Exhibit 9.1
C/M 12034.0001 489335.1
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TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT
between
AMERINDO FUNDS, INC.
and
AMERICAN DATA SERVICES, INC.
[GRAPHIC OMITTED]
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INDEX
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1. TERMS OF APPOINTMENT; DUTIES OF ADS......................................3
2. FEES AND EXPENSES........................................................4
3. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF ADS....................................4
4. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE FUND...............................5
5. INDEMNIFICATION..........................................................5
6. COVENANTS OF THE FUND AND ADS............................................6
7. TERMINATION OF AGREEMENT.................................................7
8. ASSIGNMENT...............................................................7
9. AMENDMENT................................................................7
10. NEW YORK LAWS TO APPLY..................................................8
11. MERGER OF AGREEMENT.....................................................8
12. NOTICES.................................................................8
FEE SCHEDULE.................................................................9
(A) ACCOUNT MAINTENANCE CHARGE:..............................................9
(B) TRANSACTION FEES:........................................................9
(C) 24 HOUR AUTOMATED VOICE RESPONSE:.......................................10
(D) FUND/SERV...............................................................10
(E) XXX PLAN FEES: (IF APPLICABLE)..........................................10
(F) EXPENSES:...............................................................10
(G) SPECIAL REPORTS:........................................................11
(H) SERVICE DEPOSIT:........................................................11
(I) CONVERSION CHARGE: (EXISTING FUNDS ONLY, NEW FUNDS PLEASE IGNORE).......11
SCHEDULE A..................................................................12
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TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made the 25th day of October, 1996, by and between Amerindo Funds,
Inc. on behalf of its series, Amerindo Technology Fund, a Maryland corporation,
(the "Fund") having its principal offices and places of business at Xxx
Xxxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000, Xxx Xxxxxxxxx, XX 00000 and 000 Xxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx,
XX 00000 , and American Data Services, Inc., a New York corporation having its
principal office and place of business at 00 Xxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx., Xxxxxxxxxx,
Xxx Xxxx 00000 ("ADS").
WHEREAS, the Fund desires to appoint ADS as its transfer agent, dividend
disbursing agent and agent in connection with certain other activities, and ADS
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 ADS
1.01 Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this agreement, the
Fund hereby employs and appoints ADS to act as, and ADS agrees to act as its
transfer agent for the Fund's authorized and issued shares of its common stock,
$0.001 par value, ("Shares"), dividend disbursing agent and agent in connection
with any accumulation, open-account or similar plans provided to the
shareholders of the Fund ("Shareholders") set out in the currently effective
prospectus and statement of additional information ("prospectus") of the Fund.
1.02 ADS agrees that it will perform the following services:
(a) In accordance with procedures established from time to time by
agreement between the Fund and ADS, ADS shall:
I. Receive for acceptance, orders for the purchase of Shares, and promptly
deliver payment and appropriate documentation therefore to the Custodian of
the Fund authorized by the Board of Directors of the Fund (the
"Custodian");
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 therefore to the Custodian;
IV. 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;
V. Effect transfers of Shares by the registered owners thereof upon receipt of
appropriate instructions;
VI. Prepare and transmit payments for dividends and distributions declared by
the Fund;
VII. Maintain records of account for and advise the Fund and its Shareholders as
to the foregoing; and
VIII.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 which are
authorized, based upon data provided to it by the
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Fund, and issued and outstanding. ADS shall also provide the Fund on a
regular basis with the total number of shares which 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 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 not in lieu of the services set forth in the above
paragraph (a), ADS shall:
I. Perform all of the customary services of a transfer agent, dividend
disbursing agent, including but not limited to: maintaining all Shareholder
accounts, preparing Shareholder meeting lists, mailing proxies, receiving
and tabulating proxies, mailing 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 redemption's 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 and reports which will enable the Fund to monitor the
total number of Shares sold in each State.
Procedures applicable to certain of these services may be established from
time to time by agreement between the Fund and ADS.
2. FEES AND EXPENSES
2.01 For performance by ADS pursuant to this Agreement, the Fund agrees to
pay ADS an annual maintenance fee for each Shareholder account and transaction
fees for each portfolio or class of shares serviced under this Agreement (See
Schedule A) as set out in the fee schedule attached hereto. Such fees and out-of
pocket expenses and advances identified under Section 2.02 below may be changed
from time to time subject to mutual written agreement between the Fund and ADS.
2.02 In addition to the fee paid under Section 2.01 above, the Fund agrees
to reimburse ADS for direct out-of-pocket expenses or advances incurred by ADS
for the items set out in the fee schedule attached hereto. In addition, any
other expenses incurred by ADS at the request or with the consent of the Fund,
will be reimbursed by the Fund.
2.03 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 ADS by the Fund at least seven (7) days prior to
the mailing date of such materials.
3. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF ADS
ADS represents and warrants to the Fund that:
3.01 It is a corporation duly organized and existing and in good standing
under the laws of The State of New York.
3.02 It is duly qualified to carry on its business in The State of New
York.
3.03 It is empowered under applicable laws and by its charter and by-laws
to enter into and perform this Agreement.
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3.04 All requisite corporate proceedings have been taken to authorize it to
enter into and perform this Agreement.
3.05 It has and will continue to have access to the necessary facilities,
equipment and personnel to perform its duties and obligations under this
Agreement.
3.06 ADS is duly registered as a transfer agent under the Securities Act of
1934 and shall continue to be registered throughout the remainder of this
Agreement.
4. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE FUND
The Fund represents and warrants to ADS that;
4.01 It is a corporation duly organized and existing and in good standing
under the laws of Maryland.
4.02 It is empowered under applicable laws and by its Articles of
Incorporation and By-Laws to enter into and perform this Agreement.
4.03 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.
4.04 It is an open-end and non-diversified management investment company
registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
4.05 A registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 is currently
or will become effective and will remain effective, and appropriate state
securities law filings as required, have been or will be made and will continue
to be made, with respect to all Shares of the Fund being offered for sale.
5. INDEMNIFICATION
5.01 ADS shall not be responsible for, and the Fund shall indemnify and
hold ADS harmless from and against, any and all losses, damages, reasonable
costs, charges, reasonable counsel fees, payments, expenses and liability
arising out of or attributable to:
(a) All actions of ADS or its agents or subcontractors appointed with prior
approval of Fund 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 refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement,
or which arise out of the Fund's lack good faith, negligence or willful
misconduct or which arise out of the breach of any representation or
warranty of the Fund hereunder.
(c) The reliance on or use by ADS or its agents or subcontractors of
information, records and documents which (i) are received by ADS or its
agents or subcontractors and furnished to it by or on behalf of the Fund,
and (ii) have been prepared and/or maintained by the Fund or any other
person or firm on behalf of the Fund.
(d) The reliance on, or the carrying out by ADS or its agents or subcontractors
of any instructions or requests of the Fund.
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(e) The offer or sale of Shares in violation of any requirement under the
federal securities laws or regulations or the securities laws or
regulations of any state that such Shares be registered in such state or in
violation of any stop order or other determination or ruling by any federal
agency or any state with respect to the offer or sale of such Shares in
such state.
5.02 ADS shall indemnify and hold the Fund harmless from and against any
and all losses, damages, costs, charges, reasonable counsel fees, payments,
expenses and liability arising out of or attributable to any action or failure
or omission to act by ADS as a result of ADS's lack of good faith, negligence or
willful misconduct.
5.03 At any time ADS 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 ADS under this Agreement, and
ADS 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. ADS, its agents and
subcontractors shall be protected and indemnified in acting upon any paper or
document furnished by or on behalf of the Fund, reasonably believed to be
genuine and to have been signed by the proper person or persons, or upon any
instruction, information, data, records or documents provided ADS 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. ADS, its agents and subcontractors shall also be protected and
indemnified in recognizing stock certificates which 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 registrar, or of a
co-transfer agent or co-registrar.
5.04 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.
5.05 Neither party to this Agreement shall be liable to the other party for
consequential damages under any provision of this Agreement or for any act or
failure to act hereunder.
5.06 In order that the indemnification provisions contained in this Article
5 shall apply, upon the assertion of a claim for which either party may be
required to indemnify the other, the party of seeking indemnification shall
promptly notify the other party of such assertion, and shall keep the other
party advised with respect to all developments concerning such claim. The party
who may be required to indemnify shall have the option to participate with the
party seeking indemnification the defense of such claim. The party seeking
indemnification shall in no case confess any claim or make any compromise in any
case in which the other party may be required to indemnify it except with the
other party's prior written consent.
6. COVENANTS OF THE FUND AND ADS
6.01 The Fund Shall promptly furnish to ADS a certified copy of the
resolution of the Board of Directors of the Fund authorizing the appointment of
ADS and the execution and delivery of this Agreement.
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6.02 ADS 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.
6.03 ADS 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 Company Act of 1940, as amended, and
the Rules thereunder, ADS agrees that all such records prepared or maintained by
ADS relating to the services to be performed by ADS 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.
6.04 ADS and the Fund agree that all books, records, information and data
pertaining to the business of the other party which 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.
6.05 In case of any requests or demands for the inspection of the
Shareholder records of the Fund, ADS will notify the Fund and secure
instructions from an authorized officer of the Fund as to such inspection. ADS
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, and shall promptly notify the
Fund of any unusual request to inspect or copy the shareholder records of the
Fund or the receipt of any other unusual request to inspect, copy or produce the
records of the Fund.
7. TERMINATION OF AGREEMENT
7.01 This Agreement shall become effective as of the date hereof and shall
continue to remain in force, provided however, that both parties to this
Agreement have the option to terminate the Agreement, upon sixty (60) days prior
written notice.
7.02 Should the Fund exercise its right to terminate, all reasonable
out-of-pocket expenses associated with the movement of records and material will
be borne by the Fund. Additionally, ADS reserves the right to charge for any
other reasonable expenses associated with such termination.
8. ASSIGNMENT
8.01 Neither this Agreement nor any rights or obligations hereunder may be
assigned by either party without the written consent of the other party.
8.02 This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the
parties and their respective permitted successors and assigns.
9. AMENDMENT
9.01 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.
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10. NEW YORK LAWS TO APPLY
10.01 The provisions of this Agreement shall be construed and interpreted
in accordance with the laws of the State of New York as at the time in effect
and the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act. To the extent that the applicable
law of the State of New York, or any of the provisions herein, conflict with the
applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, the latter shall control.
11. MERGER OF AGREEMENT
11.01 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.
12. NOTICES.
All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing, shall
be deemed to have been given when received or when sent by telex or facsimile,
and shall be given to the following addresses (or such other addresses as to
which notice is given):
To the Fund: To ADS:
Ms. Xxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxxx Xxxxx
Vice President President
Amerindo Funds, Inc. American Data Services, Inc.
000 Xxxx Xxxxxx 00 Xxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000 Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
With a copy to:
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx, Esq.
Battle Xxxxxx LLP
00 Xxxx 00xx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of
the day and year first above written.
AMERINDO FUNDS, INC. AMERICAN DATA SERVICES, INC.
By:____________________________ By:__________________________
Xxxx Xxxxx, Vice President Xxxxxxx Xxxxx, President
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FEE SCHEDULE
For the services rendered by ADS in its capacity as transfer agent, the
Fund shall pay ADS, within fifteen (15) days after receipt of an invoice from
ADS at the beginning of each month, a fee, calculated as a combination of
account maintenance charges and transaction charges as follows:
(a) ACCOUNT MAINTENANCE CHARGE:
The Greater of (No prorating for partial months):
(1) Minimum maintenance charge per portfolio/class $900.00/ month
OR,
(2) Based upon the total of all open/closed accounts (1) per portfolio/class
upon the following annual rates (billed monthly):
Fund Type:
Dividend calculated and
paid annually, semi-annually, quarterly.................. $ 9.00 per account
Dividend calculated and paid monthly...................... $10.50 per account
Dividend accrued daily and paid monthly .................. $14.00 per account
Closed accounts ................. $ 2.00 per account (2)
(1) All accounts closed during a calendar year will be considered as open
accounts for billing purposes until the end of that calendar year.
(2) Closed accounts remain on the shareholder files until all 1099's and 5498's
have been distributed to the shareholders and send via mag-media to the
IRS.
(b) TRANSACTION FEES:
Trade Entry (purchase/liquidation) and maintenance transactions ..$ 1.35 each
New account set-up ...............................................$ 2.50 each
Customer service calls ...........................................$ 1.00 each
Correspondence/ information requests .............................$ 1.25 each(2)
Check preparation ................................................$ .50 each
Liquidation's paid by wire transfer ..............................$ 3.00 each
ACH charge .......................................................$ .30 each
SWP ..............................................................$ .90 each
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(c) 24 HOUR AUTOMATED VOICE RESPONSE:
Initial set-up charge per portfolio - $150.00
Monthly maintenance charge per portfolio - $50.00
All calls processed through automated voice response will be billed as a
customer service call listed above.
(d) Fund/SERV
All portfolios processed through Fund/SERV will be subject to an additional
monthly charge of $250.00
All transactions processed through Fund/SERV will be billed at the transaction
fee rates listed in (b) above.
(e) XXX PLAN FEES: (If applicable)
The following fees will be charged directly to the shareholder account:
Annual maintenance fee .............................$15.00 /account*
Incoming transfer from prior custodian ............ $12.00
Distribution to a participant ......................$15.00
Refund of excess contribution ......................$15.00
Transfer to successor custodian ....................$15.00
Automatic periodic distributions ...................$15.00/year per account
* Includes $5.00 Bank Custody Fee.
(f) EXPENSES:
The Fund shall reimburse ADS for any direct out-of-pocket expenses,
exclusive of salaries, advanced by ADS in connection with but not limited to the
costs for printing fund documents, (i.e. printing of confirmation forms,
shareholder statements, redemption/dividend checks, envelopes, financial
statements, proxy statement, fund prospectus, etc.) proxy solicitation and
mailing expenses, travel requested by the Fund, telephone toll charges, 800-line
costs and fees, facsimile and data transmission costs, stationery and supplies
(related to Fund records), record storage, postage (plus a $0.085 service charge
for all mailings), pro-rata portion of annual SAS-70 audit letter, telex and
courier charges incurred in connection with the performance of its duties
hereunder. ADS shall provide the Fund with a monthly invoice of such expenses
and the Fund shall reimburse ADS within fifteen (15) days after receipt thereof.
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(g) SPECIAL REPORTS:
All reports and/or analyses requested by the Fund that are not included in
the fee schedule, shall be subject to an additional charge, agreed upon in
advance, based upon the following rates:
Labor:
Senior staff - $150.00/hr.
Junior staff - $ 75.00/hr.
Computer time - $45.00/hr.
(h) SERVICE DEPOSIT:
The Fund will remit to ADS upon execution of this Agreement a service
deposit of equal to one (1) month's shareholder service fee. The service deposit
computation will be based either on the total number of shareholder accounts
(open and closed) of each portfolio to be serviced or the minimum fee, whichever
is greater, as of the execution date of this Agreement. The Fund will have the
option to have the service deposit applied to the last month's service fee, or
applied to any new contract between the Fund and ADS.
(i) CONVERSION CHARGE: (existing funds only, new funds please ignore)
There will be a $1,000 charge to convert the Fund's shareholder accounting
records on to the ADS stock transfer system. In addition, ADS will be reimbursed
for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, enumerated in paragraph (b) above and
data media conversion costs, incurred during the conversion process.
The conversion charge will be estimated and agreed upon in advance by the
Fund and ADS. The charge will be based upon the quantity of records to be
converted and the condition of the previous service agents records.
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SCHEDULE A
PORTFOLIOS TO BE SERVICED UNDER THIS AGREEMENT:
AMERINDO TECHNOLOGY FUND
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