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EXHIBIT (d)(x)
[Form of]
SUBADVISORY AGREEMENT
This SUBADVISORY AGREEMENT is dated as of ______________2001 by
and between SUNAMERICA ASSET MANAGEMENT CORP., a Delaware corporation (the
"Adviser"), and EQSF ADVISERS, INC., a New York corporation (the "Subadviser").
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS, the Adviser and Seasons Series Trust, a Massachusetts business
trust (the "Trust"), have entered into an Investment Advisory and Management
Agreement dated as of January 1, 1999, as amended from time to time (the
"Advisory Agreement"), pursuant to which the Adviser has agreed to provide
investment management, advisory and administrative services to the Trust; and
WHEREAS, the Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the "Act"), as an open-end management investment company and
may issue shares of beneficial interest, par value $.01 per share, in separately
designated portfolios representing separate funds with their own investment
objectives, policies and purposes; and
WHEREAS, the Subadviser is engaged in the business of rendering
investment advisory services and is an "investment adviser" as defined under the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended; and
WHEREAS, the Adviser desires to retain the Subadviser to furnish
investment advisory services to the investment portfolio or portfolios of the
Trust listed on Schedule A attached hereto (the "Portfolio(s)"), and the
Subadviser is willing to furnish such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, it is hereby agreed between the parties hereto as
follows:
1. DUTIES OF THE SUBADVISER. (a) The Adviser hereby engages the
services of the Subadviser in furtherance of its Advisory Agreement with the
Trust. Pursuant to this Subadvisory Agreement and subject to the oversight and
review of the Adviser, the Subadviser will manage the investment and
reinvestment of a portion of the assets of each Portfolio listed on Schedule A
attached hereto. The Subadviser will determine, in its discretion and subject to
the oversight and review of the Adviser, the securities to be purchased or sold,
will provide the Adviser with records concerning its activities which the
Adviser or the Trust is required to maintain, and will render regular reports to
the Adviser and to officers and Trustees of the Trust concerning its discharge
of the foregoing responsibilities. The Subadviser shall discharge the foregoing
responsibilities subject to the control of the officers and the Trustees of the
Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees of the Trust may from
time to time establish, and in compliance with (a) the objectives, policies, and
limitations for the Portfolio(s) set forth in the Trust's current prospectus and
statement of additional information, and (b) applicable laws and regulations.
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The Subadviser represents and warrants to the Adviser that the portion of
assets allocated to it of each of the Portfolios set forth in Schedule A will at
all times be operated and managed (1) in compliance with all applicable federal
and state laws governing its operations and investments; (2) so as not to
jeopardize either the treatment of the Seasons variable annuity contracts issued
by Variable Annuity Account Five (File No. 33-08859; hereinafter "Contracts") as
annuity contracts for purposes of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
(the "Code"), or the eligibility of the Contracts to qualify for sale to the
public in any state where they may otherwise be sold; and (3) to minimize any
taxes and/or penalties payable by the Trust or such Portfolio. Without limiting
the foregoing, the Subadviser represents and warrants (1) qualification,
election and maintenance of such election by each Portfolio to be treated as a
"regulated investment company" under Subchapter M, chapter 1 of the Code, and
(2) compliance with (a) the provisions of the Act and rules adopted thereunder;
(b) the diversification requirements specified in the Internal Revenue Service's
regulations under Section 817(h) of the Code; (c) applicable state insurance
laws; (d) applicable federal and state securities, commodities and banking laws;
and (e) the distribution requirements necessary to avoid payment of any excise
tax pursuant to Section 4982 of the Code. The Subadviser further represents and
warrants that to the extent that any statements or omissions made in any
Registration Statement for the Contracts or shares of the Trust, or any
amendment or supplement thereto, are made in reliance upon and in conformity
with information furnished by the Subadviser expressly for use therein, such
Registration Statement and any amendments or supplements thereto will, when they
become effective, conform in all material respects to the requirements of the
Securities Act of 1933 and the rules and regulations of the Commission
thereunder (the "1933 Act") and the Act and will not contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.
The Subadviser accepts such employment and agrees, at its own expense, to
render the services set forth herein and to provide the office space,
furnishings, equipment and personnel required by it to perform such services on
the terms and for the compensation provided in this Agreement.
(b) The Subadviser agrees: (i) to maintain a level of errors and
omissions or professional liability insurance coverage that, at all times during
the course of this Agreement, is appropriate given the nature of its business,
and (ii) from time to time and upon reasonable request, to supply evidence of
such coverage to the Adviser.
2. PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS. The Subadviser is responsible for
decisions to buy or sell securities and other investments for a portion of the
assets of each Portfolio, broker-dealers and futures commission merchants'
selection, and negotiation of brokerage commission and futures commission
merchants' rates. As a general matter, in executing portfolio transactions, the
Subadviser may employ or deal with such broker-dealers or futures commission
merchants as may, in the Subadviser's best judgement, provide prompt and
reliable execution of the transactions at favorable prices and reasonable
commission rates. In selecting such broker-dealers or futures commission
merchants, the Subadviser shall consider all relevant factors
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including price (including the applicable brokerage commission, dealer spread or
futures commission merchant rate), the size of the order, the nature of the
market for the security or other investment, the timing of the transaction, the
reputation, experience and financial stability of the broker1 1 -dealer or
futures commission merchant involved, the quality of the service, the difficulty
of execution, the execution capabilities and operational facilities of the firm
involved, and, in the case of securities, the firm's risk in positioning a block
of securities. Subject to such policies as the Trustees may determine and,
consistent with Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
(the"1934 Act"), the Subadviser shall not be deemed to have acted unlawfully or
to have breached any duty created by this Agreement or otherwise solely by
reason of the Subadviser's having caused a Portfolio to pay a member of an
exchange, broker or dealer an amount of commission for effecting a securities
transaction in excess of the amount of commission another member of an exchange,
broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction, if the
Subadviser determines in good faith that such amount of commission was
reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services
provided by such member of an exchange, broker or dealer viewed in terms of
either that particular transaction or the Subadviser's overall responsibilities
with respect to such Portfolio and to other clients as to which the Subadviser
exercises investment discretion. In accordance with Section 11(a) of the 1934
Act and Rule 11a2-2(T) thereunder, and subject to any other applicable laws and
regulations including Section 17(e) of the Act and Rule 17e-1 thereunder, the
Subadviser may engage its affiliates, the Adviser and its affiliates or any
other subadviser to the Trust and its respective affiliates, as broker-dealers
or futures commission merchants to effect portfolio transactions in securities
and other investments for a Portfolio. The Subadviser will promptly communicate
to the Adviser and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such
information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request.
To the extent consistent with applicable law, the Subadviser may aggregate
purchase or sell orders for the Portfolio with contemporaneous purchase or sell
orders of other clients of the Subadviser or its affiliated persons. In such
event, allocation of the securities so purchased or sold, as well as the
expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the Subadviser in the
manner the Subadviser determines to be equitable and consistent with its and its
affiliates' fiduciary obligations to the Portfolio and to such other clients.
The Adviser hereby acknowledges that such aggregation of orders may not result
in more favorable pricing or lower brokerage commissions in all instances.
3. COMPENSATION OF THE SUBADVISER. The Subadviser shall not be
entitled to receive any payment from the Trust and shall look solely and
exclusively to the Adviser for payment of all fees for the services rendered,
facilities furnished and expenses paid by it hereunder. As full compensation for
the Subadviser under this Agreement, the Adviser agrees to pay to the Subadviser
a fee at the annual rates set forth in Schedule A hereto with respect to the
portion of the assets managed by the Subadviser for each Portfolio listed
thereon. Such fee shall be accrued daily and paid monthly as soon as practicable
after the end of each month (i.e., the applicable annual fee rate divided by 365
applied to each prior days' net assets in order to calculate the daily accrual).
For purposes of calculating the Subadviser's fee, the average daily net asset
value of a Portfolio shall mean the average daily net assets for which the
Subadviser actually provides advisory services, and shall be determined by
taking an average of all determinations of such net asset value during the
month. If the Subadviser shall provide its
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services under this Agreement for less than the whole of any month, the
foregoing compensation shall be prorated.
4. OTHER SERVICES. At the request of the Trust or the Adviser, the
Subadviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust, office facilities,
equipment, personnel and other services in order to facilitate meetings or other
similar1 1 functions. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services
shall be provided for or rendered by the Subadviser and billed to the Trust or
the Adviser at the Subadviser's cost.
5. REPORTS. The Trust, the Adviser and the Subadviser agree to
furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, statements of
additional information, proxy statements, reports of shareholders, certified
copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to
their affairs and that of the Trust as each may reasonably request.
6. STATUS OF THE SUBADVISER. The services of the Subadviser to the
Adviser and the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Subadviser shall
be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the
Trust are not impaired thereby. The Subadviser shall be deemed to be an
independent contractor and shall, unless otherwise expressly provided or
authorized, have no authority to act for or represent the Trust in any way or
otherwise be deemed an agent of the Trust.
7. CERTAIN RECORDS. The Subadviser hereby undertakes and agrees to
maintain, in the form and for the period required by Rule 31a-2 under the Act,
all records relating to the investments of the Portfolio(s) that are required to
be maintained by the Trust pursuant to the requirements of Rule 31a-1 of that
Act. Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the
provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Act which are
prepared or maintained by the Subadviser on behalf of the Trust are the property
of the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Trust or the Adviser on
request.
The Subadviser agrees that all accounts, books and other records
maintained and preserved by it as required hereby shall be subject at any time,
and from time to time, to such reasonable periodic, special and other
examinations by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Trust's auditors,
the Trust or any representative of the Trust, the Adviser, or any governmental
agency or other instrumentality having regulatory authority over the Trust.
8. REFERENCE TO THE SUBADVISER. Neither the Trust nor the Adviser or
any affiliate or agent thereof shall make reference to or use the name of the
Subadviser or any of its affiliates in any advertising or promotional materials
without the prior approval of the Subadviser, which approval shall not be
unreasonably withheld.
9. LIABILITY OF THE SUBADVISER. (a) In the absence of willful
misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of obligations or
duties ("disabling conduct") hereunder on the part of the Subadviser (and its
officers, directors, agents, employees, controlling persons, shareholders and
any other person or entity affiliated with the Subadviser) the Subadviser shall
not be subject to liability to the Trust or to any shareholder of the Trust for
any act or omission in
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the course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder, including
without limitation, any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss
suffered by any of them in connection with the matters to which this Agreement
relates, except to the extent specified in Section 36(b) of the Act concerning
loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty with respect to the receipt of
compensation for services. Except for such disabling conduct, the Adviser shall
indemnify the Subadviser (and its officers, directors, partners, agents,
employees, controlling persons, shareholders and any other person or entity
affiliated with the Subadviser) (collectively, the"Indemnified Parties") from
any liability arising from the Subadviser's conduct under this Agreement.
(b) The Subadviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the
Adviser and its affiliates and each of its directors and officers and each
person, if any, who controls the Adviser within the meaning of Section 15 of the
1933 Act against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation
(including legal and other expenses), to which the Adviser or its affiliates or
such directors, officers or controlling person may become subject under the 1933
Act, under other statutes, at common law or otherwise, which may be based upon
(i) any wrongful act or breach of this Agreement by the Subadviser, or (ii) any
failure by the Subadviser to comply with the representations and warranties set
forth in Section 1 of this Agreement; provided, however, that in no case is the
Subadviser's indemnity in favor of any person deemed to protect such other
persons against any liability to which such person would otherwise be subject by
reasons of willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the
performance of his, her or its duties or by reason of his, her or its reckless
disregard of obligation and duties under this Agreement.
(c) The Subadviser shall not be liable to the Adviser for (i) any
acts of the Adviser or any other subadviser to the Portfolio with respect to the
portion of the assets of a Portfolio not managed by Subadviser and (ii) acts of
the Subadviser which result from acts of the Adviser, including, but not limited
to: (A), a failure of the Adviser to provide accurate and current information
with respect to any records maintained by Adviser or any other subadviser to a
Portfolio, which records are not also maintained by or otherwise available to
the Subadviser upon reasonable request; and (B) acts of the Subadviser that were
made in reasonable reliance upon information provided to it by the Adviser. The
Adviser agrees that Subadviser shall manage the portion of the assets of a
Portfolio allocated to it as if it was a separate operating portfolio and shall
comply with subsections (a) and (b) of Section 1 of this Subadvisory Agreement
(including, but not limited to, the investment objectives, policies and
restrictions applicable to a Portfolio and qualifications of a Portfolio as a
regulated investment company under the Code) with respect to the portion of
assets of a Portfolio allocated to Subadviser. The Adviser shall indemnify the
Indemnified Parties from any liability arising from the conduct of the Adviser
and any other subadviser with respect to the portion of a Portfolio's assets not
allocated to Subadviser.
10. PERMISSIBLE INTERESTS. Trustees and agents of the Trust are or may
be interested in the Subadviser (or any successor thereof) as directors,
partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners,
officers, agents, and shareholders of the Subadviser are or may be interested in
the Trust as trustees, or otherwise; and the Subadviser (or any successor) is or
may be interested in the Trust in some manner.
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11. TERM OF THE AGREEMENT. This Agreement shall continue in full force
and effect with respect to each Portfolio until two years from the date hereof,
and from year to year thereafter so long as such continuance is specifically
approved at least annually (i) by the vote of a majority of those Trustees of
the Trust who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any
such party, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such
approval, and (ii) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the
outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio voting separately from any other
series of the Trust.
With respect to each Portfolio, this Agreement may be terminated
at any time, without payment of a penalty by the Portfolio or the Trust, by vote
of a majority of the Trustees, or by vote of a majority of the outstanding
voting securities (as defined in the Act) of the Portfolio, voting separately
from any other series of the Trust, or by the Adviser, on not less than 30 nor
more than 60 days' written notice to the Subadviser. With respect to each
Portfolio, this Agreement may be terminated by the Subadviser at any time,
without the payment of any penalty, on 90 days' written notice to the Adviser
and the Trust; provided, however, that this Agreement may not be terminated by
the Subadviser unless another subadvisory agreement has been approved by the
Trust in accordance with the Act, or after six months' written notice, whichever
is earlier. The termination of this Agreement with respect to any Portfolio or
the addition of any Portfolio to Schedule A hereto (in the manner required by
the Act) shall not affect the continued effectiveness of this Agreement with
respect to each other Portfolio subject hereto. This Agreement shall
automatically terminate in the event of its assignment (as defined by the Act).
This Agreement will also terminate in the event that the Advisory
Agreement by and between the Trust and the Adviser is terminated.
12. SEVERABILITY. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or
made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of
this Agreement shall not be affected thereby.
13. AMENDMENTS. This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent in
writing, but the consent of the Trust must be obtained in conformity with the
requirements of the Act.
14. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance
with the laws of the State of New York and the applicable provisions of the Act.
To the extent the applicable laws of the State of New York, or any of the
provisions herein, conflict with the applicable provisions of the Act, the
latter shall control.
15. PERSONAL LIABILITY. The Declaration of the Trust establishing the
Trust (the "Declaration"), is on file in the office of the Secretary of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and, in accordance with that Declaration, no
Trustee, shareholder, officer, employee or agent of the Trust shall be held to
any personal liability, nor shall resort be had to their private property for
satisfaction of any obligation or claim or otherwise in connection with the
affairs of the Trust, but the "Trust Property" only shall be liable.
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16. SEPARATE SERIES. Pursuant to the provisions of the Declaration,
each Portfolio is a separate series of the Trust, and all debts, liabilities,
obligations and expenses of a particular Portfolio shall be enforceable only
against the assets of that Portfolio and not against the assets of any other
Portfolio or of the Trust as a whole.
17. NOTICES. All notices shall be in writing and deemed properly
given when delivered or mailed by United States certified or registered mail,
return receipt requested, postage prepaid, addressed as follows:
Subadviser: EQSF Advisers, Inc.
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Attention:
Adviser: SunAmerica Asset Management Corp.
The SunAmerica Center
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Attention: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇
Senior Vice President and
General Counsel
with a copy to: SunAmerica Inc.
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Attention: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Secretary, Seasons Series Trust
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused their respective duly
authorized officers to execute this Agreement as of the date first above
written.
SUNAMERICA ASSET MANAGEMENT CORP.
By:
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Name: ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Title: President
EQSF ADVISERS, INC.
By:
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Name:
Title:
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SCHEDULE A
ANNUAL FEE*
(AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE
AVERAGE DAILY NET
ASSETS THE SUBADVISER
PORTFOLIO(S) MANAGES IN THE PORTFOLIO)
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Focus Value Portfolio
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