Amended and Restated Participation Agreement
Exhibit 24(b)(8.78): Amended and Restated Participation Agreement as of June 1, 2018 by and among Franklin Xxxxxxxxx Variable Insurance Products Trust, Franklin/Xxxxxxxxx Distributors, Inc., Voya Retirement Insurance and Annuity Company, ReliaStar Life Insurance Company, ReliaStar Life Insurance Company of New York and Voya Financial Partners, LLC
Amended and Restated Participation Agreement
as of June 1, 2018
Franklin Xxxxxxxxx Variable Insurance Products Trust Franklin/Xxxxxxxxx Distributors, Inc.
Voya Retirement Insurance and Annuity Company ReliaStar Life Insurance Company
ReliaStar Life Insurance Company of New York Voya Financial Partners, LLC
CONTENTS
Section Subject Matter
1. Parties and Purpose
2. Representations and Warranties
3. Purchase and Redemption of Trust Portfolio Shares
4. Fees, Expenses, Prospectuses, Proxy Materials and Reports
5. Voting
6. Sales Material, Information and Trademarks
7. Indemnification
8. Notices
9. Termination
10. Miscellaneous
Schedules to this Agreement
A. The Company and its Distributor
B. Accounts of the Company
C. Available Portfolios and Classes of Shares of the Trust
D. Contracts of the Company
E. [this schedule is not used]
F. Rule 12b-1 Plans of the Trust
G. Addresses for Notices
H. Shared Funding Order
WHEREAS, Franklin Xxxxxxxxx Variable Insurance Products Trust, an open-end management investment company organized as a statutory trust under Delaware law (the “Trust”), Franklin/Xxxxxxxxx Distributors, Inc., a California corporation which is the principal underwriter for the Trust (the “Underwriter,” and together with the Trust, the “FT Parties”), Voya Retirement Insurance and Annuity Company (“VRIAC”), Voya Insurance and
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FT - Voya Amended FPA 2018-06-01.docx
Annuity Company (“VIAC”), ReliaStar Life Insurance Company (“ReliaStar”), ReliaStar Life Insurance Company of New York (“ReliaStar NY”), Directed Services LLC (“DSL”) and Voya Financial Partners, LLC (“VFP” and, together with VRIAC, ReliaStar, ReliaStar NY, VIAC and DSL, the “Voya Parties”) (the FT Parties and the Voya Parties together, the “Parties”), have previously entered into an Amended and Restated Participation Agreement, dated as of December 30, 2005, together with all subsequent amendments (the “Prior Agreement”); and
WHEREAS, on June 1, 2018, (the “Closing Date”) Voya Financial, Inc. (“Voya”), the ultimate parent company of the Voya Parties, closed a transaction (the “Transaction”) in which it sold its interest in VIAC and DSL to Venerable Holdings, Inc. (together, VIAC and DSL are referred to as the “Acquired Parties”); and
WHEREAS, in connection with the Transaction, VIAC will ultimately be renamed Venerable Insurance and Annuity Company; and
WHEREAS, in connection with the Transaction, Voya has requested that, effective as of the Closing Date, the Prior Agreement be separated into two separate agreements, between (1) the FT Parties and the Acquired Parties (a new agreement different and separate from this one), and (2) the FT Parties and the Voya Parties other than the Acquired Parties (this Agreement); and
WHEREAS, the Parties wish to enter into this Agreement by amending and restating the Prior Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, the FT Parties and the Acquired Parties agree as follows:
1. Parties and Purpose
This agreement (the “Agreement”) is entered by and between certain portfolios and classes thereof, specified below and in Schedule C, of the Trust, the Underwriter (together with the Trust, “we” or “us”), VRIAC, ReliaStar and ReliaStar NY (together, the “Company” or “you”), and VFP (the “Company Distributor”), on your own behalf and on behalf of each segregated asset account maintained by you that is listed on Schedule B, as that schedule may be amended from time to time (“Account” or “Accounts”).
The purpose of this Agreement is to entitle you, on behalf of the Accounts, to purchase the shares, and classes of shares, of portfolios of the Trust (“Portfolios”) that are identified on Schedule C, consistent with the terms of the prospectuses of the Portfolios, solely for the purpose of funding benefits of your variable life insurance policies or variable annuity contracts (“Contracts”) that are identified on Schedule D. This Agreement does not authorize any other purchases or redemptions of shares of the Trust. In addition, the Trust, the Underwriter, the Company and the Company Distributor acknowledge that this Agreement will supersede and replace the Prior Agreement, and the Prior Agreement will terminate as it relates to the parties hereto, except that the provisions of Sections 2 (Representations and Warranties) and 7 (Indemnification) of the Prior Agreement shall survive termination of the
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Prior Agreement pursuant to Section 9.8 thereof, accordingly upon effectiveness of this Agreement.
2. Representations and Warranties
2.1 Representations and Warranties by You
You represent and warrant that:
2.1.1 You are an insurance company duly organized and in good standing under the laws of your state of incorporation.
2.1.2 All of your directors, officers, employees, and other individuals or entities dealing with the money and/or securities of the Trust are and shall be at all times covered by a blanket fidelity bond or similar coverage for the benefit of the Trust. Such bond shall include coverage for larceny and embezzlement and shall be issued by a reputable bonding company. You agree to make all reasonable efforts to see that this bond or another bond containing such provisions is always in effect, and you agree to notify us in the event that such coverage no longer applies.
2.1.3 Each Account is a duly organized, validly existing segregated asset account under applicable insurance law and interests in each Account are offered exclusively through the purchase of or transfer into a "variable contract" within the meaning of such terms under Section 817 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”) and the regulations thereunder. You will use your best efforts to continue to meet such definitional requirements, and will notify us immediately upon having a reasonable basis for believing that such requirements have ceased to be met or that they might not be met in the future.
2.1.4 Each Account either: (i) has been registered or, prior to any issuance or sale of the Contracts, will be registered as a unit investment trust under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”); or (ii) has not been so registered in proper reliance upon an exemption from registration under Section 3(c) of the 1940 Act; if the Account is exempt from registration as an investment company under Section 3(c) of the 1940 Act, you will use your best efforts to maintain such exemption and will notify us immediately upon having a reasonable basis for believing that such exemption no longer applies or might not apply in the future.
2.1.5 The Contracts or interests in the Accounts: (i) are or, prior to any issuance or sale will be, registered as securities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”); or (ii) are not registered because they are properly exempt from registration under Section 3(a)(2) of the 1933 Act or will be offered exclusively in transactions that are properly exempt from registration under Section 4(2) or Regulation D of the 1933 Act, in which case you will make every effort to maintain such exemption and will notify us immediately upon having a reasonable basis for believing that such exemption no longer applies or might not apply in the future.
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2.1.6 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 Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”) and who are members in good standing of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”);
(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 FINRA suitability guidelines. Without limiting the foregoing, you agree that in recommending to a Contract owner the purchase, sale or exchange of any subaccount units under the Contracts, you shall have reasonable grounds for believing that the recommendation is suitable for such Contract owner and, to the extent such recommendations are made by broker-dealers not affiliated with you, you shall require in written agreements with such broker-dealers that they have reasonable grounds for believing that such recommendation is suitable for such Contract owner.
2.1.7 The Contracts currently are and will be treated as annuity contracts or life insurance contracts under applicable provisions of the Code and you will use your best efforts to maintain such treatment; you will notify us immediately upon having a reasonable basis for believing that any of the Contracts have ceased to be so treated or that they might not be so treated in the future.
2.1.8 The fees and charges deducted under each Contract, in the aggregate, are reasonable in relation to the services rendered, the expenses expected to be incurred, and the risks assumed by you.
2.1.9 You will use shares of the Trust only for the purpose of funding benefits of the Contracts through the Accounts.
2.1.10 Contracts will not be sold outside of the United States.
2.1.11 With respect to any Accounts which are exempt from registration under the 1940 Act in reliance on Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) thereof:
2.1.11.1 the principal underwriter for each such Account and any subaccounts thereof is a registered broker-dealer with the SEC under the 1934 Act;
2.1.11.2 the shares of the Portfolios of the Trust are and will continue to be the only investment securities held by the corresponding subaccounts; and
2.1.11.3 with regard to each Portfolio, you, on behalf of the corresponding subaccount, will:
(a) vote such shares held by it in the same proportion as the vote of all other holders of such shares; and
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(b) refrain from substituting shares of another security for such shares unless the SEC has approved such substitution in the manner provided in Section 26 of the 1940 Act.
2.2 Representations and Warranties by the Trust
The Trust represents and warrants that:
Delaware.
2.2.1 It is duly organized and in good standing under the laws of the State of
2.2.2 All of its directors, officers, employees and others dealing with the money and/or securities of a Portfolio are and shall be at all times covered by a blanket fidelity bond or similar coverage for the benefit of the Trust in an amount not less than the minimum coverage required by Rule 17g-1 or other regulations under the 1940 Act. Such bond shall include coverage for larceny and embezzlement and be issued by a reputable bonding company.
the 0000 Xxx.
2.2.3 It is registered as an open-end management investment company under
0000 Xxx.
2.2.4 Each class of shares of the Portfolios of the Trust is registered under the
2.2.5 It will amend its registration statement under the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act from time to time as required in order to effect the continuous offering of its shares.
2.2.6 It will comply, in all material respects, with the 1933 and 1940 Acts and the rules and regulations thereunder.
2.2.7 It is currently qualified as a “regulated investment company” under Subchapter M of the Code, it will make every effort to maintain such qualification, and will notify you immediately upon having a reasonable basis for believing that it has ceased to so qualify or that it might not so qualify in the future.
2.2.8 The Trust will use its best efforts to comply with the diversification requirements for variable annuity, endowment or life insurance contracts set forth in Section 817(h) of the Code, and the rules and regulations thereunder, including without limitation Treasury Regulation 1.817-5. Upon having a reasonable basis for believing any Portfolio has ceased to comply and will not be able to comply within the grace period afforded by Regulation 1.817-5, the Trust will notify you immediately and will take all reasonable steps to adequately diversify the Portfolio to achieve compliance.
2.2.9 It currently intends for one or more classes of shares (each, a “Class”) to make payments to finance its distribution expenses, including service fees, pursuant to a
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plan (“Plan”) adopted under rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (“Rule 12b-1”), although it may determine to discontinue such practice in the future. To the extent that any Class of the Trust finances its distribution expenses pursuant to a Plan adopted under rule 12b-1, the Trust undertakes to comply with any then current SEC interpretations concerning rule 12b-1 or any successor provisions.
2.3 Representations and Warranties by the Underwriter
The Underwriter represents and warrants that:
2.3.1 It is registered as a broker dealer with the SEC under the 1934 Act, and is a member in good standing of FINRA.
2.3.2 Each investment adviser (each, an “Adviser”) of a Portfolio, as indicated in the current prospectus of the Portfolio, is duly registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended or exempt from such registration.
2.4 Warranty and Agreement by Both You and Us
We received an order from the SEC dated November 16, 1993 (file no. 812-8546), which was amended by a notice and an order we received on September 17, 1999 and October 13, 1999, respectively (file no. 812-11698) (collectively, the “Shared Funding Order,” attached to this Agreement as Schedule H). The Shared Funding Order grants exemptions from certain provisions of the 1940 Act and the regulations thereunder to the extent necessary to permit shares of the Trust to be sold to and held by variable annuity and variable life insurance separate accounts of both affiliated and unaffiliated life insurance companies and qualified pension and retirement plans outside the separate account context.
2.4.1 You and we both warrant and agree that both you and we will comply with the “Applicants’ Conditions” prescribed in the Shared Funding Order as though such conditions were set forth verbatim in this Agreement, including, without limitation, the provisions regarding potential conflicts of interest between the separate accounts which invest in the Trust and regarding contract owner voting privileges. In order for the Trust’s Board of Trustees to perform its duty to monitor for conflicts of interest, you agree to inform us of the occurrence of any of the events specified in condition 2 of the Shared Funding Order to the extent that such event may or does result in a material conflict of interest as defined in that order.
2.4.2 As covered financial institutions we, only with respect to Portfolio shareholders, and you each undertake and agree to comply, and to take full responsibility in complying with any and all applicable laws, regulations, protocols and other requirements relating to money laundering including, without limitation, the International Money Laundering Abatement and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act of 2001 (Title III of the USA PATRIOT Act).
3. Purchase and Redemption of Trust Portfolio Shares
3.1 Availability of Trust Portfolio Shares
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3.1.1 We will make shares of the Portfolios available to the Accounts for the benefit of the Contracts. The shares will be available for purchase by the Accounts at the net asset value per share next computed after we (or our agent, or you as our designee) receive a purchase order, as established in accordance with the provisions of the then current prospectus of the Trust. All such orders are subject to acceptance by us and by the Portfolio or its transfer agent, and become effective only upon confirmation by us. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust’s Board of Trustees (“Trustees”) may refuse to sell shares of any Portfolio to any person, or may suspend or terminate the offering of shares of any Portfolio if such action is required by law or by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction or if, in the sole discretion of the Trustees, they deem such action to be in the best interests of the shareholders of such Portfolio.
3.1.2 Without limiting the other provisions of this Section 3.1, among other delegations by the Trustees, the Trustees have determined that there is a significant risk that the Trust and its shareholders may be adversely affected by investors with short term trading activity and/or whose purchase and redemption activity follows a market timing pattern as defined in the prospectus for the Trust, and have authorized the Trust, the Underwriter and the Trust’s transfer agent to adopt procedures and take other action (including, without limitation, rejecting specific purchase orders in whole or in part) as they deem necessary to reduce, discourage, restrict or eliminate such trading and/or market timing activity. You agree that your purchases and redemptions of Portfolio shares are subject to, and that you will assist us in implementing, the Market Timing Trading Policy and Additional Policies (as described in the Trust’s prospectus) and the Trust’s restrictions on excessive and/or short term trading activity and/or purchase and redemption activity that follows a market timing pattern. You further agree to cooperate fully in the implementation and fulfillment of the Trust’s obligations pursuant to Rule 22c-2 under the 1940 Act. We agree to give you advance written notice of material changes to the Market Timing Trading Policy, while you agree to make commercially reasonable efforts to comply with, and assist us in implementing, these policies and their goals. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we understand and agree that you will not monitor purchases and redemptions of Portfolio shares against our Market Timing Trading Policy and instead have adopted and monitor purchases and redemptions of Portfolio shares against your own excessive trading policies designed to prevent frequent purchases and redemption of Portfolio shares in quantities great enough to disrupt orderly management of the Portfolios.
3.1.3 We agree that shares of the Trust will be sold only to: (i) life insurance companies which have entered into fund participation agreements with the Trust (“Participating Insurance Companies”) and their separate accounts or to qualified pension and retirement plans in accordance with the terms of the Shared Funding Order; and
(ii) investment companies in the form of funds of funds. No shares of any Portfolio will be sold to the general public.
3.2 Manual or Automated Portfolio Share Transactions
3.2.1 Section 3.3 of this Agreement shall govern and Section 3.4 shall not be operative, unless we receive from you at the address provided in the next sentence, written notice that you wish to communicate, process and settle purchase and redemptions for shares
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(collectively, “share transactions”) via the Fund/SERV and Networking systems of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”). The address for you to send such written notice shall be: Client Services Insurance, Franklin Xxxxxxxxx Investments, 000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx X, Xx. Xxxxxxxxxx, XX 00000-0000, with a copy to General Counsel, Franklin Xxxxxxxxx Investments, 000 Xxxx Xxxxx, 0xx Xxxxx, Xxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000- 1906. After giving ten (10) days’ advance written notice at the address provided in the previous sentence of your desire to use NSCC processing, Section 3.4 of this Agreement shall govern and Section 3.3 shall not be operative.
3.2.2 At any time when, pursuant to the preceding paragraph, Section 3.4 of this Agreement governs, any party to this Agreement may send written notice to the other parties that it chooses to end the use of the NSCC Fund/SERV and Networking systems and return to manual handling of share transactions. Such written notice shall be sent: (i) if from you to us, to the address provided in the preceding paragraph; (ii) if from us to you, to your address in Schedule G of this Agreement. After giving ten (10) days’ advance written notice at the address as provided in the previous sentence, Section 3.3 of this Agreement shall govern and Section 3.4 shall not be operative.
3.3 Manual Purchase and Redemption
3.3.1 You are hereby appointed as our designee for the sole purpose of receiving from Contract owners purchase and exchange orders and requests for redemption resulting from investment in and payments under the Contracts that pertain to subaccounts that invest in Portfolios (“Instructions”). “Business Day” shall mean any day on which the New York Stock Exchange is open for trading and on which the Trust calculates its net asset value pursuant to the rules of the SEC and its current prospectus. “Close of Trading” shall mean the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange, generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. You represent and warrant that all Instructions transmitted to us for processing on or as of a given Business Day (the “Designated Day”) shall have been received in proper form and time stamped by you prior to the Close of Trading on the Designated Day. Such Instructions shall receive the Portfolio share price next calculated following the Close of Trading on the Designated Day (the “Designated Day Price”), provided that we receive the Instructions from you before 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on the Business Day following the Designated Day (the “Submission Time”). Any such Instructions that we receive after the Submission Time may, but are not guaranteed to, receive the Designated Day Price. You assume responsibility for any loss to a Portfolio caused by our receipt of Instructions after the Submission Time, including but not limited to, losses caused by such Instructions receiving the Designated Day Price, or any cancellation or correction made subsequent to the Submission Time. You will immediately pay the amount of such loss to a Portfolio upon notification by us. You represent and warrant that you have, maintain and periodically test, procedures and systems in place reasonably designed to prevent Instructions received after the Close of Trading on a Designated Day from being executed with Instructions received before the Close of Trading on that Designated Day.
3.3.2 We shall calculate the net asset value per share of each Portfolio on each Business Day, and shall communicate these net asset values to you or your designated agent on a daily basis as soon as reasonably practical after the calculation is completed (normally by
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6:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement, in the event we or our designee do not furnish such information by 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time, which can then be accessed by you or your affiliate, the parties agree to discuss in good faith possible reimbursement for reasonable and documented costs (such as staff overtime expenses and losses resulting from your delayed processing of trade cycles) incurred by you as a result of our not furnishing such information by 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time. You and your affiliate agree to keep confidential all information and documentation related to this provision of the Agreement and you and your affiliate may not disclose this provision of the Agreement to any third party.
3.3.3 You shall submit payment for the purchase of shares of a Portfolio on behalf of an Account in federal funds transmitted by wire to the Trust or to its designated custodian, which must receive such wires no later than the close of the Reserve Bank, which is currently 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time, on the same Business Day on which such purchase orders are transmitted to us for processing on that Business Day in conformance with section 3.3.1.
3.3.4 We will redeem any full or fractional shares of any Portfolio, when requested by you on behalf of an Account, at the net asset value next computed after receipt by us (or our agent or you as our designee) of the request for redemption, as established in accordance with the provisions of the then current prospectus of the Trust. We shall make payment for such shares in the manner we establish from time to time, which currently provides that, generally, the redemption payment is transmitted by wire no later than 6:00
p.m. Eastern Time on the Business Day following the Business Day such redemption orders are received, but in no event shall payment be delayed for a greater period than is permitted by the 1940 Act. We shall provide you with reasonable advance notice of any material change to our practices.
3.3.5 Issuance and transfer of the Portfolio shares will be by book entry only. Stock certificates will not be issued to you or the Accounts. Portfolio shares purchased from the Trust will be recorded in the appropriate title for each Account or the appropriate subaccount of each Account.
3.3.6 We shall furnish, on or before the ex-dividend date, notice to you of any income dividends or capital gain distributions payable to the Accounts on the shares of any Portfolio. You hereby elect to receive all such income dividends and capital gain distributions as are payable on shares of a Portfolio in additional shares of that Portfolio, and you reserve the right to change this election in the future. We will notify you of the number of shares so issued as payment of such dividends and distributions.
3.3.7 Each party to this Agreement agrees that, in the event of a material error resulting from incorrect information or confirmations, the parties will seek to comply in all material respects with the provisions of applicable federal securities laws.
3.4 Automated Purchase and Redemption
3.4.1 “Fund/SERV” shall mean NSCC's Mutual Fund Settlement, Entry and Registration Verification System, a system for automated, centralized processing of mutual fund purchase and redemption orders, settlement, and account registration; “Networking”
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shall mean NSCC's system that allows mutual funds and life insurance companies to exchange account level information electronically; and “Settling Bank” shall mean the entity appointed by the Trust or you, as applicable, to perform such settlement services on behalf of the Trust and you, as applicable, which entity agrees to abide by NSCC's then current rules and procedures insofar as they relate to same day funds settlement. In all cases, processing and settlement of share transactions shall be done in a manner consistent with applicable law.
3.4.2 You are hereby appointed as our designee for the sole purpose of receiving from Contract owners purchase and exchange orders and requests for redemption resulting from investment in and payments under the Contracts that pertain to subaccounts that invest in Portfolios ("Instructions"). "Business Day" shall mean any day on which the New York Stock Exchange is open for trading and on which the Trust calculates its net asset value pursuant to the rules of the SEC and its current prospectus. "Close of Trading" shall mean the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange, generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Upon receipt of Instructions, and upon your determination that there are good funds with respect to Instructions involving the purchase of shares, you will calculate the net purchase or redemption order for each Portfolio.
3.4.3 On each Business Day, you shall aggregate all purchase and redemption orders for shares of a Portfolio that you received prior to the Close of Trading. You represent and warrant that all orders for net purchases or net redemptions derived from Instructions received by you and transmitted to Fund/SERV for processing on or as of a given Business Day (the “Designated Day”) shall have been received in proper form and time stamped by you prior to the Close of Trading on the Designated Day. Such orders shall receive the Portfolio share price next calculated following the Close of Trading on the Designated Day (the “Designated Day Price”), provided that we receive Instructions from Fund/SERV by 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on the Business Day following the Designated Day (the “Submission Time”). Any such Instructions that we receive after the Submission Time may, but are not guaranteed to, receive the Designated Day Price. You assume responsibility for any loss to a Portfolio caused by our receipt of Instructions after the Submission Time including, but not limited to, losses caused by such Instructions receiving the Designated Day Price, or any cancellation or correction made subsequent to the Submission Time. You will immediately pay the amount of such loss to a Portfolio upon notification by us. You represent and warrant that you have, maintain and periodically test, procedures and systems in place reasonably designed to prevent Instructions received after the Close of Trading on a Designated Day from being executed with Instructions received before the Close of Trading on that Designated Day.
3.4.4 We shall calculate the net asset value per share of each Portfolio on each Business Day, and shall furnish to you through NSCC's Networking or Mutual Fund Profile System: (i) the most current net asset value information for each Portfolio; and (ii) in the case of fixed income funds that declare daily dividends, the daily accrual or the interest rate factor. All such information shall be furnished to you by 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time on each Business Day or at such other time as that information becomes available. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement, in the event we or our designee do not furnish such information by 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time, which can then be accessed by you or your affiliate, the parties agree to discuss in good faith possible reimbursement for reasonable and documented costs
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(such as staff overtime expenses and losses resulting from your delayed processing of trade cycles) incurred by you as a result of our not furnishing such information by 11:00 p.m.
Eastern Time. You and your affiliate agree to keep confidential all information and documentation related to this provision of the Agreement and you and your affiliate may not disclose this provision of the Agreement to any third party.
3.4.5 You will wire payment for net purchase orders by the Trust's NSCC Firm Number, in immediately available funds, to an NSCC settling bank account designated by you in accordance with NSCC rules and procedures on the same Business Day such purchase orders are communicated to NSCC. For purchases of shares of daily dividend accrual funds, those shares will not begin to accrue dividends until the day the payment for those shares is received.
3.4.6 We will redeem any full or fractional shares of any Portfolio, when requested by you on behalf of an Account, at the net asset value next computed after receipt by us (or our agent or you as our designee) of the request for redemption, as established in accordance with the provisions of the then current prospectus of the Trust. NSCC will wire payment for net redemption orders by the Trust, in immediately available funds, to an NSCC settling bank account designated by you in accordance with NSCC rules and procedures on the Business Day such redemption orders are communicated to NSCC, except as provided in the Trust's prospectus and statement of additional information.
3.4.7 Issuance and transfer of the Portfolio shares will be by book entry only. Stock certificates will not be issued to you or the Accounts. Portfolio shares purchased from the Trust will be recorded in the appropriate title for each Account or the appropriate subaccount of each Account.
3.4.8 We shall furnish through NSCC's Networking or Mutual Fund Profile System on or before the ex-dividend date, notice to you of any income dividends or capital gain distributions payable to the Accounts on the shares of any Portfolio. You hereby elect to receive all such income dividends and capital gain distributions as are payable on shares of a Portfolio in additional shares of that Portfolio, and you reserve the right to change this election in the future. We will notify you of the number of shares so issued as payment of such dividends and distributions.
3.4.9 All orders are subject to acceptance by Underwriter and become effective only upon confirmation by Underwriter. Underwriter reserves the right: (i) not to accept any specific order or part of any order for the purchase or exchange of shares through Fund/SERV; and (ii) to require any redemption order or any part of any redemption order to be settled outside of Fund/SERV, in which case the order or portion thereof shall not be “confirmed” by Underwriter, but rather shall be accepted for redemption in accordance with Section 3.4.11 below.
3.4.10 All trades placed through Fund/SERV and confirmed by Underwriter via Fund/SERV shall settle in accordance with Underwriter's profile within Fund/SERV applicable to you. Underwriter agrees to provide you with account positions and activity data relating to share transactions via Networking.
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3.4.11 If on any specific day you or Underwriter are unable to meet the NSCC deadline for the transmission of purchase or redemption orders for that day, a party may at its option transmit such orders and make such payments for purchases and redemptions directly to you or us, as applicable, as is otherwise provided in the Agreement; provided, however, that we must receive written notification from you by 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on any day that you wish to transmit such orders and/or make such payments directly to us.
3.4.12 In the event that you or we are unable to or prohibited from electronically communicating, processing or settling share transactions via Fund/SERV, you or we shall notify the other, including providing the notification provided above in
Section 3.4.11. After all parties have been notified, you and we shall submit orders using manual transmissions as are otherwise provided in the Agreement.
3.4.13 These procedures are subject to any additional terms in each Portfolio's prospectus and the requirements of applicable law. The Trust reserves the right, at its discretion and without notice, to suspend the sale of shares or withdraw the sale of shares of any Portfolio.
3.4.14 Each party to the Agreement agrees that, in the event of a material error resulting from incorrect information or confirmations, the parties will seek to comply in all material respects with the provisions of applicable federal securities laws.
3.4.15 You and Underwriter represent and warrant that each: (a) has entered into an agreement with NSCC; (b) has met and will continue to meet all of the requirements to participate in Fund/SERV and Networking; (c) intends to remain at all times in compliance with the then current rules and procedures of NSCC, all to the extent necessary or appropriate to facilitate such communications, processing, and settlement of share transactions; and (d) will notify the other parties to this Agreement if there is a change in or a pending failure with respect to its agreement with NSCC.
4. Fees, Expenses, Prospectuses, Proxy Materials and Reports
4.1 We shall pay no fee or other compensation to you under this Agreement except as provided on Schedule F, if attached.
4.2 We shall prepare and be responsible for filing with the SEC, and any state regulators requiring such filing, all shareholder reports, notices, proxy materials (or similar materials such as voting instruction solicitation materials), prospectuses and statements of additional information of the Trust. We shall bear the costs of preparation and filing of the documents listed in the preceding sentence, registration and qualification of the Trust’s shares of the Portfolios.
4.3 We shall use reasonable efforts to provide you, on a timely basis, with such information about the Trust, the Portfolios and each Adviser, in such form as you may reasonably require, as you shall reasonably request in connection with the preparation of disclosure documents and annual and semi-annual reports pertaining to the Contracts.
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Specifically, we shall provide you, at the address you specify for each item, with the following:
4.3.1 at least one complete copy of the following materials relating to the Portfolios: all prospectuses, including supplements thereto, annual and semi-annual reports, proxy statements and any other shareholder communications; and
4.3.2 at least quarterly, portfolio information necessary to update Portfolio fact templates, in a format mutually agreed upon, within 20 calendar days following the end of each quarter, consistent with the disclosure policies of the Portfolios.
4.4 “Designated Portfolio Document” means the following documents we create with respect to each Portfolio and provide to you: (1) a Portfolio’s prospectus, including a summary prospectus (together, “Prospectus”) if the Trust chooses to create one for a Portfolio and we and you have signed the necessary Participation Agreement Addendum; (2) its annual report to shareholders; (3) its semi-annual report to shareholders; (4) amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing if we direct you to deliver them to Contract owners; and
(5) other shareholder communications including, without limitation, proxy statements, if we direct you to deliver them to Contract owners.
“Document Event” means (1) with respect to the Prospectus, the effectiveness of a new annual post-effective amendment to the Prospectus to update financial statements and make other disclosure changes or other post-effective amendment to the Prospectus; (2) with respect to the Trust’s annual report and semi-annual reports to shareholders, the Trust’s creation of reports intended to satisfy the requirements of Section 30(a) of the 1940 Act applicable to the Trust; or (3) with respect to amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing or other shareholder communications, the Trust’s creation of such documents and provision of them to you.
“Printing Expenses” means expenses of the physical creation of Designated Portfolio Documents, and not of their distribution to Contract owners (including, without limitation, mailing and postage expenses) or the provision of other services.
Each time there is a Document Event with respect to a Designated Portfolio Document we shall, at your option, provide you with one of the following:
(1) one copy of the applicable Designated Portfolio Document for each Contract owner with investments allocated to a subaccount corresponding to the Portfolio before the date of the Designated Portfolio Document (the “Contract Owner Recipients”); or
(2) a copy suitable for reproduction of such Designated Portfolio Document, in which case we will reimburse you, as provided below under “Reimbursement Procedures,” for Printing Expenses you incur to create Designated Portfolio Documents in sufficient quantity so that one such Designated Portfolio Document is available for you to have delivered to each Contract Owner Recipient.
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Reimbursement Procedures
Routine Reimbursements. Within six months following the delivery date of the Designated Portfolio Document (“Delivery Date”), we must receive your request for reimbursement and: (i) a statement of the number of Contract Owner Recipients; (ii) copies of all printing company invoices applicable to the Printing Expenses that you request we reimburse; (iii) a description of the methodology used to determine the amount of reimbursement requested; and
(iv) your representation that the reimbursement request covers only Printing Expenses covered by Section 4.4 of this Agreement; the date we have received all these items is the “Request Date.” If we are able to validate your request based on the information you provided as well as, among other things we believe to be appropriate, our analysis of your previous reimbursement requests, if applicable, and/or third party industry benchmarking information, then we will reimburse you within sixty days of the Request Date.
Reimbursements requiring additional information. If we cannot validate your reimbursement request based on the information you have provided to us and our analysis described in the preceding paragraph, then we will request additional information from you and work with you to validate your request.
Expenses not subject to reimbursement. We will not reimburse expenses related to: (1) creation or provision of any Designated Portfolio Document for or to a person who is not a Contract Owner Recipient of such document;
(2) creation or provision of any Designated Portfolio Document to a person accompanying, or at the time of the delivery of, a confirmation of their purchase of or exchange into subaccount shares corresponding to a Portfolio;
(3) posting any Designated Portfolio Document on your website; or (4) electronic filing of Designated Portfolio Documents or other documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission (using its XXXXX or other system).
Statement of Additional Information. We shall provide you with a copy of the Trust’s current statement of additional information, including any amendments or supplements to it (“SAI), in a form suitable for reproduction, but we will not pay Printing Expenses or other expenses with respect to the SAI.
4.5 We shall provide you, at our expense, with copies of any Trust-sponsored proxy materials in such quantity as you shall reasonably require for distribution to Contract owners or Participants (to the extent that distribution of proxies to Participants is required) who are invested in a designated subaccount. You shall bear the costs of distributing proxy materials (or similar materials such as voting solicitation instructions) to Contract owners and Participants.
4.6 You assume sole responsibility for ensuring that the Trust’s Designated Portfolio Documents and proxy materials are delivered to Contract owners in accordance with applicable federal and state securities laws. For Designated Portfolio Documents and other
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Trust materials provided by you on your website or by other electronic means, you assume sole responsibility for ensuring that such delivery is in compliance with applicable state and federal requirements pertaining to electronic delivery, including consent, access, searchability by users, notice and evidence of delivery.
5. Voting
5.1 All Participating Insurance Companies shall have the obligations and responsibilities regarding pass-through voting and conflicts of interest corresponding to those contained in the Shared Funding Order.
5.2 If and to the extent required by law, you shall: (i) solicit voting instructions from Contract owners; (ii) vote the Trust shares in accordance with the instructions received from Contract owners; and (iii) vote Trust shares owned by subaccounts for which no instructions have been received from Contract owners in the same proportion as Trust shares of such Portfolio for which instructions have been received from Contract owners; so long as and to the extent that the SEC continues to interpret the 1940 Act to require pass-through voting privileges for variable contract owners. You reserve the right to vote Trust shares held in any Account in your own right, to the extent permitted by law.
5.3 So long as, and to the extent that, the SEC interprets the 1940 Act to require pass-through voting privileges for Contract owners, you shall provide pass-through voting privileges to Contract owners whose Contract values are invested, through the Accounts, in shares of one or more Portfolios of the Trust. We shall require all Participating Insurance Companies to calculate voting privileges in the same manner and you shall be responsible for assuring that the Accounts calculate voting privileges in the manner established by us. With respect to each Account, you will vote shares of each Portfolio of the Trust held by an Account and for which no timely voting instructions from Contract owners are received in the same proportion as those shares held by that Account for which voting instructions are received. You and your agents will in no way recommend or oppose or interfere with the solicitation of proxies for Portfolio shares held to fund the Contracts without our prior written consent, which consent may be withheld in our sole discretion.
6. Sales Material, Information and Trademarks
6.1 “Sales Literature/ Promotional Material” includes, but is not limited to, portions of the following that use any logo or other trademark related to the Trust, or Underwriter or its affiliates, or refer to the Trust: advertisements (such as material published or designed for use in a newspaper, magazine or other periodical, radio, television, telephone or tape recording, videotape display, signs or billboards, motion pictures, web-sites and other electronic communications or other public media), sales literature (i.e., any written communication distributed or made generally available to customers or the public, including brochures, circulars, research reports, market letters, form letters, seminar texts, reprints or excerpts or any other advertisement, sales literature or published article or electronic communication), educational or training materials or other communications distributed or made generally available to some or all agents or employees in any media, and disclosure documents, shareholder reports and proxy materials. “Disclosure Documents” shall mean each item of the following if prepared, approved or used by you and relating to a Contract, an
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Account, or a Portfolio, and any amendments or revisions to such document: registration statements, prospectuses, statements of additional information, private placement memoranda, retirement plan disclosure information or other disclosure documents or similar information, as well as any solicitation for voting instructions.
6.2 You may use the name of the Trust and trademarks and the logo of the Underwriter in Sales Literature/Promotional Material as reasonably necessary to carry out your performance and obligations under this Agreement provided that you comply with the provisions of this Agreement. You agree to abide by any reasonable use guidelines regarding use of such trademarks and logos that we may give from time to time. You shall, as we may request from time to time, promptly furnish, or cause to be furnished to us or our designee, one complete copy of each item of the following: (i) Sales Literature/Promotional Material prepared, approved or used by you; and (ii) Disclosure Documents.
6.3 You and your agents shall not give any information or make any representations or statements on behalf of the Trust or concerning the Trust, the Underwriter or an Adviser, other than information or representations contained in and accurately derived from the registration statement or prospectus for the Trust shares (as such registration statement and prospectus may be amended or supplemented from time to time), annual and semi-annual reports of the Trust, Trust-sponsored proxy statements, or in Sales Literature/Promotional Material created by us for the Trust and provided by the Trust or its designee to you, except as required by legal process or regulatory authorities or with the written permission of the Trust or its designee.
6.4 You agree, represent and warrant that you are solely responsible for any Sales Literature/ Promotional Material prepared by you and that such material will: (a) conform to all requirements of any applicable laws or regulations of any government or authorized agency having jurisdiction over the offering or sale of shares of the Portfolios or Contracts;
(b) be solely based upon and not contrary to or inconsistent with the written information or materials provided to you by us or a Portfolio, including the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information; and (c) be made available promptly to us upon our request. You agree to file any Sales Literature/Promotional Material prepared by you with FINRA, or other applicable legal or regulatory authority, within the timeframes that may be required from time to time by FINRA or such other legal or regulatory authority. Unless otherwise expressly agreed to in writing, it is understood that we will neither review nor approve for use any materials prepared by you and will not be materially involved in the preparation of, or have any responsibility for, any such materials prepared by you. You are not authorized to modify or translate any materials we have provided to you.
6.5 You shall promptly notify us of any written customer complaint or notice of any regulatory investigation or proceeding received by you relating to any Sales Literature/Promotional Material.
6.6 Other than naming you as a Trust shareholder, we shall not give any information or make any representations or statements on behalf of you or concerning you, the Accounts or the Contracts other than information or representations contained in and accurately derived from Disclosure Documents (as such Disclosure Documents may be amended or supplemented from time to time), or in materials approved by you for
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distribution, including Sales Literature/ Promotional Material, except as required by legal process or regulatory authorities or with your written permission.
6.7 Except as provided in Section 6.2, you shall not use any designation comprised in whole or part of the names or marks “Franklin” or “Xxxxxxxxx” or any logo or other trademark relating to the Trust or the Underwriter without prior written consent, and upon termination of this Agreement for any reason, you shall cease all use of any such name or xxxx as soon as reasonably practicable.
6.8 You shall furnish to us ten (10) Business Days prior to its first submission to the SEC or its staff, any request or filing for no-action assurance or exemptive relief naming, pertaining to, or affecting, the Trust, the Underwriter or any of the Portfolios.
6.9 You agree that any posting of Designated Portfolio Documents on your website or use of Designated Portfolio Documents in any other electronic format will result in the Designated Portfolio Documents: (i) appearing identical to the hard copy printed version or .pdf format file provided to you by us (except that you may reformat .pdf format prospectus files in order to delete blank pages and to insert .pdf format prospectus supplement files provided by us to you); (ii) being clearly associated with the particular Contracts in which they are available and posted in close proximity to the applicable Contract prospectuses; (iii) having no less prominence than prospectuses of any other underlying funds available under the Contracts; (iv) in compliance with any statutory prospectus delivery requirements and (v) being used in an authorized manner. Notwithstanding the above, you understand and agree that you are responsible for ensuring that participation in the Portfolios, and any website posting, or other use, of the Designated Portfolio Documents is in compliance with this Agreement and applicable state and federal securities and insurance laws and regulations, including as they relate to paper or electronic delivery or use of fund prospectuses. We reserve the right to inspect and review your website if any Designated Portfolio Documents and/or other Trust documents are posted on your website and you shall, upon our reasonable request, provide us timely access to your website materials to perform such inspection and review.
In addition, you agree to be solely responsible for maintaining and updating the Designated Portfolio Documents’ .pdf files and removing and/or replacing promptly any outdated prospectuses and other documents, as necessary, ensuring that any accompanying instructions by us, for using or stopping use, are followed. You agree to designate and make available to us a person to act as a single point of communication contact for these purposes. We are not responsible for any additional costs or additional liabilities that may be incurred as a result of your election to place the Designated Portfolio Documents on your website. We reserve the right to revoke this authorization, at any time and for any reason, although we may instead make our authorization subject to new procedures.
6.10 Each of your and your distributor’s registered representatives, agents, independent contractors and employees, as applicable, will have access to our websites at xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx, and such other URLs through which we may permit you to conduct business concerning the Portfolios from time to time (referred to collectively as the “Site”) as provided herein: (i) upon registration by such individual on a Site, (ii) if you cause a Site Access Request Form (an “Access Form”) to be signed by your authorized supervisory
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personnel and submitted to us, as a Schedule to, and legally a part of, this Agreement, or
(iii) if you provide such individual with the necessary access codes or other information necessary to access the Site through any generic or firm-wide authorization we may grant you from time to time. Upon receipt by us of a completed registration submitted by an individual through the Site or a signed Access Form referencing such individual, we shall be entitled to rely upon the representations contained therein as if you had made them directly hereunder and we will issue a user identification, express number and/or password (collectively, “Access Code”). Any person to whom we issue an Access Code or to whom you provide the necessary Access Codes or other information necessary to access the Site through any generic or firm-wide authorization we may grant you from time to time shall be an “Authorized User.”
We shall be entitled to assume that such person validly represents you and that all instructions received from such person are authorized, in which case such person will have access to the Site, including all services and information to which you are authorized to access on the Site. All inquiries and actions initiated by you (including your Authorized Users) are your responsibility, are at your risk and are subject to our review and approval (which could cause a delay in processing). You agree that we do not have a duty to question information or instructions you (including Authorized Users) give to us under this Agreement, and that we are entitled to treat as authorized, and act upon, any such instructions and information you submit to us. You agree to take all reasonable measures to prevent any individual other than an Authorized User from obtaining access to the Site. You agree to inform us if you wish to restrict or revoke the access of any individual Access Code. If you become aware of any loss or theft or unauthorized use of any Access Code, you agree to contact us immediately. You also agree to monitor your (including Authorized Users’) use of the Site to ensure the terms of this Agreement are followed. You also agree that you will comply with all policies and agreements concerning Site usage, including without limitation the Terms of Use Agreement(s) posted on the Site (“Site Terms”), as may be revised and reposted on the Site from time to time, and those Site Terms (as in effect from time to time) are a part of this Agreement. Your duties under this section are considered “services” required under the terms of this Agreement. You acknowledge that the Site is transmitted over the Internet on a reasonable efforts basis and we do not warrant or guarantee their accuracy, timeliness, completeness, reliability or non-infringement. Moreover, you acknowledge that the Site is provided for informational purposes only, and is not intended to comply with any requirements established by any regulatory or governmental agency.
7. Indemnification
7.1 Indemnification By You
7.1.1 You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriter, the Trust and each of its Trustees, officers, employees and agents and each person, if any, who controls the Trust within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act (collectively, the “Indemnified Parties” and individually the “Indemnified Party” for purposes of this Section 7) against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities (including amounts paid in settlement with your written consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld) or expenses (including the reasonable costs of investigating or defending any alleged loss, claim, damage, liability or
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expense and reasonable legal counsel fees incurred in connection therewith) (collectively, “Losses”), to which the Indemnified Parties may become subject under any statute or regulation, or at common law or otherwise, insofar as such Losses are related to the sale or acquisition of shares of the Trust or the Contracts and
7.1.1.1 arise out of or are based upon any untrue statements or alleged untrue statements of any material fact contained in a Disclosure Document for the Contracts or in the Contracts themselves or in sales literature generated or approved by you on behalf of the Contracts or Accounts (or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing) (collectively, “Company Documents” for the purposes of this Section 7), or arise out of or are based upon the omission or the alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, provided that this indemnity shall not apply as to any Indemnified Party if such statement or omission or such alleged statement or omission was made in reliance upon and was accurately derived from written information furnished to you by or on behalf of the Trust for use in Company Documents or otherwise for use in connection with the sale of the Contracts or Trust shares; or
7.1.1.2 arise out of or result from statements or representations (other than statements or representations contained in and accurately derived from Trust Documents as defined below in Section 7.2) or wrongful conduct of you or persons under your control, with respect to the sale or acquisition of the Contracts or Trust shares; or
7.1.1.3 arise out of or result from any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in Trust Documents as defined below in Section 7.2 or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon and accurately derived from written information furnished to the Trust by or on behalf of you; or
7.1.1.4 arise out of or result from any failure by you to provide the services or furnish the materials required under the terms of this Agreement; or
7.1.1.5 arise out of or result from any material breach of any representation and/or warranty made by you in this Agreement or arise out of or result from any other material breach of this Agreement by you; or
7.1.1.6 arise out of or result from a Contract failing to be considered a life insurance policy or an annuity Contract, whichever is appropriate, under applicable provisions of the Code thereby depriving the Trust of its compliance with Section 817(h) of the Code; or
7.1.1.7 arise out of or result from any failure by you to satisfy document delivery requirements.
7.1.2 You shall not be liable under this indemnification provision with respect to any Losses to which an Indemnified Party would otherwise be subject by reason of such Indemnified Party’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the
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performance of such Indemnified Party’s duties or by reason of such Indemnified Party’s reckless disregard of obligations and duties under this Agreement or to the Trust or Underwriter, whichever is applicable. You shall also not be liable under this indemnification provision with respect to any claim made against an Indemnified Party unless such Indemnified Party shall have notified you in writing within a reasonable time after the summons or other first legal process giving information of the nature of the claim shall have been served upon such Indemnified Party (or after such Indemnified Party shall have received notice of such service on any designated agent), but failure to notify you of any such claim shall not relieve you from any liability which it may have to the Indemnified Party against whom such action is brought otherwise than on account of this indemnification provision. In case any such action is brought against the Indemnified Parties, you shall be entitled to participate, at your own expense, in the defense of such action. Unless the Indemnified Party releases you from any further obligations under this Section 7.1, you also shall be entitled to assume the defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to the party named in the action. After notice from you to such party of your election to assume the defense thereof, the Indemnified Party shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional counsel retained by it, and you will not be liable to such party under this Agreement for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such party independently in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation.
7.1.3 The Indemnified Parties will promptly notify you of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings against them in connection with the issuance or sale of the