The Contracts (i) will be sold by broker-dealers, or their registered representatives, who are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "1934 Act") and who are members in good standing of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (the "NASD"); (ii) will be issued and sold in compliance in all material respects with all applicable federal and state laws; and (iii) will be sold in compliance in all material respects with state insurance suitability requirements and NASD suitability guidelines.
Business Contracts (a) Schedule 2.13(a) sets forth a true, complete and correct list of the following Contracts (x) to which any of the Companies are a party as of the date of this Agreement or (y) by which any of the Companies are otherwise bound (other than (I) Contracts for commercially available software or any clickwrap, shrinkwrap or other similar standard form electronic Contracts and Company Benefit Plans and (II) the Leases) (the “Business Contracts”):
(i) any Contract providing for aggregate annual payments to or by the Companies in excess of One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000);
(ii) any Contract that relates to the sale of any of the Companies, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, or a material portion of the Companies’ assets, other than the sale of tangible personal property in the Ordinary Course of Business;
(iii) any property management, leasing, brokerage or similar Contract with respect to the Real Property;
(iv) any Contract relating to indebtedness (including, without limitation, guarantees) of any Company, in each case having an outstanding principal amount in excess of One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000), other than indebtedness that is being paid in full at the Closing;
(v) all collective bargaining agreements or agreements with any labor organization, union or association to which any Company is a party;
(vi) any Contract under which any Company grants any exclusive rights, noncompetition rights, rights of first refusal, rights of first offer or rights of first negotiation to any Person;
(vii) any Contract that contains a covenant not to compete that restricts the Business of the Companies or their Subsidiaries in any geographic location;
(viii) all partnership agreements, limited liability company agreements and joint venture agreements relating to the Companies; and
(ix) any Contract relating to the acquisition or sale of a business (or all or substantially all of the assets thereof) by the Companies.
(b) HoldCo has made available or has caused to be made available to the Buyer Parties, prior to the date hereof, true, correct and complete copies of each Business Contract, together with all amendments or supplements thereto. There exist no defaults under any Business Contract by any of the Companies, or, to HoldCo’s Knowledge, by any other Person that is a party to any Business Contract. To HoldCo’s Knowledge, no party to any Business Contract other than the Companies intends to terminate any Business Contract.
Service Contracts (a) The Trustees may, at any time and from time to time, contract for exclusive or nonexclusive advisory, management and/or administrative services for the Trust or for any Series with any Person; and any such contract may contain such other terms as the Trustees may determine, including without limitation, authority for the Investment Adviser to determine from time to time without prior consultation with the Trustees what investments shall be purchased, held, sold or exchanged and what portion, if any, of the assets of the Trust shall be held uninvested and to make changes in the Trust's investments, and such other responsibilities as may specifically be delegated to such Person.
(b) The Trustees may also, at any time and from time to time, contract with any Persons, appointing such Persons exclusive or nonexclusive distributor or Principal Underwriter for the Shares of one or more of the Series or other securities to be issued by the Trust. Every such contract may contain such other terms as the Trustees may determine.
(c) The Trustees are also empowered, at any time and from time to time, to contract with any Persons, appointing such Person(s) to serve as custodian(s), transfer agent and/or shareholder servicing agent for the Trust or one or more of its Series. Every such contract shall comply with such terms as may be required by the Trustees.
(d) The Trustees are further empowered, at any time and from time to time, to contract with any Persons to provide such other services to the Trust or one or more of the Series, as the Trustees determine to be in the best interests of the Trust and the applicable Series.
(e) The fact that:
(i) any of the Shareholders, Trustees, or officers of the Trust is a shareholder, director, officer, partner, trustee, employee, Manager, adviser, Principal Underwriter, distributor, or affiliate or agent of or for any Person with which an advisory, management or administration contract, or Principal Underwriter's or distributor's contract, or transfer, shareholder servicing or other type of service contract may be made, or that
(ii) any Person with which an advisory, management or administration contract or Principal Underwriter's or distributor's contract, or transfer, shareholder servicing or other type of service contract may be made also has an advisory, management or administration contract, or principal underwriter's or distributor's contract, or transfer, shareholder servicing or other service contract, or has other business or interests with any other Person, shall not affect the validity of any such contract or disqualify any Shareholder, Trustee or officer of the Trust from voting upon or executing the same, or create any liability or accountability to the Trust or its Shareholders, provided approval of each such contract is made pursuant to the applicable requirements of the 1940 Act.
SUB-CONTRACTS (a) The Administrator may sub-contract or delegate the performance of all or any of its powers and obligations under this Agreement, provided that (but subject to Clause 3.2(b) herein):
(i) the prior written consent of the Mortgages Trustee and Funding to the proposed arrangement (including, if Funding considers it necessary after consulting with the Security Trustee, approving any contract which sets out the terms on which such arrangements are to be made) has been obtained, the Security Trustee has been consulted and notification has been given to each of the Rating Agencies;
(ii) where the arrangements involve the custody or control of any Mortgage Loan Files and/or Title Deeds relating to the Mortgage Portfolio for the purpose of performing any delegated Services, the sub-contractor or delegate has executed an acknowledgement in writing acceptable to Funding and the Security Trustee to the effect that any such Mortgage Loan Files and/or Title Deeds are and will be held to the order of the Mortgages Trustee (as trustee for the Beneficiaries);
(iii) where the arrangements involve or may involve the receipt by the sub-contractor or delegate of monies belonging to the Beneficiaries which, in accordance with this Agreement, are to be paid into the relevant Collection Account, the sub-contractor or delegate has executed a declaration in writing acceptable to the Beneficiaries that any such monies held by it or to its order are held on trust for the Beneficiaries and will be paid forthwith into the relevant Collection Account in accordance with the terms of the Mortgages Trust Deed;
(iv) any such sub-contractor or delegate has executed a written waiver of any Security Interest arising in connection with such delegated Services (to the extent that such Security Interest relates to the Mortgage Portfolio or any amount referred to in (iii) above); and
(v) neither the Mortgages Trustee, the Security Trustee nor the Beneficiaries shall have any liability for any costs, charges or expenses payable to or incurred by such sub-contractor or delegate or arising from the entering into, the continuance or the termination of any such arrangement.
(b) The provisos to Clause 3.2(a) (i), (ii) and (iii) herein shall not apply:
(i) to the engagement by the Administrator of:
(1) any receiver, solicitor, insurance broker, valuer, surveyor, accountant, estate agent, insolvency practitioner, auctioneer, bailiff, debt counsellor, tracing agent, property management agent, licensed or qualified conveyancer or other professional adviser acting as such; or
(2) any locksmith, builder or other contractor acting as such in relation to a Mortgaged Property, in any such case being a person or persons whom the Administrator would be willing to appoint in respect of its own mortgages in connection with the performance by the Administrator of any of its obligations or functions or in connection with the exercise of its powers under this Agreement; or
(ii) to any delegation to any wholly-owned subsidiary of the Seller from time to time.
(c) The Mortgages Trustee and/or Funding and the Security Trustee may require the Administrator to assign to the Mortgages Trustee any rights which the Administrator may have against any sub-contractor or delegate arising from the performance of services by such person in association with any matter contemplated by this Agreement and the Administrator acknowledges that such rights assigned to the Mortgages Trustee will be exercised by the Mortgages Trustee as trustee for the Beneficiaries subject to the terms of the Mortgages Trust Deed.
(d) Notwithstanding any sub-contracting or delegation of the performance of the Administrator's obligations under this Agreement:
(i) the Administrator shall not thereby be released or discharged from any liability hereunder;
(ii) the Administrator shall remain responsible for the performance of the obligations of the Administrator under this Agreement;
(iii) the performance or non-performance or the manner of performance of any sub-contractor or delegate of any of the Services shall not affect the Administrator's obligations under this Agreement;
(iv) any breach in the performance of the Services by any sub-contractor or delegate shall, subject to the Administrator being entitled for a period of twenty (20) Business Days from receipt of notice of the breach to remedy such breach by any sub-contractor or delegate, be treated as a breach of this Agreement by the Administrator; and
(v) the Security Trustee shall have no liability for any act or omission of the sub-contractor or delegate and shall have no responsibility for monitoring or investigating the suitability of any such sub-contractor or delegate.
Vendor Contracts (a) ASO Contracts, Group Insurance Policies, HMO Agreements, and Letters of Understanding
(1) Before the Distribution Date, Acuity shall, in its sole discretion, take such steps as are necessary under each ASO Contract, Group Insurance Policy, HMO Agreement, letter of understanding, and arrangement in existence as of the date of this Agreement to permit SpinCo to participate in the terms and conditions of such ASO Contract, Group Insurance Policy, HMO Agreement, letter of understanding, or arrangement from Immediately after the Distribution Date through August 31, 2008. The methodology used to allocate costs between SpinCo and Acuity under such policies and arrangements prior to the Distribution Date shall remain the same after the Distribution Date. The participation by SpinCo in such policy or arrangement shall relate to the SpinCo Health and Welfare Plan and SpinCo shall have all fiduciary responsibilities under ERISA with respect to the participation by the SpinCo Health and Welfare Plan in such policies or arrangements. Alternatively, with respect to any of such policies or arrangements, Acuity may take such steps as are necessary to arrange for an ASO Contract, Group Insurance Policy, HMO Agreement, letter of understanding, or arrangement EMPLOYEE BENEFITS AGREEMENT covering SpinCo that mirrors substantively that covering Acuity. This mirror arrangement shall apply for all or a portion of such period, as necessary under the circumstances. Acuity, in its sole discretion, may cause one or more of its ASO Contracts, Group Insurance Policies, HMO Agreements, letters of understanding, and arrangements into which Acuity enters after the date of this Agreement to allow SpinCo to participate in the terms and conditions thereof. Nothing contained in this Section 5.2(a) shall preclude Acuity from choosing to enter into ASO Contracts, Group Insurance Policies, HMO Agreements, letters of understanding, or other arrangements with new or different vendors; provided, until August 31, 2008, Acuity shall give SpinCo advance notice of any decision to change or add vendors. Furthermore, nothing contained in this paragraph (1) shall require Acuity to use more than its reasonable best efforts in complying with the provisions of the first four sentences of this paragraph (1).
(2) Acuity shall have the right to determine, and shall promptly notify SpinCo of, the manner in which SpinCo’s participation in the terms and conditions of ASO Contracts, Group Insurance Policies, HMO Agreements, letters of understanding and arrangements as set forth above shall be effectuated; provided, however, Acuity shall use its best efforts to accommodate any reasonable needs communicated to Acuity by SpinCo that relate thereto. Such terms and conditions shall include the financial and termination provisions, performance standards, methodologies, auditing policies, quality measures, reporting requirements, and target claims. SpinCo hereby authorizes Acuity to act on its behalf to extend to SpinCo the terms and conditions of the ASO Contracts, Group Insurance Policies, HMO Agreements, and letters of understanding and arrangements. SpinCo shall fully cooperate with Acuity in such efforts, and, for periods through August 31, 2008, SpinCo shall not perform any act or fail to take any action that would prejudice Acuity’s efforts and financial arrangements under the Health and Welfare Plans (other than taking reasonable steps to enter into replacement ASO Contracts, Group Insurance Policies, HMO Agreements, and letters of understanding and arrangements for periods after August 31, 2008).
