EXHIBIT (2)(k)(1)
AMENDED AND RESTATED
SERVICE AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”)
is amended and restated as of this 30th day of June, 2020, by and between the trusts listed in Appendix
A (the “Trusts”), on behalf of themselves and each of their funds (except as noted) (the “Funds”) and Xxxx
Xxxxxxx Investment Management LLC (formerly, Xxxx Xxxxxxx Advisers, LLC) (“Xxxx Xxxxxxx”).
WHEREAS, each Trust
desires to retain Xxxx Xxxxxxx to provide certain services to the Trust and the Funds as described below; and Xxxx Xxxxxxx is willing
to provide such services in the manner and on the terms hereinafter set forth; and
WHERE AS, each Trust,
except Xxxx Xxxxxxx Collateral Trust and the Xxxx Xxxxxxx Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (the “Existing Trusts”), has entered
into a Service Agreement with Xxxx Xxxxxxx dated as of June 25, 2014, as amended, and each Existing Trust desires to amend and
restate that Agreement and the Xxxx Xxxxxxx Collateral Trust and the Xxxx Xxxxxxx Exchange-Traded Fund Trust desire to become a
party to the Service Agreement;
NOW, THEREFORE, each Trust and Xxxx Xxxxxxx
hereby agree as follows:
1.
Services.
Subject to the general supervision of the Boards of Trustees of the Trusts (the “Boards of Trustees”), Xxxx Xxxxxxx
will provide (a) to the Trusts and each of the Funds the services set forth below, and (b) to each of the Funds (if any) that is
identified in Appendix B as a feeder fund (“Feeder Fund”) that invests substantially all of its assets in a corresponding
master fund (“Master Fund”) having substantially similar investment objectives and policies, such additional services
and functions set forth below, as are reasonably necessary for the operation of the Trusts and each Fund (“Services”).
The Services, to the extent not required to be performed by Xxxx Xxxxxxx pursuant to an investment advisory agreement with respect
to a Fund, include, but are not limited to:
| A. | Legal services as follows: |
| (1) | Maintenance of each Fund’s
registration statement and federal and state registration; |
| (2) | Preparation of certain
notices and proxy materials furnished to shareholders of the Funds; |
| (3) | Preparation of periodic
reports of each Fund to regulatory authorities, including Form N-SAR and Rule 24f-2 legal opinions; |
| (4) | Preparation of materials
in connection with meetings of the Board of Trustees including minutes of the meeting and all Board Committee meetings; |
| (5) | Administration of the
meetings of the Board of Trustees; |
| (6) | Preparation of written
contracts, distributions plans, compliance procedures, corporate and trust documents and other legal documents; |
| (7) | Research advice and consultation
about certain legal, regulatory and compliance issues; |
| (8) | Supervision, coordination
and evaluation of certain services provided by outside counsel; |
| (9) | Responses to subpoenas
and appropriate information requests for shareholder records; and |
| (10) | Management of litigation
regarding the Funds. |
| B. | Tax Services as follows: |
| (1) | Preparation (and in some cases reviewing EY’s
preparation) of all required tax returns for the Funds; |
| (2) | Preparation (and in some cases reviewing EY’s
preparation) of all required tax returns for the Funds; |
| (3) | Review of “complex”
securities purchased by the Funds; |
| (4) | Preparation of tax information
that is included in a Fund’s Form 1099-DIV and distributed to third party intermediaries; |
| (5) | Preparation of financial
statement tax adjustments and disclosures for the Funds; |
| (6) | Monitoring regulatory
compliance with applicable IRS rules and regulations; |
| (7) | Preparation of tax provisions
for excise, fiscal year-end and calendar year end; |
| (8) | Analysis and consultation
regarding certain tax matters; |
| (9) | Oversight of tax services
provided by auditing firms such as Ernst & Young; and |
| (10) | Preparation (and in some cases reviewing EY’s
preparation) of all required tax returns for the Funds; |
| (11) | Analysis of complex corporate
actions for tax purposes; and |
| (12) | Consultation with the
Investment Product group on new products from a tax perspective; |
| C. | Treasury & Portfolio
Services as follows: |
| (1) | Review of each Fund’s
class-level net asset value computation (as calculated by the Custodian) using the Line Data system on a daily (next day) basis; |
| (2) | Resolve daily fund accounting,
custody, and other operational issues that arise given the dual-custodian model and number of sub-advisors on the platform; Corporate
action oversight; daily yield review, etc. |
| (3) | Provide guidance and support
to the Investments team on complex Fund events, investment types, and other complexities surrounding operational issues that arise; |
| (4) | Subject matter experts
on accounting and trading operations related to the Funds and disposition of all incidents appropriately; |
| (5) | Assessment and review
of internal controls at the Custodian bank and perform Custodian and Fund Accounting agent oversight and due diligence visits as
necessary; |
| (6) | Support for and calculation
of daily and periodic Fund dividend distributions including the Excise process; |
| (7) | Review, analysis and disposition
of NAV pricing errors including processing and determination of applicable support for reimbursement of losses and reprocessing
of fund shares; |
| (8) | Preparation of Board materials
(relevant to TPS) for Fund Administration, including materials for the annual Fund Contracts review; |
| (9) | Development of Accounting
Policies; |
| (10) | Coordinate and execute
the duties of the Complex Securities Committee; |
| (11) | Support the RIO (Risk
in Investment Operations) process and facilitate meetings, reporting, and Board materials thereof; |
| (12) | Administer the daily Interfund
Lending (IFL) program including adherence to the SEC Exemptive Order; |
| (13) | Administer daily leveraged
line of credit process for the Closed-End funds, including the monitoring and movement of collateral as required as well as coordination
of the annual line of credit analysis; |
| (14) | Daily overdraft monitoring
including administration of the open-end line of credit; |
| (15) | Review of cash and securities
reconciliations and aged exception items; |
| (16) | Review monthly custodian
Operations Report and conduct periodic onsite risk reviews; |
| (11) | Oversight of Blue-Sky
filings as they pertain to Fund events; |
| (11) | Coordinate and execute
transactions relating to the Funds such as Fund mergers, sub adviser changes, Fund rebalancing and Fund asset transfers (collectively,
“Fund Events”), including the assessment and selection of transition managers; |
| (12) | Complete and disseminate
certain surveys for the Xxxx Xxxxxxx funds, such as the ICI survey; |
| (13) | Review matters relating
to Fund mergers, Fund launches and Fund liquidations; |
| (14) | Prepare N-14 pro-forma
merger related information and financial statements for other Fund transactions; |
| (15) | Administer the Fund Commission
Recapture Program; |
| (16) | Oversight and reporting
of counterparty exposure across all funds by counterparty and derivative type; |
| (17) | Coordinate operational
activities associated with Fund of Funds rebalancing; |
| (18) | Review of financing break
eve n analysis for Closed End Funds; |
| (19) | Review of contractual
covenants and coordination of de-leveraging events; associated with closed-end Fund lines of credit; and |
| (20) | Administration of other
Closed-End fund-related activities such as the Equity shelf offering and share repurchase program. |
| (1) | Ensure that the Funds’
Board-approved Valuation Policies and Procedures are adhered to and updated, as appropriate; |
| (2) | Daily review of Fund market
risk, such as suspended securities, significant events, price discrepancies, vendor discrepancies, and stale prices, including
development of reports to identify market risk; |
| (3) | Develop and maintain controls
relating to valuation of Fund securities; |
| (4) | Prepare reports to the
Funds Board relating to the valuation risks including fair valuation of securities and resolved securities as prescribed in Board-approved
Valuation Policies and Procedures; |
| (5) | Conduct Pricing Committee
meetings as needed and assist in the determination of fair valuation of securities; |
| (6) | Perform due diligence
of pricing vendors, including onsite visits; |
| (7) | Prepare materials for
monthly Pricing Committee meetings; |
| (8) | Monitor for significant
events; |
| (9) | Perform back-testing to
determine whether fair valuations were appropriate; |
| (10) | Periodically evaluate
trigger levels; and |
| (11) | Document fair value decisions. |
| E. | Financial Reporting as
follows: |
| (1) | Preparation of financial
data or reports required by the Securities and Exchange Commission or other regulatory authorities including the preparation of
semi- annual and annual reports for the Funds; |
| (2) | Preparation and filing
of Form N-CSR, Form N-PORT, Form N-CEN, Form N-MFP and CFTC reporting (as applicable) for the Funds; |
| (3) | Coordination of independent
external audits for the Funds; |
| (4) | Coordination and administration
of CEO/CFO certification materials; |
| (5) | Coordination and administration
of Accounting Policies Meeting; |
| (6) | Coordination and administration
of Disclosure Controls & Procedures (DC&P) meetings; |
| (7) | Provide business analyst
support for Fund Administration initiatives and activities; |
| (8) | Maintain the Funds’
GAAP reporting policies; |
| (9) | Assist the Funds’
Audit Committees in annual fee proposals and monitor auditor independence; |
| (10) | Administer and review
the pre-approval process for the Funds’ auditors regarding non-audit securities engagements; |
| (11) | Review and on-going maintenance
of Fund financial statement disclosures; |
| (12) | Provide confirmation support
for external audit; |
| (13) | Coordinate Closed End
Funds annual financial statements and Audit Committee approval |
| (14) | Oversee ETF website reporting
in accordance with SEC exemptive order requirements; and |
| (15) | Administration and filing
of Form N-PX. |
| F. | Service Provider Oversight (Vendor Management) as
follows: |
| (1) | Assistance in the selection
of service providers; |
| (2) | Assistance in the negotiation
of existing service provider agreements including appropriate amendments thereto; |
| (3) | Monitoring the performance
of and the quality of services provided by service providers under such agreements including the review of vendor reports, performance
measurement reporting (“scorecards”) and periodic due diligence reviews; |
| (4) | Perform SOC 1 report reviews
for key vendors; Review and assess known compliance violations with service providers; |
| (5) | Monitoring service providers’
compliance with applicable regulatory requirements; |
| (6) | Facilitating the annual
due diligence questionnaire process for key service providers and the issuance of risk assessment memos to the business summarizing
the results; |
| (7) | Support Information Risk
Management in their review of highest risk vendors through the collection of risk artifacts and with assistance in the closing
of any related risk findings; |
| (8) | Reporting periodically
to the Board of Trustees on the service providers and the services provided to the Trust and the Funds; |
| (9) | Responding to requests
from regulators regarding the service providers; |
| (10) | Establish a philosophy
and framework for effective management and oversight of Fund service providers including conducting on-site due diligence visits
as necessary; |
| (11) | Development and review
of Service Level Agreements as needed; |
| (12) | Monitor news events regarding
Funds’ vendor relationships; and |
| (13) | Prepare materials and
coordinate key vendor periodic executive meetings. |
| G. | Fund Administration Solutions |
| (1) | Conduct monthly Fund Administration
project prioritization meetings with senior management; |
| (2) | Develop the master project
list, prioritization schedule and Project Management Office staffing model; |
| (3) | Adhere to Manulife’s
corporate Information Technology project prioritization procedures (i.e. Project Gating and Steering Committee participation); |
| (4) | Facilitate project meetings
and the development of business requirements, project plans and summary dashboard reporting documents; execute select projects; |
| (5) | Coordinate activities
with internal and external Information Technology representatives; |
| (6) | Lead initiatives, including
projects related to regulatory requirements, process improvements, digitization and process improvement, strategic priorities,
and risk reduction needs; and |
| (7) | Manage deployment, enablement
and adoption, and ongoing support (including subject matter expertise) of user enabled technologies. |
| H. | Additional Services to
Feeder Funds: |
| (1) | Assist in the development
of information and reports to the Board of Trustees (i) to enable it to make all necessary decisions regarding whether to invest
the assets of a Feeder Fund in shares of a particular Master Fund and (ii) as may be requested by the Board of Trustees from time
to time; |
| (2) | Coordination with the
board of directors, officers and service providers of each Master Fund for purposes of obtaining all information, reports, certifications,
signatures and other materials reasonably necessary for preparing and filing of its |
corresponding Feeder Fund’s registration
statement, shareholder reports and other reports that may be filed pursuant to applicable securities laws and regulations;
| (3) | Effecting daily trades into or from each Master Fund,
settling all such transactions and performing trading and settlement reconciliations; |
| (4) | Facilitation of distributing
Master Fund proxy solicitation materials to corresponding Feeder Fund shareholders and/or coordinating with officers and service
providers of each Master Fund the incorporation of its proxy information into its corresponding Feeder Fund proxy solicitation
materials; and |
| (5) | Coordination with officers
and service providers of each Master Fund for purposes of enabling its corresponding Feeder Fund to compile and maintain such books
and records as may be legally required or reasonably necessary or prudent for such Feeder Fund to compile and maintain. |
| (1) | Preparation of expense
budget for each Fund and update for contractual changes; |
| (2) | Preparation of Form 24f-2
notices for each Fund; |
| (3) | Calculation of expense
information and disclosure included in Fund registration statements; |
| (4) | Monitoring of Fund expense
caps and waivers; |
| (5) | Assist in completing proforma
analysis for new funds and completing expense disclosure for proxy for potential fund mergers; |
| (6) | Perform 18f-3 reviews; |
| (7) | Complete board materials
around overall expenses of funds and tracked to budget; |
| (8) | Oversight of vendor and
ensure compliance for state blue sky laws; |
| (9) | Review of Fund expenses
and authorization for disbursement including all affiliated fees (inclusive of advisor, 12b-1, administration and transfer agency);
and |
| (10) | Completion and review
of 12b-1 expense cap calculations. |
| J. | Liquidity Risk Management
Program |
| (1) | Provide oversight of the
Liquidity Risk Management Program of the Xxxx Xxxxxxx Group of Funds to ensure that processes are operating effectively and appropriately
to manage liquidity risk; |
| (2) | Review and approve portfolio
position liquidity classifications in accordance to SEC Rule 22e-4; |
| (3) | Monitor fund events and
news regarding potential liquidity events on a daily basis; |
| (4) | Manage liquidity event
escalation with internal stakeholders and JH Board members as situations require; and |
| (5) | Provide materials and
discuss with the Liquidity Risk Management Committee to meet the requirements of the Committee charter and Liquidity Risk Management
Policy. |
| (1) | Administration and maintenance
of the data management system and the Investment Data Hub (“IDH”); |
| (2) | Review data feeds and
analyze and resolve exceptions; and |
| (3) | Maintain data governance
controls and data quality requirements as outlined by the data governance committee and data users. |
| (1) | Provide oversight on the
daily & monthly calculation and review of the investment performance of the Funds, including performance attribution; |
| (2) | Reconcile JH performance
with key 3rd party vendors – Morningstar and Lipper; |
| (3) | Support performance content
and review of JH financial statements; |
| (4) | Support performance content
and review of JH annual prospectus filing; |
| (5) | Support JH Investments
website content (daily / monthly); |
| (6) | Contributor to monthly
DC&P meetings; and |
| (7) | Contributor to board materials
as necessary. |
| M. | Securities Lending and
FX |
| (1) | Oversight of securities
lending agents and custodians; |
| (2) | Ensure all FX trades are
executed in a manner consistent with the best interests of Fund shareholders; |
| (3) | Perform benchmarking Transaction
Cost Analysis for both Negotiated and Non-Negotiated FX trades; |
| (4) | Review of securities lending
income received by the Funds, as well as income payments and past dues; |
| (5) | Coordination and administration
of the Cash Management and Security Lending Committee |
| (6) | Ensure compliance with
SEC regulations and Xxxx Xxxxxxx agreements and guidelines (lending limits, collateral coverage, approved collateral, borrowers,
and markets); |
| (7) | Monitor loan recalls,
sell fails, and restrictions; |
| (8) | Monitor Collateral Trust
Fund activity from yield, liquidity, and compliance perspective; |
| (9) | Monitor Collateral Trust
Fund cash sweep |
| (10) | Perform benchmark analysis
to validate loan rates |
| (11) | Perform due diligence
on potential and existing securities lending agents; and |
| (12) | Communicate and monitor
lending approvals and transactions related to fund launches, mergers, and liquidations. |
In connection with its provision of the Services,
Xxxx Xxxxxxx will
| (1) | Provide such staff and
personnel as are reasonably necessary to perform the Services for the Trusts and the Funds. Without limiting the generality of
the foregoing, such staff and personnel shall be deemed to include officers of Xxxx Xxxxxxx and its affiliates, and persons employed
or otherwise retained by Xxxx Xxxxxxx, to provide or assist in providing the Services to the Trusts and the Funds; and |
| (2) | Provide the Trusts and the Funds with all office facilities
to perform the Services. |
The Services do not include services
performed and personnel provided pursuant to contracts with the Trust or the Funds by third-party custodians, transfer agents and
other service providers.
2.
Compensation.
In consideration for the Services provided to the Trusts and the Funds by Xxxx Xxxxxxx and its affiliates pursuant to this Agreement,
each Fund will pay Xxxx Xxxxxxx such fee or other compensation as may be approved by the Board of Trustees from time to time and
set forth in Appendix C hereto as the same may be amended from time to time. Any Services provided by a person or entity other
than Xxxx Xxxxxxx and its affiliates, including, without limitation, services provided by attorneys not affiliated with Xxxx Xxxxxxx,
are not covered under this Agreement and are an expense of the Funds.
3. No
Partnership or Joint Venture. Each Trust, on behalf of
itself and each of its Funds, and Xxxx Xxxxxxx are not partners of or joint venturers with each other, and nothing herein shall be
construed so as to make any of the Trusts, on behalf of itself or any of its Funds, and Xxxx Xxxxxxx partners or joint
venturers or impose any liability as such on the Trust, any Fund or Xxxx Xxxxxxx.
4.
Limitation of Liability. Xxxx
Xxxxxxx shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Funds in connection with
the matters to which this Agreement relates, except losses resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence by Xxxx
Xxxxxxx in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by .Xxxx Xxxxxxx of its obligations under this Agreement. Any
person, even though also employed by Xxxx Xxxxxxx, who may be or become an employee of and paid by any of the Trusts shall be deemed,
when acting within the scope of his or her employment by the Trust, to be acting in such employment solely for the Trusts and not
as Xxxx Xxxxxxx’x employee or agent.
5.
Duration and Termination of Agreement.
This Agreement shall remain in effect until the second anniversary of the date on which it was executed, and from year to year
thereafter, but only so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by a majority of the Board of Trustees
and a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons (as defined in the 0000 Xxx) of any of the Trusts or Xxxx Xxxxxxx.
The Agreement may, on 60 days’ written notice, be terminated at any time without the payment of any penalty by any of the
Trusts on behalf of itself or any of its Funds (by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust) or by Xxxx Xxxxxxx.
6.
Amendment.
No provision of this Agreement may be amended, waived, discharged or terminated except by an instrument in writing signed by the
party against which enforcement of the amendment, waiver, discharge or termination is sought.
7.
Governing Law. This
Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts without regard to
the choice of law provisions thereof.
8.
Miscellaneous.
The captions in this Agreement are included for convenience of reference only and in no way define or Limit any of the provisions
of this Agreement 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.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of each Trust xxx.xx is organized as a Massachusetts business trust is on file with the Secretary
of State of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and provides that no Trustee, shareholder, officer, employee or agent of the Trust
shall be subject to any personal liability in connection with Trust property or the affairs of the Trust, but that only the assets
belonging to the Trust, or to the particular Fund with respect to which an obligation or claim arose, shall be liable.
| 10. | Execution. This Agreement and any amendments
hereto and any notices or other communications hereunder that are required to be in writing may be in electronic form (including
without limitation by facsimile and, in the case of notices and other communications, email) and may be executed by means of electronic
signatures. |
(THE REMAINDER OF THIS SPACE HAS BEEN INTENTIONALLY
LEFT BLANK)
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the
undersigned have caused this Agreement to be executed by their duly authorized officers as of the date first written above.
XXXX XXXXXXX INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LLC
(formerly, Xxxx Xxxxxxx Advisers, LLC)
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By: |
/s/ Xxx Xxxxxxxxx |
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Name: |
Xxx Xxxxxxxxx |
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Title: |
Chief Investment Officer |
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BY ALL THE TRUSTS LISTED IN APPENDIX A |
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By: |
/s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Name: |
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Title: |
President and Chief Executive Officer |
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Appendix A
Xxxx Xxxxxxx Xxxx Trust
On behalf of each of its series
Xxxx Xxxxxxx Current Interest
On behalf of each of its series
Xxxx Xxxxxxx Funds II
On behalf of each of its series
Xxxx Xxxxxxx Funds III
On behalf of each of its series
Xxxx Xxxxxxx Hedged Equity & Income Fund
Xxxx Xxxxxxx Income Securities Trust
Xxxx Xxxxxxx Investment Trust
On behalf of each of its series (except Xxxx Xxxxxxx
Large Cap Equity Fund)
Xxxx Xxxxxxx Investment Trust II
On behalf of each of its series
Xxxx Xxxxxxx Investors Trust
Xxxx Xxxxxxx Municipal Securities Trust
On behalf of each of its series
Xxxx Xxxxxxx Preferred Income Fund
Xxxx Xxxxxxx Preferred Income Fund II
Xxxx Xxxxxxx Preferred Income Fund III
Xxxx Xxxxxxx Sovereign Bond Fund
On behalf of each of its series
Xxxx Xxxxxxx Strategic Series
On behalf of each of its series
Xxxx Xxxxxxx Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund
Xxxx Xxxxxxx Tax-Advantaged Global Shareholder Yield Fund
Xxxx Xxxxxxx Collateral Trust
Xxxx Xxxxxxx Exchange-Traded Fund Trust
On behalf of each of its series
Appendix B
The Feeder Funds are as follows:
None
Appendix C
Compensation
Each Fund listed in Appendix A shall reimburse
Xxxx Xxxxxxx for its expenses associated with providing all such Services described in this Agreement, including (a) direct compensation
and related personnel expenses, (b) direct expenses of office space, office equipment, utilities and miscellaneous office expenses
(“Office Support”), (c) direct expenses of computer hardware and software (and the development thereof) used to support
Xxxx Xxxxxxx in providing such Serv ices and IT support relating to such computer hardware and software, (d) other reasonable
direct expenses incurred by Xxxx Xxxxxxx in providing Services to the Funds including, without limitation, expenses related to
services provided by third parties such as Xxxxxxx River , GainsKeeper and Confluence, Bloomberg to Xxxx Xxxxxxx that are related
to Xxxx Xxxxxxx’x provision of Services to the Funds and (e) overhead expenses (including Manulife Financial Corporation
(“Manulife”) corporate overhead) related to Office Support and personnel who provide services to each Fund (the “Reimbursement”),
provided that overhead expenses related to Office Support shall not exceed levels that are allocated ordinarily to other Manulife
business units. Xxxx Xxxxxxx shall deter mine, subject to Board approval, the expenses to be reimbursed by each Fund; provided,
however, that such expenses shall not exceed levels that are fair and reasonable in light of the usual and customary charges made
by others for services of the same nature and quality. The Reimbursement shall be calculated and paid monthly in arrears.