Exhibit 23(h)(2)
TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT
BETWEEN
SELECTED SPECIAL SHARES, INC.
AND
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Terms of Appointment: Duties of the Bank 3
2. Fees and Expenses 6
3. Representations and Warranties of the Bank 6
4. Representations and Warranties of the Fund 7
5. Wire Transfer Operating Guidelines 7
6. Data Access and Proprietary Information 9
7. Indemnification 11
8. Standard of Care 12
9. Covenants of the Fund and the Bank 12
10. Termination of Agreement 12
11. Assignment 14
12. Amendment 14
13. Massachusetts Law to Apply 14
14, Force Majeure 14
15. Consequential Damages 15
16. Merger of Agreement 15
17. Counterparts 15
18. Reproduction of Documents 15
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TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made as of the 17th day of October, 1997, by and between
SELECTED SPECIAL SHARES, INC., a Maryland corporation, having its principal
office and place of business at ▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
(the "Fund(s)"), and STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY, a Massachusetts trust
company having its principal office and place of business at ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ (the "Bank").
WHEREAS, the Fund desires to appoint the Bank as its transfer agent,
dividend disbursing agent, custodian of certain retirement plans and agent in
connection with certain other activities, and the Bank desires to accept such
appointment,
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants herein
contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Terms of Appointment: Duties of the Bank
1.1 Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, the
Fund hereby employs and appoints the Bank to act as, and the Bank
agrees to act as its transfer agent for the Fund's authorized and
issued shares of its common stock, $ par value, ("Shares"), dividend
disbursing agent, custodian of certain retirement plans and agent in
connection with any accumulation, open-account or similar plans
provided to the shareholders of the Fund ("Shareholders") and set out
in the currently effective prospectus and statement of additional
information ("prospectus") of the Fund, including without limitation
any periodic investment plan or periodic withdrawal program.
1.2 The Bank agrees that it will perform the following services:
(a) In accordance with procedures established from time to time by
agreement between the Fund and the Bank, the Bank shall:
(i) Receive for acceptance, orders for the purchase of
Shares, and promptly deliver payment and appropriate
documentation thereof to the Custodian of the Fund
authorized pursuant to the Articles of Incorporation
of the Fund (the "Custodian");
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(ii) Pursuant to purchase orders, issue the appropriate
number of Shares and hold such Shares in the
appropriate Shareholder account;
(iii) Receive for acceptance redemption requests and
redemption directions and deliver the appropriate
documentation thereof to the Custodian;
(iv) In respect to the transactions in items (i), (ii) and
(iii) above, the Bank shall execute transactions
directly with broker-dealers authorized by the Fund;
(v) At the appropriate time as and when it receives
monies paid to it by the Custodian with respect to
any redemption, pay over or cause to be paid over in
the appropriate manner such monies as instructed by
the redeeming Shareholders;
(vi) Effect transfers of Shares by the registered owners
thereof upon receipt of appropriate instructions;
(vii) Prepare and transmit payments for dividends and
distributions declared by the Fund;
(viii) Issue replacement certificates for those certificates
alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed upon
receipt by the Bank of indemnification satisfactory
to the Bank and protecting the Bank and the Fund, and
the Bank at its option, may issue replacement
certificates in place of mutilated stock certificates
upon presentation thereof and without such indemnity;
(ix) Maintain records of account for and advise the Fund
and its Shareholders as to the foregoing and
(x) Record the issuance of shares of the Fund and
maintain pursuant to SEC Rule 17Ad-10(e) a record of
the total number of shares of the Fund that are
authorized, based upon data provided to it by the
Fund, and issued and outstanding. The Bank shall also
provide the Fund on a regular basis with the total
number of shares that are authorized and issued and
outstanding and shall have no obligation, when
recording the issuance of shares, to monitor the
issuance of such shares or to take cognizance of
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any laws relating to the issue or sale of such
shares, which functions shall be the sole
responsibility of the Fund.
(b) In addition to and neither in lieu nor in contravention of the
services set forth in the above paragraph (a), the Bank shall:
(i) perform the customary services of a transfer agent,
dividend disbursing agent, custodian of certain retirement
plans and, as relevant, agent in connection with accumulation,
open-account or similar plans (including without limitation
any periodic investment plan or periodic withdrawal program),
including but not limited to: maintaining all Shareholder
accounts, preparing Shareholder meeting lists, mailing
Shareholder proxies, Shareholder reports and prospectuses to
current Shareholders, withholding taxes on U.S. resident and
non-resident alien accounts, preparing and filing U.S.
Treasury Department Forms 1099 and other appropriate forms
required with respect to dividends and distributions by
federal authorities for all Shareholders, preparing and
mailing confirmation forms and statements of account to
Shareholders for all purchases and redemptions of Shares and
other confirmable transactions in Shareholder accounts,
preparing and mailing activity statements for Shareholders,
and providing Shareholder account information and (ii) provide
a system that will enable the Fund to monitor the total number
of Shares sold in each State.
(c) In addition, the Fund shall: (i) identify to the Bank in
writing those transactions and assets to be treated as exempt
from blue sky reporting for each State; and (ii) verify the
establishment of transactions for each State on the system
prior to activation and thereafter monitor the daily activity
for each State. The responsibility of the Bank for the Fund's
blue sky State registration status is solely limited to the
initial establishment of transactions subject to blue sky
compliance by the Fund and the reporting of such transactions
to the Fund as provided above.
(d) Procedures as to who shall provide certain of these services
in Section 1 may be established from time to time by agreement
between the Fund and the Bank per the attached service
responsibility schedule. The Bank may at times perform only a
portion of these services and the Fund or its agent may
perform these services on the Fund's behalf.
(e) The Bank shall provide additional services on behalf of the
Fund (i.e., escheatment services) that may be agreed upon in
writing between the Fund and the Bank.
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2. Fees and Expenses
2.1 For the performance by the Bank pursuant to this Agreement, the Fund
agrees to pay the Bank an annual maintenance fee for each Shareholder
account as set out in the initial fee schedule attached hereto. Such
fees and out-of-pocket expenses and advances identified under Section
2.2 below may be changed from time to time subject to mutual written
agreement between the Fund and the Bank.
2.2 In addition to the fee paid under Section 2.1 above, the Fund agrees to
reimburse the Bank for out-of-pocket expenses, including but not
limited to confirmation production, postage, forms, telephone,
microfilm, microfiche, mailing and tabulating proxies, records storage,
or advances incurred by the Bank for the items set out in the fee
schedule attached hereto. In addition, any other expenses incurred by
the Bank at the request or with the consent of the Fund, will be
reimbursed by the Fund.
2.3 The Fund agrees to pay all fees and reimbursable expenses within five
days following the receipt of the respective billing notice. Postage
for mailing of dividends, proxies, Fund reports and other mailings to
all shareholder accounts shall be advanced to the Bank by the Fund at
least seven (7) days prior to the mailing date of such materials.
3. Representations and Warranties of the Bank
The Bank represents and warrants to the Fund that:
3.1 It is a trust company duly organized and existing and in good standing
under the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
3.2 It is duly qualified to carry on its business in The Commonwealth of
Massachusetts.
3.3 It is empowered under applicable laws and by its Charter and By-Laws to
enter into and perform this Agreement.
3.4 All requisite corporate proceedings have been taken to authorize it to
enter into and perform this Agreement.
3.5 It has and will continue to have access to the necessary facilities,
equipment and personnel to perform its duties and obligations under
this Agreement.
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4. Representations and Warranties of the Fund
The Fund represents and warrants to the Bank that:
4.1 It is a corporation duly organized and existing and in good standing
under the laws of the State of Maryland.
4.2 It is empowered under applicable laws and by its Articles of
Incorporation and By-Laws to enter into and perform this Agreement.
4.3 All corporate proceedings required by said Articles of Incorporation
and By-Laws have been taken to authorize it to enter into and perform
this Agreement.
4.4 It is an open-end and diversified management investment company
registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
4.5 A registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
is currently effective and will remain effective, and appropriate state
securities law filings have been made and will continue to be made,
with respect to all Shares of the Fund being offered for sale.
5. Wire Transfer Operating Guidelines/Articles 4A of the Uniform
Commercial Code
5.1 The Bank is authorized to promptly debit the appropriate Fund
account(s) upon the receipt of a payment order in compliance with the
selected security procedure (the "Security Procedure") chosen for funds
transfer and in the amount of money that the Bank has been instructed
to transfer. The Bank shall execute payment orders in compliance with
the Security Procedure and with the Fund instructions on the execution
date provided that such payment order is received by the customary
deadline for processing such a request, unless the payment order
specifies a later time. All payment orders and communications received
after this the customary deadline will be deemed to have been received
the next business day.
5.2 The Fund acknowledges that the Security Procedure it has designated on
the Fund Selection Form was selected by the Fund from security
procedures offered by the Bank. The Fund shall restrict access to
confidential information relating to the Security Procedure to
authorized persons as communicated to the Bank in writing. The Fund
must notify the Bank immediately if it has reason to believe
unauthorized persons may have obtained access to such information or of
any change in the Fund's authorized
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personnel. The Bank shall verify the authenticity of all Fund
instructions according to the Security Procedure.
5.3 The Bank shall process all payment orders on the basis of the account
number contained in the payment order. In the event of a discrepancy
between any name indicated on the payment order and the account number,
the account number shall take precedence and govern.
5.4 The Bank reserves the right to decline to process or delay the
processing of a payment order that: (a) is in excess of the collected
balance in the account to be charged at the time of the Bank's receipt
of such payment order; (b) if initiating such payment order would cause
the Bank, in the Bank's sole judgment, to exceed any volume, aggregate
dollar, network, time, credit or similar limits that are applicable to
the Bank; or (c) if the Bank, in good faith, is unable to satisfy
itself that the transaction has been properly authorized.
5.5 The Bank shall use reasonable efforts to act on all authorized requests
to cancel or amend payment orders received in compliance with the
Security Procedure provided that such requests are received in a timely
manner affording the Bank reasonable opportunity to act. However, the
Bank assumes no liability if the request for amendment or cancellation
cannot be satisfied.
5.6 The Bank shall assume no responsibility for failure to detect any
erroneous payment order provided that the Bank complies with the
payment order instructions as received and the Bank complies with the
Security Procedure. The Security Procedure is established for the
purpose of authenticating payment orders only and not for the detection
of errors in payment orders.
5.7 The Bank shall assume no responsibility for lost interest with respect
to the refundable amount of any unauthorized payment order, unless the
Bank is notified of the unauthorized payment order within thirty (30)
days of notification by the Bank of the acceptance of such payment
order. In no event (including failure to execute a payment order) shall
the Bank be liable for special, indirect or consequential damages, even
if advised of the possibility of such damages.
5.8 When the Fund initiates or receives Automated Clearing House credit and
debit entries pursuant to these guidelines and the rules of the
National Automated Clearing House Association and the New England
Clearing House Association, the Bank will act as an Originating
Depository Financial Institution and/or receiving depository Financial
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Institution, as the case may be, with respect to such entries. Credits
given by the Bank with respect to an ACH credit entry are provisional
until the Bank receives final settlement for such entry from the
Federal Reserve Bank. If the Bank does not receive such final
settlement, the Fund agrees that the Bank shall receive a refund of the
amount credited to the Fund in connection with such entry, and the
party making payment to the Fund via such entry shall not be deemed to
have paid the amount of the entry.
5.9 Confirmation of Bank's execution of payment orders shall ordinarily be
provided within twenty four (24) hours notice of which may be delivered
through the Bank's proprietary information systems, or by facsimile or
call-back. Fund must report any objections to the execution of an order
within thirty (30) days.
6. Data Access and Proprietary Information
6.1 The Fund acknowledges that the data bases, computer programs, screen
formats, report formats, interactive design techniques, and
documentation manuals furnished to the Fund by the Bank as part of the
Fund's ability to access certain Fund-related data ("Customer Data")
maintained by the Bank on data bases under the control and ownership of
the Bank or other third party ("Data Access Services") constitute
copyrighted, trade secret, or other proprietary information
(collectively, "Proprietary Information") of substantial value to the
Bank or other third party. In no event shall Proprietary Information be
deemed Customer Data. The Fund agrees to treat all Proprietary
Information as proprietary to the Bank and further agrees that it shall
not divulge any Proprietary Information to any person or organization
except as may be provided hereunder. Without limiting the foregoing,
the Fund agrees for itself and its employees and agents:
(a) to access Customer Data solely from locations as may be
designated in writing by the Bank and solely in accordance
with the Bank's applicable user documentation;
(b) to refrain from copying or duplicating in any way the
Proprietary Information;
(c) to refrain from obtaining unauthorized access to any portion
of the Proprietary Information, and if such access is
inadvertently obtained, to inform in a timely manner of such
fact and dispose of such information in accordance with the
Bank's instructions;
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(d) to refrain from causing or allowing the data acquired
hereunder from being retransmitted to any other computer
facility or other location, except with the prior written
consent of the Bank;
(e) that the Fund shall have access only to those authorized
transactions agreed upon by the parties,
(f) to honor all reasonable written requests made by the Bank to
protect at the Bank's expense the rights of the Bank in
Proprietary Information at common law, under federal copyright
law and under other federal or state law.
Each party shall take reasonable efforts to advise its employees of their
obligations pursuant to this Section 6. The obligations of this Section shall
survive any earlier termination of this Agreement.
6.2 If the Fund notifies the Bank that any of the Data Access Services do
not operate in material compliance with the most recently issued user
documentation for such services, the Bank shall endeavor in a timely
manner to correct such failure. Organizations from which the Bank may
obtain certain data included in the Data Access Services are solely
responsible for the contents of such data and the Fund agrees to make
no claim against the Bank arising out of the contents of such
third-party data, including, but not limited to, the accuracy thereof.
DATA ACCESS SERVICES AND ALL COMPUTER PROGRAMS AND SOFTWARE
SPECIFICATIONS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH ARE PROVIDED ON AN AS IS,
AS AVAILABLE BASIS. THE BANK EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES EXCEPT
THOSE EXPRESSLY STATED HEREIN INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE.
6.3 If the transactions available to the Fund include the ability to
originate electronic instructions to the Bank in order to: (i) effect
the transfer or movement of cash or Shares; or (ii) transmit
Shareholder information or other information. In such event, the Bank
shall be entitled to rely on the validity and authenticity of such
instruction without undertaking any further inquiry as long as such
instruction is undertaken in conformity with security procedures
established by the Bank from time to time.
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7. Indemnification
7.1 The Bank shall not be responsible for, and the Fund shall indemnify and
hold the Bank harmless from and against, any and all losses, damages,
costs, charges, counsel fees, payments, expenses and liability arising
out of or attributable to:
(a) All actions of the Bank or its agent or subcontractors
required to be taken pursuant to this Agreement, provided that
such actions are taken in good faith and without negligence or
willful misconduct;
(b) The Fund's lack of good faith, negligence or willful
misconduct that arise out of the breach of any representation
or warranty of the Fund hereunder;
(c) The reliance on or use by the Bank or its agents or
subcontractors of information, records, documents or services
that: (i) are received by the Bank or its agents or
subcontractors; and (ii) have been prepared, maintained or
performed by the Fund or any other person or firm on behalf of
the Fund including but not limited to any previous transfer
agent or registrar;
(d) The reliance on, or the carrying out by the Bank or its agents
or subcontractors of any instructions or requests of the Fund;
(e) The offer or sale of Shares in violation of federal or state
securities laws or regulations requiring that such Shares be
registered or in violation of any stop order or other
determination or ruling by any federal or any state agency
with respect to the offer or sale of such Shares; and
(f) The negotiations and processing of checks made payable to
prospective or existing Shareholders tendered to the Bank for
the purchase of Shares, such checks are commonly known as
"third party checks."
7.2 At any time the Bank may apply to any officer of the Fund for
instructions, and may consult with legal counsel with respect to any
matter arising in connection with the services to be performed by the
Bank under this Agreement, and the Bank and its agents or
subcontractors shall not be liable and shall be indemnified by the Fund
for any action taken or omitted by it in reliance upon such
instructions or upon the opinion of such counsel. The Bank, its agents
and subcontractors shall be protected and indemnified in acting upon
any paper or document, reasonably believed to be genuine and to have
been
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signed by the proper person or persons, or upon any instruction,
information, data, records or documents provided the Bank or its agents
or subcontractors by machine readable input, telex, CRT data entry or
other similar means authorized by the Fund, and shall not be held to
have notice of any change of authority of any person, until receipt of
written notice thereof from the Fund. The Bank, its agents and
subcontractors shall also be protected and indemnified in recognizing
stock certificates that are reasonably believed to bear the proper
manual or facsimile signatures of the officers of the Fund, and the
proper countersignature of any former transfer agent or former
registrar, or of a co-transfer agent or co-registrar.
7.3 In order that the indemnification provisions contained in this Section
6 shall apply, upon the assertion of a claim for which the Fund may be
required to indemnify the Bank, the Bank shall promptly notify the Fund
of such assertion, and shall keep the Fund advised with respect to all
developments concerning such claim. The Fund shall have the option to
participate with the Bank in the defense of such claim or to defend
against said claim in its own name or in the name of the Bank. The Bank
shall in no case confess any claim or make any compromise in any case
in which the Fund may be required to indemnify the Bank except with the
Fund's prior written consent.
8. Standard of Care
The Bank shall at all times act in good faith and agrees to use its
best efforts within reasonable limits to insure the accuracy of all
services performed under this Agreement, but assumes no responsibility
and shall not be liable for loss or damage due to errors unless said
errors are caused by its negligence, bad faith, or willful misconduct
or that of its employees.
9. Covenants of the Fund and the Bank
9.1 The Fund shall promptly furnish to the Bank the following:
(a) A certified copy of the resolution of the Board of Directors
of the Fund authorizing the appointment of the Bank and the
execution and delivery of this Agreement.
(b) A copy of the Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws of the
Fund and all amendments thereto.
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9.2 The Bank hereby agrees to establish and maintain facilities and
procedures reasonably acceptable to the Fund for safekeeping of stock
certificates, check forms and facsimile signature imprinting devices,
if any; and for the preparation or use, and for keeping account of,
such certificates, forms and devices.
9.3 The Bank shall keep records relating to the services to be performed
hereunder, in the form and manner as it may deem advisable. To the
extent required by Section 31 of the Investment Fund Act of 1940, as
amended, and the Rules thereunder, the Bank agrees that all such
records prepared or maintained by the Bank relating to the services to
be performed by the Bank hereunder are the property of the Fund and
will be preserved, maintained and made available in accordance with
such Section and Rules, and will be surrendered promptly to the Fund on
and in accordance with its request.
9.4 The Bank and the Fund agree that all books, records, information and
data pertaining to the business of the other party that are exchanged
or received pursuant to the negotiation or the carrying out of this
Agreement shall remain confidential, and shall not be voluntarily
disclosed to any other person, except as may be required by law.
9.5 In case of any requests or demands for the inspection of the
Shareholder records of the Fund, the Bank will endeavor to notify the
Fund and to secure instructions from an authorized of ricer of the Fund
as to such inspection. The Bank reserves the right, however, to exhibit
the Shareholder records to any person whenever it is advised by its
counsel that it may be held liable for the failure to exhibit the
Shareholder records to such person.
10. Termination of Agreement
10.1 This Agreement may be terminated by either party upon
one-hundred-and-twenty (120) days written notice to the other.
10.2 Should the Fund exercise its right to terminate, all out-of-pocket
expenses associated with the movement of records and material will be
borne by the Fund. Additionally, the Bank reserves the right to charge
for any other reasonable expenses associated with such termination and
a charge equivalent to the average of three (3) months' fees.
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11. Assignment
11.1 Except as provided in Section 11.3 below, neither this Agreement nor
any rights or obligations hereunder may be assigned by either party
without the written consent of the other party.
11.2 This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the
parties and their respective permitted successors and assigns.
11.3 The Bank may, without further consent on the part of the Fund,
subcontract for the performance hereof with: (i) Boston Financial Data
Services, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation ("BFDS") that is duly
registered as a transfer agent pursuant to Section 17A(c)(2) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended ("Section 17A(c)(2)"); (ii)
a BFDS subsidiary duly registered as a transfer agent pursuant to
Section 17A(c)(2); or (iii) a BFDS affiliate; provided, however, that
the Bank shall be as fully responsible to the Fund for the acts and
omissions of any subcontractor as it is for its own acts and omissions.
12. Amendment
This Agreement may be amended or modified by a written agreement
executed by both parties and authorized or approved by a resolution of
the Board of Directors of the Fund.
13. Massachusetts Law to Apply
This Agreement shall be construed and the provisions thereof
interpreted under and in accordance with the laws of The Commonwealth
of Massachusetts.
14. Force Majeure
In the event either party is unable to perform its obligations under
the terms of this Agreement because of acts of God, strikes, equipment
or transmission failure or damage reasonably beyond its control, or
other causes reasonably beyond its control, such party shall not be
liable for damages to the other for any damages resulting from such
failure to perform or otherwise from such causes.
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15. Consequential Damages
Neither party to this Agreement shall be liable to the other party for
consequential damages under any provision of this Agreement or for any
consequential damages arising out of any act or failure to act
hereunder.
16. Merger of Agreement
This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties
hereto and supersedes any prior agreement with respect to the subject
matter hereof whether oral or written.
17. Counterparts
This Agreement may be executed by the parties hereto on any number of
counterparts, and all of said counterparts taken together shall be
deemed to constitute one and the same instrument.
18. Reproduction of Documents
This Agreement and all schedules, exhibits, attachments and amendments
hereto may be reproduced by any photographic, photostatic, microfilm,
microcard, miniature photographic or other similar process. The parties
hereto each agree that any such reproduction shall be admissible in
evidence as the original itself in any judicial or administrative
proceeding, whether or not the original is in existence and whether or
not such reproduction was made by a party in the regular course of
business, and that any enlargement, facsimile or further reproduction
shall likewise be admissible in evidence.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be
executed in their names and on their behalf by and through their duly authorized
of ricers, as of the day and year first above written.
SELECTED SPECIAL SHARES, INC.
BY:/s/___________________________
▇. ▇. ▇▇▇▇
V.P.
ATTEST:
_________________________
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST
COMPANY
BY:/s/___________________________
Executive Vice President
ATTEST:
/s/_______________________
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