Shares of the Funds from the Trust only to
the extent that it shall have received unconditional purchase orders therefor.
Distributor will not make, or authorize any dealers or others to make: (i) any
short sales of Shares; or (ii) any sales of Shares to any Trustee or officer of
the Trust, any officer or director of Distributor or any corporation or
association furnishing investment advisory, managerial or supervisory services
to the Trust, or to any such corporation or association, unless such sales are
made in accordance with the Prospectus and the Statement of Additional
Information.
(e) Distributor is not authorized by the Trust to give any information
or make any representations regarding Shares of the Funds, except such
information or representations as are contained in the Prospectus, the Statement
of Additional Information or advertisements and sales literature prepared by or
on behalf of the Trust for Distributor's use.
(f) The Trust agrees to execute any and all documents, to furnish any
and all information and otherwise to take all actions which may be reasonably
necessary in the discretion of the Trust's officers in connection with the
qualification of Shares of each Fund for sale in such states as Distributor and
the Trust agree.
(g) No Shares of any Fund shall be offered by either Distributor or the
Trust under this Agreement, and no orders for the purchase or sale of such
Shares hereunder shall be accepted by the Trust, if and so long as the
effectiveness of the Trust's then current registration statement as to Shares of
that Fund or any necessary amendments thereto shall be suspended under any of
the provisions of the 1933 Act, or if and so long as a current prospectus for
Shares of that Fund as required by Section 10 of the 1933 Act is not on file
with the Securities and Exchange Commission; provided, however, that nothing
contained in this paragraph (g) shall in any way restrict the Trust's obligation
to repurchase any Shares from any shareholder in accordance with the provisions
of the applicable Fund's Prospectus or charter documents.
(h) Notwithstanding any provision hereof, the Trust may terminate,
suspend or withdraw the offering of Shares of any Fund whenever, in its sole
discretion, it deems such action to be desirable.
2. Offering Price of Shares. All Fund Shares sold under this Agreement
shall be sold at the public offering price per Share in effect at the time of
the sale, as described in the Prospectus. The public offering price of the Class
B Shares of each Fund shall be the net asset value of such Shares, as provided
in the Prospectus. Any contingent deferred sales charge applicable to Class B
Shares of any Fund as set forth in the applicable Fund's Prospectus, may be paid
to, or retained by, the Distributor, securities dealers, financial institutions
(including banks) and others, as partial compensation for their services in
connection with the sale of Class B Shares. At no time shall the Trust receive
less than the full net asset value of the Shares of each Fund, determined in the
manner set forth in the Prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information.
Distributor also may receive such compensation under the Trust's Distribution
Plan for Class B Shares as may be authorized by the Trustees of the Trust from
time to time.
3. Furnishing of Information.
(a) The Trust shall furnish to Distributor copies of any information,
financial statements and other documents that Distributor may reasonably request
for use in connection with the sale of Shares of the Funds under this Agreement.
The Trust shall also make available a sufficient number of copies of the Funds'
Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information for use by the Distributor.
(b) The Trust agrees to advise Distributor immediately in writing:
(i) of any request by the Securities and Exchange Commission
for amendments to any registration statement concerning a Fund or to a
Prospectus or for additional information;
(ii) in the event of the issuance by the Securities and
Exchange Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of
any such registration statement or Prospectus or the initiation of any
proceeding for that purpose;
(iii) of the happening of any event which makes untrue any
statement of a material fact made in any such registration statement or
Prospectus or which requires the making of a change in such
registration statement or Prospectus in order to make the statements
therein not misleading; and
(iv) of all actions of the Securities and Exchange Commission
with respect to any amendments to any such registration statement or
Prospectus which may from time to time be filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
4. Expenses.
(a) The Trust will pay or cause to be paid the following expenses:
organization costs of the Funds; compensation of Trustees who are not
"affiliated persons" of the Distributor; governmental fees; interest charges;
loan commitment fees; taxes; membership dues in industry associations allocable
to the Trust; fees and expenses of independent auditors, legal counsel and any
transfer agent, distributor, shareholder servicing agent, registrar or dividend
disbursing agent of the Trust; expenses of issuing and redeeming shares of
beneficial interest and servicing shareholder accounts; expenses of preparing,
typesetting, printing and mailing prospectuses, statements of additional
information, shareholder reports, notices, proxy statements and reports to
governmental officers and commissions and to existing shareholders of the Funds;
expenses connected with the execution, recording and settlement of security
transactions; insurance premiums; fees and expenses of the custodian for all
services to the Funds, including safekeeping of funds and securities and
maintaining required books and accounts; expenses of calculating the net asset
value of the Funds (including but not limited to the fees of independent pricing
services); expenses of meetings of shareholders; expenses relating to the
issuance, registration and qualification of shares; and such non-recurring or
extraordinary expenses as may arise, including those relating to actions, suits
or proceedings to which the Trust may be a party and the legal obligation which
the Trust may have to indemnify its Trustees and officers with respect thereto.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement and except to the
extent such expenses are borne by the Trust pursuant to the Distribution Plan,
Distributor will pay or cause to be paid all expenses connected with its own
qualification as a dealer under state and federal laws and all other expenses
incurred by Distributor in connection with the sale of Shares of each Fund as
contemplated by this Agreement.
(c) Distributor shall prepare and deliver reports to the Trustees of
the Trust on a regular basis, at least quarterly, showing the expenditures with
respect to each Fund pursuant to the Distribution Plan and the purposes
therefor, as well as any supplemental reports that the Trustees of the Trust,
from time to time, may reasonably request.
5. Repurchase of Shares. Distributor as agent and for the account of
the Trust may repurchase Shares of the Funds offered for resale to it and redeem
such Shares at their net asset value, subject to the imposition of any deferred
sales charge.
6. Indemnification by the Trust. In the absence of willful misfeasance,
bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of obligations or duties
hereunder on the part of Distributor, the Trust agrees to indemnify Distributor,
its officers and directors, and any person which controls Distributor within the
meaning of the 1933 Act against any and all claims, demands, liabilities and
expenses that any such indemnified party may incur under the 1933 Act, or common
law or otherwise, arising out of or based upon any alleged untrue statement of a
material fact contained in the registration statement for any Fund, any
Prospectus or Statement of Additional Information, or any advertisements or
sales literature prepared by or on behalf of the Trust for Distributor's use, or
any omission to state a material fact therein, the omission of which makes any
statement contained therein misleading, unless such statement or omission was
made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Trust
in connection therewith by or on behalf of Distributor. Nothing herein contained
shall require the Trust to take any action contrary to any provision of its
Declaration of Trust or any applicable statute or regulation.
7. Indemnification by Distributor. Distributor agrees to indemnify the
Trust, its officers and Trustees and any person which controls the Trust within
the meaning of the 1933 Act against any and all claims, demands, liabilities and
expenses that any such indemnified party may incur under the 1933 Act, or common
law or otherwise, arising out of or based upon (i) any alleged untrue statement
of a material fact contained in the registration statement for any Fund, any
Prospectus or Statement of Additional Information, or any advertisements or
sales literature prepared by or on behalf of the Trust for Distributor's use, or
any omission to state a material fact therein, the omission of which makes any
statement contained therein misleading, if such statement or omission was made
in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Trust in
connection therewith by or on behalf of Distributor; and (ii) any act or deed of
Distributor or its sales representatives that has not been authorized by the
Trust in any Prospectus or Statement of Additional Information or by this
Agreement.
8. Term and Termination.
(a) Unless terminated as herein provided, this Agreement shall continue
in effect as to each Fund until November 13, 1999 and shall continue in effect
for successive periods of one year, but only so long as each such continuance is
specifically approved by votes of a majority of both the Trustees of the Trust
and the Trustees of the Trust who are not parties to this Agreement or
interested persons (as defined in the ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇) of any such party and who have
no direct or indirect financial interest in this Agreement or in the operation
of the Distribution Plan or in any agreement related thereto ("Independent
Trustees"), cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such
approval.
(b) This Agreement may be terminated as to any Fund on not less than
thirty days' nor more than sixty days' written notice to the other party.
(c) This Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its
assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).
9. Limitation of Liability. The obligations of the Trust hereunder
shall not be binding upon any of the Trustees, officers or shareholders of the
Trust personally, but shall bind only the assets and property of the particular
Fund in question, and not any other Fund or series of the Trust. The term
"CitiFunds Trust III" means and refers to the Trustees from time to time serving
under the Declaration of Trust of the Trust, a copy of which is on file with the
Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The execution and delivery of
this Agreement has been authorized by the Trustees, and this Agreement has been
signed on behalf of the Trust by an authorized officer of the Trust, acting as
such and not individually, and neither such authorization by such Trustees nor
such execution and delivery by such officer shall be deemed to have been made by
any of them individually or to impose any liability on any of them personally,
but shall bind only the assets and property of the Trust as provided in the
Declaration of Trust.
10. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the provisions
of the 1940 Act.
IN WITNESS THEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be
executed as of the date first written above.
CitiFunds Trust III
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
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CFBDS, Inc.
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
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Exhibit A
Funds
CitiFunds Cash Reserves