UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
BETWEEN
XXXXX XXX INSTITUTIONAL FLOATING RATE INCOME TRUST
XXXXX XXX FLOATING RATE INCOME TRUST
AND LIBERTY FUNDS DISTRIBUTOR, INC.
THIS UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT ("Agreement"), made as of the
23rd day of April, 1999 by and between Xxxxx Xxx Institutional
Floating Rate Income Fund and Xxxxx Xxx Floating Rate Income Fund,
each a business trust organized and existing under the laws of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts (hereinafter called the "Fund"), and
Liberty Funds Distributor, Inc. a corporation organized and
existing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
(hereinafter called the "Distributor").
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS, the Fund is engaged in business as a closed-end
management investment company registered as an interval fund under
Section 23c-3 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
("ICA-40"); and
WHEREAS, the Distributor is registered as a broker-dealer
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended ("SEA-34")
and the laws of each state (including the District of Columbia and
Puerto Rico) in which it engages in business to the extent such
law requires, and is a member of the National Association of
Securities Dealers ("NASD") (such registrations and membership are
referred to collectively as the "Registrations"); and
WHEREAS, the Fund desires the Distributor to act as the
distributor in the public offering of its Shares of beneficial
interest (hereinafter called "Shares");
WHEREAS, the Fund shall pay all charges of its transfer,
shareholder recordkeeping, dividend disbursing and redemption
agents, if any; all expenses of notices, proxy solicitation
material and reports to shareholders; all expenses of preparation
of annual or more frequent revisions of the Fund's Prospectus and
Statement of Additional Information ("SAI") and of supplying
copies thereof to shareholders; all expenses of registering and
maintaining the registration of the Fund under ICA-40 and of the
Fund's Shares under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("SA-
33"); all expenses of qualifying and maintaining qualification of
such Fund and of the Fund's Shares for sale under securities laws
of various states or other jurisdictions and of registration and
qualification of the Fund under all laws applicable to the Fund or
its business activities; and
WHEREAS, Xxxxx Xxx & Xxxxxxx Incorporated, investment adviser
to the Funds, or its affiliates, may pay expenses incurred in the
sale and promotion of the Fund;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the
mutual promises hereinafter set forth, the parties hereto agree as
follows:
1. Appointment. The Fund appoints Distributor to act as
principal underwriter (as such term is defined in Section 2(a)(29)
of ICA-40) of its Shares for each series or class of the Fund set
forth on Schedule A hereto.
2. Delivery of Fund Documents. The Fund has furnished
Distributor with properly certified or authenticated copies of
each of the following in effect on the date hereof and shall
furnish Distributor from time to time properly certified or
authenticated copies of all amendments or supplements thereto:
(a) Agreement and Declaration of Trust;
(b) By-Laws;
(c) Resolutions of the Board of Trustees of the Fund
(hereinafter referred to as the "Board") selecting Distributor as
distributor and approving this form of agreement and authorizing
its execution.
The Fund shall furnish Distributor promptly with copies of
any registration statements filed by it with the Securities and
Exchange Commission ("SEC") under SA-33 or ICA-40, together with
any financial statements and exhibits included therein, and all
amendments or supplements thereto hereafter filed.
The Fund also shall furnish Distributor such other
certificates or documents which Distributor may from time to time,
in its discretion, reasonably deem necessary or appropriate in the
proper performance of its duties.
3. Solicitation of Orders for Purchase of Shares.
(a) Subject to the provisions of Paragraphs 4, 5 and 7
hereof, and to such minimum purchase requirements as may from time
to time be indicated in the Fund's Prospectus, Distributor is
authorized to solicit, as agent on behalf of the Fund,
unconditional orders for purchases of the Fund's Shares authorized
for issuance and registered under SA-33, provided that:
(1) Distributor shall act solely as a disclosed agent
on behalf of and for the account of the Fund;
(2) In all cases except for orders transmitted
through the FundSERV/NSCC system, the Fund or its
transfer agent shall receive directly from
investors all payments for the purchase of the
Fund's Shares and also shall pay directly to
shareholders amounts due to them for the
redemption or repurchase of all the Fund's Shares
with Distributor having no rights or duties to
accept such payment or to effect such redemptions
or repurchases;
(3) The Distributor shall receive directly from
financial intermediaries which trade through the
FundSERV/NSCC system all payments for the
purchase of the Fund's Shares and shall also
cause to be paid directly to such intermediaries
amounts due to them for the redemption or
repurchase of all the Fund's Shares. The
Distributor shall be acting as the Fund's agent
in accepting payment for the orders and not be
acting in a principal capacity.
(4) Distributor shall confirm all orders received for
purchase of the Fund's Shares which confirmation
shall clearly state (i) that Distributor is
acting as agent of the Fund in the transaction
(ii) that all certificates for redemption,
remittances, and registration instructions should
be sent directly to the Fund, and (iii) the
Fund's mailing address;
(5) Distributor shall have no liability for payment
for purchases of the Fund's Shares it sells as
agent; and
(6) Each order to purchase Shares of the Fund
received by Distributor shall be subject to
acceptance by an officer of the Fund in Chicago
and entry of the order on the Fund's records or
shareholder accounts and is not binding until so
accepted and entered.
The purchase price to the public of the Fund's Shares shall
be the public offering price as defined in Paragraph 6 hereof.
(b) In consideration of the rights granted to the
Distributor under this Agreement, Distributor will use its best
efforts (but only in states in which Distributor may lawfully do
so) to solicit from investors unconditional orders to purchase
Shares of the Fund. The Fund shall make available to the
Distributor without cost to the Distributor such number of copies
of the Fund's currently effective Prospectus and Statement of
Additional Information and copies of all information, financial
statements and other papers which the Distributor may reasonably
request for use in connection with the distribution of Shares.
3.A. Selling Agreements. Distributor is authorized, as
agent on behalf of each Fund, to enter into agreements with other
broker-dealers providing for the solicitation of unconditional
orders for purchases of Fund's Shares authorized for issuance and
registered under SA-33. All such agreements shall be either in
the form of agreement attached hereto or in such other form as may
be approved by the officers of the Fund ("Selling Agreement").
All solicitations made by other broker-dealers pursuant to a
Selling Agreement shall be subject to the same terms of this
Agreement which apply to solicitations made by Distributor.
4. Solicitation of Orders to Purchase Shares by Fund. The
rights granted to the Distributor shall be non-exclusive in that
the Fund reserves the right to solicit purchases from, and sell
its Shares to, investors. Further, the Fund reserves the right to
issue Shares in connection with the merger or consolidation of any
other investment company, trust or personal holding company with
the Fund, or the Fund's acquisition, by the purchase or otherwise,
of all or substantially all of the assets of an investment
company, trust or personal holding company, or substantially all
of the outstanding shares or interests of any such entity. Any
right granted to Distributor to solicit purchases of Shares will
not apply to Shares that may be offered by the Fund to
shareholders by virtue of their being shareholders of the Fund.
5. Shares Covered by this Agreement. This Agreement relates
to the solicitation of orders to purchase Shares that are duly
authorized and registered and available for sale by the Fund,
including redeemed or repurchased Shares if and to the extent that
they may be legally sold and if, but only if, the Fund authorizes
the Distributor to sell them.
6. Public Offering Price. All solicitations by the
Distributor pursuant to this Agreement shall be for orders to
purchase Shares of the Fund at the public offering price. The
public offering price for each accepted subscription for the
Fund's Shares will be the net asset value per share next
determined by the Fund after it accepts such subscription. The
net asset value per share shall be determined in the manner
provided in the Fund's Agreement and Declaration of Trust as now
in effect or as they may be amended, and as reflected in the
Fund's then current Prospectus and Statement of Additional
Information.
7. Suspension of Sales. If and whenever the determination
of the Fund's net asset value is suspended and until such
suspension is terminated, no further orders for Shares shall be
accepted by the Fund except such unconditional orders placed with
the Fund and accepted by it before the suspension. In addition,
the Fund reserves the right to suspend sales of Shares if, in the
judgement of the Board of the Fund, it is in the best interest of
the Fund to do so, such suspension to continue for such period as
may be determined by the Board of the Fund; and in that event, (i)
at the direction of the Fund, Distributor shall suspend its
solicitation of orders to purchase Shares of the Fund until
otherwise instructed by the Fund and (ii) no orders to purchase
Shares shall be accepted by the Fund while such suspension remains
in effect unless otherwise directed by its Board.
8. Authorized Representations. No Fund is authorized by the
Distributor to give on behalf of the Distributor any information
or to make any representations other than the information and
representations contained in the Fund's registration statement
filed with the SEC under SA-33 and/or ICA-40 as it may be amended
from time to time.
Distributor is not authorized by the Fund to give on behalf
of the Fund any information or to make any representations in
connection with the sale of Shares other than the information and
representations contained in the Fund's registration statement
filed with the SEC under SA-33 and/or ICA-40, covering Shares, as
such registration statement or the Fund's prospectus may be
amended or supplemented from time to time, or contained in
shareholder reports or other material that may be prepared by or
on behalf of the Fund or approved by the Fund for the
Distributor's use. No person other than Distributor is authorized
to act as principal underwriter (as such term is defined in ICA-
40, as amended) for the Funds.
9. Registration of Additional Shares. The Fund hereby
agrees to register a definite number of Shares as the Fund shall
deem advisable pursuant to Rule 24e-2 under ICA-40, as amended.
The Fund will, in cooperation with the Distributor, take such
action as may be necessary from time to time to qualify the Shares
(so registered or otherwise qualified for sale under SA-33), in
any state mutually agreeable to the Distributor and the Fund, and
to maintain such qualification; provided, however, that nothing
herein shall be deemed to prevent the Fund from registering its
shares without approval of the Distributor in any state it deems
appropriate.
10. Conformity With Law. Distributor agrees that in
soliciting orders to purchase Shares it shall duly conform in all
respects with applicable federal and state laws and the rules and
regulations of the NASD. Distributor will use its best efforts to
maintain its Registrations in good standing during the term of
this Agreement and will promptly notify the Fund and Xxxxx Xxx &
Xxxxxxx Incorporated in the event of the suspension or termination
of any of the Registrations.
11. Independent Contractor. Distributor shall be an
independent contractor and neither the Distributor, nor any of its
officers, directors, employees, or representatives is or shall be
an employee of the Fund in the performance of Distributor's duties
hereunder. Distributor shall be responsible for its own conduct
and the employment, control, and conduct of its agents and
employees and for injury to such agents or employees or to others
through its agents and employees and agrees to pay all employee
taxes thereunder.
12. Indemnification. Distributor agrees to indemnify and
hold harmless the Fund and each of the members of its Board and
its officers, employees and representatives and each person, if
any, who controls the Fund within the meaning of Section 15 of SA-
33 against any and all losses, liabilities, damages, claims and
expenses (including the reasonable costs of investigating or
defending any alleged loss, liability, damage, claim or expense
and reasonable legal counsel fees incurred in connection
therewith) to which the Fund or such of the members of its Board
and of its officers, employees, representatives, or controlling
person or persons may become subject under SA-33, under any other
statute, at common law, or otherwise, arising out of the
acquisition of any Shares of the Fund by any person which (i) may
be based upon any wrongful act by Distributor or any of
Distributor's directors, officers, employees or representatives,
or (ii) may be based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement of a material fact contained in a registration
statement, Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information,
shareholder report or other information covering Shares of the
Fund filed or made public by the Fund or any amendment thereof or
supplement thereto 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 information furnished to the
Fund by Distributor in writing. In no case (i) is Distributor's
indemnity in favor of the Fund, or any person indemnified, to be
deemed to protect the Fund or such indemnified person against any
liability to which the Fund or such person would otherwise be
subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, or negligence
in the performance of its or his duties or by reason of its or his
reckless disregard of its or his obligations and duties under this
Agreement or (ii) is Distributor to be liable under its indemnity
agreement contained in this paragraph with respect to any claim
made against the Fund or any person indemnified unless the Fund or
such person, as the case may be, shall have notified Distributor
in writing of the claim within a reasonable time after the
summons, or other first written notification, giving information
of the nature of the claim served upon the Fund or upon such
person (or after the Fund or such person shall have received
notice of such service on any designated agent). However, failure
to notify Distributor of any such claim shall not relieve
Distributor from any liability which Distributor may have to the
Fund or any person against whom such action is brought otherwise
than on account of Distributor's indemnity agreement contained in
this Paragraph.
Distributor shall be entitled to participate, at its own
expense, in the defense, or, if Distributor so elects, to assume
the defense of any suit brought to enforce any such claim but, if
Distributor elects to assume the defense, such defense shall be
conducted by legal counsel chosen by Distributor and satisfactory
to the persons indemnified who are defendants in the suit. In the
event that Distributor elects to assume the defense of any such
suit and retain such legal counsel, persons indemnified who are
defendants in the suit shall bear the fees and expenses of any
additional legal counsel retained by them. If Distributor does
not elect to assume the defense of any such suit, Distributor will
reimburse persons indemnified who are defendants in such suit for
the reasonable fees of any legal counsel retained by them in such
litigation.
The Fund agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Distributor
and each of its directors, officers, employees, and
representatives and each person, if any, who controls Distributor
within the meaning of Section 15 of SA-33 against any and all
losses, liabilities, damages, claims or expenses (including the
damage, claim or expense and reasonable legal counsel fees
incurred in connection therewith) to which Distributor or such of
its directors, officers, employees, representatives or controlling
person or persons may become subject under SA-33, under any other
statute, at common law, or otherwise arising out of the
acquisition of any Shares by any person which (i) may be based
upon any wrongful act by the Fund or any of the members of the
Fund's Board, or the Fund's officers, employees or representatives
other than Distributor, or (ii) may be based upon any untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained
in a registration statement, Prospectus, Statement of Additional
Information, shareholder report or other information covering
Shares filed or made public by the Fund or any amendment thereof
or supplement thereto, 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 unless
such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information
furnished by Distributor to the Fund. In no case (i) is the
Fund's indemnity in favor of the Distributor or any person
indemnified to be deemed to protect the Distributor or such
indemnified person against any liability to which Distributor or
such indemnified person would otherwise be subject by reason of
willful misfeasance, bad faith, or negligence in the performance
of its or his duties or by reason of its or his reckless disregard
of its or his obligations and duties under this Agreement, or (ii)
is the Fund to be liable under its indemnity agreement contained
in this Paragraph with respect to any claim made against
Distributor or any person indemnified unless Distributor, or such
person, as the case may be, shall have notified the Fund in
writing of the claim within a reasonable time after the summons,
or other first written notification, giving information of the
nature of the claim served upon Distributor or upon such person
(or after Distributor or such person shall have received notice of
such service on any designated agent). However, failure to notify
a Fund of any such claim shall not relieve the Fund from any
liability which the Fund may have to Distributor or any person
against whom such action is brought otherwise than on account of
the Fund's indemnity agreement contained in this Paragraph.
The Fund shall be entitled to participate, at its own
expense, in the defense or, if the Fund so elects, to assume the
defense of any suit brought to enforce such claim but, if the Fund
elects to assume the defense, such defense shall be conducted by
legal counsel chosen by the Fund and satisfactory to the persons
indemnified who are defendants in the suit. In the event that the
Fund elects to assume the defense of any such suit and retain such
legal counsel, the persons indemnified who are defendants in the
suit shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional legal
counsel retained by them. If the Fund does not elect to assume
the defense of any such suit, the Fund will reimburse the persons
indemnified who are defendants in such suit for the reasonable
fees and expenses of any legal counsel retained by them in such
litigation.
13. Duration and Termination of this Agreement. With
respect to the Fund and the Distributor, this Agreement shall
become effective upon its execution ("Effective Date") and unless
terminated as provided herein, shall remain in effect through June
30, 1999, and from year to year thereafter, but only so long as
such continuance is specifically approved at least annually (a) by
a vote of majority of the members of the Board of the Fund who are
not interested persons of the Distributor or of the Fund, voting
in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such
approval, and (b) by the vote of either the Board of the Fund or a
majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund. This Agreement
may be terminated by and between an individual Fund and
Distributor at any time, without the payment of any penalty (a) on
60 days' written notice, by the Board of the Fund or by a vote of
a majority of the outstanding Shares of the Fund, or by
Distributor, or (b) immediately, on written notice by the Board of
the Fund, in the event of termination or suspension of any of the
Registrations. This Agreement will automatically terminate in the
event of its assignment. In interpreting the provisions of this
Paragraph 13, the definitions contained in Section 2(a) of ICA-40
(particularly the definitions of "interested person",
"assignment", and "majority of the outstanding shares") shall be
applied.
14. Amendment of this Agreement. No provision of this
Agreement may be changed, waived, discharged, or terminated
orally, but only by an instrument in writing signed by each party
against which enforcement of the change, waiver, discharge, or
termination is sought. If the Fund should at any time deem it
necessary or advisable in the best interests of the Fund that any
amendment of this Agreement be made in order to comply with the
recommendations or requirements of the SEC or any other
governmental authority or to obtain any advantage under state or
Federal tax laws and notifies Distributor of the form of such
amendment, and the reasons therefor, and if Distributor should
decline to assent to such amendment, the Fund may terminate this
Agreement forthwith. If Distributor should at any time request
that a change be made in the Fund's Agreement and Declaration of
Trust or By-Laws or in its methods of doing business, in order to
comply with any requirements of Federal law or regulations of the
SEC, or of a national securities association of which Distributor
is or may be a member, relating to the sale of Shares, and the
Fund should not make such necessary changes within a reasonable
time, Distributor may terminate this Agreement forthwith.
15. Liability. It is understood and expressly stipulated
that neither the shareholders of the Fund nor the members of the
Board of the Fund shall be personally liable hereunder. The
obligations of the Fund are not personally binding upon, nor shall
resort to the private property of, any of the members of the Board
of the Fund, nor of the shareholders, officers, employees or
agents of the Fund, but only the Fund's property shall be bound.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust and of each amendment thereto
has been filed by the Trust with the Secretary of State of The
Commonwealth of Massachusetts and with the Clerk of the City of
Boston, as well as any other governmental office where such filing
may from time to time be required.
16. Miscellaneous. The captions in this Agreement are
included for convenience or reference only, and in no way define
or limit any of the provisions hereof or otherwise affect their
construction or effect. This Agreement may be executed
simultaneously in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be
deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one
and the same instrument.
17. Notice. Any notice required or permitted to be given by
a party to this Agreement or to any other party hereunder shall be
deemed sufficient if delivered in person or sent by registered or
certified mail, postage prepaid, addressed by the party giving
notice to each such other party at the address provided below or
to the last address furnished by each such other party to the
party giving notice.
If to the Fund: Xxx Xxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxx
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000
Attn: Secretary
If to Distributor: Xxx Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxxx 00000
Attn: Secretary
If to Xxxxx Xxx &
Farnham Incorporated: Xxx Xxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxx
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000
Attn: Secretary
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Funds and the Underwriter have each
caused this Agreement to be excited as of the day and year first
above written.
LIBERTY FUNDS DISTRIBUTOR, INC.
By: XXX XXXXXXXXXXX
Xxx Xxxxxxxxxxx
President
ATTEST:
By: XXXXX XXXXXX
Assistant Clerk
XXXXX XXX INSTITUTIONAL FLOATING
RATE INCOME FUND
XXXXX XXX FLOATING RATE INCOME FUND
By: XXXXXX X. XXXXX
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx
President
ATTEST:
XXXXXXXXX X. XXXXXXX
Xxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx
Assistant Secretary
