As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 30 , 2015
1933 Act File No. 033-11387
1940 Act File No. 811-04984
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 | x | ||
Pre-Effective Amendment No. | ¨ | ||
Post-Effective Amendment No. 231 | x | ||
and/or
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REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 | x | ||
Amendment No. 232 | x | ||
(Check appropriate box or boxes.) | |||
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
220 East Las Colinas Boulevard, Suite 1200
Irving, Texas 75039
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant's Telephone Number, including Area Code: (817) 391-6100
Gene L. Needles, Jr., President 220 East Las Colinas Boulevard Suite 1200 Irving, Texas 75039 (Name and Address of Agent for Service) |
With copies to: Kathy K. Ingber, Esq. K&L Gates LLP 1601 K Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20006-1600 |
It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box)
x | immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) |
¨ | on (date) pursuant to paragraph (b) |
¨ | 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) |
¨ | on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) |
¨ | 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) |
¨ | on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485 |
If appropriate, check the following box:
¨ | This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment. |
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American Beacon |
PROSPECTUS
October 1, 2015
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Share Class |
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C |
Y |
Institutional |
Investor |
American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund |
GSVAX |
GVRCX |
GVRYX |
GVRIX |
GVRPX |
This Prospectus contains important information you should know about investing, including information about risks. Please read it before you invest and keep it for future reference.
The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of the prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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Additional Information About Investment Policies and Strategies |
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Back Cover
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American Beacon
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Investment Objective
The Fund's investment objective is long-term capital appreciation.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales discounts if you and your eligible family members invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in all classes of the American Beacon Funds on an aggregated basis. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in "Choosing Your Share Class" on page 17 of the Prospectus and "Additional Purchase and Sale Information for A Class Shares" on page 27 of the statement of additional information ("SAI").
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Share Class |
A |
C |
Y |
Institutional |
Investor |
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Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75 |
% |
None |
None |
None |
None |
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Maximum deferred sales charge (as a percentage of the lower of original offering price or redemption proceeds) |
0.50 |
% 1 |
1.00 |
% |
None |
None |
None |
1 |
A contingent deferred sales charge (''CDSC'') of 0.50% will be charged on certain purchases of $1,000,000 or more of A Class shares that are redeemed in whole or part within 18 months of purchase. |
1 |
Other expenses and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are based on estimated expenses for the current fiscal year. |
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The Manager has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses of the Fund's A Class, C Class, Y Class, Institutional Class and Investor Class shares, as applicable, through May 31, 2017 to the extent that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 2.50% for the A Class, 3.25% for the C Class, 2.20% for the Y Class, 2.10% for the Institutional Class and 2.48% for the Investor Class (excluding taxes, interest, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses, securities lending fees, expenses associated with securities sold short, litigation, and other extraordinary expenses). The contractual expense reimbursement can be changed only with the approval of a majority of the Fund's Board of Trustees. The Manager can be reimbursed by the Fund for any contractual fee waivers or expense reimbursements if reimbursement to the Manager (a) occurs within three years after the Manager's own waiver or reimbursement and (b) does not cause the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses of a class to exceed the contractual percentage limit in effect at the time of the waiver/reimbursement. |
Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same except that the example reflects the fee waiver/expense reimbursement arrangement for each share class through May 31, 2017. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
Share Class |
1 Year |
3 Years |
A |
$254 |
$1,211 |
C |
$429 |
$1,423 |
Y |
$224 |
$1,124 |
Institutional |
$214 |
$1,095 |
Investor |
$252 |
$1,205 |
Assuming no redemption of shares:
Share Class |
1 Year |
3 Years |
C |
$329 |
$1,423 |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or ''turns over'' its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. The Fund's portfolio turnover rate for the Fund's last fiscal year is not provided because the Fund has not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus.
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Prospectus – Fund Summary |
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to achieve long-term capital appreciation by allocating its assets to multiple subadvisors that employ investment strategies focused on taking long and short positions in global securities. The Fund seeks to achieve its objective with reduced volatility as compared to major market indices. The Fund employs a multi-manager management structure. The Manager has engaged Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., an unaffiliated alternative investment advisory firm, to serve as the Fund's lead Sub-Advisor ("Lead Sub-Advisor"). The Lead Sub-Advisor allocates the Fund's assets among multiple sub-advisors ("Sub-Advisors") that employ non-traditional alternative investment strategies.
The Fund invests predominately in equity securities and equity-related instruments (such as derivatives) traded in U.S., foreign and emerging markets. The Fund's investments include: common stock, convertible securities, depositary receipts, exchange-traded funds ("ETFs"), currencies, and derivatives, such as options, futures, forwards, swaps, contracts for difference (an arrangement where the return is linked to the price movement of an underlying security or stock market index) and participatory notes (an unsecured and unsubordinated debt security designed to replicate exposure to an equity instrument). The Fund may use derivatives to generate profits, leverage the Fund's portfolio, hedge the Fund's exposure to a particular investment or market-related risk, as well as to manage the volatility of the Fund's return. The Fund may invest in the equity securities and equity-related instruments of companies of any market capitalization, but generally will invest in medium- and large-capitalization companies. The Fund expects to maintain short positions in equity securities and equity-related instruments. The Fund expects to have a net long bias, which means that the value of the Fund's long portfolio will exceed the value of the Fund's short portfolio, and the Fund will have directional exposure to the equity markets. However, the Sub-Advisors generally will vary the amount of this net exposure as market conditions and opportunities change. The Manager believes that the use of multiple Sub-Advisors provides the Fund with management diversification and will help to mitigate downside risk. In pursuing its investment strategies, the Fund may engage in active and frequent trading.
The Lead Sub-Advisor allocates the Fund's assets principally among Sub-Advisors that employ long/short investment strategies designed to take advantage of perceived investment opportunities or are based on their current market outlook. These strategies include the equity strategies and event driven strategies described below:
Strategies:
Equity Strategies: Equity strategies involve the purchase and/or short sale of equity and equity-linked instruments (e.g., ETFs, equity derivatives, depository receipts) in global markets. The Fund's Sub-Advisors primarily employ "hedged equity" investment strategies. A Sub-Advisor implements a hedged equity investment strategy by establishing long and short positions in equity or equity-linked instruments. Although the Fund's Sub-Advisors generally will establish both long and short positions, certain Sub-Advisors, may focus exclusively on establishing long or short positions, but not both. A Sub-Advisor may seek to hedge portfolio exposure by selling securities short or using instruments such as ETFs, equity-linked options, index options and futures. A Sub-Advisor also may seek to manage risk by adopting constraints on leverage, net market exposure, net regional exposure and net sector exposure, as well as position size limits, position stop-loss limits and parameters relating to the number of its positions.
A Sub-Advisor that pursues an equity strategy typically seeks to capitalize on discrepancies between the Sub-Advisor's evaluation of the intrinsic value of an equity security and its assessment of the issuer's prospects, on the one hand, and the market price of such security, on the other hand. Certain Sub-Advisors also may seek to extract value by being more catalyst- or trading-oriented.
A Sub-Advisor that employs an equity strategy may focus on a particular capitalization range (e.g., medium or large cap), a particular industry sector (e.g., healthcare, technology, or consumer) geographic region, or may employ a specific investment style (e.g., value vs. growth). A Sub-Advisor also may pursue a broad mandate, without specific regard for an issuer's capitalization, sector or geography. Some Sub-Advisors may employ equity strategies with an activist approach. Activist investing relies on a Sub-Advisor's ability to use a significant economic stake in a company's securities to influence management and corporate decisions to increase the value of the company's stock. Sub-Advisors may use a "bottom-up" analysis of individual issuers in making investment decisions and/or may utilize "top-down" macroeconomic analysis to guide capital-allocation strategies and fundamental security selection.
Event Driven Strategies : Sub-Advisors that employ event driven strategies invest in the securities of companies undergoing a corporate event, such as a publicly-announced merger or acquisition. They also may invest in securities issued by companies that have recently emerged from bankruptcy, restructured, recapitalized or are involved in litigation proceedings. .
The Sub-Advisors may engage in merger arbitrage transactions. Merger arbitrage seeks to capture the spread between a company's current stock price and its stock price upon the completion of a merger. I Merger arbitrage also can capitalize on perceived pricing discrepancies, or "spreads," in the equity securities of two companies involved in announced corporate transactions, such as mergers, tender or exchange offers. . For example, in a cash tender offer transaction, this strategy seeks to capture the spread between the tender price offered to shareholders and the price at which the target company's stock is trading.
Event driven strategies are implemented through long and short positions in equity securities that are expected to affect a security's price. Long positions are taken in securities expected to appreciate in value following the anticipated event. Short positions are taken in securities expected to depreciate in value following the anticipated event and/or as a hedge for long positions.
The Lead Sub-Advisor may allocate the Fund's assets to Sub-Advisors employing one or both of the strategies described above, and subject to the Manager's authority to determine otherwise, may change the allocations from time to time in its sole discretion without prior notice to shareholders. Each Sub-Advisor has discretion to invest its portion of the Fund's assets as it deems appropriate, based on its particular philosophy, style, strategies and views, in accordance with the Fund's investment guidelines. While each Sub-Advisor is subject to the oversight of the Manager and the Lead Sub-Advisor, neither the Manager nor Lead Sub-Advisor manages the day-to-day investment of the Fund's assets by the Sub-Advisors.
The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it is not limited to a percentage of assets that it may invest in any one issuer.
Principal Risks
There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective and you could lose part or all of your investment in the Fund. The Fund is not designed for investors who need an assured level of income and is intended to be a long-term investment. The Fund is not a complete investment program and may not be appropriate for all investors. Investors should carefully consider their own investment goals and risk tolerance before investing in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are:
Allocation Risk
The Lead Sub-Advisor will manage the Fund's portfolio primarily by allocating Fund assets to the Sub-Advisors. There can
be no assurance that these allocations will enable the Fund to achieve its investment objectives. The Sub-Advisors' judgments
about, and allocations between, asset classes and market exposures also may adversely affect the Fund's performance. This
risk may be heightened by the use of derivatives to increase allocations to various market exposures.
Prospectus – Fund Summary |
2 |
Arbitrage Strategies Risk
The value of the securities and derivative instruments in which the Fund takes long and short positions to implement the
Fund's arbitrage strategies may change in an adverse manner or in an unanticipated manner, in which case the Fund may realize
losses. The expected gain on an individual arbitrage investment is normally considerably smaller than the possible loss should
the transaction underlying the arbitrage investment be unexpectedly terminated. The expected timing of each transaction is
also important since the length of time that the Fund's capital must be committed to any given transaction may affect the
rate of return realized by the Fund, and unanticipated delays in completing the underlying transaction could cause the Fund
to lose money or not achieve the desired rate of return.
Counterparty Risk
The Fund is subject to the risk that a party or participant to a transaction, such as a broker or derivative counterparty,
will be unwilling or unable to satisfy its obligation to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments or to otherwise
honor its obligations to the Fund.
Credit Risk
The Fund is subject to the risk that the issuer or guarantor of a debt security, or the counterparty to a derivatives contract
or a loan will fail to make timely payment of interest or principal or otherwise honor its obligations or default completely.
Currency Risk
The Fund may have exposure to foreign currencies by making direct investments in non-U.S. currencies or in securities denominated
in non-U.S. currencies, purchasing or selling forward currency exchange contracts in non-U.S. currencies, non-U.S. currency
futures contracts, options on non-U.S. currencies and non-U.S. currency futures, and swaps for cross-currency investments.
Foreign currencies may decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and other currencies and thereby affect the Fund's investments
in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure
to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies.
Derivatives Risk
Derivatives may involve significant risk. The use of derivative instruments may expose the Fund to additional risks that
it would not be subject to if it invested directly in the securities underlying those derivatives, including the high degree
of leverage often embedded in such instruments, and potential material and prolonged deviations between the theoretical value
and realizable value of a derivative. Some derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the
Fund's initial investment. Derivatives may be illiquid and may be more volatile than other types of investments. The Fund
may buy or sell derivatives not traded on an exchange and which may be subject to heightened liquidity and valuation risk.
Derivative investments can increase portfolio turnover and transaction costs. Derivatives also are subject to counterparty
risk. As a result, the Fund may obtain no recovery of its investment or may only obtain a limited recovery, and any recovery
may be delayed. Not all derivative transactions require a counterparty to post collateral, which may expose the Fund to greater
losses in the event of a default by a counterparty. In addition, the Fund's investments in derivatives are subject to the
following risks
Contracts for Difference. A contract for difference ("CFD") is a contract between two parties, typically described as "buyer" and "seller," stipulating that the seller will pay to the buyer the difference between the current value of an asset and its value in the future. (If the difference is negative, then the buyer instead pays the seller.) By entering into a CFD transaction, an Underlying Fund could incur losses because it would face many of the same types of risks as owning the underlying equity security directly. CFDs also are subject to counterparty risk and generally are illiquid.
Futures and Forward Contracts. Futures and forward contracts, including non-deliverable forwards ("NDFs") equity, equity index and foreign currency exchange contracts, are derivative instruments pursuant to a contract where one party pays a fixed price for an agreed amount of securities or other underlying assets at an agreed date or to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in the prices of futures contracts and the value of their underlying instruments or indexes. There can be no assurance that any strategy used will succeed. Not all forward contracts, including NDFs, require a counterparty to post collateral, which may expose the Fund to greater losses in the event of a default by a counterparty. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. Forward currency transactions, including NDFs, include the risks associated with fluctuations in currency. Interest rate and treasury futures contracts expose the Fund to price fluctuations resulting from changes in interest rates. The Fund could suffer a loss if interest rates rise after the Fund has purchased an interest rate futures contract or fall after the Fund has sold an interest rate futures contract. Similarly, treasury futures contracts expose the Fund to potential losses if interest rates do not move as expected.
Options. In order for a call option to be profitable, the market price of the underlying security or index must rise sufficiently above the call option exercise price to cover the premium and transaction costs. These costs will reduce any profit that might otherwise have been realized had the Fund bought the underlying security instead of the call option. For a put option to be profitable, the market price of the underlying security or index must decline sufficiently below the put option's exercise price to cover the premium and transaction costs. By using put options in this manner, the Fund will reduce any profit it might otherwise have realized from having shorted the declining underlying security by the premium paid for the put option and by transaction costs. If the Fund sells a put option, there is a risk that the Fund may be required to buy the underlying asset at a disadvantageous price. If the Fund sells a call option on an underlying asset that the Fund owns and the underlying asset has increased in value when the call option is exercised, the Fund will be required to sell the underlying asset at the call price and will not be able to realize any of the underlying asset's value above the call price.
Participatory Notes. Participatory notes involve risks that are in addition to the risks normally associated with a direct investment in the underlying equity securities. The Fund is subject to the risk that the issuer of the participatory note (i.e., the issuing bank or broker-dealer), which is the only responsible party under the note, may be unable or refuse to perform under the terms of the participatory note. While the holder of a participatory note is entitled to receive from the issuing bank or broker-dealer any dividends or other distributions paid on the underlying securities, the holder is not entitled to the same rights as an owner of the underlying securities, such as voting rights. Participatory notes are also not traded on exchanges, are privately issued, and may be illiquid.
Swap Agreements. Swaps can involve greater risks than a direct investment in an underlying asset, because swaps typically include a certain amount of embedded leverage and as such are subject to leveraging risk. If swaps are used as a hedging strategy, the Fund is subject to the risk that the hedging strategy may not eliminate the risk that it is intended to offset, due to, among other reasons, the occurrence of unexpected price movements or the non-occurrence of expected price movements. Swaps also may be difficult to value. Equity swaps are subject to liquidity risk and counterparty risk. Total return swaps and currency swaps are subject to counterparty risk, credit risk and liquidity risk. In addition to these risks, total return swaps are subject to market risk and interest rate risk, if the underlying securities are bonds or other debt obligations. In addition, currency swaps are subject to currency risk.
Emerging Markets Risk
When investing in emerging markets, the risks of investing in foreign securities discussed below are heightened. Emerging
markets are generally smaller, less developed, less liquid and more volatile than the securities markets of the U.S. and other
developed markets. There are also risks of: greater political uncertainties; an economy's dependence on revenues from particular
commodities or on international aid or development assistance; currency transfer restrictions; a limited number of potential
buyers for such securities; and delays and disruptions in securities settlement procedures.
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Prospectus – Fund Summary |
Equity Investments Risk
Equity securities
are subject to market risk. The Fund's investments in equity securities may include common stocks trading on U.S. and non-U.S.
exchanges, securities convertible into or exchangeable for common stocks trading on U.S. and non-U.S. exchanges, depositary
receipts and U.S. dollar-denominated foreign stocks traded on U.S. exchanges. Such investments may expose the Fund to additional
risks. Common stock generally is subordinate to preferred stock upon the liquidation or bankruptcy of the issuing company.
Convertible securities are sensitive to movements in interest rates. In addition, convertible securities are subject to
the risk that the credit standing of the issuer may have an effect on the convertible securities' investment value. Depositary
receipts and U.S. dollar-denominated foreign stocks traded on U.S. exchanges are subject to certain of the risks associated
with investing directly in foreign securities, including, but not limited to, currency fluctuations and political and financial
instability in the home country of a particular depositary receipt or foreign stock.
Event-Driven Strategies Risk
The Fund's use of event-driven and arbitrage strategies will cause the Fund to invest in the securities of companies undergoing
a corporate or transaction (i.e., acquisitions, spin-offs, reorganizations and liquidations, tender offers and bankruptcies).
A change in the terms or delay in the timing of these events, or the failure of these events to occur at all, may have a significant
negative effect on the Fund's performance.
Foreign Investing Risk
Non-U.S. investments carry potential risks not associated with U.S. investments. Such risks include, but are not limited
to: (1) currency exchange rate fluctuations, (2) political and financial instability, (3) less liquidity and greater volatility,
(4) lack of uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, (5) increased price volatility, (6) less government
regulation and supervision of foreign stock exchanges, brokers and listed companies; and (7) delays in transaction settlement
in some foreign markets.
Global Financial Markets Risk
Global economic and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected and conditions (including recent volatility
and instability) and events (including natural disasters) in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact
issuers in a different country, region or financial market. In addition, governmental and quasi-governmental organizations
have taken a number of unprecedented actions designed to support the markets. Such events and conditions may adversely affect
the value of the Fund's securities, result in greater market or liquidity risk or cause difficulty valuing the Fund's portfolio
instruments or achieving the Fund's objective.
Growth Stocks Risk
Growth companies are expected to increase their earnings at a certain rate. When these expectations are not met, the prices
of these stocks may decline, even if earnings showed an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend
yield that can cushion stock price declines in market downturns.
Hedging Risk
If the Fund uses a hedging instrument at the wrong time or judges the market conditions incorrectly, or the hedged instrument
does not correlate to the risk sought to be hedged, the hedge might be unsuccessful, reduce the Fund's return, or create a
loss.
High Portfolio Turnover
Risk
Portfolio turnover is a measure of the Fund's trading activity over a one-year period. A portfolio turnover rate of 100%
would indicate that the Fund sold and replaced the entire value of its securities holdings during the period. High portfolio
turnover could increase the Fund's transaction costs and possibly have a negative impact on performance.
Interest Rate Risk
The Fund is subject to the risk that the market value of securities or derivatives that are influenced by interest rates
will fluctuate due to changes in interest rates. As of the date of this Prospectus, interest rates are at or near historic
lows, but may rise substantially and/or rapidly, potentially resulting in substantial losses to the Fund. Generally, the value
of investments with interest rate risk, such as fixed income securities, will move in the opposite direction to movements
in interest rates. Convertible securities have fixed income characteristics and, therefore, can be adversely impacted by rising interest
rates. Individual equities may be negatively or positively impacted by rising interest rates depending on the specific circumstances
of an individual company's prospects. An increase in interest rates can impact markets broadly as well. For example, some
investors buy securities and derivatives with borrowed money; an increase in interest rates can cause a decline in those markets.
Investment Risk
An investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your shares of the Fund, they could be worth less than what you
paid for them. Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund.
Issuer Risk
The value of, and/or the return generated by, a security may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the
issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services, as well
as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of its assets.
Large Capitalization Companies Risk
The securities of large market capitalization companies may underperform other segments of the market because such companies
may be less responsive to competitive challenges and opportunities and may be unable to attain high growth rates during periods
of economic expansion.
Leveraging Risk
The Fund's use of futures, forward contracts, swaps, other derivative instruments and selling securities short will have
the economic effect of financial leverage. Financial leverage magnifies the exposure to the swings in prices of an asset or
class of assets underlying a derivative instrument and results in increased volatility, which means that the Fund will have
the potential for greater losses than if the Fund does not use the derivative instruments that have a leveraging effect. Leveraging
tends to magnify, sometimes significantly, the effect of any increase or decrease in the Fund's exposure to an asset or class
of assets and may cause the Fund's net asset value ("NAV") to be volatile.
Liquidity Risk
The Fund is susceptible to the risk that certain investments held by the Fund may have limited marketability or be subject
to restrictions on sale, and may be difficult to sell at favorable times or prices. The Fund could lose money if it is unable
to dispose of an investment at a time that is most beneficial to the Fund.
Market Direction Risk
Since the Fund will typically hold both long and short positions, an investment in the Fund will involve market risks associated
with different types of investment decisions than those made for a typical "long only" fund. The Fund's results could suffer
both when there is a general market advance and the Fund holds significant "short" positions, and when there is a general
market decline and the Fund holds significant "long" positions.
Prospectus – Fund Summary |
4 |
Market Risk
Market risks, including political, regulatory, market and economic developments, and developments that impact specific economic
sectors, industries or segments of the market, can affect the value of the Fund's shares. The Fund's investments are subject
to stock market risk, which involves the possibility that the value of the Fund's investments in stocks will decline due to
volatility or drops in any of the many individual country or global financial markets. Such events may cause the value of
securities owned by the Fund to go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, and may lead to increased redemptions,
which could cause the Fund to experience a loss when selling securities to meet redemption requests by shareholders. Turbulence
in financial markets and reduced liquidity in credit, fixed-income, or equity markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide
which could adversely affect the Fund.
Model Risk
The Sub-Advisors may use proprietary modeling systems to implement their investment strategies for the Fund. Investments
selected using these models may perform differently than expected as a result of the factors used in the models, the weight
placed on each factor, changes from the factors' historical trends and technical issues in the construction and implementation
of the models. There is no assurance that the models are complete or accurate, or representative of future market cycles,
nor will they necessarily be beneficial to the Fund if they are accurate. These systems may negatively affect Fund performance
for various reasons, including human judgment, inaccuracy of historical data and non-quantitative factors (such as market
or trading system dysfunctions, investor fear or over-reaction).
Multi-Manager Risk
The Fund's performance depends on, among other things, the Lead Sub-Advisor's success in monitoring and allocating the Fund's
assets among the Sub-Advisors. The Sub-Advisors investment styles may not always be complementary. The Sub-Advisors make investment
decisions independently of one another, and may make conflicting investment decisions. The Fund's multi-manager approach may
result in the Fund investing a significant percentage of its assets in certain types of securities, which could be beneficial
or detrimental to the Fund's performance depending on the performance of those securities and the overall market environment.
The Sub-Advisors may underperform the market generally or underperform other investment managers that could have been selected
for the Fund. The Lead Sub-Advisor and the Sub-Advisors also may use proprietary or licensed strategies that are based on
considerations and factors that are not fully disclosed to the Board, the Manager or the Lead Sub-Advisor. The success of
a particular Sub-Advisor in implementing its investment strategy is dependent on the expertise of its portfolio managers,
and certain Sub-Advisors may have a limited number of investment management professionals. The loss of one or more of a Sub-Advisor's
key investment professionals could have a materially adverse effect on the performance of the Fund. A Sub-Advisor may have
little or no experience managing the assets of a registered investment company which, unlike the other accounts a Sub-Advisor
may manage, is subject to daily inflows and outflows of investor cash and are subject to certain legal and tax-related restrictions
on their investments and operations.
Non-Diversification Risk
The Fund is non-diversified, which means the Fund may focus its investments in the securities of a comparatively small number
of issuers. Investment in securities of a limited number of issuers exposes the Fund to greater market risk and potential
losses than if assets were diversified among the securities of a greater number of investments.
Other Investment Companies Risk
The Fund may invest in shares of other registered investment companies, including exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") and money
market funds. To the extent that the Fund invests in shares of other registered investment companies, you will indirectly
bear fees and expenses charged by the underlying funds in addition to the Fund's direct fees and expenses and will be subject
to the risks associated with investments in those funds. ETF shares may trade at a premium or discount to their net asset
value. An ETF that tracks an index may not precisely replicate the returns of its benchmark index.
Sector Risk
To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments
that significantly affect those sectors. Individual sectors may move up and down more than the broader market. The Fund may
at times be substantially over-weighted in certain economic sectors and under-weighted in others. Accordingly, the Fund's
performance could be disproportionately affected by the factors influencing those sectors.
Securities Selection Risk
Securities selected by the Sub-Advisors or the Lead Sub-Advisor for the Fund may not perform to expectations. This could
result in the Fund's underperformance compared to other funds with similar investment objectives.
Segregated Assets Risk
In connection with certain transactions that may give rise to future payment obligations, including short sales and investments
in derivatives, the Fund may be required to maintain a segregated amount of, or otherwise earmark, cash or liquid securities
to cover the position or transaction, which cannot be sold while the position they are covering is outstanding, unless they
are replaced with other assets of equal value.
Short Position Risk
The Fund will incur a loss as a result of a short position if the price of the instrument sold short increases in value between
the date of the short sale and the date on which an offsetting position is purchased. Short positions may be considered speculative
transactions and involve special risks, including greater reliance on the Sub-Advisor's ability to accurately anticipate the
future value of a security or instrument. The Fund's losses are potentially unlimited in a short position transaction.
Small and Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk
Investing in the securities of small and mid-capitalization companies involves greater risk and the possibility of greater
price volatility than investing in larger capitalization and more established companies. Since small and mid-capitalization
companies may have limited operating history, product lines, and financial resources, the securities of these companies may
lack sufficient market liquidity, and they can be particularly sensitive to expected changes in interest rates, borrowing
costs and earnings.
Valuation Risk
The Fund may value certain assets at a price different from the price at which they can be sold. This risk may be especially
pronounced for investments, such as certain derivatives, which may be illiquid or which may become illiquid.
Value Stocks Risk
Value stocks are subject to the risk that their intrinsic value may never be realized by the market or that their prices
may decline. While the Fund's investments in value stocks may limit its downside risk over time, the Fund may produce more
modest gains than riskier stock funds as a trade-off for this potentially lower risk. Different investment styles tend to
shift in and out of favor, depending on market conditions and investor sentiment.
Fund Performance
Performance information for the Fund is not provided because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus.
5 |
Prospectus – Fund Summary |
Management
The Manager
The Fund has retained American Beacon Advisors, Inc. to serve as its Manager.
The Sub-Advisors
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. (Lead Sub-Advisor)
Basswood Capital Management, LLC
Portfolio Managers
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. |
David S. Richter
Keith E. Friedman
|
Bradley H. Meyers
|
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
You may buy or sell shares of the Fund through a direct mutual fund account, through a retirement account, through an investment professional or another financial intermediary. As a direct mutual fund account shareholder, you may buy or sell shares in various ways:
Internet |
www.americanbeaconfunds.com |
|
Phone |
To reach an American Beacon representative call 1-800-658-5811, option 1 Through the Automated Voice Response Service call 1-800-658-5811, option 2 (Investor Class only) |
|
|
American Beacon Funds P.O. Box 219643 Kansas City, MO 64121-9643 |
Overnight Delivery: American Beacon Funds c/o BFDS 330 West 9th Street Kansas City, MO 64105 |
You may purchase or redeem shares of the Fund on any day the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open, at the Fund's NAV per share next calculated after your order is received in proper form, subject to any applicable sales charge.
|
New Account |
Existing Account |
|
Share Class |
Minimum |
Purchase/Redemption Minimum by Check/ACH/Exchange |
Purchase/Redemption Minimum by Wire |
C |
$1,000 |
$50 |
$250 |
A, Investor |
$2,500 |
$50 |
$250 |
Y |
$100,000 |
$50 |
None |
Institutional |
$250,000 |
$50 |
None |
Tax Information
Dividends and capital gain distributions, if any, that you receive from the Fund are subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are a tax-exempt entity or your account is tax deferred (in which case you may be taxed later, upon the withdrawal of your investment from such account).
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and the Fund's distributor or the Manager may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your individual financial adviser to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your individual financial adviser or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.
Prospectus – Fund Summary |
6 |
Additional Information About the Fund
To help you better understand the Fund, this section provides a detailed discussion of the Fund's investment policies, its principal strategies and risks and performance benchmark(s). However, this Prospectus does not describe all of the Fund's investment practices. For additional information, please see the Fund's SAI, which is available at www.americanbeaconfunds.com or by contacting us via telephone at 1-800-658-5811, by U.S. mail at P.O. Box 219643, Kansas City, MO 64121-9643, or by e-mail at americanbeaconfunds@ambeacon.com.
Additional Information About Investment Policies and Strategies
Investment Objective
The Fund's investment objective is long-term capital appreciation.
The Fund's investment objective is "non-fundamental", which means that it may be changed by the Fund's Board of Trustees ("Board") without the approval of Fund shareholders.
Temporary Defensive Policy
The Fund may depart from its principal investment strategy by taking temporary defensive positions in response to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions. During these times, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
Additional Information About the Management of the Fund
The Fund has retained American Beacon Advisors, Inc. to serve as its Manager. The Manager may allocate the assets of the Fund to the Lead Sub-Advisor. The Manager and the Lead Sub-Advisor provide or oversee the provision of all administrative, investment advisory and portfolio management services to the Fund. The Manager:
provides general management services to the Fund,
is responsible for general management and investment of the Fund's assets,
develops the Fund's overall investment strategy in consultation with the Lead Sub-Advisor,
monitors and evaluates the performance of the Lead Sub-Advisor, and
oversees the Fund's securities lending activities and actions taken by the securities lending agent to the extent applicable.
The Lead Sub-Advisor's portfolio management responsibilities include:
Developing the Fund's overall investment strategy in consultation with the Manager;
Conducting due diligence, and selecting and recommending Sub-Advisors to the Manager and the Fund's Board;
Subject to the Manager's authority to determine otherwise, allocating the Fund's assets among one or more Sub-Advisors;
Analyzing, proposing and implementing allocation changes;
Monitoring and evaluating the performance of the Sub-Advisors;
Evaluating the risk/return profiles of portfolios and their consistency with investment guidelines;
For the portion of the Fund's assets not allocated to a Sub-Advisor, invest the assets in index futures (long or short) and/or cash management.
The Lead Sub-Advisor allocates the Fund's assets among one or more Sub-Advisors. The Lead Sub-Advisor's criteria for selecting and recommending Sub-Advisors to the Manager and the Fund's Board of Trustees include:
Passing extensive due diligence evaluations;
Possessing strong capabilities for its investment strategies;
Developing a high level of conviction in the Sub-Advisors;
Offering sustainable investment advantages, based on the perceived opportunity set and the Sub-Advisors' capabilities;
Providing complementary investment style and/or exposure to other Sub-Advisors;
Exhibiting the ability to manage a mandate requiring high liquidity; and
Having capacity to accommodate the Fund's growth.
Each Sub-Advisor has full discretion to purchase and sell securities for its segment of the Fund's assets in accordance with the Fund's objectives, policies, restrictions and more specific parameters provided by the Manager and Lead Sub-Advisor. The Manager and Lead Sub-Advisor oversee the Sub-Advisors but do not reassess individual security selections made by the Sub-Advisors for their portfolios.
The Fund operates in a manager of managers structure. The Fund and the Manager have received an exemptive order from the Securities and Exchange Commission (''SEC'') that permits the Fund, subject to certain conditions and approval by the Board, to hire and replace Sub-Advisors (but not the Lead Sub-Advisor) that are unaffiliated with the Manager without approval of shareholders. The Manager has ultimate responsibility, subject to oversight by the Board, to oversee the Lead Sub-Advisor and Sub-Advisors and recommend their hiring, termination and replacement. The order also exempts the Fund from disclosing the advisory fees paid by the Fund to individual sub-advisors that are unaffiliated with the Manager in various documents filed with the SEC and provided to shareholders. Instead, the fees payable to unaffiliated sub-advisors are aggregated, and fees payable to sub-advisors that are affiliated with the Manager, if any, would be aggregated with fees payable to the Manager. Disclosure of the separate fees paid to an affiliated sub-advisor would be required. Whenever a sub-advisor change is proposed in reliance on the order, in order for the change to be implemented, the Board, including a majority of its "non-interested" trustees, must approve the change. In addition, the Fund is required to provide shareholders with certain information regarding any new sub-advisor within 90 days of the hiring of any new sub-advisor. The Fund's Sub-Advisors are set forth below.
Basswood Capital Management, LLC
Impala Asset Management LLC
Incline Global Management, LLC
Passport Capital LLC
Pine River Capital Management LP
River Canyon Fund Management LLC
Tremblant Capital Group
7 |
Prospectus – Additional Information About the Fund |
Additional Information About Investments
This section provides more detailed information regarding certain of the investments the Fund may invest in as well as information regarding the Fund's strategy with respect to investment of cash balances.
Currencies
The Fund may invest in foreign currency-denominated securities and may also purchase and sell foreign currency options and foreign currency futures contracts and related options as well as currency swaps (see ''Derivative Investments''), and may engage in foreign currency transactions either on a spot (cash) basis at the rate prevailing in the currency exchange market at the time or through forward currency contracts (see ''Forward Contracts''). The Fund may engage in these transactions in order to hedge or protect against uncertainty in the level of future foreign exchange rates in the purchase and sale of securities or other derivative positions. The Fund also may use foreign currency options and foreign currency forward contracts to increase exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one country to another.
Derivative Investments
Derivatives are financial instruments that have a value which depends upon, or is derived from, a reference asset, such as one or more underlying securities, pools of securities, options, swaps, futures, indexes or currencies. The Fund may invest in the following derivative instruments:
Contracts for Difference ("CFD"). A CFD is a form of equity swap in which its value is based on the fluctuating value of some underlying asset (e.g., shares of a particular stock or a stock index). A CFD is a contract between two parties, buyer and seller, stipulating that the seller will pay to the buyer the difference between the nominal value of the underlying stock at the opening of the contract and the stock's value at the close of the contract. The size of the contract and the contract's expiration date are typically negotiated by the parties to the CFD transaction. CFDs enable an underlying fund to take short or long positions on an underlying stock and thus potentially capture gains on movements in the share prices of the stock without the need to own the underlying stock.
Forward Contracts. Forward contracts are two-party contracts pursuant to which one party agrees to pay the counterparty a fixed price for an agreed upon amount of commodities or securities, or the cash value of commodities, securities or a securities index, at an agreed upon future date. A forward currency contract is an obligation to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. An NDF currency contract is a forward contract where there is no physical settlement of the two currencies at maturity. Rather, on the contract settlement date, a net cash settlement will be made by one party to the other based on the difference between the contracted forward rate and the prevailing spot rate, on an agreed notional amount.
Futures Contracts. A futures contract is a contract to purchase or sell a particular security, or the cash value of an index, at a specified future date at a price agreed upon when the contract is made. Under such contracts, no delivery of the actual securities is required. Rather, upon the expiration of the contract, settlement is made by exchanging cash in an amount equal to the difference between the contract price and the closing price of a security or index at expiration, net of the variation margin that was previously paid. An interest rate futures contract is a contract for the future delivery of an interest-bearing debt security. A treasury futures contract is a contract for the future delivery of a U.S. Treasury security. The Fund may, from time to time, use futures positions to equitize cash and expose its portfolio to changes in securities prices or index prices. This can magnify gains and losses in the Fund. The Fund also may have to sell assets at inopportune times to satisfy its settlement or collateral obligations. The risks associated with the use of futures contracts also include that there may be an imperfect correlation between the movement in the prices of futures contracts and the value of their underlying instruments or indices and that there may not be a liquid secondary market for a futures contract.
Options. An option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying the option at a specified exercise price at any time during the term of the option (normally not exceeding nine months). The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price, in the case of a call option, or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency, in the case of a put option.
Options on Futures Contracts. An option on a futures contract provides the holder with the right to enter into a ''long'' position in the underlying futures contract, in the case of a call option, or a ''short'' position in the underlying futures contract in the case of a put option, at a fixed exercise price to a stated expiration date. Upon exercise of the option by the holder, the contract market clearing house establishes a corresponding short position for the writer of the option, in the case of a call option, or a corresponding long position, in the case of a put option.
Participatory Notes. Participatory notes, which are a type of equity access product, are structured as unsecured and unsubordinated debt securities designed to replicate exposure to the underlying referenced equity investment and are sold by a bank or broker-dealer in markets where the Fund is restricted from directly purchasing equity securities. The Fund may tender a participatory note for cash payment in an amount that reflects the current market value of the referenced underlying equity investments, reduced by program fees.
Swap Agreements. In a total return swap, one party agrees to pay the other party an amount equal to the total return on a defined underlying asset or index during a specified period of time. The underlying asset might be a security or basket of securities or index such as a securities index. In return, the other party would make periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or on a total return from a different underlying asset or non-asset reference. A currency swap involves the exchange of payments denominated in one currency for payments denominated in another. Payments are based on a notional principal amount the value of which is fixed in exchange rate terms at the swap's inception.
Equity Investments
Equity securities are subject to market risk. The Fund's investments in equity securities may include equity securities such as, common stocks, securities convertible into or exchangeable for common stocks trading on U.S. and non-U.S. exchanges, and depositary receipts.
Common Stocks. Common stock generally takes the form of shares in a corporation which represent an ownership interest. It ranks below preferred stock and debt securities in claims for dividends and for assets of the company in a liquidation or bankruptcy. Common stock may be exchange-traded or over-the-counter. Over the counter stock may be less liquid than exchange-traded stock.
Convertible Securities. Convertible securities are generally preferred stocks and other securities, including bonds and warrants that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock at a stated price or rate. Convertible debt securities may offer greater appreciation potential than non-convertible debt securities. Convertible securities are senior to common stock in an issuer's capital structure, but are usually subordinated to similar non-convertible securities. While typically providing a fixed-income stream, a convertible security also gives an investor the opportunity, through its conversion feature, to participate in the capital appreciation of the issuing company depending upon a market price advance in the convertible security's underlying common stock.
Depositary Receipts. A Fund may invest in securities issued by foreign companies through ADRs, and U.S. dollar-denominated foreign stocks trading on U.S. exchanges. These securities are subject to many of the risks inherent in investing in foreign securities, including, but not limited to, currency fluctuations and political and financial instability in the home country of a particular ADR or foreign stock.
Prospectus – Additional Information About the Fund |
8 |
Other Investment Companies Securities
The Fund at times may invest in shares of other investment companies, including money-market funds, open and closed-end funds, business development companies, ETFs and unit investment trusts. The Fund may invest in securities of an investment company advised by the Manager or a Sub-Advisor. Investments in the securities of other investment companies may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly will bear the Fund's proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders directly bear in connection with the Fund's own operations. These other fees and expenses are reflected as Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and are included in the Fees and Expenses Table for the Fund in its Prospectus, if applicable. Investment in other investment companies may involve the payment of substantial premiums above the value of such issuer's portfolio securities.
The Fund can invest free cash balances in registered open-end investment companies regulated as money market funds under the Investment Company Act to provide liquidity or for defensive purposes. The Fund could invest in money market funds rather than purchasing individual short-term investments. If the Fund invests in money market funds shareholders will bear their proportionate share of the expenses, including for example, advisory and administrative fees, of the money market funds in which the Fund invests, including such fees charged by the Manager to any applicable money market funds advised by the Manager.
The Fund may purchase shares of ETFs and sell ETF shares short. ETFs trade like a common stock and passive ETFs usually represent a fixed portfolio of securities designed to track the performance and dividend yield of a particular domestic or foreign market index. Typically, the Fund would purchase passive ETF shares to obtain exposure to all or a portion of the stock or bond market and sell ETF shares short to hedge exposure to all or a portion of the stock or bond market. As a shareholder of an ETF, the Fund would be subject to its ratable share of the ETF's expenses, including its advisory and administration expenses.
An investment in an ETF generally presents the same primary risks as an investment in a conventional mutual fund (i.e., one that is not exchange traded) that has the same investment objective, strategies, and policies. The price of an ETF can fluctuate within a wide range, and the Fund could lose money investing in an ETF.
Additional Information About Risks
The greatest risk of investing in a mutual fund is that its returns will fluctuate and you could lose money. The following section provides additional information regarding the Fund's principal risk factors in light of its principal investment strategies.
Allocation Risk
The Lead Sub-Advisor will manage the Fund primarily by allocating Fund assets to the Sub-Advisors. The value of your investment may decrease if the Lead Sub-Advisor's allocation decisions are incorrect. The Sub-Advisors' judgments about, and allocations between, asset classes and market exposures also may adversely affect the Fund's performance. This risk can be increased by the use of derivatives to increase allocations to various market exposures because derivatives can create investment leverage, which will magnify the impact to the Fund of its investment in any underperforming market exposure. A Sub-Advisor's use of a particular investment style might not be successful when that style is out of favor, which also may adversely affect the Fund's performance.
Arbitrage Strategies Risk
The value of the securities and derivative instruments in which the Fund takes long and short positions to implement the Fund's arbitrage strategies may change in an adverse manner, or may fail to change in the manner expected, in which case the Fund may realize losses. The expected gain on an individual arbitrage investment is normally considerably smaller than the possible loss should the transaction that is the subject of the arbitrage investment be unexpectedly terminated. The expected timing of each transaction is also important since the length of time that the Fund's capital must be committed to any given transaction may affect the rate of return realized by the Fund, and unanticipated delays in completing the underlying transaction could cause the Fund to lose money or not achieve the desired rate of return.
The success of the Fund's investment strategies is dependent on the Sub-Advisor's ability to exploit pricing inefficiencies among interrelated instruments. Although arbitrage positions are considered to have a lower risk profile than directional trades as the former attempt to exploit price differentials rather than overall price movements, such strategies are by no means without risk. Pricing inefficiencies, even if correctly identified, may not converge within the time frame within which the Fund maintains its positions. Even pure "riskless" arbitrage — which is rare — can result in significant losses if the arbitrage cannot be sustained (due, for example, to margin calls) until completion. The Fund's strategies are subject to the risks of disruptions in historical price relationships, the restricted availability of credit and the obsolescence or inaccuracy of valuation models. Market disruptions may also force the Fund to close out one or more positions. Such disruptions have in the past resulted in substantial losses for funds employing similar strategies.
The Fund expects a major component of its investment strategies to involve spreads between two or more securities. To the extent the price relationships between such securities remain constant, no gain or loss may occur. Such spread strategies do, however, entail a substantial risk that the price differential could change unfavorably and result in losses. In recent market conditions, the profitability of arbitrage trading has been materially reduced — in part due to the number of market participants seeking to exploit the same perceived pricing inefficiencies.
Counterparty Risk
The Fund is subject to the risk that a party or participant to a transaction, such as a broker or derivative counterparty, will be unwilling or unable to satisfy its obligation to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments or to otherwise honor its obligations to the Fund. As a result the Fund may obtain no recovery of its investment or may only obtain a limited recovery, and any recovery may be delayed. Not all derivative transactions require a counterparty to post collateral, which may expose the Fund to greater losses in the event of a default by a counterparty
Credit Risk
Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a security might not make interest and principal payments on the security as they become due. If an issuer fails to pay interest, the Fund's income might be reduced, and if an issuer fails to repay principal, the value of the security might fall and the Fund could lose the amount of its investment in the security. The extent of this risk varies based on the terms of the particular security and the financial condition of the issuer. A downgrade in an issuer's credit rating or other adverse news about an issuer can reduce the market value of that issuer's securities.
Currency Risk
If the Fund invests directly in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, foreign currencies, or in derivatives that provide exposure to foreign currencies, it will be subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar, or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates, intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments, central banks or supranational entities such as the International Monetary Fund, or by the imposition of currency controls or other political
9 |
Prospectus – Additional Information About the Fund |
developments in the United States or abroad. As a result, the Fund's investments in foreign currency denominated securities may reduce the returns of the Fund. Currency futures, forwards or options may not always work as intended, and in specific cases the Fund may be worse off than if it had not used such instrument(s). There may not always be suitable hedging instruments available. Even where suitable hedging instruments are available, the Fund may not hedge its currency risks.
Derivatives Risk
Derivatives are financial instruments that have a value which depends upon, or is derived from, a reference asset, such as one or more underlying securities, pools of securities, options, futures, indexes or currencies. The Fund may use derivatives to enhance total return of its portfolio, to manage certain investment risks or as a substitute for the purchase or sale of the underlying currencies or securities. The Fund may also hold derivative instruments to obtain economic exposure to an issuer without directly holding its securities.
Derivatives can be highly complex and their use within a management strategy can require specialized skills. There can be no assurance that any strategy used will succeed. If a Sub-Advisor incorrectly forecasts stock market values, or the direction of interest rates or currency exchange rates in utilizing a specific derivatives strategy for the Fund, the Fund could lose money. In addition, leverage embedded in a futures contract can expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. Gains or losses in the value of a derivative instrument may be magnified and be much greater than the derivative's original cost (generally the initial margin deposit). Some derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the Fund's initial investment. Derivatives may be illiquid and may be more volatile than other types of investments. The Fund may buy or sell derivatives not traded on an exchange or contract market, which may be subject to heightened liquidity and valuation risk. Derivative investments can increase portfolio turnover and transaction costs. Derivatives also are subject to counterparty risk. Certain derivatives, including swaps, futures, forwards and written options, require the Fund to post margin to secure its future obligation; if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell investments from its portfolio to meet daily variation margin requirements, at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. Changing regulation may make derivatives more costly, limit their availability, disrupt markets, or otherwise adversely affect their value or performance.
Certain of the other risks to which the Fund might be exposed due to its use of derivatives include the following:
Contracts for Difference. A contract for difference ("CFD") is a contract between two parties, typically described as "buyer" and "seller," stipulating that the seller will pay to the buyer the difference between the current value of an asset and its value in the future. (If the difference is negative, then the buyer instead pays the seller.) CFDs allow a fund to take advantage of values moving up (long positions) or values moving down (short positions) on underlying assets. For example, when applied to equities, a CFD is an equity derivative that allows a fund to obtain investment exposure to share price movements, without the need for ownership of the underlying shares. By entering into a CFD transaction, an Underlying Fund could incur losses because it would face many of the same types of risks as owning the underlying equity security directly As over-the-counter derivative instruments, CFDs are subject to counterparty risk. Because CFDs are not traded on an exchange and may not have an expiration date, CFDs generally are illiquid.
Futures and Forward Contracts. Futures and forward contracts, including non-deliverable forwards ("NDFs"), are derivative instruments pursuant to a contract where one party pays a fixed price for an agreed amount of securities or other underlying assets at an agreed date or to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in the prices of futures contracts and the value of their underlying instruments or indexes. There can be no assurance that any strategy used will succeed. Not all forward contracts, including NDFs, require a counterparty to post collateral, which may expose the Fund to greater losses in the event of a default by a counterparty. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. Forward currency transactions, including NDFs, include the risks associated with fluctuations in currency. Interest rate and treasury futures contracts expose the Fund to price fluctuations resulting from changes in interest rates. The Fund could suffer a loss if interest rates rise after the Fund has purchased an interest rate futures contract or fall after the Fund has sold an interest rate futures contract. Similarly, treasury futures contracts expose the Fund to potential losses if interest rates do not move as expected. Equity index futures contracts expose the Fund to volatility in an underlying securities index.
Options Risk. In order for a call option to be profitable, the market price of the underlying security must rise sufficiently above the call option exercise price to cover the premium and transaction costs. These costs will reduce any profit that might otherwise have been realized had the Fund bought the underlying security instead of the call option. For a put option to be profitable, the market price of the underlying security must decline sufficiently below the put option's exercise price to cover the premium and transaction costs. By using put options in this manner, the Fund will reduce any profit it might otherwise have realized from having shorted the declining underlying security by the premium paid for the put option and by transaction costs. If the Fund sells a put option, there is a risk that the Fund may be required to buy the underlying asset at a disadvantageous price. If the Fund sells a call option on an underlying asset that the Fund owns and the underlying asset has increased in value when the call option is exercised, the Fund will be required to sell the underlying asset at the call price and will not be able to realize any of the underlying asset's value above the call price.
Participatory Notes Risk. Participatory notes involve risks that are in addition to the risks normally associated with a direct investment in the underlying equity securities. The Fund is subject to the risk that the issuer of the participatory note (i.e., the issuing bank or broker-dealer), which is the only responsible party under the note, may be unable or refuse to perform under the terms of the participatory note. While the holder of a participatory note is entitled to receive from the issuing bank or broker-dealer any dividends or other distributions paid on the underlying securities, the holder is not entitled to the same rights as an owner of the underlying securities, such as voting rights. Participatory notes are also not traded on exchanges, are privately issued, and may be illiquid. To the extent a participatory note is determined to be illiquid, it would be subject to the Fund's limitation on investments in illiquid securities. There can be no assurance that the trading price or value of participatory notes will equal the value of the underlying value of the equity securities they seek to replicate.
Swap Agreements. Swaps can involve greater risks than a direct investment in an underlying asset, because swaps typically include a certain amount of embedded leverage and as such are subject to leveraging risk. If swaps are used as a hedging strategy, the Fund is subject to the risk that the hedging strategy may not eliminate the risk that it is intended to offset, due to, among other reasons, the occurrence of unexpected price movements or the non-occurrence of expected price movements. Swaps also may be difficult to value. Total return swaps and currency swaps are subject to counterparty risk, credit risk and liquidity risk. In addition to these risks, total return swaps are subject to market risk and interest rate risk, if the underlying securities are bonds or other debt obligations. In addition, currency swaps are subject to currency risk. Equity swaps are subject to liquidity risk and counterparty risk.
Equity Investments Risk
Equity securities are subject to market risk. The Fund's investments in equity securities may include common stocks, securities convertible into or exchangeable for common stocks, depositary receipts and companies within the mid- to large capitalization range. Such investments may expose the Fund to additional risks.
Common Stocks. The value of a company's common stock may fall as a result of factors directly relating to that company, such as decisions made by its management or decreased demand for the company's products or services. A stock's value may also decline because of factors affecting not just the company, but also companies in the same industry or sector. The price of a company's stock may also be affected by changes in financial markets that are
Prospectus – Additional Information About the Fund |
10 |
relatively unrelated to the company, such as changes in interest rates, exchange rates or industry regulation. Companies that pay dividends on their common stock generally only do so after they invest in their own business and make required payments to bondholders and on other debt and preferred stock. Therefore, the value of a company's common stock will usually be more volatile than its bonds, other debt and preferred stock.
Convertible Securities. The value of a convertible security is influenced by both the yield of non-convertible securities of comparable issuers and by the value of the underlying common stock. The investment value of a convertible is based on its yield and tends to decline as interest rates increase. The conversion value of a convertible is the market value that would be received if the convertible were converted to its underlying common stock. The conversion value will decrease as the price of the underlying common stock decreases. When conversion value is substantially below investment value, the convertible's price tends to be influenced more by its yield, so changes in the price of the underlying common stock may not have as much of an impact. Conversely, the convertible's price tends to be influenced more by the price of the underlying common stock when conversion value is comparable to or exceeds investment value. The value of a synthetic convertible security will respond differently to market fluctuations than a convertible security, because a synthetic convertible is composed of two or more separate securities, each with its own market value. Convertible securities may be subject to market risk, credit risk and interest rate risk.
Depositary Receipts. The Fund may invest in securities issued by foreign companies through ADRs, GDRs and U.S. dollar-denominated foreign stocks trading on U.S. exchanges. These securities are subject to many of the risks inherent in investing in foreign securities, including, but not limited to, currency fluctuations and political and financial instability in the home country of a particular ADR or foreign stock.
Event-Driven Strategies Risk
The Fund's use of event-driven and arbitrage strategies will cause the Fund to invest in the securities of companies undergoing an actual or anticipated corporate event or transaction (i.e., acquisitions, spin-offs, reorganizations and liquidations, tender offers and bankruptcies). This requires a Sub-Advisor to make predictions about the likelihood that an event will occur and the impact such event will have on the value of a company's securities. These transactions may not be completed as anticipated or may take an excessive amount of time to be completed. They may also be completed on different terms than anticipated, resulting in a loss to the Fund. Some corporate event or transaction are sufficiently uncertain that the Fund may lose its entire investment.
Foreign Investing & Emerging Markets Risk
Non-U.S. investments carry potential risks not associated with domestic investments. Such risks include, but are not limited to: (1) currency exchange rate fluctuations, (2) political and financial instability, (3) less liquidity and greater volatility of foreign investments, (4) lack of uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, (5) less government regulation and supervision of foreign banks, stock exchanges, brokers and listed companies, (6) increased price volatility, and (7) delays in transaction settlement in some foreign markets. In addition, the economies and political environments of emerging market countries tend to be more unstable than those of developed countries, resulting in more volatile rates of return than the developed markets and substantially greater risk to investors. There may be very limited oversight of certain foreign banks or securities depositories that hold foreign securities and currency and the laws of certain countries may limit the ability to recover such assets if a foreign bank or depository or their agents goes bankrupt. To the extent a Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of a single country or region, it is more likely to be affected by events or conditions of that country or region. When investing in emerging markets, the risks of investing in foreign securities are heightened. Emerging markets have unique risks that are greater than or in addition to investing in developed markets because emerging markets are generally smaller, less developed, less liquid and more volatile than the securities markets of the U.S. and other developed markets. There are also risks of: greater political uncertainties; an economy's dependence on revenues from particular commodities or on international aid or development assistance; currency transfer restrictions; a limited number of potential buyers for such securities; and delays and disruptions in securities settlement procedures. In addition, there may be less information available to make investment decisions and more volatile rates of return.
Global Financial Markets Risk
Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected and political and economic conditions (including recent instability and volatility) and events (including natural disasters) in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. As a result, issuers of securities held by the Fund may experience significant declines in the value of their assets and even cease operations. Such conditions and/or events may not have the same impact on all types of securities and may expose the Fund to greater market or liquidity risk or cause difficulty in valuing portfolio instruments held by the Fund. This could cause the Fund to underperform other types of investments.
The severity or duration of such conditions and/or events may be affected by policy changes made by governments or quasigovernmental organizations. Recent instability in the financial markets has led governments across the globe to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support the financial markets. Future government regulation and/or intervention may also change the way in which the Fund is regulated and could limit or preclude the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective. For example, one or more countries that have adopted the euro may abandon that currency and/or withdraw from the European Union, which could disrupt markets and affect the liquidity and value of the Fund's investments, regardless of whether the Fund has significant exposure to European markets. In addition, governments or their agencies may acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions, which may affect the Fund's investments in ways that are unforeseeable.
In addition, in the U.S., total public debt as a percentage of gross domestic product has grown rapidly since the beginning of the financial downturn. High levels of national debt may raise concerns that the U.S. government will be unable to pay investors at maturity, may cause declines in currency valuations and may prevent the U.S. government from implementing effective fiscal policy. In 2011, Standard & Poor's lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating on the U.S., which may affect the market price and yields of certain U.S. Government Securities.
Growth Stocks Risk
Growth companies are expected to increase their earnings at a certain rate. When these expectations are not met, the prices of these stocks may decline, even if earnings showed an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns. Different investment styles tend to shift in an out favor, depending on market conditions and investor sentiment. The Fund's growth style could cause it to underperform funds that use a value or non-growth approach to investing or have a broader investment style.
Hedging Risk
Gains or losses from positions in hedging instruments may be much greater than the instrument's original cost. The counterparty may be unable to honor its financial obligation to the Fund. In addition, a Sub-Advisor may be unable to close the transaction at the time it would like or at the price it believes the security is currently worth. If the Fund uses a hedging instrument at the wrong time or judges the market conditions incorrectly, the hedge might be unsuccessful, reduce the Fund's return, or create a loss.
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Prospectus – Additional Information About the Fund |
High Portfolio Turnover Risk
Portfolio turnover is a measure of the Fund's trading activity over a one-year period. A portfolio turnover rate of 100% would indicate that the Fund sold and replaced the entire value of its securities holdings during the period. High portfolio turnover could increase the Fund's transaction costs and possibly have a negative impact on performance. Frequent trading by the Fund could also result in increased realized net capital gains, distributions of which are taxable to the Fund's shareholders (including net short-term capital gain distributions, which are taxable to them as ordinary income).
Interest Rate Risk
Investments in securities or derivatives that are influenced by interest rates are subject to interest rate risk. Since the financial crisis that started in 2008, the Federal Reserve has attempted to stabilize the economy and support the economic recovery by keeping the federal funds rate (the interest rate at which depository institutions lend reserve balances to other depository institutions overnight) at or near zero percent. When the Federal Reserve raises the federal funds rate, which is expected to occur, interest rates are expected to rise. An increase in interest rates may adversely affect the Fund's investments, including convertible securities. As of the date of this Prospectus, interest rates are at or near historic lows, but may rise significantly and/or rapidly, potentially resulting in substantial losses to the Fund.
Investment Risk
An investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program. The share price of the Fund fluctuates, which means that when you sell your shares of the Fund, they could be worth less than what you paid for them. Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund.
Issuer Risk
The value of, and/or the return generated by, a security may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services, as well as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of its assets. When the issuer of a security implements strategic initiatives, including mergers, acquisitions and dispositions, there is the risk that the market response to such initiatives will cause the share price of the issuer's securities to fall.
Large Capitalization Companies Risk
The securities of large market capitalization companies may underperform other segments of the market because such companies may be less responsive to competitive challenges and opportunities, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes. Large market capitalization companies may be unable to attain the high growth rates of successful smaller companies, especially during periods of economic expansion.
Leveraging Risk
The Fund's use of futures, forward contracts, swaps, and other derivative instruments and selling securities short will have the economic effect of financial leverage. Financial leverage magnifies the exposure to the swings in prices of an asset or class of assets underlying a derivative instrument and results in increased volatility, which means that the Fund will have the potential for greater losses than if the Fund does not use the derivative instruments that have a leveraging effect. Leveraging tends to magnify, sometimes significantly, the effect of any increase or decrease in the Fund's exposure to an asset or class of assets and may cause the Fund's NAV to be volatile.
The Fund may experience leveraging risk in connection with investments in derivatives because its investments in derivatives may be purchased with a fraction of the assets that would be needed to purchase the securities directly, so that the remainder of the assets may be invested in other investments. Such investments may have the effect of leveraging the Fund because the Fund may experience gains or losses not only on its investments in derivatives, but also on the investments purchased with the remainder of the assets. If the value of the Fund's investments in derivatives is increasing, this could be offset by declining values of the Fund's other investments. Conversely, it is possible that the rise in the value of the Fund's non-derivative investments could be offset by a decline in the value of the Fund's investments in derivatives. In either scenario, the Fund may experience losses. In a market where the value of the Fund's investments in derivatives is declining and the value of its other investments is declining, the Fund may experience substantial losses. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet any required asset segregation requirements.
Liquidity Risk
When there is little or no active trading market for specific types of securities, it can become more difficult to sell the securities at or near their perceived value. During such periods, certain investments held by the Fund may be difficult to sell at favorable times or prices. As a result, the Fund may have to lower the price on certain securities that it is trying to sell, sell other securities instead or forego an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on Fund management or performance. Redemptions by a few large investors in the Fund at such times may have a significant adverse effect on the Fund's NAV and remaining Fund shareholders. The Fund may lose money if it is forced to sell certain investments to meet redemption requests or other cash needs.
Market Direction Risk
Since the Fund will typically hold both long and short positions, an investment in the Fund will involve market risks associated with different types of investment decisions than those made for a typical "long only" fund. The Fund's results could suffer both when there is a general market advance and the Fund holds significant "short" positions, and when there is a general market decline and the Fund holds significant "long" positions. In recent years, the markets have shown considerable volatility from day to day and even in intra-day trading.
Market Risk
Markets may at times be volatile and the value of the Fund's stock holdings may decline in price, sometimes significantly and/or rapidly, because of changes in prices of its holdings or a broad stock market decline. The value of a security may decline due to adverse issuer-specific conditions or general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived political, regulatory, market, economic, or other developments, and developments may cause broad changes in market value, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, public perceptions concerning these developments or adverse investment sentiment generally. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value simultaneously. Terrorism and related geopolitical risks have led, and may in the future lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on world economies and markets generally. In addition, markets and market participants are increasingly reliant upon both publicly available and proprietary information data systems. Data imprecision, software or other technology malfunctions, programming inaccuracies, unauthorized use or access, and similar circumstances may impair the performance of these systems and may have an adverse impact upon a single issuer, a group of issuers, or the market at large. In certain cases, an exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on either specific securities or even the entire market, which may result in the Fund being, among other things, unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments or accurately price its investments.
Prospectus – Additional Information About the Fund |
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These fluctuations in stock prices could be a sustained trend or a drastic movement. The stock markets generally move in cycles, with periods of rising prices followed by periods of declining prices. The value of your investment may reflect these fluctuations. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in credit, fixed-income, and equity markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide which could adversely affect the Fund.
Model Risk
The Sub-Advisors may use proprietary modeling systems to implement their investment strategies for the Fund. Investments selected using these models may perform differently than expected as a result of the factors used in the models, the weight placed on each factor, changes from the factors' historical trends and technical issues in the construction and implementation of the models. There is no assurance that the models are complete or accurate, or representative of future market cycles, nor will they necessarily be beneficial to the Fund if they are accurate. The results generated by these models may perform differently than in the past or as expected. They may negatively affect Fund performance for various reasons. For example, human judgment plays a role in building, using, testing and modifying the financial algorithms and formulas used in these models. Additional, there is a possibility that the historical data may be imprecise or become stale due to new events or changing circumstances, which the models may not promptly detect. Market performance can be affected by non-quantitative factors (for example, market or trading system dysfunctions, investor fear or over-reaction or other emotional considerations) that are not easily integrated into the Sub-Advisors' risk models. There may also be technical issues with the construction and implementation of quantitative models (for example, software or other technology malfunctions, or programming inaccuracies).
Multi-Manager Risk
The Fund's performance depends on, among other things, the Lead Sub-Advisor's success in overseeing and allocating the Fund's assets among the Sub-Advisors. The Sub-Advisors investment styles may not always be complementary. The Sub-Advisors make investment decisions independently of one another, and may make conflicting investment decisions. For example, at any particular time, a Sub-Advisor may purchase shares of an issuer whose shares are being sold by another Sub-Advisor, resulting in higher expense without accomplishing any net investment result, or several Sub-Advisors may purchase the same security at the same time without aggregating their transactions, resulting in higher expenses. As a result, the Fund could incur transaction costs without accomplishing any net investment result. The Fund's multi-manager approach may result in the Fund investing a significant percentage of its assets in certain types of securities, which could be beneficial or detrimental to the Fund's performance depending on the performance of those securities and the overall market environment. The Sub-Advisors may underperform the market generally or underperform other investment managers that could have been selected for the Fund. The success of a particular Sub-Advisor in implementing its investment strategy is dependent on the expertise of its portfolio managers, and certain Sub-Advisors may have a limited number of investment management professionals. The loss of one or more of a Sub-Advisor's key investment professionals could have a materially adverse effect on the performance of the Fund. A Sub-Advisor may have little or no experience managing the assets of a registered investment company which, unlike the other accounts a Sub-Advisor may manage, is subject to daily inflows and outflows of investor cash and are subject to certain legal and tax-related restrictions on their investments and operations. The Fund's Lead Sub-Advisor and the Sub-Advisors also may use proprietary or licensed strategies that are based on considerations and factors that are not fully disclosed to the Board, the Manager or the Lead Sub-Advisor. These proprietary or licensed investment strategies, which may include quantitative mathematical models or systems, may be changed or refined over time. The Lead Sub-Advisor or a Sub-Advisor (or the licensor of the strategies) may make certain changes to the strategies previously used, may not use such strategies at all (or the license may be revoked), and may use additional strategies, where such changes or discretionary decisions, and the reasons for such changes or decisions, are also not fully disclosed to the Board, the Manager or the Lead Sub-Advisor. These strategies may involve risks under some market conditions that are not anticipated by the Manager, the Lead Sub-Advisor or the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk
The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. When the Fund invests in a relatively small number of issuers it may be more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a more diversified portfolio might be. Some of those issuers also may present substantial credit or other risks. Since the Fund is non-diversified, its NAV and total return may also fluctuate more or be subject to declines in weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Other Investment Companies Securities
The Fund may invest in shares of other registered investment companies, including exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") and money market funds. To the extent that the Fund invests in shares of other registered investment companies, the Fund will indirectly bear fees and expenses, including for example, advisory and administrative fees, charged by the underlying funds in addition to the Fund's direct fees and expenses and will be subject to the risks associated with investments in those funds. The Fund must rely on the underlying fund to achieve its investment objective. If the underlying fund fails to achieve its investment objective, the value of the Fund's investment will decline, adversely affecting the Fund's performance. ETF shares may trade at a premium or discount to their net asset value. An ETF that tracks an index may not precisely replicate the returns of its benchmark index
Sector Risk
The Fund's investing approach may dictate an emphasis on certain sectors or sub-sectors of the market at any given time. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in one sector, industry, or sub-sector of the market, it thereby presents a more concentrated risk and its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors or sub-sectors. In addition, the value of the Fund's shares may change at different rates compared to the value of shares of another Fund with investments in a more diversified mix of sectors and industries. An individual sector, industry, or sub-sector of the market may have above-average performance during particular periods, but may also move up and down more than the broader market. The industries that constitute a sector may all react in the same way to economic, political or regulatory events. The Fund's performance could also be affected if the sectors, industries, or sub-sectors do not perform as expected. Alternatively, the lack of exposure to one or more sectors or industries may adversely affect performance.
Securities Selection Risk
Securities selected by the Sub-Advisors or Lead Sub-Advisor for the Fund may not perform to expectations. The portfolio managers' judgments about the attractiveness, value and potential performance of a particular asset class or individual security may be incorrect and there is no guarantee that individual securities will perform as anticipated. This could result in the Fund's underperformance compared to other funds with similar investment objectives.
Segregated Assets Risk
In connection with certain transactions that may give rise to future payment obligations, including short sales and many types of derivatives, the Fund may be required to maintain a segregated amount of, or otherwise earmark, cash or liquid securities to cover the position. Segregated or earmarked securities cannot be sold while the position or transaction they are covering is outstanding, unless they are replaced with other securities of equal value. There is the possibility that the segregation or earmarking of a large percentage of the Fund's assets may, in some circumstances, limit the Fund's ability to take advantage of investment opportunities or meet redemption requests.
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Prospectus – Additional Information About the Fund |
Short Position Risk
The Fund's short positions are subject to special risks. A short position involves the sale by the Fund of a security that it does not own with the hope of purchasing the same security at a later date at a lower price. The Fund may also enter into a short position through a forward commitment or a short derivative position through a futures contract or swap agreement. If the price of the security or derivative has increased during this time, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short position was entered into plus any premiums and interest paid to the third party. Therefore, short positions involve the risk that losses may be exaggerated, potentially losing more money than the actual cost of the investment. Also, there is the risk that the third party to the short position may fail to honor its contract terms, causing a loss to the Fund.
Small- and Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk
Investments in small- and mid- capitalization companies generally involve greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investments in larger capitalization and more established companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies often have narrower commercial markets and more limited operating history, product lines, and managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. As a result, performance can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of a Fund's portfolio. Generally, the smaller the company size, the greater these risks. Additionally, small- and mid-capitalization companies may have less market liquidity than larger capitalization companies, and they can be sensitive to changes in interest rates, borrowing costs and earnings.
Valuation Risk
This is the risk that the Fund has valued certain securities at a price different from the price at which they can be sold. This risk may be especially pronounced for investments, such as derivatives, which may be illiquid or which may become illiquid and for securities that trade in relatively thin markets and/or markets that experience extreme volatility. If market conditions make it difficult to value some investments, the Fund may value these investments using more subjective methods, such as fair value methodologies. The value of foreign securities, certain fixed income securities and currencies, as applicable, may be materially affected by events after the close of the markets on which they are traded, but before the Fund determines its NAV.
Value Stocks Risk
Investments in value stocks are subject to the risk that their intrinsic value may never be realized by the market or that their prices may go down. This may result in the value stocks' prices remaining undervalued for extended periods of time. While the Fund's investments in value stocks may limit its downside risk over time, the Fund may produce more modest gains than riskier other stock funds as a trade-off for this potentially lower risk. The Fund's performance also may be affected adversely if value stocks become unpopular with or lose favor among investors. Different investment styles tend to shift in and out favor, depending on market conditions and investor sentiment. The Fund's value style could cause it to underperform funds that use a growth or non-value approach to investing or have a broader investment style.
Additional Information About Performance Benchmark
The annual total return of the Fund will be compared to the MSCI® World Index, a broad-based market index. Set forth below is additional information regarding the indices to which the Fund's performance is compared.
The MSCI ® World Index captures large and mid-cap representation across twenty-four developed markets countries, covering approximately 84% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization in each country. (Neither MSCI nor any other party involved in or related to compiling, computing or creating the MSCI data makes any express or implied warranties or representations with respect to such data (or the results to be obtained by the use thereof), and all such parties hereby expressly disclaim all warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to any of such data. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall MSCI, any of its affiliates or any third party involved in or related to compiling, computing or creating the data have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages. No further distribution or dissemination of the MSCI data is permitted without MSCI's express written consent.)
Prospectus – Additional Information About the Fund |
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Fund Management
The Manager
AMERICAN BEACON ADVISORS, INC. (the "Manager") serves as the Manager and administrator of the Fund(s). The Manager, located at 220 East Las Colinas Boulevard, Suite 1200, Irving, Texas 75039, is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Astro AB Holdings, LLC, which is owned primarily by Kelso Investment Associates VIII, L.P., KEP VI, LLC and Estancia Capital Partners L.P.
The Manager was organized in 1986 to provide investment management, advisory, and administrative services. The Manager is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The Manager is not registered as a commodity pool operator ("CPO") with respect to the Fund. On behalf of the Fund, the Manager has filed a notice claiming the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC") Regulation 4.5 exclusion from CPO registration. The Manager is also exempt from registration as a commodity trading advisor under CFTC Regulation 4.14(a)(8) with respect to the Fund.
The Fund's Management Agreement with the Manager provides for the Fund to pay the Manager an annualized management fee equal to 1.55% of the average daily net assets of the Fund. This fee is used by the Manager to pay the Lead Sub-Advisor an annualized fee of 1.50% and the Lead Sub-Advisor pays the fees of the Sub-Advisors.
The Manager also may receive up to 25% of the net monthly income generated from the Fund's securities lending activities as compensation for oversight of the Fund's securities lending program, including the securities lending agent, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Currently, the Manager is authorized to receive 10% of any such income. The SEC has granted exemptive relief that permits the Fund to invest cash collateral received from securities lending transactions in shares of one or more private or registered investment companies managed by the Manager. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund does not intend to engage in securities lending activities.
A discussion of the Board's consideration and approval of (i) the Management Agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and the Manager, (ii) the Lead Investment Advisory Agreement between the Manager and the Lead Sub-Advisor, and (iii) the Investment Advisory Agreements among the Manager, the Lead Sub-Advisor and the Sub-Advisors, will be available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended January 31, 2016.
The Lead Sub-Advisor
Set forth below is a brief description of the Lead Sub-Advisor and the portfolio managers with primary responsibility for allocating the Fund's assets among the Sub-Advisors, overseeing the Sub-Advisors, and investing the portion of Fund assets that the Lead Sub-Advisor and Sub-Advisors determine should be allocated to short-term investments. The Fund's SAI provides additional information about the portfolio managers, including other accounts they manage, their ownership in the Fund they manage and their compensation.
GROSVENOR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, L.P. (''Grosvenor"), 900 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1100, Chicago, Illinois 60611. GCM Grosvenor is one of the world's largest and most diversified independent alternative asset management firms, with over $50 billion in assets under management. GCM Grosvenor offers comprehensive public and private markets solutions, providing clients with a broad suite of investment and advisory choices that span hedge funds, private equity, infrastructure and real estate. GCM Grosvenor provides investment management and advisory services for hedge fund investments through Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. ("Grosvenor" or "GCM Grosvenor Public Markets") and private markets investments through GCM Customized Fund Investment Group, L.P. ("GCM Grosvenor Private Markets"). Grosvenor has been managing public markets investment portfolios on behalf of clients since 1971, and private markets investment portfolios on behalf of clients since 1999.
David S. Richter , CPA, is Director of Investments, Head of Research and Managing Director for GCM Grosvenor Public Markets. Mr. Richter is Chair of the Public Markets Investment Committee and has been a member of the Public Markets Investment Committee since 2005. Mr. Richter approves portfolio allocations and shares responsibility for the evaluation, selection, and monitoring of various investment strategies and investment managers.
Bradley H. Meyers , CPA, is Head of Portfolio Management and Managing Director for GCM Grosvenor Public Markets. He has served as the Head of Portfolio Management and a member of the Public Markets Investment Committee since 2011. He has been a Managing Director since 2013 and was a Senior Vice President from 2011 to 2013. Mr. Meyers is responsible for overseeing the portfolio management process and approves portfolio allocations prior to implementation. Before his role as Head of Portfolio Management, Mr. Meyers was a Vice President in the Manager Research Team with a focus on credit and arbitrage strategies.
Keith E. Friedman is a Vice President of the GCM Grosvenor Public Markets Investment Team, a position he has held since 2013. He was previously an Associate of the GCM Grosvenor Public Markets Investment Team from 2010 to 2013. In his current capacity, he has joint responsibilities on the Portfolio Management and Research Teams. Within Portfolio Management, Mr. Friedman serves as a Portfolio Manager on portfolios with various strategy mandates. Within Research, Mr. Friedman focuses on strategy and manager research and monitoring for liquid, global macro and relative value strategies.
The Sub-Advisors
Set forth below is information regarding each Sub-Advisor.
BASSWOOD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC ("Basswood") , is located at 645 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022. Basswood, a Delaware limited liability company, is a registered investment adviser providing investment advisory services to various private investment funds and separately managed accounts. As of July 1, 2015, Basswood had approximately $1.5 billion in assets under management.
IMPALA ASSET MANAGEMENT ("Impala") , 134 Main Street, New Canaan, CT 06840. Impala is an employee owned hedge fund sponsor. The firm primarily provides its services to pooled investment vehicles. It invests in the public equity markets across the globe. The firm employs a long/short equity strategy to make its investments. It invests in value stocks of companies. The firm employs fundamental research with bottom up and top down analysis to make its investments. It typically invests in consumer, energy, industrials, and materials sectors. Impala Asset Management, LLC was founded in 2003 and is based in New Canaan, Connecticut with additional offices in New York City and New Canaan, Connecticut. As of August, 2015, the firm's assets under management were $2.5 billion.
INCLINE GLOBAL MANAGEMENT, LLC ("Incline Global") , 40 West 57th Street, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10019. Incline Global, a Delaware Limited Liability Company, was founded in April 2012 by Jeff Lignelli and is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser. Incline Global employs a global long/short equity strategy focused primarily on identifying investments that fit proprietary frameworks followed by highly detailed company-specific research. As of December 31, 2014, Incline Global managed $423 million on a discretionary basis.
PASSPORT CAPITAL LLC ("Passport") , One Market Street, Steuart Tower, Ste 2200, San Francisco, CA 94105. Passport Capital, LLC is a San Francisco-based, global investment firm founded by John H. Burbank III in 2000. The firm managed approximately $4.1 billion in assets as of July 31, 2015. Passport Capital seeks to achieve superior risk-adjusted returns through a combination of macroeconomic analysis, fundamental research and quantitative tools. It employs
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Prospectus – Fund Management |
top-down, macroeconomic analysis to identify durable, secular changes not reflected in asset prices. It conducts rigorous fundamental research in an attempt to identify individual securities that most effectively express the firm's investment views. Finally, the firm employs quantitative tools to construct portfolios aimed at delivering superior returns within specific risk and liquidity targets. Passport Capital is a federally registered investment adviser with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
PINE RIVER CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LP ("Pine River") 601 Carlson Parkway, Suite 330, Minnetonka, MN 55305. Pine River Capital Management LP was founded in 2002 by Brian Taylor with colleagues Jeff Stolt, Aaron Yeary, and Nikhil Mankodi. Now in its second decade, Pine River has grown through significant investment in portfolio management and operational infrastructure—investments aimed at securing long-term advantages for its clients. Our partnership continues to strengthen and diversify. Today Pine River manages solutions for qualified investors spanning hedge funds, separate accounts, and listed investment vehicles. Approximate assets under management were $15.4 billion as of September 1, 2015.
Originally based in the North Woods outpost of Pine River, Minnesota, the firm now employs a talented and committed team of over 400 at its headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota and offices in New York, London, Beijing, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, San Francisco, Austin and Luxembourg.
Pine River is 100% employee owned, with 18 partners who hold senior positions throughout the organization. As owners, senior investment professionals have a stake in the long-term performance of the entire firm, not just their respective areas of focus. At the same time, the company remains free of influence from external stakeholders whose short-term goals might not be complementary with the long-term needs of its clients and its firm. This structure is a powerful way to retain top talent, and strongly aligns the interests of Pine River with the interests of our investors.
RIVER CANYON FUND MANAGEMENT LLC (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canyon Capital Advisors LLC) ("River Canyon") is located at 2000 Avenue of the Stars, 11th floor, Los Angeles, CA 90067, serves as a Sub-Advisor to the Fund. River Canyon is a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Canyon Capital Advisors LLC ("Canyon"), which in turn is owned by Canyon Partners LLC. River Canyon has been registered as an investment adviser with the SEC since November 5, 2013 and provides investment advisory and sub-advisory services to registered investment companies and other investors seeking liquid credit strategies. Canyon has been managing assets since 1990 and has been registered, through its predecessor, as an investment adviser with the SEC since 1994. Canyon provides investment advisory services to pooled investment vehicles and separately managed accounts focusing on a broad spectrum of stressed and distressed credit strategies. Total assets under management by River Canyon and Canyon were approximately $165 million and $19.0 billion, respectively, as of August 31, 2015.
TREMBLANT CAPITAL GROUP ("Tremblant") , 767 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10153. Tremblant Capital Group is a global asset management firm founded in 2001 by Brett Barakett specializing in long/short and long only equity investing. Key to Tremblant's investment approach is an expertise in identifying secular, structural and company specific changes, as they are often catalysts for compelling opportunities. Tremblant has invested across a range of market environments, honing its unique process and developing a team of investment professionals trained in Tremblant's methodology. The cohesive investment team brings a nuanced understanding of their areas of specialization to the firm. Tremblant believes that a collaborative culture, focused sector expertise, and a proven, repeatable investment process provide a sustainable competitive advantage. Tremblant is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser with assets under management of approximately $1.9 billion as of June 30, 2015.
Valuation of Shares
The price of the Fund's shares is based on its NAV per share. The Fund's NAV is computed by adding total assets, subtracting all of the Fund's liabilities, and dividing the result by the total number of shares outstanding.
The NAV of each class of the Fund's shares is determined based on a pro rata allocation of the Fund's investment income, expenses and total capital gains and losses. The Fund's NAV per share is determined as of the close of the New York Stock Exchange (''NYSE''), generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, on each day on which it is open for business. Foreign exchanges may permit trading in foreign securities on days when the Fund is not open for business, which may result in the Fund's portfolio investments being affected when you are unable to buy or sell shares.
Equity securities and certain derivative instruments that are traded on an exchange are valued based on market value. Derivative instruments usually are valued on the basis of prices provided by a pricing service. In some cases, the price of debt securities is determined using quotes obtained from brokers. Investments in other mutual funds are valued at the closing NAV per share of the mutual funds on the day of valuation. Equity securities, including shares of closed-end funds and ETFs, are valued at the last sale price or official closing price.
The valuation of securities traded on foreign markets and certain fixed income securities will generally be based on prices determined as of the earlier closing time of the markets on which they primarily trade, unless a significant event has occurred. When the Fund holds securities or other assets that are denominated in a foreign currency, the Fund will normally use the currency exchange rates as of 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Securities may be valued at fair value, as determined in good faith and pursuant to procedures approved by the Board of Trustees, under certain limited circumstances. For example, fair value pricing will be used when market quotations are not readily available or reliable, as determined by the Manager, such as when (i) trading for a security is restricted or stopped; (ii) a security's trading market is closed (other than customary closings); or (iii) a security has been de-listed from a national exchange. A security with limited market liquidity may require fair value pricing if the Manager determines that the available price does not reflect the security's true market value. In addition, if a significant event that the Manager determines to affect the value of one or more securities held by the Fund occurs after the close of a related exchange but before the determination of the Fund's NAV, fair value pricing may be used on the affected security or securities.
Attempts to determine the fair value of securities introduce an element of subjectivity to the pricing of securities. As a result, the price of a security determined through fair valuation techniques may differ from the price quoted or published by other sources and may not accurately reflect the market value of the security when trading resumes. If a reliable market quotation becomes available for a security formerly valued through fair valuation techniques, the Manager compares the new market quotation to the fair value price to evaluate the effectiveness of the Funds' fair valuation procedures. If any significant discrepancies are found, the Manager may adjust the Funds' fair valuation procedures. You may view the Fund's most recent NAV per share at www.americanbeaconfunds.com by clicking on ''Quick Links'' and then ''Daily NAVs.''
Prospectus – Fund Management |
16 |
About Your Investment
Choosing Your Share Class
Each share class of the Fund represents an investment in the same portfolio of securities for the Fund, but each class has its own sales charge and expense structure, allowing you to choose the class that best fits your situation.
Factors you should consider when choosing a class of shares include:
How long you expect to own the shares;
How much you intend to invest;
Total expenses associated with owning shares of each class;
Whether you qualify for any reduction or waiver of sales charges;
Whether you plan to take any distributions in the near future; and
Availability of share classes.
Each investor's financial considerations are different. You should speak with your financial adviser to help you decide which share class is best for you.
The Fund offers various classes of shares. Each class has a different combination of purchase restrictions, sales charges and ongoing fees, allowing you to choose the class that best meets your needs. The following table and sections explain the sales charges or other fees you may pay when investing in each class.
A Class Charges and Waivers
The table below shows the amount of sales charges you will pay on purchases of A Class shares of the Funds both as a percentage of offering price and as a percentage of the amount you invest. The sales charge differs depending upon the amount you invest and may be reduced or eliminated for larger purchases as indicated below. If you invest more, the sales charge will be lower.
Any applicable sales charge will be deducted directly from your investment. Because of rounding of the calculation in determining the sales charges, you may pay more or less than what is shown in the table below. Shares acquired through reinvestment of dividends or capital gain distributions are not subject to a front-end sales charge. You may qualify for a reduced sales charge or the sales charge may be waived as described below in ''A Class Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers.''
Amount of Sale/ Account Value |
As a % of Offering Price |
As a % of Investment |
Dealer Commission as a % of Offering Price |
Less than $50,000 |
5.75% |
6.10% |
5.00% |
$50,000 but less than $100,000 |
4.75% |
4.99% |
4.00% |
$100,000 but less than $250,000 |
3.75% |
3.90% |
3.00% |
$250,000 but less than $500,000 |
2.75% |
2.83% |
2.05% |
$500,000 but less than $1 million |
2.00% |
2.04% |
1.50% |
$1 million and above |
0.00% |
0.00% |
|
|
No initial sales charge applies on purchases of $1,000,000 or more. A CDSC of 0.50% of the offering price will be charged on purchases of $1,000,000 or more that are redeemed in whole or in part within eighteen (18) months of purchase. |
|
See ''Dealer Concessions on A Class Purchases Without a Front-End Sales Charge''. |
Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the ''Distributor'') retains any portion of the commissions that are not paid to financial intermediaries to solely pay distribution-related expenses.
A Class Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers
A shareholder may qualify for a waiver or reduction in sales charges under certain circumstances. To receive a waiver or reduction in your A Class sales charge, you must advise the Fund's transfer agent, your broker-dealer or other financial intermediary of your eligibility at the time of purchase. If you or your financial intermediary do not let the Fund's transfer agent know that you are eligible for a reduction, you may not receive a sales charge discount to which you are otherwise entitled.
Waiver of Sales Charges
There is no sales charge if you invest $1 million or more in A Class shares.
17 |
Prospectus – About Your Investment |
Sales charges also may be waived for certain shareholders or transactions, such as:
The Manager or its affiliates;
Present and former directors, trustees, officers, employees of the Manager, the Manager's parent company, and the Trust (and their ''immediate family'' as defined in the SAI), and retirement plans established by them for their employees;
Registered representatives or employees of intermediaries that have selling agreement with the Fund;
Shares acquired through merger or acquisition;
Insurance company separate accounts;
Employer-sponsored retirement plans;
Dividend reinvestment programs;
Purchases through certain fee-based programs under which investors pay advisory fees that may be offered through selected registered investment advisers, broker-dealers, and other financial intermediaries;
Shareholders that purchase the Fund through a financial intermediary that offers our A Class shares uniformly on a ''no load'' (or reduced load) basis to you and all similarly situated customers of the intermediary in accordance with the intermediary's prescribed fee schedule for purchases of fund shares; and
Reinvestment of proceeds within 90 days of a redemption from A Class account (see Redemption Policies for more information).
The availability of A Class sales charge waivers may depend upon the policies, procedures, and trading platform of your financial intermediary.
Reduced Sales Charges
Under a ''Rights of Accumulation Program,'' a ''Letter of Intent'' or through ''Concurrent Purchases'' you may be eligible to buy A Class shares of the Fund at the reduced sales charge rates that would apply to a larger purchase. The Fund reserves the right to modify or to cease offering these programs at any time.
This information is available, free of charge, on the Fund's website, www.americanbeaconfunds.com or call (800) 658-5811 or consult with your financial advisor.
Dealer Concessions on A Class Purchases Without a Front-End Sales Charge
Brokers who initiate and are responsible for purchases of $1,000,000 or more of A Class shares of the Fund may receive a dealer concession from the Fund's Distributor of 0.50% of the offering price. If a client or broker is unable to provide account verification on purchases of $1,000,000 or more, the dealer concession will be forfeited by the broker and front-end sales loads will apply. Dealer concessions will not be paid on shares purchased by exchange or shares that were previously subject to a front-end sales charge or dealer concession. Dealer concessions will be paid only on eligible purchases where the applicability of the CDSC can be monitored. Purchases eligible for sales charge waivers as described under ''A Class Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers'' are not eligible for dealer concessions on purchases of $1,000,000 or more.
Rights of Accumulation Program
Under the Rights of Accumulation Program, you may qualify for a reduced sales charge by aggregating all of your investments held in certain accounts (''Qualified Accounts''). The following Qualified Accounts holding any share class of the American Beacon Funds may be grouped together to qualify for the reduced sales charge under the Rights of Accumulation Program or Letter of Intent:
Accounts owned by you, your spouse or your minor children under the age of 21, including trust or other fiduciary accounts in which you, your spouse or your minor children are the beneficiary;
Uniform transfer or gift to minor accounts (''UTMA/UGTMA'');
Individual retirement accounts (''IRAs''), including traditional, Roth, SEP and SIMPLE IRAs; and
Coverdell Education Savings Accounts or qualified 529 plans.
A fiduciary can apply a right of accumulation to all shares purchased for a trust, estate or other fiduciary account that has multiple accounts.
You must notify your financial intermediary or the Fund's transfer agent, in the case of shares held directly with the Fund, at the time of purchase that a purchase qualifies for a reduced sales charge under the Rights of Accumulation Program. In addition, you must provide either a list of account numbers or copies of account statements verifying your qualification. You may combine the historical cost or current value, as of the day prior to your additional American Beacon Funds' purchase (whichever is higher) of your existing American Beacon Funds' mutual fund with the amount of your current purchase in order to take advantage of the reduced sales charge. Historical cost is the price you actually paid for the shares you own, plus your reinvested dividends and capital gain distributions. If you are using historical cost to qualify for a reduced sales charge, you should retain any records to substantiate your historical costs since the Fund, its transfer agent or your financial intermediary may not maintain this information.
If your shares are held through financial intermediaries and/or in a retirement account (such as a 401(k) or employee benefit plan), you may combine the current NAV of your existing American Beacon Funds mutual fund investment with the amount of your current purchase in order to take advantage of the reduced sales charge. You or your financial intermediary must notify the Funds' transfer agent at the time of purchase that a purchase qualifies for a reduced sales charge and provide copies of account statements dated within three months of your current purchase verifying your qualification.
Upon receipt of the above referenced supporting documentation, the financial intermediary or the Fund's transfer agent will calculate the combined value of all of your Qualified Accounts to determine if the current purchase is eligible for a reduced sales charge. Purchases made for nominee or street name accounts (securities held in the name of a dealer or another nominee such as a bank trust department instead of the customer) may not be aggregated with purchases for other accounts and may not be aggregated with other nominee or street name accounts unless otherwise qualified as described above.
Letter of Intent
If you plan to invest at least $50,000 (excluding any reinvestment of dividends and capital gain distributions) during the next 13 months in any class of the Fund, you may qualify for a reduced sales charge for purchases of A Class shares by completing the Letter of Intent section of your account application.
A Letter of Intent indicates your intent to purchase at least $50,000 in any class of the American Beacon Funds over the next 13 months in exchange for a reduced A Class sales charge indicated on the above tables. The minimum initial investment under a Letter of Intent is $2,500. You are not obligated to purchase additional shares if you complete a Letter of Intent. However, if you do not buy enough shares to qualify for the projected level of sales charge by the end of the 13-month period (or when you sell your shares, if earlier), your sales charge will be recalculated to reflect your actual purchase level. During the term of the Letter of Intent, shares representing 5% of your intended purchase will be held in escrow. If you do not purchase enough shares during the 13- month period to qualify for the projected reduced sales charge, the additional sales charge will be deducted from your account. If you have purchased shares of any American Beacon mutual fund within 90 days prior to signing a Letter of Intent, they may be included as part of your intended purchase, however,
Prospectus – About Your Investment |
18 |
previous purchase transactions will not be recalculated with the proposed new breakpoint. You must provide either a list of account numbers or copies of account statements verifying your purchases within the past 90 days.
Concurrent Purchases
You may combine simultaneous purchases in shares of any of the American Beacon Funds to qualify for a reduced charge.
Contingent Deferred Sales Charge (''CDSC'') — A Class Shares
Unless a waiver applies, investors who purchase $1,000,000 or more of A Class shares of the Fund (and, thus, pay no initial sales charge) will be subject to a 0.50% CDSC if those shares are redeemed within 18 months after they are purchased. The CDSC does not apply if you are otherwise eligible to purchase A Class shares without an initial sales charge or are eligible for one of the waivers described herein or in the SAI.
CDSC— C Class Shares
If you redeem C Class shares within 12 months of purchase, you may be charged a CDSC of 1%. The CDSC generally will be deducted from your redemption proceeds. In some circumstances, you may be eligible for one of the waivers described herein or in the SAI. You must advise the transfer agent of your eligibility for a waiver when you place your redemption request.
How CDSCs will be Calculated
The amount of the CDSC will be based on the NAV of the redeemed shares at the time of the redemption or the original NAV, whichever is lower. Because of the rounding of the calculation in determining the CDSC, you may pay more or less than the indicated rate. Your CDSC holding period is based upon the date of your purchase. The CDSCs will be deducted from the proceeds of your redemption, not from amounts remaining in your account. A CDSC is not imposed on any increase in NAV over the initial purchase price or shares you received through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gain distributions.
To keep your CDSC as low as possible, each time you place a request to sell shares, the Fund will redeem your shares in the following order:
shares acquired by the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions;
other shares that are not subject to the CDSC;
shares held the longest during the holding period.
Waiver of CDSCs — A and C Class Shares
A shareholder may qualify for a CDSC waiver under certain circumstances. To have your CDSC waived, you must advise the Fund's transfer agent, your broker-dealer or other financial intermediary of your eligibility at the time of redemption. If you or your financial intermediary do not let the Fund's transfer agent know that you are eligible for a waiver, you may not receive a waiver to which might otherwise be otherwise entitled.
The CDSC may be waived if:
The redemption is due to a shareholder's death or post-purchase disability;
The redemption is from a systematic withdrawal plan and represents no more than 10% of your annual account value;
The redemption is a benefit payment made from a qualified retirement plan, unless the redemption is due to the termination of the plan or the transfer of the plan to another financial institution;
The redemption is for a mandatory withdrawal from a traditional IRA after age 70 1/2 ;
The redemption is due to involuntary redemptions by the Fund as a result of your account not meeting the minimum balance requirements, the termination and liquidation of the Fund, or other actions;
The redemption is from accounts for which the broker-dealer of record has entered into a written agreement with the Distributor (or Manager) allowing this waiver;
The redemption is to return excess contributions made to a retirement plan; or
The redemption is to return contributions made due to a mistake of fact.
The SAI contains further details about the CDSC and the conditions for waiving the CDSC.
Information regarding CDSC waivers for A and C Class shares is available, free of charge, on the Fund's website. Please visit www.americanbeaconfunds.com. You may also call (800) 658-5811 or consult with your financial advisor.
Purchase and Redemption of Shares
Eligibility
The A Class, C Class, Y Class, Institutional Class, and Investor Class shares offered in this Prospectus are available to eligible investors who meet the minimum initial investment. American Beacon Funds do not accept accounts registered to foreign individuals or entities, including foreign correspondent accounts. The Fund does not conduct operations and is not offered for purchase outside of the United States.
Subject to your eligibility, you may invest in the Fund directly or through intermediary organizations, such as broker-dealers, insurance companies, plan sponsors, third party administrators, and retirement plans.
If you invest directly with the Fund, the fees and policies with respect to the Fund's shares that are outlined in this Prospectus are set by the Fund. The Manager and the Fund are not responsible for determining the suitability of the Fund or share class for any investor.
Because in most cases it is more advantageous for investors using an intermediary to purchase A Class shares than C Class shares for amounts of $1,000,000 or more, the Fund will decline a request to purchase C Class shares for $1,000,000 or more.
If you invest through a financial intermediary, most of the information you will need for managing your investment will come from your financial intermediary. This includes information on how to buy, sell and exchange shares of the Fund. If you establish an account through a financial intermediary, the investment minimums described in this section may not apply. Investors investing in the Fund through a financial intermediary should consult with their financial intermediary to ensure they obtain any proper ''breakpoint'' discount and regarding the differences between available share classes. Your broker-dealer or financial intermediary also may charge fees that are in addition to those described in this Prospectus. Please contact your intermediary for information regarding investment minimums, how to purchase and redeem shares and applicable fees.
19 |
Prospectus – About Your Investment |
Minimum Initial Investment by Share Class
|
New Account |
Existing Account |
|
Share Class |
Minimum |
Purchase/Redemption Minimum by check/ACH/Exchange |
Purchase/Redemption Minimum by Wire |
C |
$1,000 |
$50 |
$ 250 |
A; Investor |
$2,500 |
$50 |
$ 250 |
Y |
$100,000 |
$50 |
None |
Institutional |
$250,000 |
$50 |
None |
Investor Class shares are also available to traditional individual retirement account ("IRA") and Roth IRA shareholders investing directly in the Fund. The minimum investment is $2,500.
The Manager may allow a reasonable period of time after opening an account for a Y Class or Institutional Class investor to meet the initial investment requirement. In addition, for investors such as trust companies and financial advisors who make investments for a group of clients, the minimum initial investment can be met through an aggregated purchase order for more than one client.
Opening an Account
You may open an account through your broker-dealer or other financial intermediary. Please contact your financial intermediary for more information on how to open an account. Shares you purchase through your broker dealer will normally be held in your account with that firm.
To open an account directly with the Fund, a completed, signed application is required. You may obtain an account application from the Fund's website www.americanbeaconfunds.com or by calling 1-800-658-5811. Institutional shareholders should call 1-800-967-9009.
Complete the application, sign it and send it:
To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens an account. When you open an account, you will be asked for information that will allow the Fund or your financial institution to identify you. Non-public corporations and other entities may be required to provide articles of incorporation, trust or partnership agreements, and Social Security or other taxpayer identification numbers on the account or other documentation. The Fund is required by law to reject your new account application if the required identifying information is not provided.
The Fund reserves the right to liquidate a shareholder's account at the current day's NAV and remit proceeds via check if the Fund or a financial institution are unable to verify the shareholder's identity within three days of account opening.
Purchase Policies
Shares of the Fund are offered and purchase orders are typically accepted until 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time or the close of the NYSE (whichever comes first) on each day on which the NYSE is open for business. If a purchase order is received by the Fund in good order prior to the Fund's deadline, the purchase price will be the NAV per share next determined on that day, plus any applicable sales charges. If a purchase order is received in good order after the applicable deadline, the purchase price will be the NAV per share of the following day that the Fund is open for business plus any applicable sales charge. Shares of the Fund will only be issued against full payment, as described more fully in this Prospectus and SAI.
The Fund has authorized certain third party financial intermediaries, such as broker-dealers, insurance companies, third party administrators and trust companies, to receive purchase and redemption orders on behalf of the Fund and to designate other intermediaries to receive purchase and redemption orders on behalf of the Fund. The Fund is deemed to have received such orders when they are received by the financial intermediaries or their designees. Thus, an order to purchase or sell Fund shares will be priced at the Fund's next determined NAV after receipt by the financial intermediary or its designee. It is the responsibility of your broker-dealer or financial intermediary to transmit orders that will be received by the Fund in proper form and in a timely manner.
Fund shares may be purchased only in U.S. States and Territories in which they can be legally sold. Prospective investors should inquire as to whether shares of the Fund are available for offer and sale in their jurisdiction. The Fund reserves the right to refuse purchases if, in the judgment of the Fund, the transaction would adversely affect the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund has the right to reject any purchase order or cease offering any or all classes of shares at any time. Checks to purchase shares are accepted subject to collection at full face value in U.S. funds and must be drawn in U.S. dollars on a U.S. bank. The Fund will not accept ''starter'' checks, credit card checks, money orders, cashier's checks, or third party checks.
If your payment is not received and collected, your purchase may be canceled and you could be liable for any losses or fees the Fund or the Manager has incurred.
Under applicable anti-money laundering regulations and other federal regulations, purchase orders may be suspended, restricted or canceled and the monies may be withheld.
Please refer to the section titled ''Frequent Trading and Market Timing'' for information on the Fund's policies regarding frequent purchases, redemptions, and exchanges.
Redemption Policies
If you purchased shares of the Fund through your financial intermediary, please contact your broker-dealer or other financial intermediary to sell shares of the Fund.
The redemption price will be the NAV next determined after a redemption request is received in good order, minus any applicable CDSC and/or redemption fees. In order to receive the redemption price calculated on a particular business day, redemption requests must be received in good order by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time or by the close of the NYSE (whichever comes first).
Prospectus – About Your Investment |
20 |
Wire proceeds from redemption requests received in good order by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time or by the close of the NYSE (whichever comes first) generally are transmitted to shareholders on the next day the Fund is open for business. In any event, proceeds from a redemption request will typically be transmitted to a shareholder by no later than seven days after the receipt of a redemption request in good order. Delivery of proceeds from shares purchased by check or pre-authorized automatic investment may be delayed until the funds have cleared, which may take up to ten days.
You may, within 90 days of redemption, reinvest all or part of the proceeds of your redemption of A or C Class shares of the Fund, without incurring any applicable additional sales charge, in the same class of another American Beacon Fund, by sending a written request and a check to your financial intermediary or directly to the Fund. Reinvestment must be into the same account from which you redeemed the shares or received the distribution. Proceeds from a redemption and all dividend payments and capital gain distributions will be reinvested in the same share class from which the original redemption or distribution was made. Reinvestment will be at the NAV next calculated after the Fund receives your request. You must notify the Fund and your financial intermediary at the time of investment if you decide to exercise this privilege.
The Fund reserves the right to suspend redemptions or postpone the date of payment for more than seven days (i) when the NYSE is closed (other than for customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) when trading on the NYSE is restricted; (iii) when the SEC determines that an emergency exists so that disposal of the Fund's investments or determination of its NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) by order of the SEC for protection of the Fund's shareholders.
Although the Fund intends to redeem shares in cash, the Fund reserves the right to pay the redemption price in whole or in part by a distribution of securities or other assets held by the Fund. To the extent that the Fund redeems its shares in this manner, the shareholder assumes the risk of a subsequent change in the market value of those securities, the cost of liquidating the securities and the possibility of a lack of a liquid market for those securities.
Please refer to the section titled ''Frequent Trading and Market Timing'' for information on the Fund's policies regarding frequent purchases, redemptions, and exchanges.
Exchange Policies
If you purchased shares of the Fund through your financial intermediary, please contact your financial intermediary to determine if you may take advantage of the exchange policies described in this section and for its policies to effect an exchange.
Shares of any class of the Fund may be exchanged for shares of the same class of another American Beacon fund under certain limited circumstances. Shares of any class of the Fund may be exchanged for shares of another class of the same fund under certain limited circumstances. Since an exchange involves a concurrent purchase and redemption, please review the sections titled ''Purchase Policies'' and ''Redemption Policies'' for additional limitations that apply to purchase and redemptions. There is no front-end sales charge on exchanges between A Class shares of the Fund for A Class shares of another fund. Shares otherwise subject to a CDSC will not be charged a CDSC in an exchange to shares of another fund having CDSC however, shares exchanged between funds that impose a CDSC will be charged a CDSC if redeemed within 12 months or 18 months, as applicable, of the purchase of the initial shares.
Before exchanging shares, shareholders should consider how the exchange may affect any CDSC that might be imposed on the subsequent redemption of remaining shares.
If shares were purchased by check, a shareholder must have owned shares of the redeeming fund for at least ten days prior to exchanging out of one fund and into another.
The eligibility and minimum investment requirement must be met for the class into which the shareholder is exchanging. Fund shares may be acquired through exchange only in U.S. states and Territories in which they can be legally sold. The Fund reserves the right to charge a fee and to modify or terminate the exchange privilege at any time. The Fund reserves the right to refuse exchange requests if, in the judgment of the Fund, the transaction would adversely affect the Fund and its shareholders. Please refer to the section titled "Frequent Trading and Market Timing" for information on the Fund's policies regarding frequent purchases, redemptions, and exchanges.
For federal income tax purposes, the conversion of shares of one share class for shares of a different share class of the same fund will not result in the realization of a capital gain or loss. However, an exchange of shares of one fund for shares of a different fund is considered a sale and a purchase, respectively, and may result in a gain or loss for tax purposes. There can be no assurance of any particular tax treatment, however, and you are urged and advised to consult with your own tax advisor before entering into the Fund or share class exchange.
How to Purchase, Redeem or Exchange Shares
If your account is through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, please contact them directly to purchase, redeem or exchange shares of the Fund. Your broker-dealer or financial intermediary can help you open a new account, review your financial needs and formulate long-term investment goals and objectives. Your broker dealer or financial intermediary will transmit your request to the Fund and may charge you a fee for this service. The Fund will not accept a purchase order of $1,000,000 or more for C Class shares if the purchase is known to be on behalf of a single investor (not including dealer "street name" or omnibus accounts). Dealers, other financial intermediaries or fiduciaries purchasing shares for their customers are responsible for determining the suitability of a particular share class for an investor. You should include the following information with any order:
Your name/Account registration
Your account number
Type of Transaction requested
Name(s) and fund number(s) of funds and class(es)
Dollar amount or number of shares
Transactions for direct shareholders are conducted through:
21 |
Prospectus – About Your Investment |
Internet |
www.americanbeaconfunds.com |
|
Phone |
To reach an American Beacon representative call 1-800-658-5811, option 1Through the Automated Voice Response Service call 1-800-658-5811, option 2 (Investor Class Only) |
|
|
American Beacon FundsPO Box 219643Kansas City, MO 64121-9643 |
Overnight Delivery:American Beacon Fundsc/o BFDS330 West 9th StreetKansas City, MO 64105 |
Purchases by Wire:
Send a bank wire to State Street Bank and Trust Co. with these instructions:
ABA# 0110-0002-8; AC-9905-342-3,
Attn: American Beacon Funds
the fund name and fund number, and
shareholder account number and registration.
Redemption Proceeds will be mailed to account of record or transmitted to commercial bank designated on the account application form.
|
New Account |
Existing Account |
|
Class |
Minimum |
Purchase/Redemption Minimum by check/ACH/Exchange |
Purchase/Redemption Minimum by Wire |
C |
$1,000 |
$50 |
$250 |
A, Investor |
$2,500 |
$50 |
$250 |
Y |
$100,000 |
$50 |
None |
Institutional |
$250,000 |
$50 |
None |
Supporting documents may be required for redemptions by estates, trusts, guardianships, custodians, corporations, and welfare, pension and profit sharing plans. Redemption requests must also include authorized signature(s) of all persons required to sign for the account. Call 1-800-658-5811 for instructions.
To protect the Fund and your account from fraud, a STAMP 2000 Medallion signature guarantee is required for redemption orders:
with a request to send the proceeds to an address or commercial bank account other than the address or commercial bank account designated on the account application, or
for an account whose address has changed within the last 30 days if proceeds are sent by check.
for amounts greater than $100,000.
The Fund only accepts STAMP 2000 Medallion signature guarantees, which may be obtained at participating banks broker-dealers and credit unions. A notary public cannot provide a signature guarantee. Call 1-800-658-5811 for instructions and further assistance.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its affiliates (at their own expense) may pay compensation to financial intermediaries for shareholder-related services and, if applicable, distribution-related services, including administrative, sub-transfer agency type, recordkeeping and shareholder communication services. For example, compensation may be paid to make Fund shares available to sales representatives and/or customers of a fund supermarket platform or similar program sponsor or for services provided in connection with such fund supermarket platforms and programs.
The amount of compensation paid to different financial intermediaries may differ. The compensation paid to a financial intermediary may be based on a variety of factors, including average assets under management in accounts distributed and/or serviced by the financial intermediary, gross sales by the financial intermediary and/or the number of accounts serviced by the financial intermediary that invest in the Fund. To the extent that the Fund pays any such compensation, it is designed to compensate the financial intermediary for providing services that would otherwise be provided by the Manager, the Fund or its transfer agent. To the extent the Fund affiliate pays such compensation, it would likely include amounts from that affiliate's own resources and constitute what is sometimes referred to as ''revenue sharing.''
Compensation received by a financial intermediary from the Manager or another Fund affiliate may include payments for marketing and/or training expenses incurred by the financial intermediary, including expenses incurred by the financial intermediary in educating (itself and) its salespersons with respect to Fund shares. For example, such compensation may include reimbursements for expenses incurred in attending educational seminars regarding the Fund, including travel and lodging expenses. It may also cover costs incurred by financial intermediaries in connection with their efforts to sell Fund shares, including costs incurred compensating (registered) sales representatives and preparing, printing and distributing sales literature.
Any compensation received by a financial intermediary, whether from the Fund or its affiliate(s), and the prospect of receiving it may provide the financial intermediary with an incentive to recommend the shares of the Fund, or a certain class of shares of the Fund, over other potential investments. Similarly, the compensation may cause financial intermediaries to elevate the prominence of the Fund within its organization by, for example, placing it on a list of preferred funds. You should ask your financial intermediary for details about any such payments it receives from the Manager or the Distributor, or any other fees, expenses, or commissions your financial intermediary may charge you in addition to those disclosed in this Prospectus.
Prospectus – About Your Investment |
22 |
General Policies
If a shareholder's account balance falls below the following minimum levels, the shareholder may be asked to increase the balance.
Share Class |
Account Balance |
A |
$ 2,500 |
C |
$ 1,000 |
Investor |
$ 2,500 |
Y |
$25,000 |
Institutional |
$75,000 |
If the account balance remains below the applicable minimum account balance after 45 days, the Fund reserves the right to close the account and send the proceeds to the shareholder. IRAs will be charged an annual maintenance fee of $15.00 by the Custodian for maintaining either a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA. The Fund reserves the authority to modify minimum account balances in its discretion.
A Signature Validation Program (''SVP'') stamp may be required in order to change an account's registration or banking instructions. You may obtain a SVP stamp at participating banks, broker-dealers and credit unions, but not from a notary public. The SVP stamp is analogous to the STAMP 2000 Medallion guarantee in that it is provided at similar institutions. However, it is used only for non-financial transactions.
The following policies apply to instructions you may provide to the Fund by telephone:
The Fund, its officers, trustees, employees, or agents are not responsible for the authenticity of instructions provided by telephone, nor for any loss, liability, cost or expense incurred for acting on them.
The Fund employs procedures reasonably designed to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine.
Due to the volume of calls or other unusual circumstances, telephone redemptions may be difficult to implement during certain time periods.
The Fund reserves the right to:
liquidate a shareholder's account at the current day's NAV and remit proceeds via check if the Fund or a financial institution are unable to verify the shareholder's identity within three business days of account opening,
seek reimbursement from the shareholder for any related loss incurred by the Fund if payment for the purchase of Fund shares by check does not clear the shareholder's bank, and
reject a purchase order and seek reimbursement from the shareholder for any related loss incurred by the Fund if funds are not received by the applicable wire deadline.
A shareholder will not be required to pay a CDSC when the registration for A Class or C Class shares is transferred to the name of another person or entity. The transfer may occur by absolute assignment, gift or bequest, as long as it does not involve, directly or indirectly, a public sale of the shares. When A Class or C Class shares are transferred, any applicable CDSC will continue to apply to the transferred shares and will be calculated as if the transferee had acquired the shares in the same manner and at the same time as the transferring shareholder.
Escheatment
Please be advised that certain state escheatment laws may require the Fund to turn over your mutual fund account to the state listed in your account registration as abandoned property unless you contact the Fund. Many states have added ''inactivity'' or the absence of customer initiated contact as a component of their rules and guidelines for the escheatment of unclaimed property. These states consider property to be abandoned when there is no shareholder initiated activity on an account for at least three (3) to five (5) years.
Depending on the laws in your jurisdiction, customer initiated contact might be achieved by one of the following methods:
Send a letter to American Beacon Funds via the United States Post Office,
Speak to a Customer Service Representative on the phone after you go through a security verification process. For residents of certain states, contact cannot be made by phone but must be in writing or through the fund's secure web application.
Access your account through the fund's secure web application,
Cashing checks that are received and are made payable to the owner of the account.
The Fund, the Manager, and the Transfer Agent will not be liable to shareholders or their representatives for good faith compliance with escheatment laws. To learn more about the escheatment rules for your particular state, please contact your attorney or State Treasurer's and/or Controller's Offices. If you do not hold your shares directly with the Fund, you should contact your broker-dealer, retirement plan, or other third party intermediary regarding applicable state escheatment laws.
Contact information:
American Beacon Funds
P.O. Box 219643
Kansas City, MO 64121-9643
1-800-658-5811
www.americanbeaconfunds.com
Frequent Trading and Market Timing
Frequent trading by Fund shareholders poses risks to other shareholders in the Fund, including (i) the dilution of the Fund's NAV, (ii) an increase in the Fund's expenses, and (iii) interference with the portfolio managers' ability to execute efficient investment strategies. Frequent, short-term trading of Fund shares in an attempt to profit from day-to-day fluctuations in the Fund's NAV is known as market timing.
The Fund's Board of Trustees has adopted policies and procedures intended to discourage frequent trading and market timing. Shareholders may transact up to one ''round trip'' in the Fund in any rolling 90-day period. A ''round trip'' is defined as two transactions, each in an opposite direction. A round trip may involve either (i) a purchase or exchange into the Fund followed by a redemption or exchange out of the Fund or (ii) a redemption or exchange out of the Fund followed by a purchase or exchange into the Fund. If the Manager detects that a shareholder has exceeded one round trip in the Fund in any rolling 90- day period, the Manager, without prior notice to the shareholder, may prohibit the shareholder from making further purchases of the Fund. In general, the Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase order, terminate the exchange privilege, or liquidate the account of any shareholder that the Manager determines has engaged in frequent trading or market timing, regardless of whether the shareholder's activity violates any policy stated in this Prospectus.
23 |
Prospectus – About Your Investment |
Additionally, the Manager may in its discretion, reject any purchase or exchange into the Fund from any individual investor, institutional investor, or group whose trading activity could disrupt the management of the Fund or dilute the value of the Fund's shares, including collective trading (e.g. following the advice of an investment newsletter). Such investors may be barred from future purchases of American Beacon Funds.
The round-trip limit does not apply to the following transaction types:
shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends and other distributions;
systematic purchases and redemptions;
shares redeemed to return excess IRA contributions; or
certain transactions made within a retirement or employee benefit plan, such as payroll contributions, minimum required distributions, loans, and hardship withdrawals, or other transactions that are initiated by a party other than the plan participant.
Financial intermediaries that offer Fund shares, such as broker-dealers, third party administrators of retirement plans, and trust companies, will be asked to enforce the Fund's policies to discourage frequent trading and market timing by investors. However, certain intermediaries that offer Fund shares have informed the Fund that they are currently unable to enforce the Fund's policies on an automated basis. In those instances, the Manager will monitor trading activity of the intermediary in an attempt to detect patterns of activity that indicate frequent trading or market timing by underlying investors. In some cases, intermediaries that offer Fund shares have their own policies to deter frequent trading and market timing that differ from the Fund's policies. The Fund may defer to an intermediary's policies. For more information, please contact the financial intermediary through which you invest in the Fund.
The Manager monitors trading activity in the Fund to attempt to identify shareholders engaged in frequent trading or market timing. The Manager may exclude transactions below a certain dollar amount from monitoring and may change that dollar amount from time to time. The ability of the Manager to detect frequent trading and market timing activity by investors who own shares through an intermediary is dependent upon the intermediary's provision of information necessary to identify transactions by the underlying investors. The Fund has entered into agreements with the intermediaries that service the Fund's investors, pursuant to which the intermediaries agree to provide information on investor transactions to the Fund and to act on the Fund's instructions to restrict transactions by investors who the Manager has identified as having violated the Fund's policies and procedures to deter frequent trading and market timing.
Wrap programs offered by certain intermediaries may be designated ''Qualified Wrap Programs'' by the Fund based on specific criteria established by the Fund and a certification by the intermediary that the criteria have been met. A Qualified Wrap Program is a wrap program whose sponsoring intermediary: (i) certifies that it has investment discretion over $50 million or more in client assets invested in mutual funds at the time of the certification, (ii) certifies that it directs transactions in accounts participating in the wrap program(s) in concert with changes in a model portfolio; (iii) provides the Manager a description of the wrap program(s); and (iv) managed by an intermediary that agrees to provide the Manager sufficient information to identify individual accounts in the intermediary's wrap program(s). For purposes of applying the round-trip limit, transactions initiated by clients invested in a Qualified Wrap Program will not be matched to transactions initiated by the intermediary sponsoring the Qualified Wrap Program. For example, a client's purchase of the Fund followed within 90 days by the intermediary's redemption of the same Fund would not be considered a round trip. However, transactions initiated by a Qualified Wrap Program client are subject to the round-trip limit and will be matched to determine if the client has exceeded the round-trip limit. In addition, the Manager will monitor transactions initiated by Qualified Wrap Program intermediaries to determine whether any intermediary has engaged in frequent trading or market timing. If the Manager determines that an intermediary has engaged in activity that is harmful to the Fund, the Manager will revoke the intermediary's Qualified Wrap Program status. Upon termination of status as a Qualified Wrap Program, all account transactions will be matched for purposes of testing compliance with the Fund's frequent trading and market timing policies, including any applicable redemption fees.
The Fund reserves the right to modify the frequent trading and market timing policies and procedures and grant or eliminate waivers to such policies and procedures at any time without advance notice to shareholders. There can be no assurance that the Fund's policies and procedures to deter frequent trading and market timing will have the intended effect nor that the Manager will be able to detect frequent trading and market timing.
Distributions and Taxes
The Fund annually distributes most or all of its net earnings in the form of dividends from net investment income ("dividends") and distributions of realized net capital gains ("capital gain distributions") and net gains from foreign currency transactions (sometimes referred to below collectively as "other distributions") (and dividends and other distributions are sometimes referred to below collectively as "distributions"). The Fund does not have a fixed dividend rate and does not guarantee that it will pay any distributions in any particular period. Distributions paid by the Fund with respect to each class of shares are calculated in the same manner and at the same time, but dividends on different classes of shares may be different as a result of the services and/or fees applicable to certain classes of shares. Any dividends and any other distributions are paid annually.
Options for Receiving Dividends and Other Distributions
When you open your Fund account, you can specify on your application how you want to receive distributions. To change that option, you must notify the transfer agent. Unless your account application instructs otherwise, distributions payable to you will be reinvested in additional Fund shares of the same class. There are four payment options available:
Reinvest All Distributions. You can elect to reinvest all distributions in additional shares of the same distributing class of the Fund.
Reinvest Only Dividends or Distributions. You can elect to reinvest some types of distributions in Fund shares while receiving the other types of distributions by check or having them sent to your bank account by ACH. Different tax treatment applies to different types of Distributions (as described in the table below).
Receive All Distributions in Cash. You can elect to receive all distributions by check or have them sent to your bank by ACH.
Reinvest Your Distributions in another American Beacon Fund. You can reinvest all of your distributions in shares of the same class of another American Beacon Fund that is available for exchanges. You must have an existing account in the same share class of the selected fund.
If you invest directly with the Fund, any election to receive distributions in cash and payable by check will only apply to distributions totaling $10.00 or more. Any distribution totaling less than $10.00 will be reinvested in Fund shares of the distributing class and will not be paid to you by check. This policy does not apply to you if you have elected to receive distributions that are directly deposited into your bank account.
If you select a cash distribution and the U.S. Postal Service cannot deliver your check, or if your check remains uncashed for six months, the Fund reserves the right to reinvest your distribution check in your account at the NAV on the day of the reinvestment, and to reinvest all subsequent distributions, in shares of the Fund of the distributing class. Interest will not accrue on amounts represented by uncashed distribution or redemption checks.
Shareholders investing in the Fund through a financial intermediary should discuss their options for receiving distributions with their financial advisor.
Prospectus – About Your Investment |
24 |
Taxes
Any distributions are taxable to shareholders other than tax-qualified retirement accounts and other tax-exempt investors. However, the portion of the Fund's dividends derived from its investments in direct U.S. Government obligations, if any, is generally exempt from state and local income taxes. The following table outlines the typical status of transactions in taxable accounts:
Type of Transaction |
Tax Status |
Dividends from net investment income * |
Ordinary income ** |
Distributions of excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss * |
Ordinary income |
Distributions of net gains from certain foreign currency transactions * |
Ordinary income |
Distributions of excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss ("net capital gain'') * |
Long-term capital gains |
Redemptions or exchanges of shares owned for more than one year |
Long-term capital gains or losses |
Redemptions or exchanges of shares owned for one year or less |
Net gains are taxed at the same rate as ordinary income; net losses are subject to special rules |
* |
Whether reinvested or taken in cash. |
** |
Except for dividends that are attributable to ''qualified dividend income'' (as described below). |
To the extent distributions are attributable to net capital gain that the Fund recognizes on sales or exchanges of capital assets, they are subject to a 15% maximum federal income tax rate for individual and certain other non-corporate shareholders (each, an ''individual'') (20% for individuals with taxable income exceeding certain thresholds, which are indexed for inflation annually).
A portion of the dividends the Fund pays to individuals may be ''qualified dividend income'' (''QDI'') and thus eligible for the preferential rates that apply to net capital gain. QDI is the aggregate of dividends the Fund receives from most domestic corporations and certain foreign corporations with respect to which the Fund satisfies certain holding period and other restrictions with respect to the shares on which the dividends are paid. To be eligible for those rates, a shareholder must meet similar restrictions with respect to his or her Fund shares.
A portion of the distributions the Fund pays may also be eligible for the dividends-received deduction allowed to corporations, subject to similar holding period and other restrictions, but the eligible portion may not exceed the aggregate dividends the Fund receives from domestic corporations only. However, dividends that a corporate shareholder receives and deducts pursuant to the dividends-received deduction may be subject indirectly to the federal alternative minimum tax.
A shareholder may realize a taxable gain or loss when redeeming or exchanging shares. That gain or loss is treated as a short-term or long-term capital gain or loss, depending on how long the redeemed or exchanged shares were held. Any capital gain an individual shareholder recognizes on a redemption or exchange of Fund shares that have been held for more than one year will qualify for the maximum federal income tax rates mentioned above.
A shareholder who wants to use an acceptable basis determination method other than the average basis method (the Fund's default method) with respect to Fund shares, must elect to do so in writing, which may be electronic. The Fund, or its administrative agent, must report to the Internal Revenue Service and furnish to its shareholders the basis information for dispositions of Fund shares. See "Tax Information" in the SAI for a description of the rules regarding that election and the Fund's reporting obligation.
An individual must pay a 3.8% tax on the lesser of (1) the individual's ''net investment income,'' which generally includes distributions the Fund pays and net gains realized on the redemption or exchange of Fund shares), or (2) the excess of the individual's ''modified adjusted gross income'' over a threshold amount ($250,000 for married persons filing jointly and $200,000 for single taxpayers). This tax is in addition to any other taxes due on that income. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisers regarding the effect, if any, this tax may have on their investment in Fund shares.
The foregoing is only a summary of some of the important federal income tax considerations that may affect Fund shareholders who should consult their tax advisers regarding specific questions as to the effect of federal, state and local income taxes on an investment in the Fund. Each year, the Fund's shareholders will receive tax information to assist them in preparing their income tax returns.
25 |
Prospectus – About Your Investment |
Additional Information
Distribution and Service Plans
The Fund has adopted separate Distribution Plans for its A Class and C Class shares in accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act, which allows the A Class and C Class shares to pay distribution and other fees for the sale of Fund shares and for other services provided to shareholders. Each Plan also authorizes the use of any fees received by the Manager in accordance with the Administration and Management Agreements, and any fees received by the sub-advisors pursuant to their Investment Advisory Agreements with the Manager, to be used for the sale and distribution of Fund shares. The Plans provide that the A Class shares of the Fund will pay up to 0.25% per annum of the average daily net assets attributable to the A Class, and the C Class shares of the Fund will pay up to 1.00% per annum of the average daily net assets attributable to the C Class, to the Manager (or another entity approved by the Board).
The Fund has also adopted a shareholder services plan for its A Class, C Class, Y Class, and Investor Class shares for certain non-distribution shareholder services provided by financial intermediaries. The shareholder services plan authorizes annual payment of up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets attributable to the A Class shares, up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets attributable to the C Class shares, up to 0.375% of the average daily net assets attributable to the Investor Class shares, and up to 0.10% of the average daily net assets attributable to the Y Class shares of the Fund. Because these distribution and service plan fees are paid out of the Fund's A Class, C Class, Y Class, and Investor Class assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may result in costs higher than other types of sales charges.
Portfolio Holdings
A complete list of the Fund's holdings is made available on the Fund's website on a quarterly basis approximately sixty days after the end of each calendar quarter and remains available for six months thereafter. A list of the Fund's ten largest holdings is made available on the Fund's website on a quarterly basis. The ten largest holdings of the Fund are generally posted to the website approximately fifteen days after the end of each calendar quarter and remain available until the next quarter. To access the holdings information, go to www.americanbeaconfunds.com. The Fund's ten largest holdings may also be accessed by selecting the Fund's fact sheet.
A description of the Fund's policies and procedures regarding the disclosure of portfolio holdings is available in the Fund's SAI, which you may access on the Fund's website at www.americanbeaconfunds.com or call 1-800-658-5811 to request a free copy.
Delivery of Documents
If you are interested in electronic delivery of the Fund's summary prospectus or shareholder reports, please go to www.americanbeaconfunds.com and click on ''Quick Links'' and then ''Register for E-Delivery.''
To reduce expenses, your financial institution may mail only one copy of the summary prospectus, Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents, please contact your financial institution. Delivery of individual copies will commence thirty days after receiving your request.
Financial Highlights
The financial highlights tables are intended to help you understand the Fund's financial performance for the period of the Fund's operation. Financial highlights are not provided because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus.
Prospectus – Additional Information |
26 |
Additional Information
Additional information about the Fund is found in the documents listed below. Request a free copy of these documents by calling 1-800-658-5811 or you may access them on the Fund's website at www.americanbeaconfunds.com.
Annual Report/Semi-Annual Report
The Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual Reports list the Fund's actual investments as of the report's date. They also include a discussion by the Manager of market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance. The report of the Fund's Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm is included in the Annual Report. Reports will be available approximately 60 days after the Fund passes its first year end and semi-annual reporting period.
Statement of Additional Information (''SAI'')
The SAI contains more details about the Fund and its investment policies. The SAI is incorporated in this prospectus by reference (it is legally part of this prospectus). A current SAI is on file with the SEC.
To obtain more information about the Fund or to request a copy of the documents listed above:
By Telephone: |
Call
|
By Mail: |
American Beacon Funds
|
By E-mail: |
americanbeaconfunds@ambeacon.com |
On the Internet: |
Visit our website at www.americanbeaconfunds.com
|
The SAI and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC's Internet site at www.sec.gov. Copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic mail to publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing to the SEC's Public Reference Section, 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520. The SAI and other information about the Fund may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC's Public Reference Room. Information on the operation of the SEC's Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090.
American Beacon is a registered service mark of American Beacon Advisors, Inc. The American Beacon Funds and American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund are service marks of American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
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SEC File Number 811-04984
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Statement of Additional Information
October 1, 2015
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Share Class |
A |
C |
Y |
Institutional |
Investor |
American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund |
GSVAX |
GVRCX |
GVRYX |
GVRIX |
GVRPX |
This Statement of Additional Information ("SAI") should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus dated October 1, 2015 (the "Prospectus") for the American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund (the "Fund"), a series of American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts business trust. Copies of the Prospectus may be obtained without charge by calling (800) 658-5811. You also may obtain copies of the Prospectus without charge by visiting the Fund's website at www.americanbeaconfunds.com. This SAI is incorporated by reference into the Fund's Prospectus. In other words, it is legally a part of the Prospectus. This SAI is not a prospectus and is authorized for distribution to prospective investors only if preceded or accompanied by a current Prospectus. Capitalized terms in this SAI have the same definition as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise defined.
The Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date hereof. Accordingly, financial statements for the Fund are not available. Copies of the Fund's Annual Report may be obtained when available, without charge, upon request by calling (800) 658-5811 or visiting www.americanbeaconfunds.com.
1 |
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Additional Information About Investment Strategies and Risks |
1 |
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13 |
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14 |
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14 |
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14 |
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16 |
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22 |
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22 |
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22 |
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23 |
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25 |
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25 |
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26 |
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27 |
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Additional Information Regarding Contingent Deferred Sales Charges |
28 |
29 |
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29 |
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32 |
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32 |
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Appendix A: Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures for the Trust |
33 |
35 |
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65 |
ORGANIZATION AND HISTORY OF THE FUND
The Fund is a separate series of the American Beacon Funds (the "Trust"), an open- end management investment company organized as a Massachusetts business trust on January 16, 1987. The Fund constitutes a separate investment portfolio with a distinct investment objective and distinct purpose and strategy. The Fund is non-diversified. The Fund is comprised of multiple classes of shares designed to meet the needs of different groups of investors. This SAI relates to the A Class, C Class, Y Class, Institutional Class, and Investor Class shares of the Fund.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS
The investment objective and principal investment strategies and risks of the Fund are described in the Prospectus. This section contains additional information about the Fund's investment policies and risks and types of investments the Fund may purchase. The composition of the Fund's portfolio and the strategies that the Fund may use in selecting investments may vary over time. The Fund is not required to use all of the investment strategies described below in pursuing its investment objectives. It may use some of the investment strategies only at some times or it may not use them at all.
Activist Risk — An activist investor uses an equity stake in a company to put public pressure on the company's management team and board in order to achieve certain objectives such as the increase of shareholder value through changes in corporate policy or financing structure, or to reduce expenses. Shareholder activism can take any of several forms, including proxy battles, publicity campaigns, and negotiations with management. Although the Fund does not intend to invest in companies for the purpose of effecting change or influencing or controlling management itself, the Fund invests in companies that the Sub-Advisors believe have potential for capital appreciation resulting from such changes. The Sub-Advisors' evaluation of companies may prove incorrect, or the efforts which they invest may not be successful, or even if successful, may have unintended affects or cause the Fund's investment to lose value.
Arbitrage Strategies — The Fund may use a variety of arbitrage strategies in pursuing its investment strategy. The underlying relationships among securities in which the Fund takes long and short positions may change in an adverse manner, in which case the Fund may realize losses. The expected gain on an individual arbitrage investment is normally considerably smaller than the possible loss should the transaction be unexpectedly terminated. The expected timing of each transaction is also important since the length of time that the Fund's capital must be committed to any given transaction will affect the rate of return realized by the Fund, and unanticipated delays could cause the Fund to lose money or not achieve the desired rate of return.
One type of arbitrage transaction that the Sub-Advisers anticipate employing is merger arbitrage. Merger arbitrage involves purchasing the shares of an announced acquisition target at a discount from the expected value of such shares upon completion of the acquisition. The size of the discount, or spread, and whether the potential reward justifies the potential risk are functions of numerous factors affecting the riskiness and timing of the acquisition. Such factors include the status of the negotiations between the two companies (for example, spreads typically narrow as the parties advance from an agreement in principle to a definitive agreement), the complexity of the transaction, the number of regulatory approvals required, the likelihood of government intervention on antitrust or other grounds, the type of consideration to be received and the possibility of competing offers for the target company.
Borrowing Risks — The Fund may borrow money in an amount up to one-third of its total assets (including the amount borrowed) from banks and other financial institutions. The Fund may borrow for temporary purposes or to facilitate short sales. Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the Fund's NAV and in its total return. Interest expense and other fees associated with borrowing may reduce the Fund's return.
Cash Management Investments — The Fund may invest cash balances in money market funds that are registered as investment companies under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended ("Investment Company Act"), including money market funds that are advised by the Manager. If the Fund invests in money market funds, shareholders will bear their proportionate share of the expenses, including, for example, advisory and administrative fees, of the money market funds in which the Fund invests, such as advisory fees charged by the Manager to any applicable money market funds advised by the Manager. Shareholders also would be exposed to the risks associated with money market funds and the portfolio investments of such money market funds, including that a money market fund's yield will be lower than the return that the Fund would have derived from other investments that would provide liquidity.
To gain market exposure on cash balances or reduce market exposure in anticipation of liquidity needs, the Fund also may purchase and sell futures contracts, on a daily basis for cash management purposes. A futures contract is a contract to purchase or sell a particular security, or the cash value of an index, at a specified future date at a price agreed upon when the contract is made. Under such contracts, no delivery of the actual securities is required. Rather, upon the expiration of the contract, settlement is made by exchanging cash in an amount equal to the difference between the contract price and the closing price of a security or index at expiration, net of the variation margin that was previously paid. As cash balances are invested in securities, the Fund may invest simultaneously those balances in futures contracts until the cash balances are delivered to settle the securities transactions. Because the Fund will have market exposure simultaneously in both the invested securities and futures contracts, the Fund may have more than 100% of its assets exposed to the markets. This can magnify gains and losses in the Fund. The Fund also may have to sell assets at inopportune times to satisfy its settlement or collateral obligations. The risks associated with the use of futures contracts also include that there may, at times, be an imperfect correlation between the movement in the prices of futures contracts and the value of their underlying instruments or indexes and that there may not be a liquid secondary market for a futures contract.
Commercial Paper — The Fund may invest in commercial paper and other short-term notes. Commercial paper refers to promissory notes representing an unsecured debt of a corporation or finance company with a fixed maturity of no more than 270 days. A variable amount master demand note (which is a type of commercial paper) represents a direct borrowing arrangement involving periodically fluctuating rates of interest under a letter agreement between a commercial paper issuer and an institutional lender pursuant to which the lender may determine to invest varying amounts.
1 |
Commodity Instruments — Exposure to physical commodities may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of such investments may be affected by overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as supply and demand, drought, floods, weather, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. Their value may also respond to investor perception of instability in the national or international economy, whether or not justified by the facts. However, these investments may help to moderate fluctuations in the value of the Fund's other holdings, because these investments may not correlate with investments in traditional securities. Economic and other events (whether real or perceived) can reduce the demand for commodities, which may reduce market prices. The Sub-Advisors' failure to anticipate these events may lead to the Fund losing money on its commodity investments. No active trading market may exist for certain commodities investments, which may impair the ability of the Fund to sell or realize the full value of such investments in the event of the need to liquidate such investments. Certain commodities are subject to limited pricing flexibility because of supply and demand factors. Others are subject to broad price fluctuations as a result of the volatility of the prices for certain raw materials and the instability of supplies of other materials. These additional variables may create additional investment risks and result in greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. Because physical commodities do not generate investment income, the return on such investments will be derived solely from the appreciation or depreciation on such investments. Certain types of commodities instruments (such as commodity-linked swaps and commodity-linked structured notes) are subject to the risk that the counterparty to the instrument will not perform or will be unable to perform in accordance with the terms of the instrument.
The Fund will not qualify as a "regulated investment company" ("RIC") under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Internal Revenue Code") in any taxable year in which more than 10% of its annual gross income consists of certain "non-qualifying" income, which includes gains resulting from selling physical commodities (or options or futures contracts thereon unless the gain is realized from certain hedging transactions) and certain other non-passive income. See the section entitled "Tax Information." The Fund's investment in securities or derivatives backed by, or in certain entities (such as exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") that invest in, physical commodities, other than shares of a wholly-owned subsidiary, generally would produce income that would be subject to this 10% limitation. To remain within this limitation, the Fund may hold such an investment or sell it at a loss, or sell other investments, when for investment reasons it would not otherwise do so. The availability of such measures does not guarantee that the Fund would be able to satisfy the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code to qualify as a RIC.
Common Stock — Common stock generally takes the form of shares in a corporation which represent an ownership interest. It ranks below preferred stock and debt securities in claims for dividends and for assets of the company in a liquidation or bankruptcy. The value of a company's common stock may fall as a result of factors directly relating to that company, such as decisions made by its management or decreased demand for the company's products or services. A stock's value may also decline because of factors affecting not just the company, but also companies in the same industry or sector. The price of a company's stock may also be affected by changes in financial markets that are relatively unrelated to the company, such as changes in interest rates, currency exchange rates or industry regulation. Companies that elect to pay dividends on their common stock generally only do so after they invest in their own business and make required payments to bondholders and on other debt and preferred stock. Therefore, the value of a company's common stock will usually be more volatile than its bonds, other debt and preferred stock. Common stock may be exchange-traded or over-the-counter ("OTC"). OTC stock may be less liquid than exchange-traded stock.
Corporate Actions — From time to time, the Fund may voluntarily participate in actions (for example, rights offerings, conversion privileges, exchange offers, credit event settlements, etc.) where the issuer or counterparty offers securities or instruments to holders or counterparties, such as the Fund, and the acquisition is determined to be beneficial to Fund shareholders ("Voluntary Action"). Notwithstanding any percentage investment limitation listed under the "Investment Restrictions" section or any percentage investment limitation of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Investment Company Act" or "1940 Act") or rules thereunder, if the Fund has the opportunity to acquire a permitted security or instrument through a Voluntary Action, and the Fund will exceed a percentage investment limitation following the acquisition, it will not constitute a violation if, prior to the receipt of the securities or instruments and after announcement of the offering, the Fund sells an offsetting amount of assets that are subject to the investment limitation in question at least equal to the value of the securities or instruments to be acquired.
Contracts for Difference ("CFD") — A CFD is a form of equity swap in which its value is based on the fluctuating value of some underlying asset (e.g., shares of a particular stock or a stock index). A CFD is a contract between two parties, buyer and seller, stipulating that the seller will pay to the buyer the difference between the nominal value of the underlying stock at the opening of the contract and the stock's value at the close of the contract. The size of the contract and the contract's expiration date are typically negotiated by the parties to the CFD transaction. CFDs enable an Underlying Fund to take short or long positions on an underlying stock and thus potentially capture gains on movements in the share prices of the stock without the need to own the underlying stock.
By entering into a CFD transaction, an Underlying Fund could incur losses because it would face many of the same types of risks as owning the underlying equity security directly. For example, an Underlying Fund might buy a short position in a CFD and the contract value at the close of the transaction may be greater than the contract value at the opening of the transaction. This may be due to, among other factors, an increase in the market value of the underlying equity security. In such a situation, the Underlying Fund would have to pay the difference in value of the contract to the seller of the CFD. As with other types of swap transactions, CFDs also carry counterparty risk, i.e., the risk that the counterparty to the CFD transaction may be unable or unwilling to make payments or to otherwise honor its financial obligations under the terms of the contract. If the counterparty were to do so, the value of the contract, and of the Underlying Fund's shares, may be reduced. Entry into a CFD transaction may, in certain circumstances, require the payment of an initial margin and adverse market movements against the underlying stock may require the buyer to make additional margin payments.
Cover and Asset Segregation — The Fund may make investments or employ trading practices that obligate the Fund, on a fixed or contingent basis, to deliver an asset or make a cash payment to another party in the future. The Fund will comply with guidance from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and other applicable regulatory bodies with respect to coverage of certain investments and trading practices. This guidance requires segregation (which may include earmarking) by the Fund of cash or liquid assets with its custodian or a designated sub-custodian to the extent
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the Fund's obligations with respect to these strategies are not otherwise "covered" through ownership of the underlying security or financial instrument or by offsetting portfolio positions.
For example, if the Fund enters into a currency forward contract to sell foreign currency on a future date, the Fund may cover its obligation to deliver the foreign currency by segregating cash or liquid assets having a value at least equal to the value of the deliverable currency. Alternatively, the Fund could cover its obligation by entering into an offsetting transaction to acquire, on or before the date such foreign currency must be delivered, an amount of foreign currency at least equal to the deliverable amount at a price at or below the sale price to be received by the Fund under the currency forward contract.
The Fund's approach to asset coverage may vary among different types of investments. For example, if the Fund's forward obligation on the transaction is only to make a cash payment equal to the amount, if any, by which the value of the Fund's position is less than that of its counterparty, the Fund will segregate cash or liquidate assets equal to that difference calculated on a daily marked-to-market basis (a "net amount").
Inasmuch as the Fund covers its obligations under these transactions as described above, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. (the "Manager") and the Fund believe such obligations do not constitute senior securities. Earmarking or otherwise segregating a large percentage of the Fund's assets could impede the Lead Sub-Advisor or Sub-Advisors' ability to manage the Fund's portfolio.
Creditor Liability and Participation on Creditors Committees — When the Fund holds bonds or other similar fixed income securities of an issuer, the Fund becomes a creditor of the issuer. If the Fund is a creditor of an issuer it may be subject to challenges related to the securities that it holds, either in connection with the bankruptcy of the issuer or in connection with another action brought by other creditors of the issuer, shareholders of the issuer or the issuer itself. The Fund may from time to time participate on committees formed by creditors to negotiate with the management of financially troubled issuers of securities held by the Fund. Such participation may subject the Fund to expenses such as legal fees and may make the Fund an "insider" of the issuer for purposes of the federal securities laws, and therefore may restrict such Fund's ability to trade in or acquire additional positions in a particular security when it might otherwise desire to do so. Participation on such committees also may expose the Fund to potential liabilities under the federal bankruptcy laws or other laws governing the rights of creditors and debtors.
Currencies Risk — The Fund may have significant exposure to foreign currencies for investment or hedging purposes by making direct investments in non- U.S. currencies or in securities denominated in non-U.S. currencies, purchasing or selling forward currency exchange contracts in non-U.S. currencies, non-U.S. currency futures contracts, options on non-U.S. currencies and non-U.S. currency futures and swaps for cross-currency investments.
Foreign currencies may decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies.
Cyber-Security Risk — The Fund, its Lead Sub-Advisor, its Sub-Advisors, and its service providers, may be prone to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks include, among other behaviors, stealing or corrupting data maintained online or digitally, denial of service attacks on websites, the unauthorized release of confidential information or various other forms of cyber security breaches. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund or its sub-advisors, custodian, transfer agent, intermediaries and other third-party service providers may adversely impact the Fund. For instance, cyber-attacks may interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the Fund's ability to calculate its NAV, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential business information, impede trading, subject the Fund to regulatory fines or financial losses and/or cause reputational damage. The Fund may also incur additional costs for cyber security risk management purposes. While the Funds' service providers have established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber-attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by its service providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect the Fund or its shareholders. Similar types of cyber security risks are also present for issues or securities in which the Fund may invest, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund's investment in such companies to lose value.
Depositary Receipts — American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), European Depositary Receipts (EDRs), Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs), Non-Voting Depositary Receipts (NVDRs) — ADRs are depositary receipts for foreign issuers in registered form traded in U.S. securities markets. GDRs are in bearer form and traded in both the U.S. and European securities markets. NVDRs represent financial interests in an issuer but the holder is not entitled to any voting rights. Depositary receipts may not be denominated in the same currency as the securities into which they may be converted. Investing in depositary receipts entails substantially the same risks as direct investment in foreign securities. There is generally less publicly available information about foreign companies and there may be less governmental regulation and supervision of foreign stock exchanges, brokers and listed companies. In addition, such companies may use different accounting and financial standards (and certain currencies may become unavailable for transfer from a foreign currency), resulting in the Fund's possible inability to convert immediately into U.S. currency proceeds realized upon the sale of portfolio securities of the affected foreign companies. In addition, the Fund may invest in unsponsored depositary receipts, the issuers of which are not obligated to disclose material information about the underlying securities to investors in the United States. Ownership of unsponsored depositary receipts may not entitle the Fund to the same benefits and rights as ownership of a sponsored depositary receipt or the underlying security. Please see "Foreign Securities" below for a description of the risks associated with investments in foreign securities.
Derivatives — Generally a derivative is a financial arrangement, the value of which is based on, or "derived" from, a traditional security, asset, currency, or market index. Some derivatives are in many respects like any other investment, although they may be more volatile or less liquid than more traditional debt securities. There are, in fact, many different types of derivatives and many different ways to use them. The value of certain derivative securities is linked to other equity securities (such as depositary receipts), currencies, interest rates, indices or other financial indicators (reference assets).
The Fund may invest in various types of derivatives, including among others, options (including non-deliverable options), futures, forward currency and other forwards (including non-deliverable forwards), forwards for currency hedges, warrants, structured products (including credit-linked and
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structured notes), interest rate caps, floors, collars, reverse collars, and credit default swaps. The enactment of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the "Dodd-Frank Act") resulted in historic and comprehensive reform relating to derivatives, including the manner in which they are entered into, reported, recorded, executed, and settled or cleared. Pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act the SEC and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC") have promulgated a broad range of new regulations with respect to security-based swaps (e.g., derivatives based on a single security or narrow-based securities index), which are regulated by the SEC), and other swaps, which are regulated by the CFTC and the markets in which these instruments trade.
Until recently, advisers of registered investment companies, like the Fund, that trade commodity interests (such as futures contracts, options on futures contracts, non-deliverable forwards and swaps), have been excluded from regulation as commodity pool operators ("CPOs") pursuant to CFTC Regulation 4.5. In 2012, the CFTC amended Regulation 4.5 to dramatically narrow this exclusion. Under the amended Regulation 4.5 exclusion, in order to rely on the exclusion the Fund's commodity interests – other than those used for bona fide hedging purposes (as defined by the CFTC) – must be limited such that the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish the positions (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions and excluding the amount by which options that are "in-the-money" at the time of purchase) does not exceed 5% of the Fund's NAV, or alternatively, the aggregate net notional value of the positions, determined at the time the most recent position was established, does not exceed 100% of the Fund's NAV (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions). Further, to qualify for the exclusion in amended Regulation 4.5, the Fund must satisfy a marketing test, which requires, among other things, that the Fund not hold itself out as a vehicle for trading commodity interests. The Fund's ability to use these instruments also may be limited by tax considerations. See the section entitled "Tax Information."
The Manager has filed a notice claiming the CFTC Regulation 4.5 exclusion from CPO registration.
Derivatives may involve significant risk. Some derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the Fund's initial investment. Not all derivative transactions require a counterparty to post collateral, which may expose the Fund to greater losses in the event of a default by a counterparty.
Derivatives may be illiquid and may be more volatile than other types of investments. The Fund may buy and sell derivatives that are neither centrally cleared nor traded on an exchange. Such derivatives may be subject to heightened liquidity and valuation risk.
Transactions in derivatives may expose the Fund to an obligation to another party and, as a result, the Fund may need to "cover" the obligation or segregate liquid assets in compliance with SEC guidelines, as discussed above under "Cover and Asset Segregation."
Distressed Investment Risk — The Fund may invest in distressed investments, which are issued by companies that are, or might be, involved in reorganizations or financial restructurings, either out of court or in bankruptcy. These investments may present a substantial risk of default or may be in default at the time of investment. The Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in the payment of principal or interest on its portfolio holdings. In any reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to an investment, the Fund may lose its entire investment or may be required to accept cash or securities with a value less than its original investment. Among the risks inherent in investments in a troubled issuer is that it frequently may be difficult to obtain information as to the true financial condition of the issuer.
Emerging Market Investments — The Fund may invest in the securities and derivatives with exposure to various countries with emerging capital markets. Investments in the securities and derivatives with exposure to countries with emerging capital markets involve significantly higher risks not involved in investments in securities in more developed capital markets, such as (i) low or non-existent trading volume, resulting in a lack of liquidity and increased volatility in prices for such securities, as compared to securities from more developed capital markets, (ii) uncertain national policies and social, political and economic instability, increasing the potential for expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation, high rates of inflation or unfavorable diplomatic developments, (iii) possible fluctuations in exchange rates, differing legal systems and the existence or possible imposition of exchange controls, custodial restrictions or other non-U.S. or U.S. governmental laws or restrictions applicable to such investments, (iv) national policies that may limit the Fund's investment opportunities such as restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests, (v) the lack or relatively early development of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property, and (vi) less diverse or immature economic structures. In addition to withholding taxes on investment income, some countries with emerging capital markets may impose differential capital gain taxes on foreign investors.
Such capital markets are emerging in a dynamic political and economic environment brought about by events over recent years that have reshaped political boundaries and traditional ideologies. In such a dynamic environment, there can be no assurance that these capital markets will continue to present viable investment opportunities for the Fund. In the past, governments of such nations have expropriated substantial amounts of private property, and most claims of the property owners have never been fully settled. There is no assurance that such expropriations will not reoccur. In such event, it is possible that the Fund could lose the entire value of its investments in the affected markets.
The economies of emerging market countries may be based predominately on only a few industries or may be dependent on revenues from participating commodities or on international aid or developmental assistance, may be highly vulnerable to changes in local or global trade conditions, and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or inflation rates.
Also, there may be less publicly available information about emerging markets than would be available in more developed capital markets, and such issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those to which U.S. companies are subject. In certain countries with emerging capital markets, reporting standards vary widely. As a result, traditional investment measurements used in the U.S., may not be applicable. Emerging market securities may be substantially less liquid and more volatile than those of mature markets, and securities may be held by a limited number of investors. This may adversely affect the timing and pricing of the Fund's acquisition or disposal of securities. The laws in certain emerging market countries may be based upon or be highly influenced by religious codes or rules. The interpretation of how these laws apply to certain investments may change over time, which could have a negative impact on those investments and the Fund. Practices in relation to settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher risks than those in developed markets, in part because the Fund
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may use brokers and counterparties that are less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. The Fund may consider a country to be an emerging market country based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, if the country is classified as an emerging or developing economy by any supranational organization such as the World Bank, International Finance Corporation or the United Nations, or related entities, or if the country is considered an emerging market country for purposes of constructing emerging markets indices.
Equity Access Products — An equity access product is an instrument used by investors to obtain exposure to equity investments, including common stocks, in a local market where direct ownership of equity securities is not permitted or is otherwise restricted. In countries where direct ownership by a foreign investor, such as the Fund, is not allowed by local law, such as Saudi Arabia, an investor may gain exposure to a particular issuer in that market or to that market as a whole through an equity access product. An equity access product derives its value from a group of underlying equity securities and is intended (disregarding the effect of any fees and expenses) to reflect the performance of the underlying equity securities on a one-to-one basis so that investors will not normally gain more in absolute terms than they would have made had they invested in the underlying securities directly. Conversely, investors will not normally lose more than they would have lost had they invested in the underlying securities directly. In addition to providing access to otherwise closed equity markets, equity access products can also provide a less expensive option to direct equity investments (where ownership by foreign investors is permitted) by reducing registration and transaction costs in acquiring and selling local registered shares. Examples of equity access products include instruments such as participatory notes, low exercise price options, low exercise price warrants and similarly-structured instruments that may be developed from time to time.
The purchase of equity access products involves risks that are in addition to the risks normally associated with a direct investment in the underlying equity securities. The Fund is subject to the risk that the issuer of the equity access product (i.e., the issuing bank or broker-dealer), which is typically the only responsible party under the instrument, is unable or refuses to perform under the terms of the equity access product, also known as counterparty risk. While the holder of an equity access product is generally entitled to receive from the bank or broker-dealer any dividends or other distributions paid on the underlying securities, the holder is normally not entitled to the same rights as an owner of the underlying securities, such as voting rights. Equity access products are typically also not traded on exchanges, are privately issued, and may be illiquid. To the extent an equity access product is determined to be illiquid, it would be subject to the Fund's limitation on investments in illiquid securities. There can be no assurance that the trading price or value of equity access products will equal the value of the underlying equity securities they seek to replicate. Unlike a direct investment in equity securities, equity access products typically involve a term or expiration date, potentially increasing the Fund's turnover rate, transaction costs, and tax liability.
Equity access products are generally structured and sold by a local branch of a bank or broker-dealer that is permitted to purchase equity securities in the local market. The local branch or broker-dealer will usually place the local market equity securities in a special purpose vehicle, which will issue instruments that reflect the performance of the underlying equity securities. The performance of the special purpose vehicle generally carries the unsecured guarantee of the sponsoring bank or broker-dealer. This guarantee does not extend to the performance or value of the underlying local market equity securities. For purposes of the Fund's fundamental investment policy of not investing more than 25% of the Fund's net assets in securities of companies primarily engaged in any particular industry or group of industries (other than obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities or tax-exempt securities issued by municipalities and their agencies and authorities), the Fund applies the restriction by reference to the industry of the issuer of the underlying equity securities and not the industry of the issuer of an equity access product.
Pursuant to the terms of the equity access product, the Fund may tender such product for cash payment in an amount that reflects the current market value of the underlying investments, less program expenses, such as trading costs, taxes and duties. They do not confer any right, title or interest in respect to the underlying equity securities or provide rights against the issuer of the underlying securities.
Expense Risk — Fund expenses are subject to a variety of factors, including fluctuations in the Fund's net assets. Accordingly, actual expenses may be greater or less than those indicated. For example, to the extent that the Fund's net assets decrease due to market declines or redemptions, the Fund's expenses will increase as a percentage of Fund net assets. During periods of high market volatility, these increases in the Fund's expense ratio could be significant.
Foreign Securities — The Fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers. Foreign issuers are issuers organized and doing business principally outside the United States and include corporations, banks, non-U.S. governments, and quasi-governmental organizations. While investments in foreign securities are intended to reduce risk by providing further diversification, such investments involve sovereign and other risks, in addition to the credit and market risks normally associated with domestic securities. These additional risks include the possibility of adverse political and economic developments (including political or social instability, nationalization, expropriation, or confiscatory taxation); the potentially adverse effects of unavailability of public information regarding issuers, less governmental supervision and regulation of financial markets, reduced liquidity of certain financial markets, and the lack of uniform accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards or the application of standards that are different or less stringent than those applied in the United States; different laws and customs governing securities tracking; and possibly limited access to the courts to enforce the Fund's rights as an investor.
Investing in foreign currency denominated securities involves the special risks associated with investing in non-U.S. issuers, as described in the preceding paragraph, and the additional risks of (1) adverse changes in foreign exchange rates and (2) adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations (which could prevent cash from being brought back to the United States). Additionally, dividends and interest payable on foreign securities (and gains realized on disposition thereof) may be subject to foreign taxes, including taxes withheld from those payments.
Commissions on foreign securities exchanges are often at fixed rates and are generally higher than negotiated commissions on U.S. exchanges, although the Sub-Advisor endeavors to achieve the most favorable net results on portfolio transactions.
Foreign securities may trade with less frequency and in less volume than domestic securities and therefore may exhibit greater price volatility. Additional costs associated with an investment in foreign securities may include higher custodial fees than apply to domestic custody arrangements and transaction costs of foreign currency conversions.
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Foreign markets also have different clearance and settlement procedures. In certain markets, there have been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions, making it difficult to conduct such transactions. Delays in settlement could result in temporary periods when a portion of the assets of the Fund is not invested and no return is earned thereon. The inability of the Fund to make intended security purchases due to settlement problems could cause the Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities. Inability to dispose of portfolio securities due to settlement problems could result in losses to the Fund due to subsequent declines in value of the securities or, if the Fund has entered into a contract to sell the securities, could result in possible liability to the purchaser.
Interest rates prevailing in other countries may affect the prices of foreign securities and exchange rates for foreign currencies. Local factors, including the strength of the local economy, the demand for borrowing, the government's fiscal and monetary policies, and the international balance of payments, often affect interest rates in other countries. Individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency, and balance of payments position.
Forward Contracts and Futures Contracts — The Fund may enter into forward and futures contracts. Forward and futures contracts including equity interest rate and treasury futures contracts, obligate the purchaser to take delivery of, or cash settle, a specific amount of a commodity, security or obligation underlying the contract at a specified time in the future for a specified price. Likewise, the seller incurs an obligation to deliver the specified amount of the underlying obligation against receipt of the specified price. Futures are traded on both U.S. and foreign commodities exchanges. A forward is a private agreement between two parties and is not traded on an exchange.
No price is paid upon entering into a futures contract. Instead, at the inception of a futures contract the Fund is required to deposit "initial margin" consisting of cash or U.S. Government Securities in an amount set by the exchange on which the contract is traded and varying based on the volatility of the underlying asset. Margin must also be deposited when writing a call or put option on a futures contract, in accordance with applicable exchange rules. Under certain circumstances, such as periods of high volatility, the Fund may be required by a futures exchange to increase the level of its initial margin payment, and initial margin requirements might be increased generally in the future by regulatory action.
Subsequent "variation margin" payments are made to and from the futures broker daily as the value of the futures position varies, a process known as "marking-to-market." Variation margin represents a daily settlement of the Fund's obligations to or from a futures broker. When the Fund purchases or sells a futures contract, it is subject to daily variation margin calls that could be substantial in the event of adverse price movements. If the Fund has insufficient cash to meet daily variation margin requirements, it might need to sell securities at a time when such sales are disadvantageous.
Purchasers and sellers of futures contracts can enter into offsetting closing transactions, by selling or purchasing, respectively, an instrument identical to the instrument purchased or sold. Positions in futures contracts may be closed only on a futures exchange or board of trade that trades that contract. The Fund intends to enter into futures contracts only on exchanges or boards of trade where there appears to be a liquid market. However, there can be no assurance that such a market will exist for a particular contract at a particular time. In such event, it may not be possible to close a futures contract.
Although many futures contracts by their terms call for the actual delivery or acquisition of the underlying asset, in most cases the contractual obligation is fulfilled before the date of the contract without having to make or take such delivery of the securities or currency.
The offsetting of a contractual obligation is accomplished by buying (or selling, as appropriate) on a commodities exchange an identical futures contract calling for delivery in the same month. Such a transaction, which is effected through a member of an exchange, cancels the obligation to make or take delivery of the securities or currency. Since all transactions in the futures market are made, offset or fulfilled through a clearinghouse associated with the exchange on which the contracts are traded, the Fund will incur brokerage fees when it purchases or sells futures contracts. The Fund has no current intent to accept physical delivery in connection with the settlement of futures contracts.
Under certain circumstances, futures exchanges may establish daily limits on the amount that the price of a futures contract can vary from the previous day's settlement price; once that limit is reached, no trades may be made that day at a price beyond the limit. Daily price limits do not limit potential losses because prices could move to the daily limit for several consecutive days with little or no trading, thereby preventing liquidation of unfavorable positions.
If the Fund were unable to liquidate a futures contract due to the absence of a liquid secondary market or the imposition of price limits, it could incur substantial losses. The Fund would continue to be subject to market risk with respect to the position. In addition, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily variation margin payments and might be required to maintain the position being hedged by the futures contract or option thereon or to maintain cash or securities in a segregated account.
The ordinary spreads between prices in the cash and futures markets, due to differences in the nature of those markets, are subject to distortions. First, all participants in the futures market are subject to initial deposit and variation margin requirements. Rather than meeting additional variation margin deposit requirements, investors may close futures contracts through offsetting transactions that could distort the normal relationship between the cash and futures markets. Second, the liquidity of the futures market depends on participants entering into offsetting transactions rather than making or taking delivery. To the extent participants decide to make or take delivery, liquidity in the futures market could be reduced, thus producing distortion. Third, from the point of view of speculators, the margin deposit requirements in the futures market are less onerous than margin requirements in the securities market. Therefore, increased participation by speculators in the futures market may cause temporary price distortions. Due to the possibility of distortion, a correct forecast of securities price or currency exchange rate trends by a sub-advisor may still not result in a successful transaction.
Futures contracts also entail other risks. Although the use of such contracts may benefit the Fund, if investment judgment about the general direction of, for example, an index is incorrect, the Fund's overall performance would be worse than if it had not entered into any such contract. There are differences between the securities and futures markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between the markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its objectives. The Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a forward contract in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a counterparty. If such a default occurs, the Fund may have contractual remedies pursuant to the forward contract, but such remedies may be subject to bankruptcy and insolvency laws which could affect the Fund's rights as a creditor.
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Forward Currency Contracts . The Fund may enter into forward currency contracts. A forward currency contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specified currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties at a price set at the time of the contract. Because forward currency contracts normally are settled through an exchange of currencies, they are traded in the interbank market directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers.
Forward currency contracts may serve as long hedges — for example, the Fund may purchase a forward currency contract to lock in the U.S. dollar price of a security denominated in a foreign currency that it intends to acquire. Forward currency contract transactions also may serve as short hedges — for example, the Fund may sell a forward currency contract to lock in the U.S. dollar equivalent of the proceeds from the anticipated sale of a security or from a dividend or interest payment on a security denominated in a foreign currency.
The Fund may enter into forward currency contracts to sell a foreign currency for a fixed U.S. dollar amount approximating the value of some or all of its portfolio securities denominated in such foreign currency. In addition, the Fund may use forward currency contracts when a sub-advisor wishes to "lock in" the U.S. dollar price of a security when the Fund is purchasing or selling a security denominated in a foreign currency or anticipates receiving a dividend or interest payment denominated in a foreign currency.
The Fund may enter into forward currency contracts for the purchase or sale of a specified currency at a specified future date either with respect to specific transactions or with respect to portfolio positions in order to minimize the risk to the Fund from adverse changes in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies.
The Fund may seek to hedge against changes in the value of a particular currency by using forward currency contracts on another foreign currency or a basket of currencies, the value of which the applicable sub-advisor believes will have a positive correlation to the values of the currency being hedged. Use of a different foreign currency magnifies the risk that movements in the price of the forward contract will not correlate or will correlate unfavorably with the foreign currency being hedged.
In addition, the Fund may use forward currency contracts to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one country to another. For example, if the Fund owned securities denominated in a foreign currency that a sub-advisor believed would decline relative to another currency, it might enter into a forward currency contract to sell an appropriate amount of the first foreign currency, with payment to be made in the second currency. Transactions that involve two foreign currencies are sometimes referred to as "cross hedging." Use of a different foreign currency magnifies the Fund's exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations.
The cost to the Fund of engaging in forward currency contracts varies with factors such as the currency involved, the length of the contract period and the market conditions then prevailing. Because forward currency contracts usually are entered into on a principal basis, no fees or commissions are involved. When the Fund enters into a forward currency contract, it relies on the counterparty to make or take delivery of the underlying currency at the maturity of the contract. Failure by the counterparty to do so would result in the loss of any expected benefit of the transaction.
Sellers or purchasers of forward currency contracts can enter into offsetting closing transactions, similar to closing transactions on futures, by purchasing or selling, respectively, an instrument identical to the instrument sold or bought, respectively. Secondary markets generally do not exist for forward currency contracts, however, with the result that closing transactions generally can be made for forward currency contracts only by negotiating directly with the counterparty. Thus, there can be no assurance that the Fund will in fact be able to close out a forward currency contract at a favorable price prior to maturity. In addition, in the event of insolvency of the counterparty, the Fund might be unable to close out a forward currency contract at any time prior to maturity. In either event, the Fund would continue to be subject to market risk with respect to the position, and would continue to be required to maintain a position in the securities or currencies that are the subject of the hedge or to maintain cash or securities.
The precise matching of forward currency contract amounts and the value of securities, whose U.S. dollar value is being hedged by those contracts involved, generally will not be possible because the value of such securities, measured in the foreign currency, will change after the forward currency contract has been established. Thus, the Fund might need to purchase or sell foreign currencies in the spot (cash) market to the extent such foreign currencies are not covered by forward contracts. The projection of short-term currency market movements is extremely difficult, and the successful execution of a short-term hedging strategy is highly uncertain.
The Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a forward currency contract in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a counterparty. If such a default occurs, the Fund may have contractual remedies pursuant to the forward currency contract, but such remedies may be subject to bankruptcy and insolvency laws which could affect the Fund's rights as a creditor.
Growth Companies Risk — Growth companies are expected to increase their earnings at a certain rate. When these expectations are not met, the prices of these stocks may go down, even if earnings showed an absolute increase. Growth company stocks may lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns. Different investment styles tend to shift in and out of favor, depending on market conditions and investor sentiment. A Fund's investments in growth stocks may underperform value or non-growth stocks that have a broader investment style.
Index Futures Contracts and Options on Index Futures Contracts — The Fund may invest in index futures contracts, including futures contracts on equity indices, for investment purposes, including for short-term cash management purposes. Like other futures contracts, index futures contracts are derivatives. For a further discussion of the risks of derivatives instruments, see "Derivatives."
Index Futures Contracts . U.S. futures contracts traded on exchanges that have been designated "contract markets" by the CFTC and must be executed through a futures commission merchant, or brokerage firm, which is a member of the relevant contract market. Index futures contracts are traded on a number of exchanges and are generally cash settled.
At the same time a futures contract on an index is purchased or sold, the Fund must allocate cash or securities as a deposit payment ("initial deposit") based on the contract's face value. Daily thereafter, the futures contract is valued and the payment of "variation margin" may be required.
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Options on Index Futures Contracts . The purchase of a call option on an index futures contract is similar in some respects to the purchase of a call option on such an index.
The Fund may write a call option on a futures contract. If the futures price at expiration of the option is below the exercise price, the Fund will retain the full amount of the option premium, which provides a partial hedge against any decline that may have occurred in the value of the Fund's holdings. The writing of a put option on an index futures contract constitutes a partial hedge against increasing prices of the securities underlying the index. If the futures price at expiration of the option is higher than the exercise price, the Fund will retain the full amount of the option premium, which provides a partial hedge against any increase in the price of securities that the Fund intends to purchase. If a put or call option the Fund has written is exercised, the Fund will incur a loss that will be reduced by the amount of the premium it receives. Depending on the degree of correlation between changes in the value of its portfolio securities and changes in the value of its futures positions, the Fund's losses or gains from existing options on futures may to some extent be reduced or increased by changes in the value of portfolio securities.
The purchase of a put option on a futures contract with respect to an index is similar in some respects to the purchase of protective put options on the Index. For example, the Fund may purchase a put option on an index futures contract to hedge against the risk of lowering securities values.
The amount of risk the Fund assumes when it purchases an option on a futures contract with respect to an index is the premium paid for the option plus related transaction costs. In addition to the correlation risks discussed above, the purchase of such an option also entails the risk that changes in the value of the underlying futures contract will not be fully reflected in the value of the option purchased.
Options on Securities Indices . The Fund may purchase and write (sell) put and call options on securities indices listed on stock exchanges. A securities index fluctuates with changes in the market values of the securities included in the index. Options on securities indices generally are similar to options on securities except that the delivery requirements are different. Instead of giving the right to take or make delivery of securities at a specified price, an option on a securities index gives the holder the right to receive a cash "exercise settlement amount" equal to (a) the amount, if any, by which the fixed exercise price of the option exceeds (in the case of a call) or is less than (in the case of a put) the closing value of the underlying index on the date of exercise, multiplied by (b) a fixed "index multiplier." The writer of the option is obligated, in return for the premium received, to make delivery of this amount. The writer may offset its position in stock index options prior to expiration by entering into a closing transaction on an exchange or the option may expire unexercised.
The Fund may write (sell) covered call and put options to a limited extent on an index ("covered options") in an attempt to increase income. By writing a covered call option, the Fund forgoes, in exchange for the premium less the commission ("net premium"), the opportunity to profit during the option period from an increase in the market value of an index above the exercise price. By writing a put option, the Fund, in exchange for the net premium received, accepts the risk of a decline in the market value of the index below the exercise price. The Fund may terminate its obligation as the writer of a call or put option by purchasing an option with the same exercise price and expiration date as the option previously written. When the Fund writes an option, an amount equal to the net premium received by the Fund is included in the liability section of the Fund's Statement of Assets and Liabilities as a deferred credit. The amount of the deferred credit will be subsequently marked to market to reflect the current market value of the option written, which , is the last sale price or, in the absence of a sale, the mean between the closing bid and asked price. If an option expires unexercised on its stipulated expiration date or if the Fund enters into a closing purchase transaction, the Fund will realize a gain (or loss if the cost of a closing purchase transaction exceeds the premium received when the option was sold), and the deferred credit related to such option will be eliminated.
The hours of trading for options on an index may not conform to the hours during which the underlying securities are traded. To the extent that the option markets close before the markets for the underlying securities, significant price and rate movements can take place in the underlying securities markets that cannot be reflected in the option markets. It is impossible to predict the volume of trading that may exist in such options, and there can be no assurance that viable exchange markets will develop or continue.
Options on securities indices require settlement in cash. Therefore, a sub-advisor may be forced to liquidate portfolio securities to meet settlement obligations. Because the value of an index option depends upon movements in the level of the index rather than the price of a particular stock, whether the Fund will realize a gain or loss from the purchase or writing of options on an index depends upon movements in the level of stock prices in the stock market generally or, in the case of certain indices, in an industry or market segment, rather than movements in the price of a particular stock.
Initial Public Offerings — The Fund can invest in initial public offerings ("IPOs"). By definition, securities issued in IPOs have not traded publicly until the time of their offerings. Special risks associated with IPOs may include, among others, the fact that there may only be a limited number of shares available for trading. The market for those securities may be unseasoned. The issuer may have a limited operating history. These factors may contribute to price volatility. The limited number of shares available for trading in some IPOs may also make it more difficult for the Fund to buy or sell significant amounts of shares without an unfavorable impact on prevailing prices. In addition, some companies initially offering their shares publicly are involved in relatively new industries or lines of business, which may not be widely understood by investors. Some of the companies involved in new industries may be regarded as developmental state companies, without revenues or operating income, or the near-term prospects of them. Many IPOs are by small- or micro-cap companies that are undercapitalized.
Interfund Lending — Pursuant to an order issued by the SEC, the American Beacon Funds may participate in a credit facility whereby each American Beacon Funds, under certain conditions, is permitted to lend money directly to and borrow directly from other American Beacon Funds for temporary purposes. The credit facility is administered by a credit facility team consisting of professionals from the Manager's asset management, compliance, and accounting areas who report on credit facility activities to the Board. The credit facility can provide a borrowing fund with savings at times when the cash position of a fund is insufficient to meet temporary cash requirements. This situation could arise when shareholder redemptions exceed anticipated volumes and certain funds have insufficient cash on hand to satisfy such redemptions or when sales of securities do not settle as expected, resulting in a cash shortfall for a fund. When the funds liquidate portfolio securities to meet redemption requests, they often do not receive payment in settlement for up to three days (or longer for certain foreign transactions). However, redemption requests normally are satisfied immediately. The credit
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facility provides a source of immediate, short-term liquidity pending settlement of the sale of portfolio securities. Although the credit facility may reduce a Fund's need to borrow from banks, a Fund remains free to establish lines of credit or other borrowing arrangements with banks.
Large Capitalization Companies Risk — The securities of large market capitalization companies may underperform other segments of the market because such companies may be less responsive to competitive challenges and opportunities and may be unable to attain high growth rates during periods of economic expansion.
Limited Liability Companies — The Fund may purchase securities of entities such as limited partnerships, limited liability companies, business trusts and companies organized outside the United States.
Micro-Capitalization Companies Risk — Investing in the securities of micro-capitalization companies involves greater risk and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in larger capitalization and more established companies, since micro-capitalization companies may not have operating history, product lines, and financial resources. The securities of these companies may lack sufficient market liquidity and they can be sensitive to expected changes in interest rates, borrowing costs and earnings.
Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk — Investing in the securities of mid-capitalization companies involves greater risk and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in larger, capitalization companies. Since mid-capitalization companies may have limited operating history, product lines and financial resources, the securities of these companies may lack sufficient market liquidity and can be sensitive to expected changes in interest rates, borrowing costs and earnings.
Options — The Fund may purchase and sell put options and call options on securities indices and foreign currencies in standardized contracts traded on recognized securities exchanges, boards of trade, or similar entities, or quoted on the NASDAQ National Market System.
An option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying the option at a specified exercise price at any time during the term of the option (normally not exceeding nine months). The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver, or pay the value of, the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency.
By writing a covered call option, the Fund forgoes, in exchange for the premium less the commission ("net premium"), the opportunity to profit during the option period from an increase in the market value of the underlying security or currency above the exercise price. By writing a put option, the Fund, in exchange for the net premium received, accepts the risk of a decline in the market value of the underlying security or currency below the exercise price.
The Fund may terminate its obligation as the writer of a call or put option by purchasing an option with the same exercise price and expiration date as the option previously written.
When the Fund writes an option, an amount equal to the net premium received by the Fund is included in the liability section of the Fund's Statement of Assets and Liabilities as a deferred credit. The amount of the deferred credit will be subsequently marked to market to reflect the current market value of the option written. The current market value of a traded option is the last sale price or, in the absence of a sale, the mean between the closing bid and asked price. If an option expires on its stipulated expiration date or if the Fund enters into a closing purchase transaction, the Fund will realize a gain (or loss if the cost of a closing purchase transaction exceeds the premium received when the option was sold), and the deferred credit related to such option will be eliminated.
The hours of trading for options may not conform to the hours during which the underlying securities are traded. To the extent that the option markets close before the markets for the underlying securities, significant price and rate movements can take place in the underlying securities markets that cannot be reflected in the option markets. It is impossible to predict the volume of trading that may exist in such options, and there can be no assurance that viable exchange markets will develop or continue.
The Fund may use non-deliverable options ("NDOs") which is a foreign exchange product designed to assist in reducing the foreign exchange risk, in particular situations when physical delivery of the underlying currencies is not required or not possible.
The Fund may write (sell) and purchase covered call and put options on foreign currencies for hedging or non-hedging purposes. The Fund may use options on foreign currencies to protect against decreases in the U.S. dollar value of securities held or increases in the U.S. dollar cost of securities to be acquired by the Fund or to protect the U.S. dollar equivalent of dividends, interest, or other payments on those securities. In addition, the Fund may write and purchase covered call and put options on foreign currencies for non-hedging purposes (e.g., when the Manager or sub-advisor anticipates that a foreign currency will appreciate or depreciate in value, but securities denominated in that currency do not present attractive investment opportunities and are not held in the Fund's investment portfolio). The Fund may write covered call and put options on any currency in order to realize greater income than would be realized on portfolio securities alone.
Currency options have characteristics and risks similar to those of securities options, as discussed herein. Certain options on foreign currencies are traded on the OTC market and involve liquidity and credit risks that may not be present in the case of exchange-traded currency options.
Other Investment Company Securities and Exchange-Traded Products — The Fund at times may invest in shares of other investment companies and exchange-traded products, including open-end funds, closed-end funds, business development companies, ETFs exchange-traded notes ("ETNs") and unit investment trusts. The Fund may invest in investment company securities advised by the Manager, Lead Sub-Advisor or the Sub-Advisor. Investments in the securities of other investment companies may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly will bear the Fund's proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders directly bear in connection with the Fund's own operations. These other fees and expenses are reflected as Acquired Fund Fees and
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Expenses and are included in the Fees and Expenses Table for the Fund in its Prospectus, if applicable. Investment in other investment companies may involve the payment of substantial premiums above the value of such issuer's portfolio securities.
The Fund can invest free cash balances in registered open-end investment companies regulated as money market funds under the Investment Company Act to provide liquidity or for defensive purposes. The Fund would invest in money market funds rather than purchasing individual short-term investments. If the Fund invests in money market funds shareholders will bear their proportionate share of the expenses, including for example, advisory and administrative fees, of the money market funds in which the Fund invests, including such fees charged by the Manager to any applicable money market funds advised by the Manager.
The Fund may purchase shares of ETFs and sell ETF share short. ETFs trade like a common stock and passive ETFs usually represent a fixed portfolio of securities designed to track the performance and dividend yield of a particular domestic or foreign market index. Typically, the Fund would purchase passive ETF shares to obtain exposure to all or a portion of the stock or bond market and sell ETF shares short to hedge exposure to all or a portion of the stock or bond market. As a shareholder of an ETF, the Fund would be subject to its ratable share of the ETF's expenses, including its advisory and administration expenses. An investment in an ETF generally presents the same primary risks as an investment in a conventional mutual fund (i.e., one that is not exchange traded) that has the same investment objective, strategies, and policies. The price of an ETF can fluctuate within a wide range, and the Fund could lose money investing in an ETF. In addition, ETFs are subject to the following risks that do not apply to conventional funds: (1) the market price of the ETF's shares may trade at a discount or premium to their net asset value; (2) an active trading market for an ETF's shares may not develop or be maintained; or (3) trading of an ETF's shares may be halted if the listing exchange's officials deem such action appropriate, the shares are delisted from the exchange, or the activation of market-wide "circuit breakers" (which are tied to large decreases in stock prices) halts stock trading generally.
The Fund may also invest in ETNs, which are structured debt securities. Whereas ETFs' liabilities are secured by their portfolio securities, ETNs' liabilities are unsecured general obligations of the issuer. ETFs and ETNs have expenses associated with their operation, typically including, with respect to ETFs, advisory fees.
Participatory Notes — Participatory notes involve risks that are in addition to the risks normally associated with a direct investment in the underlying equity securities. The Fund is subject to the risk that the issuer of the participatory note (i.e., the issuing bank or broker-dealer), which is the only responsible party under the note, may be unable or refuse to perform under the terms of the participatory note. While the holder of a participatory note is entitled to receive from the issuing bank or broker-dealer any dividends or other distributions paid on the underlying securities, the holder is not entitled to the same rights as an owner of the underlying securities, such as voting rights. Participatory notes are also not traded on exchanges, are privately issued, and may be illiquid. To the extent a participatory note is determined to be illiquid, it would be subject to the Fund's limitation on investments in illiquid securities. There can be no assurance that the trading price or value of participatory notes will equal the value of the underlying value of the equity securities they seek to replicate.
Preferred Stock — A preferred stock blends the characteristics of a bond and common stock. It can offer the higher yield of a bond and has priority over common stock in equity ownership, but does not have the seniority of a bond and its participation in the issuer's growth may be limited. Preferred stock generally has preference over common stock in the receipt of dividends and in any residual assets after payment to creditors should the issuer be dissolved. Although the dividend is set at a fixed or variable rate, in some circumstances it can be changed or omitted by the issuer. Preferred stocks are subject to the risks associated with other types of equity securities, as well as additional risks, such as credit risk, interest rate risk, potentially greater volatility and risks related to deferral, non-cumulative dividends, subordination, liquidity, limited voting rights, and special redemption rights.
Publicly Traded Partnerships; Master Limited Partnerships — The Fund may invest in publicly traded partnerships such as master limited partnerships ("MLPs"). MLPs issue units that are registered with the SEC and are freely tradable on a securities exchange or in the over-the-counter market. An MLP may have one or more general partners, who conduct the business, and one or more limited partners, who contribute capital. The general partner or are jointly and severally responsible for the liabilities of the MLP. The Fund invests as a limited partner, and normally would not be liable for the debts of an MLP beyond the amount that the Fund has contributed but it would not be shielded to the same extent that a shareholder of a corporation would be. In certain instances, creditors of an MLP would have the right to seek a return of capital that had been distributed to a limited partner. The right of an MLP's creditors would continue even after the Fund had sold its investment in the partnership. MLPs typically invest in real estate, oil and gas equipment leasing assets, but they also finance entertainment, research and development, and other projects.
Quantitative Investment Risk — The Lead Sub-Advisor and the Sub-Advisors may use quantitative investment model to varying degrees in making investment decisions. The success of a quantitative investment models is heavily dependent on the mathematical models used by the Lead Sub-Advisor and the Sub-Advisors. The Lead Sub-Advisor or a Sub-Advisor may select models that are not well suited to prevailing market conditions. Models that have been formulated on the basis of past market data may not be predictive of future price movements. Models may not be reliable if unusual events specific to particular corporations, or major events external to the operations of markets, cause extreme market moves that are inconsistent with the historical correlation and volatility structure of the market. Models also may have hidden biases or exposure to broad structural or sentiment shifts. Finally, the effectiveness of such models tends to deteriorate over time as more traders seek to exploit the same market inefficiencies through the use of similar models. Quantitative strategies may be highly reliant on the gathering, cleaning, culling, and analysis of large amounts of data from third parties and other external sources. It is not possible or practicable, however, for a manager to factor all relevant, available data into quantitative model forecasts and/or trading decisions. The Sub-Advisors (and/or affiliated licensors of such data) will use their discretion to determine what data to gather with respect to an investment strategy and what subset of that data the models will take into account to produce forecasts that may have an impact on ultimate trading decisions.
Real Estate Related Investments — The Fund may gain exposure to the real estate sector by investing in real estate-linked derivatives, real estate investment trusts ("REITs"), and common, preferred and convertible securities of issuers in real estate-related industries. Adverse economic, business or political developments affecting real estate could have a major effect on the value of the Fund's investments. Investing in securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies may subject the Fund to risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate. Changes in interest rates, debt
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leverage ratios, debt maturity schedules, and the availability of credit to real estate companies may also affect the value of the Fund's investment in real estate securities. Real estate securities are dependent upon specialized management skills at the operating company level, have limited diversification and are, therefore, subject to risks inherent in operating and financing a limited number of properties. Real estate securities are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency and defaults by borrowers. The real estate industry tends to be cyclical. Such cycles may adversely affect the value of the Fund's portfolio. The Fund will indirectly bear a proportionate share of a REIT's ongoing operating fees and expense. In addition, U.S.-qualified REITs are subject to the possibility of failing to a) qualify for tax-free pass-through of ordinary income and net realized gains under the Internal Revenue Code, and b) maintain exemption eligibility from the investment company registration requirements.
Rights and Warrants — Rights are short-term warrants issued in conjunction with new stock or bond issues. Warrants are options to purchase an issuer's securities at a stated price during a stated term. If the market price of the underlying common stock does not exceed the warrant's exercise price during the life of the warrant, the warrant will expire worthless. Warrants usually have no voting rights, pay no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the corporation issuing them. The percentage increase or decrease in the value of a warrant may be greater than the percentage increase or decrease in the value of the underlying common stock. Warrants may be purchased with values that vary depending on the change in value of one or more specified indices ("index warrants"). Index warrants are generally issued by banks or other financial institutions and give the holder the right, at any time during the term of the warrant, to receive upon exercise of the warrant a cash payment from the issuer based on the value of the underlying index at the time of the exercise. The market for warrants or rights may be very limited and it may be difficult to sell them promptly at an acceptable price. There is no specific limit on the percentage of assets the Fund may invest in rights and warrants.
Sale Buybacks — The Fund may effect simultaneous purchase and sale transactions that are known as "sale-buybacks". A sale buyback is similar to a reverse repurchase agreement, except that in a sale-buyback, the counterparty that purchases the security is entitled to receive any principal or interest payments make on the underlying security pending settlement of the Fund's repurchase of the underlying security. The Fund's obligations under a sale-buyback typically would be offset by liquid assets equal in value to the amount of the Fund's forward commitment to repurchase the subject security.
Short Sales — A Sub-Advisor may sell a security the Fund does not own, or in an amount greater than the Fund owns (i.e., make short sales). Generally, to complete a short sale transaction, the Fund or its broker will borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund is then obligated to replace the security borrowed. If the price at the time of replacement is more than the price at which the security was sold by the Fund, the Fund will incur a loss. Conversely, the Fund will realize a gain if the price of the security decreases between selling short and replacement. Although the Fund's gain is limited to the price at which it sold the security short, its potential loss is theoretically unlimited. Until the security is replaced, the Fund is required to pay fees or any interest that accrues during the period of the loan. To borrow the security, the Fund may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. The proceeds of the short sale will be retained by the broker and the Fund will pledge additional collateral to the extent necessary to meet margin requirements until the short position is closed out. Until the Fund replaces the borrowed security, it will segregate assets by appropriate notation on its books or the books of its custodian in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements. The Fund's policies and procedures regarding segregating such assets are described more fully under "Cover and Asset Segregation" in this SAI.
The Fund may make a short sale when a Sub-Advisor believes the price of the stock may decline and when the Sub-Advisor does not currently want to sell the stock or convertible security it owns. In this case, any decline in the value of the Fund's portfolio securities would be reduced by a gain in the short sale transaction. Conversely, any increase in the value of the Fund's portfolio securities would be reduced by a loss in the short sale transaction.
Short sales "against the box" are transactions in which the Fund sells a security short but it also owns an equal amount of the securities sold short or owns securities that are convertible or exchangeable, without payment of further consideration, into an equal amount of such security.
Small Capitalization Companies Risk — Investing in the securities of small capitalization companies involves greater risk and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in larger capitalization and more established companies, since smaller companies may have limited operating history, product lines, and financial resources. The securities of these companies may lack sufficient market liquidity and they can be particularly sensitive to expected changes in interest rates, borrowing costs and earnings.
Swap Agreements — A swap is a transaction in which the Fund and a counterparty agree to pay or receive payments at specified dates based upon or calculated by reference to changes in specified prices or rates (e.g., interest rates in the case of interest rate swaps) or the performance of specified securities or indices based on a specified amount (the "notional" amount). Nearly any type of derivative, including forward contracts, can be structured as a swap. See "Derivatives" for a further discussion of derivatives risks.
Swap agreements can be structured to provide exposure to a variety of different types of investments or market factors. For example, in an interest rate swap, fixed-rate payments may be exchanged for floating rate payments; in a currency swap, U.S. dollar-denominated payments may be exchanged for payments denominated in a foreign currency; and in a total return swap, payments tied to the investment return on a particular asset, group of assets or index may be exchanged for payments that are effectively equivalent to interest payments or for payments tied to the return on another asset, group of assets, or index. Swaps may have a leverage component, and adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate or index can result in gains or losses that are substantially greater than the amount invested in the swap itself.
Some swaps currently are, and more in the future will be, centrally cleared. Swaps that are centrally-cleared are exposed to the creditworthiness of the clearing organizations (and, consequently, that of their members—generally, banks and broker-dealers) involved in the transaction. For example, an investor could lose margin payments it has deposited with the clearing organization as well as the net amount of gains not yet paid by the clearing organization if it breaches its agreement with the investor or becomes insolvent or goes into bankruptcy. In the event of bankruptcy of the clearing organization, the investor may be able to recover only a portion of the net amount of gains on its transactions and of the margin owed to it, potentially resulting in losses to the investor.
Swaps that are not centrally cleared, involve the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the insolvency or bankruptcy of the counterparty or the failure of the counterparty to make required payments or otherwise comply with the terms of the agreement. To mitigate this risk, the Fund will only enter into swap agreements with counterparties considered by a sub-advisor to present minimum risk of default. Changing conditions in a particular
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market area, whether or not directly related to the referenced assets that underlie the swap agreement, may have an adverse impact on the creditworthiness of a counterparty.
The centrally cleared and OTC swap agreements into which the Fund enters normally provide for the obligations of the Fund and its counterparty in the event of a default of other early termination to be determined on a net basis. Similarly, periodic payments on a swap transaction that are due by each party on the same day normally are netted. To the extent that a swap agreement is subject to netting, the Fund's cover and asset segregation responsibilities will normally be with respect to the net amount owed by the Fund. See "Cover and Asset Segregation" for additional discussion of these matters. However, the Fund may be required to segregate liquid assets equal to the full notional amount of certain swaps, such as written credit default swaps on physically settled forwards or written options. The amount that the Fund must segregate may be reduced by the value of any collateral that it has pledged to secure its own obligations under the swap.
The use of swap agreements requires special skills, knowledge and investment techniques that differ from those required for normal portfolio management. Swaps may be considered illiquid investments; see "Illiquid and Restricted Securities" for a description of liquidity risk.
Caps, Floors and Collars — The Fund may also enter caps, floors and collars, which are types of interest rate swap agreements. The purchaser of an interest rate cap agrees to pay a premium to the seller in return for the seller paying interest on a specified principal amount to the purchaser based on the extent to which a specified interest rate exceeds a predetermined level. Conversely, the seller of an interest rate floor agrees to pay interest on a specified principal amount to the purchaser based on the extent to which a specified interest rate falls below a predetermined level. A collar combines a cap and selling a floor, establishing a predetermined range of interest rates within which each party agrees to make payments.
Total Return Swaps — In a total return swap transaction, one party agrees to pay the other party an amount equal to the total return on a defined underlying asset such as a security or basket of securities or on a referenced index during a specified period of time. In return, the other party would make periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or on the total return from a different underlying asset or index. Total return swap agreements may be used to gain exposure to price changes in an overall market or an asset. Total return swaps could result in losses if the underlying asset or index does not perform as anticipated. Written total return swaps can have the potential for unlimited losses.
Equity Swaps — Equity swaps are subject to liquidity risk because the liquidity of equity swaps is based on the liquidity of the underlying instrument, and are subject to counterparty risk, i.e., the risk that the counterparty to the equity swap transaction may be unable or unwilling to make payments or to otherwise honor its financial obligations under the terms of the contract. To the extent that there is an imperfect correlation between the return on the Fund's obligation to its counterparty under the equity swap and the return on related assets in its portfolio, the equity swap transaction may increase the Fund's financial risk. Equity swaps, like many other derivative instruments, involve the risk that, if the derivative security declines in value, additional margin would be required to maintain the margin level. The seller may require the Fund to deposit additional sums to cover this, and this may be at short notice. If additional margin is not provided in time, the seller may liquidate the positions at a loss for which the Fund is liable. The income tax treatment of swap agreements is unsettled and may be subject to future legislation, regulation or administrative pronouncements issued by the Internal Revenue Service. If such future guidance limits the Fund's ability to use derivatives, the Fund may have to find other ways of achieving its investment objective.
Currency Swaps — A currency swap involves the exchange of payments denominated in one currency for payments denominated in another. Payments are based on a notional principal amount, the value of which is fixed in exchange rate terms at the swap's inception. Currency swaps are subject to currency risk.
Volatility Swaps — A volatility swap is a forward contract under which the payments to be received are dependent on the future realized volatility of an underlying asset, such as a stock. A volatility swap involves exposure to volatility, not on whether the value of the underlying asset goes up or down. Volatility swaps can be used to speculate on future volatility or as a hedge against volatility. A volatility swap is subject to the risk that the future volatility of the underlying asset is higher or lower than a sub-advisor anticipated. Correlation Swaps — A correlation swap is used to speculate on or hedge risks associated with the observed average correlation of a collection of underlying products.
Forward Swaps — A forward swap is created through the use of two swaps with different durations to meet the investment time period desired by a sub-advisor.
U.S. Treasury Obligations — U.S. Treasury obligations include bills (initial maturities of one year or less), notes (initial maturities between two and ten years), and bonds (initial maturities over ten years) issued by the U.S. Treasury, Separately Traded Registered Interest and Principal component parts of such obligations known as STRIPS and inflation-indexed securities. The prices of these securities (like all debt securities) change between issuance and maturity in response to fluctuating market interest rates. U.S. Treasury obligations are subject to credit risk and interest rate risk.
Value Companies Risk — Value companies are subject to the risk that their intrinsic value may never be realized by the market or that their prices may go down. While a Fund's investments in value stocks may limit its downside risk over time, a Fund may produce more modest gains than riskier stock funds as a trade-off for this potentially lower risk. Different investment styles tend to shift in and out of favor, depending on market conditions and investor sentiment. A Fund's investments in value stocks may underperform growth or non-value stocks that have a broader investment style.
OTHER INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS
In addition to the investment strategies and risks described in the Prospectus, the Fund may:
Engage in dollar rolls or purchase or sell securities on a when-issued or forward commitment basis. The purchase or sale of when-issued securities enables an investor to hedge against anticipated changes in interest rates and prices by locking in an attractive price or yield. The price of when- issued securities is fixed at the time the commitment to purchase or sell is made, but delivery and payment for the when-issued securities takes place at a later date, normally one to two months after the date of purchase. During the period between purchase and settlement, no payment is made by the purchaser to the issuer and no interest accrues to the purchaser. Such transactions therefore involve a risk of loss if the value of the
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security to be purchased declines prior to the settlement date or if the value of the security to be sold increases prior to the settlement date. A sale of a when-issued security also involves the risk that the other party will be unable to settle the transaction. Dollar rolls are a type of forward commitment transaction. Purchases and sales of securities on a forward commitment basis involve a commitment to purchase or sell securities with payment and delivery to take place at some future date, normally one to two months after the date of the transaction. As with when-issued securities, these transactions involve certain risks, but they also enable an investor to hedge against anticipated changes in interest rates and prices. Forward commitment transactions are executed for existing obligations, whereas in a when-issued transaction, the obligations have not yet been issued. When purchasing securities on a when-issued or forward commitment basis, a segregated amount of liquid assets at least equal to the value of purchase commitments for such securities will be maintained until the settlement date.
Invest in other investment companies (including affiliated investment companies) to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act, or exemptive relief granted by the SEC.
Loan securities to broker-dealers or other institutional investors. Securities loans will not be made if, as a result, the aggregate amount of all outstanding securities loans by the Fund exceeds 33 1/3 % of its total assets (including the market value of collateral received). For purposes of complying with the Fund's investment policies and restrictions, collateral received in connection with securities loans is deemed an asset of the Fund to the extent required by law.
Enter into repurchase agreements. A repurchase agreement is an agreement under which securities are acquired by the Fund from a securities dealer or bank subject to resale at an agreed upon price on a later date. The Fund bears a risk of loss in the event that the other party to a repurchase agreement defaults on its obligations and the Fund is delayed or prevented from exercising its rights to dispose of the collateral securities. However, the Manager or the sub-advisor, as applicable, attempts to minimize this risk by entering into repurchase agreements only with financial institutions that are deemed to be of good financial standing.
Purchase securities sold in private placement offerings made in reliance on the "private placement" exemption from registration afforded by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act, and resold to qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A under the Securities Act. The Fund will not invest more than 15% of its net assets in Section 4(a)(2) securities and illiquid securities unless the Manager or the sub-advisor, as applicable, determines, by continuous reference to the appropriate trading markets and pursuant to guidelines approved by the Trust's Board of Trustees ("Board") that any Section 4(a)(2) securities held by the Fund in excess of this level are at all times liquid.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
Fundamental Policies . The Fund has the following fundamental investment policy that enables it to invest in another investment company or series thereof that has substantially similar investment objectives and policies:
Notwithstanding any other limitation, the Fund may invest all of its investable assets in an open-end management investment company with substantially the same investment objectives, policies and limitations as the Fund. For this purpose, "all of the Fund's investable assets" means that the only investment securities that will be held by the Fund will be the Fund's interest in the investment company.
Fundamental Investment Restrictions . The following discusses the investment policies of the Fund.
The following restrictions have been adopted by the Fund and may be changed with respect to the Fund only by the majority vote of the Fund's outstanding interests. "Majority of the outstanding voting securities" under the 1940 Act and as used herein means, with respect to the Fund, the lesser of (a) 67% of the shares of the Fund present at the meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the shares are present and represented at the shareholders' meeting or (b) more than 50% of the shares of the Fund.
The Fund may not:
Purchase or sell real estate or real estate limited partnership interests, provided, however, that the Fund may dispose of real estate acquired as a result of the ownership of securities or other instruments and invest in securities secured by real estate or interests therein or issued by companies which invest in real estate or interests therein when consistent with the other policies and limitations described in the Prospectus.
Invest in physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling foreign currency, options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, forward contracts, swaps, caps, floors, collars, securities on a forward-commitment or delayed-delivery basis, and other similar financial instruments).
Engage in the business of underwriting securities issued by others, except to the extent that, in connection with the disposition of securities, the Fund may be deemed an underwriter under federal securities law.
Lend any security or make any other loan except (i) as otherwise permitted under the 1940 Act, (ii) pursuant to a rule, order or interpretation issued by the SEC or its staff, (iii) through the purchase of a portion of an issue of debt securities in accordance with the Fund's investment objective, policies and limitations, or (iv) by engaging in repurchase agreements.
Issue any senior security except as otherwise permitted (i) under the 1940 Act or (ii) pursuant to a rule, order or interpretation issued by the SEC or its staff.
Borrow money, except as otherwise permitted under the 1940 Act or pursuant to a rule, order or interpretation issued by the SEC or its staff, including (i) as a temporary measure, (ii) by entering into reverse repurchase agreements, and (iii) by lending portfolio securities as collateral. For purposes of this investment limitation, the purchase or sale of options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, forward contracts, swaps, caps, floors, collars and other financial instruments shall not constitute borrowing.
Invest more than 25% of its net assets in the securities of companies primarily engaged in any particular industry or group of industries provided that this limitation does not apply to: (i) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities; and (ii) tax-exempt securities issued by municipalities and their agencies and authorities.
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The above percentage limits (except the limitation on borrowings) are based upon asset values at the time of the applicable transaction; accordingly, a subsequent change in asset values will not affect a transaction that was in compliance with the investment restrictions at the time such transaction was effected. For purposes of the Fund's policy relating to commodities set forth in (2) above, the Fund does not consider foreign currencies or forward contracts to be physical commodities.
For purposes of the Fund's policy relating to making loans set forth in (4) above, securities loans will not be made if, as a result, the aggregate amount of all outstanding securities loans by the Fund exceeds 331/3 % of its net assets (including the market value of collateral received).
For purposes of the Fund's policy relating to issuing senior securities set forth in (5) above, "senior securities" are defined as Fund obligations that have a priority over the Fund's shares with respect to the payment of dividends or the distribution of Fund assets. The Investment Company Act prohibits the Fund from issuing any class of senior securities or selling any senior securities of which it is the issuer, except that the Fund is permitted to borrow from a bank so long as, immediately after such borrowings, there is an asset coverage of at least 300% for all borrowings of the Fund (not including borrowings for temporary purposes in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets). In the event that such asset coverage falls below this percentage, the Fund is required to reduce the amount of its borrowings within three days (not including Sundays and holidays) so that the asset coverage is restored to at least 300%. Consistent with guidance issued by the SEC and its staff, the requisite asset coverage may vary among different types of instruments.The policy in (5) above will be interpreted not to prevent collateral arrangements with respect to swaps, options, forward or futures contracts or other derivatives, or the posting of initial or variation margin.
For purposes of the Fund's industry concentration policy, the Manager may analyze the characteristics of a particular issuer and instrument and may assign an industry classification consistent with those characteristics. The Manager may, but need not, consider industry classifications provided by third parties, and the classifications applied to Fund investments will be informed by applicable law. A large economic or market sector shall not be construed as a single industry or group of industries. The Manager currently considers securities issued by a foreign government (but not the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities) to be an "industry" subject to the 25% limitation. Thus, not more than 25% of the Fund's assets will be invested in securities issued by any one foreign government or supranational organization. The Fund might invest in certain securities issued by companies in a particular industry whose obligations are guaranteed by a foreign government. The Manager could consider such a company to be within the particular industry and, therefore, the Fund will invest in the securities of such a company only if it can do so under its policy of not being concentrated in any particular industry or group of industries.
Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions . The following non-fundamental investment restrictions apply to the Fund and may be changed with respect to the Fund by a vote of a majority of the Board. The Fund may not:
Invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities, including time deposits and repurchase agreements that mature in more than seven days; or
Purchase securities on margin, except that (1) the Fund may obtain such short term credits as necessary for the clearance of transactions, and (2) the Fund may make margin payments in connection with foreign currency, futures contracts, options, forward contracts, swaps, caps, floors, collars, securities purchased or sold on a forward-commitment or delayed-delivery basis or other financial instruments.
All percentage limitations on investments will apply at the time of the making of an investment and shall not be considered violated unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of such investment. Except for the investment restrictions listed above as fundamental or to the extent designated as such in the Prospectus, the other investment policies described in this SAI are not fundamental and may be changed by approval of the Trustees.
TEMPORARY DEFENSIVE AND INTERIM INVESTMENTS
In times of unstable or adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, when the Manager, Lead Sub-Advisor or a Sub-Advisor believes it is appropriate and in the Fund's best interest, the Fund can invest up to 100% in cash and other types of securities for defensive or temporary purposes. It can also hold cash or purchase these types of securities for liquidity purposes to meet cash needs due to redemptions of Fund shares, or to hold while waiting to invest cash received from purchases of Fund shares or the sale of other portfolio securities.
These temporary investments can include (i) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agents or instrumentalities; (ii) commercial paper rated in the highest short term category by a rating organization; (iii) domestic, Yankee and Eurodollar certificates of deposit or bankers' acceptances of banks rated in the highest short term category by a rating organization; (iv) any of the foregoing securities that mature in one year or less (generally known as "cash equivalents"); (v) other short-term corporate debt obligations; (vi) repurchase agreements; (vii) futures; or (viii) shares of money market funds, including funds advised by the Manager, Lead Sub-Advisor or a Sub-Advisor.
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
Portfolio turnover is a measure of trading activity in a portfolio of securities, usually calculated over a period of one year. The rate is calculated by dividing the lesser amount of purchases or sales of securities by the average amount of securities held over the period. A portfolio turnover rate of 100% would indicate that the Fund sold and replaced the entire value of its securities holdings during the period. High portfolio turnover can increase the Fund's transaction costs and generate additional capital gains or losses.
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
The Fund publicly discloses portfolio holdings information as follows:
a complete list of holdings for the Fund on an annual and semi-annual basis in the reports to shareholders within sixty days of the end of each fiscal semi-annual period and in publicly available filings of Form N-CSR with the SEC within ten days thereafter;
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a complete list of holdings for the Fund as of the end of its first and third fiscal quarters in publicly available filings of Form N-Q with the SEC within sixty days of the end of the fiscal quarter;
a complete list of holdings for the Fund as of the end of each quarter on the Funds' website (www.americanbeaconfunds.com) approximately sixty days after the end of the quarter; and
ten largest holdings for the Fund as of the end of each calendar quarter on the Funds' website (www.americanbeaconfunds.com) and in sales materials approximately fifteen days after the end of the calendar quarter.
Public disclosure of the Fund's holdings on the website and in sales materials may be delayed when an investment manager informs the Fund that such disclosure could be harmful to the Fund. In addition, individual holdings may be omitted from website and sales material disclosure, when such omission is deemed to be in the Fund's best interest.
Disclosure of Nonpublic Holdings .
Occasionally, certain interested parties — including individual investors, institutional investors, intermediaries that distribute shares of the Fund, third-party service providers, rating and ranking organizations, and others — may request portfolio holdings information that has not yet been publicly disclosed by the Fund. The Fund's policy is to control the disclosure of nonpublic portfolio holdings information in an attempt to prevent parties from utilizing such information to engage in trading activity harmful to Fund shareholders. To this end, the Board has adopted a Policy and Procedures for Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings Information (the "Holdings Policy"). The purpose of the Holdings Policy is to define those interested parties who are authorized to receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information on a selective basis and to set forth conditions upon which such information may be provided. In general, nonpublic portfolio holdings may be disclosed on a selective basis only when it is determined that (i) there is a legitimate business purpose for the information, (ii) recipients are subject to a duty of confidentiality, including a duty not to trade on the nonpublic information; and (iii) disclosure is in the best interests of Fund shareholders. The Holdings Policy is summarized below.
A variety of third party service providers require access to Fund holdings to provide services to the Fund or to assist the Manager and the sub-advisors in managing the Fund ("service providers"). The service providers have a duty to keep the Fund's nonpublic information confidential either through written contractual arrangements with the Fund (or another Fund service provider) or by the nature of their role with respect to the Fund (or the service provider). The Fund has determined that disclosure of nonpublic holdings information to service providers fulfills a legitimate business purpose and is in the best interest of shareholders. In addition, the Fund has determined that disclosure of nonpublic holdings information to members of the Trust's Board of Trustees fulfills a legitimate business purpose, is in in the best interest of Fund shareholders, and each Trustee is subject to a duty of confidentiality.
The Fund has ongoing arrangements to provide nonpublic holdings information to the following service providers:
Service Provider |
Service |
Holdings Access |
Manager |
Investment management and administrator |
Complete list on intraday basis with no lag |
Lead Sub-Advisor and Sub-Advisors |
Investment management |
Holdings under sub-advisor's management on intraday basis with no lag |
State Street Bank and Trust Co. ("State Street") and its designated foreign sub-custodians |
Funds' custodian and foreign custody manager, and foreign sub-custodians |
Complete list on intraday basis with no lag |
Interactive Data Corporation |
Pricing Vendor |
Complete list on daily basis with no lag |
Investment Technology Group, Inc. |
Fair valuation of portfolio securities for Funds with significant foreign securities holdings; transaction cost analysis for Sub-Advisor |
Complete list on daily basis with no lag and more frequently when the Manager seeks advice with respect to certain holdings |
Ernst & Young LLP |
Fund's independent public accounting firm |
Complete list on annual basis with no lag |
EzeCastle Integration |
Lead Sub-Advisor's order management system |
Complete list on daily basis with no lag |
FactSet Research Systems, Inc. |
Performance and portfolio analytics reporting for the Manager, Lead Sub-Advisor, and Sub-Advisors |
Complete list on daily basis with no lag |
Bloomberg, L.P. |
Performance and portfolio analytics reporting |
Complete list on daily basis with no lag |
Institutional Shareholder Services ("ISS") |
Proxy voting research provider to Sub-Advisors |
Partial list on daily basis with no lag |
Investment Technology Group |
Pricing vendor; transaction cost analysis for Sub-Advisor |
Partial list on daily basis with no lag |
Glass Lewis & Co |
Proxy voting services for Sub-Advisor(s) |
Partial list on a periodic basis with lag |
Certain third parties are provided with nonpublic holdings information (either complete or partial lists) by the Manager or another service provider on an ad hoc basis. These third parties include: broker-dealers, prospective sub-advisors, borrowers of the Fund's portfolio securities, pricing services, legal counsel, and issuers (or their agents). Broker-dealers utilized by the Fund in the process of purchasing and selling portfolio securities or providing market quotations receive limited holdings information on a current basis with no lag. The Manager provides current holdings to investment managers being considered for appointment as a sub-advisor to the Fund. If the Fund participates in securities lending activities, potential borrowers of the Fund's securities receive information pertaining to the Fund's securities available for loan. Such information is provided on a current basis with no lag. The Fund utilizes various pricing services to supply market quotations and evaluated prices to State Street. State Street and the Manager may disclose current nonpublic holdings to those pricing services. An investment manager may provide holdings information to legal counsel when seeking advice regarding those holdings. From time to time, an issuer (or its agent) may contact the Fund requesting confirmation of ownership of the issuer's
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securities. Such holdings information is provided to the issuer (or its agent) as of the date requested. The Fund does not have written contractual arrangements with these third parties regarding the confidentiality of the holdings information. However, the Fund would not continue to utilize a third party that the Manager determined to have misused nonpublic holdings information.
The Fund has ongoing arrangements to provide periodic holdings information to certain organizations that publish ratings and/or rankings for the Fund or that redistribute the Fund's holdings to financial intermediaries to facilitate their analysis of the Fund. The Fund has determined that disclosure of holdings information to such organizations fulfills a legitimate business purpose and is in the best interest of shareholders, as it provides existing and potential shareholders with an independent basis for evaluating the Fund in comparison to other mutual funds. As of the date of this SAI, all such organizations receive holdings information after it has been made public on the Fund's website.
No compensation or other consideration may be paid to the Fund, the Fund's service providers, or any other party in connection with the disclosure of portfolio holdings information.
Under the Holdings Policy, disclosure of nonpublic portfolio holdings information to parties other than those discussed above must meet all of the following conditions:
Recipients of portfolio holdings information must agree in writing to keep the information confidential until it has been posted to the Fund's website and not to trade based on the information;
Holdings may only be disclosed as of a month-end date;
No compensation may be paid to the Fund's the Manager or any other party in connection with the disclosure of information about portfolio securities; and
A member of the Manager's Compliance staff must approve requests for nonpublic holdings information.
In determining whether to approve a request for portfolio holdings disclosure by the Manager, Compliance staff generally considers the type of requestor and its relationship to the Fund, the stated reason for the request, any historical pattern of requests from that same individual or entity, the style and strategy of the Fund for which holdings have been requested (e.g., passive versus active management), whether the Fund is managed by one or multiple investment managers, and any other factors it deems relevant. Any potential conflicts between shareholders and affiliated persons of the Fund that arise as a result of a request for portfolio holdings information shall be decided by the Manager in the best interests of shareholders. However, if a conflict exists between the interests of shareholders and the Manager, the Manager may present the details of the request to the Board for a determination to either approve or deny the request. On a quarterly basis, the Manager will prepare a report for the Board outlining any instances of disclosures of nonpublic holdings during the period that did not comply with the Holdings Policy. The Compliance staff generally determines whether a historical pattern of requests by the same individual or entity constitutes an "ongoing arrangement" and should be disclosed in the Fund's SAI.
The Manager, Lead Sub-Advisor and Sub-Advisors to the Fund may manage substantially similar portfolio for clients other than the Fund. Those other clients may receive and publicly disclose their portfolio holdings information prior to public disclosure by the Fund. The Holdings Policy is not intended to limit the Manager, Lead Sub-Advisor or the Sub-Advisors from making such disclosures to their clients.
LENDING OF PORTFOLIO SECURITIES
The Fund may lend securities from its portfolio to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions needing to borrow securities to complete certain transactions. In connection with such loans, the Fund remains the beneficial owner of the loaned securities and continues to be entitled to payments in amounts approximately equal to the interest, dividends or other distributions payable on the loaned securities. The Fund also has the right to terminate a loan at any time. The Fund does not have the right to vote on securities while they are on loan. However, it is the Fund's policy to attempt to terminate loans in time to vote those proxies that the Fund determines are material to its interests. Loans of portfolio securities may not exceed 33 1/3 % of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of all assets received as collateral for the loan). The Fund will receive collateral consisting of cash in the form of U.S. dollars, foreign currency, or securities issued or fully guaranteed by the U.S. Government which will be maintained at all times in an amount equal to at least 100% of the current market value of the loaned securities. If the collateral consists of cash, the Fund will reinvest the cash and pay the borrower a pre-negotiated fee or "rebate" from any return earned on the investment. Should the borrower of the securities fail financially, the Fund may experience delays in recovering the loaned securities or exercising its rights in the collateral. Loans are made only to borrowers that are deemed by the Manager to present acceptable credit risk on a fully collateralized basis. In a loan transaction, the Fund will also bear the risk of any decline in value of securities acquired with cash collateral. The Fund seeks to minimize this risk by limiting the investment of cash collateral to registered money market funds, including money market funds advised by the Manager that invest in U.S. Government and agency securities.
For all funds that engage in securities lending, the Manager receives compensation for administrative and oversight functions with respect to securities lending, including oversight of the securities lending agent, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. The amount of such compensation depends on the income generated by the loan of the securities. The Fund receives compensation that includes, but is not limited to, fee income in lieu of dividends and interest, or the equivalent, as applicable, on the securities loaned and interest on the investment of the cash collateral.
Currently, the Fund does not intend to engage in securities lending activities.
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS OF THE TRUST
The Board of Trustees
The Trust is governed by its Board of Trustees. The Board is responsible for and oversees the overall management and operations of the Trust and the Fund, which includes the general oversight and review of the Fund's investment activities, in accordance with federal law and the law of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as well as the stated policies of the Fund. The Board oversees the Trust's officers and service providers, including
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American Beacon Advisors, Inc. ("American Beacon"), which is responsible for the management of the day-to-day operations of the Fund based on policies and agreements reviewed and approved by the Board. In carrying out these responsibilities, the Board regularly interacts with and receives reports from senior personnel of service providers, including American Beacon's investment personnel and the Trust's Chief Compliance Officer ("CCO"). The Board also is assisted by the Trust's independent registered public accounting firm (which reports directly to the Trust's Audit and Compliance Committee), independent counsel and other experts as appropriate, all of whom are selected by the Board.
Risk Oversight
Consistent with its responsibility for oversight of the Trust and the Fund, the Board oversees the management of risks relating to the administration and operation of the Trust and the Fund. American Beacon, as part of its responsibilities for the day-to-day operations of the Fund, is responsible for day-to-day risk management for the Fund. The Board, in the exercise of its reasonable business judgment, also separately considers potential risks that may impact the Fund. The Board performs this risk management oversight directly and, as to certain matters, through its committees (described below) and through the Board members who are not "interested persons" of the Trust as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Investment Company Act ("Independent Trustees"). The following provides an overview of the principal, but not all, aspects of the Board's oversight of risk management for the Trust and the Fund.
In general, the Fund's risks include, among others, investment risk, liquidity risk, securities selection risk and valuation risk. The Board has adopted, and periodically reviews, policies and procedures designed to address these and other risks to the Trust and the Fund. In addition, under the general oversight of the Board, American Beacon, the Fund's investment adviser, and other service providers to the Fund have themselves adopted a variety of policies, procedures and controls designed to address particular risks to the Fund. Different processes, procedures and controls are employed with respect to different types of risks. Further, American Beacon as manager of the Fund oversees and regularly monitors the investments, operations and compliance of the Fund's investment advisers.
The Board also oversees risk management for the Trust and the Fund through review of regular reports, presentations and other information from officers of the Trust and other persons. Senior officers of the Trust, and senior officers of American Beacon, and the CCO regularly report to the Board on a range of matters, including those relating to risk management. The Board and the Investment Committee also regularly receive reports from American Beacon with respect to the investments, securities trading and securities lending activities of the Fund. In addition to regular reports from American Beacon, the Board also receives reports regarding other service providers to the Trust, either directly or through American Beacon or the Fund's CCO, on a periodic or regular basis. At least annually, the Board receives a report from the CCO regarding the effectiveness of the Fund's compliance program. Also, on an annual basis, the Board receives reports, presentations and other information from American Beacon in connection with the Board's consideration of the renewal of each of the Trust's agreements with American Beacon and the Trust's distribution plans under Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act.
Senior officers of the Trust and American Beacon also report regularly to the Audit and Compliance Committee on Fund valuation matters and on the Trust's internal controls and accounting and financial reporting policies and practices. In addition, the Audit and Compliance Committee receives regular reports from the Trust's independent registered public accounting firm on internal control and financial reporting matters. On at least a quarterly basis, the Independent Trustees meet with the Fund's CCO to discuss matters relating to the Fund's compliance program.
Board Structure and Related Matters
Independent Trustees constitute at least two-thirds of the Board. Richard A. Massman, an Independent Trustee, serves as Independent Chair of the Board. The Independent Chair's responsibilities include: setting an agenda for each meeting of the Board; presiding at all meetings of the Board and Interested Trustees; and serving as a liaison with other Trustees, the Trust's officers and other management personnel, and counsel to the Fund. The Independent Chair shall perform such other duties as the Board may from time to time determine.
The Trustees discharge their responsibilities collectively as a Board, as well as through Board committees, each of which operates pursuant to a charter approved by the Board that delineates the specific responsibilities of that committee. The Board has established three standing committees: the Audit and Compliance Committee, the Investment Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee. For example, the Investment Committee is responsible for oversight of the annual process by which the Board considers and approves the Fund's investment advisory agreement with American Beacon, while specific matters related to oversight of the Fund's independent auditors have been delegated by the Board to its Audit and Compliance Committee, subject to approval of the Audit and Compliance Committee's recommendations by the Board. The members and responsibilities of each Board committee are summarized below.
The Board periodically evaluates its structure and composition as well as various aspects of its operations. The Board believes that its leadership structure, including its Independent Chair position and its committees, is appropriate for the Trust in light of, among other factors, the asset size and nature of the Funds, the number of Funds overseen by the Board, the arrangements for the conduct of the Fund's operations, the number of Trustees, and the Board's responsibilities. On an annual basis, the Board conducts a self-evaluation that considers, among other matters, whether the Board and its committees are functioning effectively and whether, given the size and composition of the Board and each of its committees, the Trustees are able to oversee effectively the number of Funds in the complex.
The Trust is part of the American Beacon Funds Complex, which is comprised of the 34 series within the Trust and 2 series within the American Beacon Select Funds. The same persons who constitute the Board also constitute the board of trustees of American Beacon Select Funds and each Trustee oversees the Trusts' combined 36 series.
The Board holds five (5) regularly scheduled meetings each year. The Board may hold special meetings, as needed, either in person or by telephone, to address matters arising between regular meetings. The Independent Trustees also hold at least one in-person meeting each year during a portion of which management is not present and may hold special meetings, as needed, either in person or by telephone.
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The Trustees of the Trust are identified in the tables below, which provide information as to their principal business occupations and directorships held during the last five years and certain other information. Subject to the Trustee Emeritus and Retirement Policy described below, a Trustee serves until his or her successor is elected and qualified or until his or her earlier death, resignation or removal. The address of each Trustee listed below is 220 East Las Colinas Boulevard, Suite 1200, Irving, Texas 75039. Each Trustee serves for an indefinite term or until his or her removal, resignation, or retirement*. Each Trustee has and continues to serve the same term as a Trustee of the American Beacon Select Funds as he or she has with the Trust.
* |
The Board has adopted a retirement policy that requires Trustees, other than Mr. Feld, to retire no later than the last day of the calendar year in which they reach the age of 75. |
** |
Mr. Feld is deemed to be an "interested person" of the Trust, as defined by the Investment Company Act. Mr. Feld's law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld LLP has provided legal services within the past two fiscal years to one or more sub-advisors to certain American Beacon Funds. |
In addition to the information set forth in the tables above and other relevant qualifications, experience, attributes or skills applicable to a particular Trustee, the following provides further information about the qualifications and experience of each Trustee.
Gilbert G. Alvarado has extensive organizational management and financial experience as vice president and chief financial officer in public charities, and a health conversion private foundation, chief financial and information officer of a the largest health foundation on the Texas/Mexico border and an accountant with a regional health system.
Joseph B. Armes has extensive financial, investment and organizational management experience as chairman of the board of directors, president and chief executive officer of an investment company listed on NASDAQ, president and chief executive officer of a private family investment vehicle, chief operating officer of a private holding company for a family office, president, chief executive officer, chief financial officer and director of a special purpose acquisition company listed on the American Stock Exchange, a director and audit committee chair of an oil and gas exploration and production company listed on the New York Stock Exchange and as an officer of public companies and as a director and officer of private companies.
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Gerard J. Arpey: Mr. Arpey has extensive organizational management, financial and international experience serving as chairman, chief executive officer, and chief financial officer of one of the largest global airlines, service as a director of public and private companies, and service to several charitable organizations.
W. Humphrey Bogart: Mr. Bogart has extensive experience in the investment management business including as president and chief executive officer of an investment adviser and as a consultant, significant organizational management experience through start-up efforts with a national bank, service as a board member of a university medical center foundation, and multiple years of service as a Trustee.
Brenda A. Cline: Ms. Cline has extensive organizational management, financial and investment experience as executive vice president, chief financial officer, secretary and treasurer to a private foundation, service as a trustee to a private university, a children's hospital and a school, including acting as a member of their investment and\or audit committees, extensive experience as an audit senior manager with a large public accounting firm, and multiple years of service as a Trustee.
Eugene J. Duffy: Mr. Duffy has extensive experience in the investment management business and organizational management experience as a member of senior management, service as a director of a bank, service as a chairman of a charitable fund and as a trustee to an association, service on the board of a private university and non-profit organization, service as chair to an financial services industry association, and multiple years of service as a Trustee.
Thomas M. Dunning: Mr. Dunning has extensive organizational management experience founding and serving as chairman and chief executive officer of a private company, service as a director of a private company, service as chairman of a large state municipal bond issuer and chairman of a large airport authority, also an issuer of bonds, service as a board member of a state department of transportation, service as a director of various foundations, service as chair of civic organizations, and multiple years of service as a Trustee.
Alan D. Feld: Mr. Feld has extensive experience as a business attorney, organizational management experience as chairman of a law firm, experience as a director of several publicly held companies; service as a trustee of a private university and a board member of a hospital, and multiple years of service as a Trustee.
Richard A. Massman: Mr. Massman has extensive experience as a business attorney, organizational management experience as a founding member of a law firm, experience as a senior vice president and general counsel of a large private company, service as the chairman and director of several foundations, including services on their Investment Committees and Finance Committees, chairman of a governmental board, chairman of various professional organizations and multiple years of service as a Trustee and as Independent Chair.
Barbara J. McKenna: Ms. McKenna has extensive experience in the investment management industry, organizational management experience as a member of senior management, service as a director of an investment manager, and member of numerous financial services industry associations.
R. Gerald Turner: Mr. Turner has extensive organizational management experience as president of a private university, service as a director and member of the audit and governance committees of various publicly held companies, service as a member to several charitable boards, service as a co-chair to an intercollegiate athletic commission, and multiple years of service as a Trustee.
Committees of the Board
The Trust has an Audit and Compliance Committee ("Audit Committee"). The Audit Committee consists of Ms. Cline (Chair), and Messrs. Duffy, Alvarado, and Dunning. Mr. Massman, as Chairman of the Trust, serves on the Audit Committee in an ex-officio non-voting capacity. None of the members of the committee are "interested persons" of the Trust, as defined by the Investment Company Act. As set forth in its charter, the primary duties of the Trust's Audit Committee are: (a) to oversee the accounting and financial reporting processes of the Trust and the Funds and their internal controls and, as the Committee deems appropriate, to inquire into the internal controls of certain third-party service providers; (b) to oversee the quality and integrity of the Trust's financial statements and the independent audit thereof; (c) to approve, prior to appointment, the engagement of the Trust's independent auditors and, in connection therewith, to review and evaluate the qualifications, independence and performance of the Trust's independent auditors; (d) to oversee the Trust's compliance with all regulatory obligations arising under applicable federal securities laws, rules and regulations and oversee management's implementation and enforcement of the Trust's compliance policies and procedures ("Compliance Program"); and (e) to coordinate the Board's oversight of the Trust's CCO in connection with his or her implementation of the Trust's Compliance Program. The Audit Committee met 4 times during the fiscal year ended January 31, 2015.
The Trust has a Nominating and Governance Committee ("Nominating Committee") that is comprised of Messrs. Feld (Chair), Turner, and Massman. As set forth in its charter, the Nominating Committee's primary duties are: (a) to make recommendations regarding the nomination of non-interested Trustees to the Board; (b) to make recommendations regarding the appointment of an Independent Trustee as Chairman of the Board; (c) to evaluate qualifications of potential "interested" members of the Board and Trust officers; (d) to review shareholder recommendations for nominations to fill vacancies on the Board; (e) to make recommendations to the Board for nomination for membership on all committees of the Board; (f) to consider and evaluate the structure, composition and operation of the Board; (g) to review shareholder recommendations for proposals to be submitted for consideration during a meeting of Fund shareholders; and (h) to consider and make recommendations relating to the compensation of Independent Trustees and of those officers as to whom the Board is charged with approving compensation. Shareholder recommendations for Trustee candidates may be mailed in writing, including a comprehensive resume and any supporting documentation, to the Nominating Committee in care of the Secretary of the Fund. The Nominating and Governance Committee met 4 times during the fiscal year ended January 31, 2015.
The Trust has an Investment Committee that is comprised of Mr. Bogart (Chair), Ms. McKenna, Messrs. Armes and Arpey. Mr. Massman, as Chairman of the Trust, serves on the Investment Committee in an ex-officio non-voting capacity. As set forth in its charter, the Investment Committee's primary duties are: (a) to review and evaluate the short- and long-term investment performance of the Manager and each of the designated sub-advisors to the Fund; (b) to evaluate recommendations by the Manager regarding the hiring or removal of designated sub-advisors to the Fund; (c) to review material changes recommended by the Manager to the allocation of Fund assets to a sub-advisor; (d) to review proposed changes recommended by the
19 |
Manager to the investment objective or principal investment strategies of the Fund; and (e) to review proposed changes recommended by the Manager to the material provisions of the advisory agreement with a sub-advisor, including, but not limited to, changes to the provision regarding compensation. The Investment Committee met 6 times during the fiscal year ended January 31, 2015.
Trustee Ownership in the Funds
The following table shows the amount of equity securities owned in the American Beacon Funds family by the Trustees as of the calendar year ended December 31, 2014.
|
INTERESTED TRUSTEES |
|
Feld |
Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Trusts (36 Funds) |
Over $100,000 |
|
NON-INTERESTED TRUSTEES * |
|||||||
|
Arpey |
Bogart |
Cline |
Duffy |
Dunning |
Massman |
McKenna |
Turner |
Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Trusts (36 Funds) |
Over $100,000 |
Over $100,000 |
Over $100,000 |
None |
Over $100,000 |
Over $100,000 |
None |
Over $100,000 |
* |
Information is not shown for Messers. Alvarado and Armes because they were not Trustees as of December 31, 2014. |
Trustee Compensation
As compensation for their service to the Trust and the American Beacon Select Funds (collectively, the "Trusts"), each Trustee is compensated from the Funds and fund complex as follows: (1) an annual retainer of $110,000; (2) meeting attendance fee (for attendance in person or via teleconference) of (a) $2,500 for attendance by Board members for each regularly scheduled Board meeting, (b) $2,500 for attendance by Committee members at meetings of the Audit Committee and the Investment Committee, (c) $1,500 for attendance by Committee members at meetings of the Nominating Committee, and (d) $2,500 for attendance by any Trustee at an annual investment research symposium sponsored by the Manager where the Investment Committee meets with designated investment sub-advisors, and (3) reimbursement of reasonable expenses incurred in attending Board meetings, Committee meetings, and relevant educational seminars. The Trustees also may receive compensation for attendance at special Board and/or Committee meetings from time to time.
For his service as Board Chairman, Mr. Massman receives an additional annual retainer of $25,000. Although, he attends several committee meetings at each quarterly Board meeting, he receives only a single $2,500 fee each quarter for his attendance at those meetings. The Chairman of the Audit Committee and the Chairman of the Investment Committee each also receive an additional annual retainer of $10,000.
* |
Estimated compensation for the period October 1, 2015 – January 31, 2016. |
1 |
Upon retirement from the Board, each of these Trustees is eligible for flight benefits afforded to Trustees who served on the Boards as of June 4, 2008 as described below. |
The Boards adopted a Trustee Retirement Policy and Trustee Emeritus and Retirement Plan ("Plan"). The Plan provides that a Trustee who has served on the Boards prior to September 12, 2008, and who has reached a mandatory retirement age established by the Board (currently 75) is eligible to elect Trustee Emeritus status ("Eligible Trustees"). The Eligible Trustees are Messrs. Bogart, Feld, Massman and Turner and Ms. Cline. The mandatory
20 |
retirement age does not apply to Mr. Feld. Additionally, Eligible Trustees who have served on the Board of one or more Trusts for at least five years may elect to retire from the Board at an earlier age and immediately assume Trustee Emeritus status. The Board has determined that, other than the Plan established for Eligible Trustees, no other retirement benefits will accrue for current or future Trustees.
Upon assuming Trustee Emeritus status, each eligible Trustee and his or her spouse (or designated companion) may receive annual flight benefits from the Trusts of up to $40,000 combined, on a tax-grossed up basis, on American Airlines (a subsidiary of the Manager's former parent company) for a maximum period of 10 years, depending upon length of service prior to September 12, 2008. Eligible Trustees may opt to receive instead an annual retainer of $20,000 from the Trusts in lieu of flight benefits. No retirement benefits are accrued for Board service after September 12, 2008.
A Trustee Emeritus must commit to provide certain ongoing services and advice to the Board members and the Trusts; however, a Trustee Emeritus does not have any voting rights at Board meetings and is not subject to election by shareholders of the Fund(s). Currently, two individuals who retired from the Board prior to September 12, 2008, have assumed Trustee Emeritus status. One receives an annual retainer of $20,000 from the Trusts. The other individual and his spouse receive annual flight benefits of up to $40,000 combined, on a tax-grossed up basis, on American Airlines.
Principal Officers of the Trust
The Officers of the Trust conduct and supervise its daily business. As of the date of this SAI, the Officers of the Trust, their ages, their business address and their principal occupations and directorships during the past five years are as set forth below. The address of each Officer is 220 East Las Colinas Boulevard, Suite 1200, Irving, Texas 75039. Each Officer serves for a term of one year or until his or her resignation, retirement, or removal. Each Officer has and continues to hold the same position with the American Beacon Select Funds as listed below for the Trust.
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CODE OF ETHICS
The Manager, the Trust, the Lead Sub-Advisor, and the Sub-Advisors each have adopted a Code of Ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the Investment Company Act. Each Code of Ethics significantly restricts the personal trading of all employees with access to non-public portfolio information. For example, each Code of Ethics generally requires pre-clearance of all personal securities trades (with limited exceptions) and prohibits employees from purchasing or selling a security that is being purchased or sold or being considered for purchase (with limited exceptions) or sale by any Fund. In addition, the Manager's and Trust's Code of Ethics require employees to report trades in shares of the Trusts. Each Code of Ethics is on public file with, and may be obtained from, the SEC.
PROXY VOTING POLICIES
From time to time, the Fund may own a security whose issuer solicits a proxy vote on certain matters. The Board seeks to ensure that proxies are voted in the best interests of the Fund's shareholders and has delegated proxy voting authority to the Manager. The Manager has delegated proxy voting authority to each Sub-Advisor with respect to the Fund's assets under each Sub-Advisor's management. The Trust has adopted a Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures (the "Policy") that governs proxy voting by the Manager, the Lead Sub-Advisor and Sub-Advisors, including procedures to address potential conflicts of interest between the Fund's shareholders and the Manager, the Lead Sub-Advisor, the Sub-Advisors or their affiliates. The Trust's Board of Trustees has approved the Manager's proxy voting policies and procedures with respect to Fund assets under the Manager's management. Please see Appendix A for a copy of the Policy. The Lead Sub-Advisor's and Sub-Advisors' proxy voting policy and procedures are summarized (or included in their entirety) in Appendix B. The Fund's proxy voting record for the most recent year ended June 30 is available as of August 31 of each year upon request and without charge by calling 1-800-967-9009 or by visiting the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. The proxy voting record can be found in Form N-PX on the SEC's website.
CONTROL PERSONS AND 5% SHAREHOLDERS
A principal shareholder is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of any Class of the Fund's outstanding shares. A control person is a shareholder that owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of a company or acknowledges the existence of control. Shareholders owning voting securities in excess of 25% may determine the outcome of any matter affecting and voted on by shareholders of the Fund. The actions of an entity or person that controls the Fund could have an effect on other shareholders. For instance, a control person may have effective voting control over the Fund or large redemptions by a control person could cause the Funds' other shareholders to pay a higher pro rata portion of the Fund's expenses.
As of the date of this SAI, the Manager is the sole shareholder of the Fund.
INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENTS
The Fund's Lead Sub-Advisor and Sub-Advisors are listed below with information regarding their controlling persons or entities. According to the Investment Company Act, a person or entity with control with respect to an investment advisor has "the power to exercise a controlling influence over the management or policies of a company, unless such power is solely the result of an official position with such company." Persons and entities affiliated with each sub-advisor are considered affiliates for the portion of Fund assets managed by that Sub-Advisor.
Lead Sub-Advisor
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. ("Grosvenor") |
||
Controlling Person/Entity |
Basis of Control |
Nature of Controlling Person/Entity Business |
Michael Sacks |
Executive Officer |
Financial Services Executive |
Paul Meister |
Executive Officer |
Financial Services Executive |
GCM, LLC |
General Partner of Owner |
Financial Services |
Eric Felton |
Executive Officer |
Financial Services Executive |
Grosvenor Capital Management Holdings, LLLP |
Owner |
Financial Services |
Dasha Smith Dwin |
Executive Officer |
Financial Services Executive |
Jonathan Levin |
Executive Officer |
Financial Services Executive |
Burke Montgomery |
Executive Officer |
Financial Services Executive |
Lilly Farahnakian |
Executive Officer |
Financial Services Executive |
22 |
The Manager has entered into a Lead Investment Advisory Agreement with the Lead Sub-Advisor pursuant to which the Manager has agreed to pay the Lead Sub-Advisor an annualized lead sub-advisory fee that is calculated and accrued daily equal to 1.50% of the Fund's average daily assets. The Lead Sub-Advisor, the Manager and each Sub-Advisor selected to manage a portion of the Fund's assets have entered into an Investment Advisory Agreement, pursuant to which the Lead Sub-Advisor pays the fees of each Sub-Advisor.
Sub-Advisors
Basswood Capital Management, LLC ("Basswood") |
|
|
Controlling Person/Entity |
Basis of Control |
Nature of Controlling Person/Entity Business |
Bennett Lindenbaum |
Principal |
Financial Services |
Matthew Lindenbaum |
Principal |
Financial Services |
Impala Asset Management LLC ("Impala") |
|
|
Controlling Person/Entity |
Basis of Control |
Nature of Controlling Person/Entity Business |
Robert Bishop |
Member Manager |
Financial Services Executive |
Incline Global Management, LLC ("Incline") |
||
Controlling Person/Entity |
Basis of Control |
Nature of Controlling Person/Entity Business |
Jeff Lignelli |
Majority Shareholder |
Financial Services Executive |
Passport Capital, LLC ("Passport") |
|
|
Controlling Person/Entity |
Basis of Control |
Nature of Controlling Person/Entity Business |
John Burbank |
Founder |
Individual |
Pine River Capital Management LLC ("Pine River") |
|
|
Controlling Person/Entity |
Basis of Control |
Nature of Controlling Person/Entity Business |
Brian C. Taylor |
General Partner |
Individual |
River Canyon Fund Management LLC ("River Canyon") |
|
|
Controlling Person/Entity |
Basis of Control |
Nature of Controlling Person/Entity Business |
Joshua Friedman |
Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-Chief Investment Officer |
Limited Partnership |
Mitchell Julis |
Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-Chief Investment Officer |
Limited Partnership |
Tremblant Capital LP ("Tremblant") |
|
|
Controlling Person/Entity |
Basis of Control |
Nature of Controlling Person/Entity Business |
Tremblant Capital LP |
Investment Manager |
Financial Services |
Brett Barakett |
CEO and CIO |
Financial Services |
The Lead Investment Advisory Agreement and each Investment Advisory Agreement will automatically terminate if assigned, and may be terminated without penalty at any time by the Manager, by a vote of a majority of the Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund on no less than thirty (30) days' nor more than sixty (60) days' written notice to the Lead Sub-Advisor or Sub-Advisor, as applicable, or by the Lead Sub-Advisor or Sub-Advisor upon sixty (60) days' written notice to the Trust. The Investment Advisory Agreement(s) will continue in effect provided that annually such continuance is specifically approved by a vote of the Trustees, including the affirmative votes of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Agreement or "interested persons" (as defined in the Investment Company Act) of any such party, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of considering such approval, or by the vote of shareholders. Because the Fund has not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI, no sub-advisory fees have been paid to Grosvenor.
MANAGEMENT, ADMINISTRATIVE AND DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
The Manager
The Manager located at 220 East Las Colinas Boulevard, Suite 1200, Irving, Texas 75039 is a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of Astro AB Borrower, Inc. ("AB Borrower"). AB Borrower is, in turn a wholly-owned subsidiary of Astro AB Acquisition, Inc., which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Astro AB Topco, Inc. a wholly-owned subsidiary of Astro AB Holdings, LLC ("Astro AB"). On April 30, 2015, the Manager's prior parent
23 |
company was acquired by Astro AB, which is owned primarily by Kelso Investment Associates VIII, L.P., KEP VI, LLC and Estancia Capital Partners L.P. ("Purchasers"), investment funds affiliated with Kelso & Company, L.P. ("Kelso") or Estancia Capital Management, LLC ("Estancia"), which are private equity firms. The address of Kelso and its investment funds is 320 Park Avenue, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10022. The address of Estancia and its investment fund is 20865 N 90th Place, Suite 200, Scottsdale, AZ 85255. The address of Astro AB is 220 East Las Colinas Boulevard, Suite 1200, Irving, TX 75039.
Listed below are individuals and entities that may be deemed control persons of the Manager.
Controlling Person/Entity |
Basis of Control/Status |
Nature of Controlling Person/Entity Business/Business History |
Astro AB Holdings, LLC. |
Parent Company |
Founded in 2015 |
Kelso Investment Associates VIII |
Ownership in Parent Company |
Investment Fund |
The Manager is paid a management fee as compensation for providing the Trust with management and supervisory services that is calculated and accrued daily equal to 1.55% of the Fund's average daily net assets. This fee is used by the Manager to compensate the Lead Sub-Advisor. The management fee expense is allocated daily to each class of shares based upon the relative proportion of net assets represented by such class.
Operating expenses directly attributable to a specific class are charged against the assets of that class. Pursuant to management and administration agreements, the Manager provides the Trust with office space, office equipment and personnel necessary to manage and administer the Trust's operations. This includes:
complying with reporting requirements;
corresponding with shareholders;
maintaining internal bookkeeping, accounting and auditing services and records; and
supervising the provision of services to the Trust by third parties.
The Fund is responsible for expenses not otherwise assumed by the Manager, including the following: audits by independent auditors; transfer agency, custodian, dividend disbursing agent and shareholder recordkeeping services; taxes, if any, and the preparation of the Fund's tax returns; interest; costs of Trustee and shareholder meetings; preparing, printing and mailing Prospectuses and reports to existing shareholders; fees for filing reports with regulatory bodies and the maintenance of the Fund's existence; legal fees; fees to federal and state authorities for the registration of shares; fees and expenses of Trustees; insurance and fidelity bond premiums; fees paid to service providers providing reports regarding adherence by sub-advisors to the investment style of the Fund; fees paid for brokerage commission analysis for the purpose of monitoring best execution practices of the sub-advisors; and any extraordinary expenses of a nonrecurring nature.
In addition to the management fee, the Manager is paid an administration service fee for providing administrative services to the Fund. The administration agreement provides for the Manager to receive an annualized administration fee that is calculated and accrued daily, equal to the sum of 0.30% of the net assets of each share class. The services that the Manager provides the Trust under the administration agreement include: service provider selection and oversight; maintenance and supervision of internal accounting, bookkeeping and auditing services; preparation and updating of prospectuses and statements of additional information and supplements thereto; preparation of proxy materials and tax returns; responses to shareholder inquiries; preparation of board meeting materials; and oversight of the Trust's arrangements with financial intermediaries. Because the Fund has not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI, the Fund has not paid any administration fees to the Manager for the last three fiscal years.
The Manager (or another entity approved by the Board) under a distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act, is paid up to 0.25% per annum of the average daily net assets of the A Class shares and up to 1.00% per annum of the average daily net assets of the C Class shares of the Fund for distribution and shareholder servicing related services, including expenses relating to selling efforts of various broker-dealers, shareholder servicing fees and the preparation and distribution of A Class and C Class advertising material and sales literature. The Manager will receive Rule 12b-1 fees from the A Class and C Class regardless of the amount of the Manager's actual expenses related to distribution and shareholder servicing efforts on behalf of each Class. Thus, the Manager may realize a profit or a loss based upon its actual distribution and shareholder servicing related expenditures for the A Class and C Class. The Manager anticipates that the Rule 12b-1 plan will benefit shareholders by providing broader access to the Fund through broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries who require compensation for their expenses in order to offer shares of the Fund. Because the Fund has not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI, there were no prior distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act.
The A Class, C Class, Y Class and Investor Class have each adopted a Service Plan (collectively, the "Plans"). The Plans authorize the payment to the Manager (or another entity approved by the Board) of up to 0.375% per annum of the average daily net assets of the Investor Class shares, up to 0.25% per annum of the average daily net assets of the A Class shares, up to 0.25% per annum of the average daily net assets of the C Class shares and up to 0.10% per annum of the average daily net assets of the Y Class shares. The Manager or other approved entities may spend such amounts on any activities or expenses primarily intended to result in or relate to the servicing of A Class, C Class, Y Class and Investor Class shares including, but not limited to, payment of shareholder service fees and transfer agency or sub-transfer agency expenses. The fees, which are included as part of the Fund's "Other Expenses" in the Table of Fees and Expenses in the Prospectus, will be payable monthly in arrears. The fees for each Class will be paid monthly pursuant to the applicable Service Plan. The primary expenses expected to be incurred under the Plans are shareholder servicing, record keeping fees and servicing fees paid to financial intermediaries such as plan sponsors and broker-dealers. Because the Fund has not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI, there were no prior service fees.
The Manager also may receive up to 25% of the net monthly income generated from the securities lending activities of the Fund as compensation for administrative and oversight functions with respect to securities lending of the Fund. As of the date of this SAI, the Fund does not intend to engage in
24 |
securities lending activities. The SEC has granted exemptive relief that permits the Fund to invest cash collateral received from securities lending transactions in shares of one or more private or registered investment companies managed by the Manager.
The Manager has contractually agreed from time to time to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses for the Fund in order to maintain competitive expense ratios for the Fund. In July of 2003, the Board approved a policy whereby the Manager may seek repayment for such fee waivers and expense reimbursements. Under the policy, the Manager can be reimbursed by the Fund for any contractual or voluntary fee waivers or expense reimbursements if reimbursement to the Manager (a) occurs within three years after the Manager's own waiver or reimbursement and (b) does not cause the Fund's Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to exceed the previously agreed upon contractual expense limit.
The Distributor
Foreside Fund Services, LLC ("Foreside" or "Distributor"), located at Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101, is the distributor and principal underwriter of the Fund's shares. The Distributor is a registered broker-dealer and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Under a Distribution Agreement with the Trust, the Distributor acts as the agent of the Trust in connection with the continuous offering of shares of the Fund. The Distributor continually distributes shares of the Fund on a best efforts basis. The Distributor has no obligation to sell any specific quantity of Fund's shares. The Distributor and its officers have no role in determining the investment policies or which securities are to be purchased or sold by the Trust or the Fund. Pursuant to a Sub-Administration Agreement between Foreside and the Manager, Foreside receives a fee from the Manager for providing administrative services in connection with the marketing and distribution of shares of the Trust, including the registration of Manager employees as registered representatives of the Distributor to facilitate distribution of Fund shares. Foreside also receives a fee from the Manager under a Marketing Agreement pursuant to which Foreside provides services in connection with the marketing of the Fund to institutional investors. Pursuant to the Distribution Agreement, the Distributor receives, and may re-allow to broker-dealers, all or a portion of the sales charge paid by the purchasers of A and C Class shares. For A and C Class shares, the Distributor receives commission revenue consisting of the portion of A and C Class sales charge remaining after the allowances by the Distributor to the broker dealers. The Distributor retains any portion of the commission fees that are not paid to the broker-dealers, for use solely to pay distribution related expenses.
OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS
State Street, located at 1 Iron Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, serves as custodian for the Fund. In addition to its other duties as custodian, pursuant to an Administrative Services Agreement and instructions given by the Manager, State Street may receive compensation from the Fund for investing certain excess cash balances in designated futures, forwards or registered money market funds. State Street also serves as the Fund's Foreign Custody Manager pursuant to rules adopted under the Investment Company Act, whereby it selects and monitors eligible foreign sub-custodians.
Boston Financial Data Services (an affiliate of State Street), located at 330 W. 9th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64105, is the transfer agent and dividend paying agent for the Trust and provides these services to Fund shareholders.
The Fund's independent registered public accounting firm is Ernst & Young LLP, which is located at 2323 Victory Avenue, Suite 2000, Dallas, Texas 75219. K&L Gates LLP, 1601 K Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20006, serves as legal counsel to the Fund.
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
The portfolio managers to the Fund (the "Portfolio Managers") have responsibility for the day-to-day management of accounts other than the Fund. Information regarding these other accounts has been provided by each Portfolio Manager's firm and is set forth below. The number of accounts and assets is shown as of June 30, 2015.
|
Number of Other Accounts Managed
|
Number of Accounts and Assets for Which
|
||||
Name of Investment Advisor and Portfolio Manager |
Registered Investment Companies |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles |
Other Accounts |
Registered Investment Companies |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles |
Other Accounts |
Grosvenor |
|
|
|
|
|
|
David S. Richter |
1($480.1 mil) |
100($26.4 bil) |
3($453.5 mil) |
None |
45($8.6 bil) |
1($250.8 mil) |
Bradley H. Meyers |
1($480.1 mil) |
100($26.4 bil) |
3($453.5 mil) |
None |
45($8.6 bil) |
1($250.8 mil) |
Keith E. Friedman |
None |
9($1.4 bil) |
None |
None |
2($304.8 mil) |
None |
Conflicts of Interest
As noted in the table above, the Portfolio Managers manage accounts other than the Fund. This side-by-side management may present potential conflicts between a Portfolio Manager's management of the Fund's investments, on the one hand, and the investments of the other accounts, on the other hand. Set forth below is a description by the Lead Sub-Advisor of any foreseeable material conflicts of interest that may arise from the concurrent management of the Fund and other accounts.
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. ("Grosvenor") Like all asset managers, Grosvenor is subject to certain conflicts of interest in making investment decisions or recommendations for its clients. As a fiduciary, Grosvenor embraces best practices with regard to potential conflicts of interest, including disclosure to investors, ongoing monitoring and evaluation, and the adoption of policies and procedures specifically designed to address and mitigate potential negative consequences that may arise from potential conflicts. Certain actual and potential conflicts of interest could affect Grosvenor's objectivity and the performance of its portfolios. Such conflicts to which Grosvenor and its related persons are subject are discussed in Part 2A of Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P.'s Form ADV, which is available on the SEC's website.
25 |
Compensation
The following is a description provided by the Lead Sub-Advisor regarding the structure of and criteria for determining the compensation of each Portfolio Manager as of January 31, 2015.
Grosvenor Employees, including the Portfolio Managers, are compensated through a base salary and an annual bonus. Bonuses are typically paid in cash and may range from zero to 100% (or more) of an employee's base salary. The levels of salary increase and bonus payment for certain employees are linked to specific account performance as well as to the overall success of the firm. Account performance is evaluated relative to the objectives specified for each portfolio. Certain key professionals have participated in Grosvenor's discretionary deferred compensation program, which has a multi-year vesting period and provides for the deferred payment of a specified amount plus earnings thereon determined by reference to the performance of certain portfolios managed by GCM Grosvenor Public Markets. In addition to salary, bonus and deferred compensation, certain key members of Grosvenor's management are partners and participate in the profits of GCM Grosvenor.
Ownership of the Fund
The Portfolio Managers' beneficial ownership of the Fund is defined as the Portfolio Managers having the opportunity to share in any profit from transactions in the Fund, either directly or indirectly, as the result of any contract, understanding, arrangement, relationship or otherwise. Therefore, ownership of Fund shares by members of the Portfolio Managers' immediate family or by a trust of which the Portfolio Managers are a trustee could be considered ownership by the Portfolio Managers. As of the date of this SAI, the Fund has not commenced operations. Accordingly, the Portfolio Managers do not beneficially own any shares of the Fund.
PORTFOLIO SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS
In selecting brokers or dealers to execute particular transactions, the Manager, the Lead Sub-Advisor and the Sub-Advisors are authorized to consider "brokerage and research services" (as those terms are defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended), provision of statistical quotations (including the quotations necessary to determine the Fund's net asset value), and other information provided to the Fund, to the Manager and/or to the Lead Sub-Advisor or the Sub-Advisors (or their affiliates), provided, however, that the Manager, the Lead Sub-Advisor or the Sub-Advisors must always seek best execution. Research and brokerage services may include information on portfolio companies, economic analyses, and other investment research services. The Trust does not allow the Manager, the Lead Sub-Advisor or the Sub-Advisors to enter arrangements to direct transactions to broker-dealers as compensation for the promotion or sale of Trust shares by those broker-dealers. The Manager, the Lead Sub-Advisor and the Sub-Advisors are also authorized to cause the Fund to pay a commission (as defined in SEC interpretations) to a broker or dealer who provides such brokerage and research services for executing a portfolio transaction which is in excess of the amount of the commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction. The Manager, the Lead Sub-Advisor or the Sub-Advisors, as appropriate, must determine in good faith, however, that such commission was reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided, viewed in terms of that particular transaction or in terms of all the accounts over which the Manager, the Lead Sub-Advisor or the Sub-Advisors exercise investment discretion. The fees of the Lead Sub-Advisor and the Sub-Advisors are not reduced by reason of receipt of such brokerage and research services. However, with disclosure to and pursuant to written guidelines approved by the Board, as applicable, the Manager, the Lead Sub-Advisor or the Sub-Advisors (or a broker-dealer affiliated with them) may execute portfolio transactions and receive usual and customary brokerage commissions (within the meaning of Rule 17e-1 under the Investment Company Act) for doing so. Brokerage and research services obtained with Fund commissions might be used by the Manager and/or the Lead Sub-Advisor or the Sub-Advisors, as applicable, to benefit their other accounts under management.
The Lead Sub-Advisor and each Sub-Advisor will place its own orders to execute securities transactions that are designed to implement the Fund's investment objective and policies. In placing such orders, the Lead Sub-Advisor and each Sub-Advisor will seek best execution. The full range and quality of services offered by the executing broker or dealer will be considered when making these determinations. Pursuant to written guidelines approved by the Board, as appropriate, a Sub-Advisor of the Fund, or its affiliated broker-dealer, may execute portfolio transactions and receive usual and customary brokerage commissions (within the meaning of Rule 17e-1 of the Investment Company Act) for doing so. The Fund's turnover rate, or the frequency of portfolio transactions, will vary from year to year depending on market conditions and the Fund's cash flows. High portfolio activity increases the Fund's transaction costs, including brokerage commissions, and may result in a greater number of taxable transactions.
The Lead Investment Advisory Agreement and Investment Advisory Agreements provide, in substance, that in executing portfolio transactions and selecting brokers or dealers, the principal objective of the Lead Sub-Advisor and each Sub-Advisor is to seek best execution. In assessing available execution venues, the Lead Sub-Advisor and each Sub-Advisor shall consider all factors it deems relevant, including the breadth of the market in the security, the price of the security, the value of any eligible research, the financial condition and execution capability of the broker or dealer and the reasonableness of the commission, if any, for the specific transaction and on a continuing basis. Transactions with respect to the securities of small and emerging market securities in which the Fund may invest may involve specialized services on the part of the broker or dealer and thereby may entail higher commissions or spreads than would be the case with transactions involving more widely traded securities.
The Fund may establish brokerage commission recapture arrangements with certain brokers or dealers. If the Lead Sub-Advisor or a Sub-Advisor chooses to execute a transaction through a participating broker, the broker rebates a portion of the commission back to the Fund. Any collateral benefit received through participation in the commission recapture program is directed exclusively to the Fund. Neither the Manager, the Lead Sub-Advisor nor any of the Sub-Advisors receive any benefits from the commission recapture program. A Sub-Advisor's participation in the brokerage commission recapture program is optional. The Lead Sub-Advisor and each Sub-Advisor retains full discretion in selecting brokerage firms for securities transactions and is instructed to use the commission recapture program for a transaction only if it is consistent with the obligation to seek the best execution available.
The Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI. Accordingly, no brokerage commissions were paid by the Fund during the previous three fiscal years and the Fund did not receive any amount as a result of participation in the commission recapture program.
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ADDITIONAL PURCHASE AND SALE INFORMATION FOR A CLASS SHARES
Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers
As described in the Prospectus, there are various ways to reduce your sales charge when purchasing A Class shares. Additional information about A Class sales charge reductions is provided below.
Letter of Intent ("LOI") . The LOI may be revised upward at any time during the 13-month period of the LOI ("LOI Period"), and such a revision will be treated as a new LOI, except that the LOI Period during which the purchases must be made will remain unchanged. Purchases made from the date of revision will receive the reduced sales charge, if any, resulting from the revised LOI. The LOI will be considered completed if the shareholder dies within the 13-month LOI Period. Commissions to dealers will not be adjusted or paid on the difference between the LOI amount and the amount actually invested before the shareholder's death.
All dividends and capital gain distributions on shares held in escrow will be credited to the shareholder's account in shares (or paid in cash, if requested). If the intended investment is not completed within the specified LOI Period, the purchaser may be required to remit to the transfer agent the difference between the sales charge actually paid and the sales charge which would have been paid if the total of such purchases had been made at a single time. Any dealers assigned to the shareholder's account at the time a purchase was made during the LOI Period will receive a corresponding commission adjustment if appropriate. If the difference is not paid by the close of the LOI Period, the appropriate number of shares held in escrow will be redeemed to pay such difference. If the proceeds from this redemption are inadequate, the purchaser may be liable to the Fund for the balance still outstanding.
Rights of Accumulation . Subject to the limitations described in the aggregation policy, you may take into account your accumulated holdings in any class of the American Beacon Funds to determine your sales charge for A Class shares on investments in accounts eligible to be aggregated. If you make a gift of A Class shares, upon your request, you may purchase the shares at the sales charge discount allowed under rights of accumulation of all of your investments in any class of the American Beacon Funds.
Aggregation . Qualifying investments for aggregation include those made by you and your "immediate family" as defined in the Prospectus, if all parties are purchasing shares for their own accounts and/or:
individual-type employee benefit plans, such as an IRA, individual 403(b) plan or single-participant Keogh-type plan;
business accounts solely controlled by you or your immediate family (for example, you own the entire business);
trust accounts established by you or your immediate family (for trusts with only one primary beneficiary, upon the trustor's death the trust account may be aggregated with such beneficiary's own accounts; for trusts with multiple primary beneficiaries, upon the trustor's death the trustees of the trust may instruct the Fund's transfer agent to establish separate trust accounts for each primary beneficiary; each primary beneficiary's separate trust account may then be aggregated with such beneficiary's own accounts);
endowments or foundations established and controlled by you or your immediate family; or
529 accounts, which will be aggregated at the account owner level (Class 529-E accounts may only be aggregated with an eligible employer plan).
Individual purchases by a trustee(s) or other fiduciary(ies) may also be aggregated if the investments are:
for a single trust estate or fiduciary account, including employee benefit plans other than the individual-type employee benefit plans described above;
made for two or more employee benefit plans of a single employer or of affiliated employers as defined in the Investment Company Act, excluding the individual-type employee benefit plans described above;
for nonprofit, charitable or educational organizations, or any endowments or foundations established and controlled by such organizations, or any employer-sponsored retirement plans established for the benefit of the employees of such organizations, their endowments, or their foundations; or
for individually established participant accounts of a 403(b) plan that is treated similarly to an employer-sponsored plan for sales charge purposes (see "Purchases by certain 403(b) plans" under "Sales Charges" above), or made for two or more such 403(b) plans that are treated similarly to employer-sponsored plans for sales charge purposes, in each case of a single employer or affiliated employers as defined in the Investment Company Act. Purchases made for nominee or street name accounts (securities held in the name of a broker- dealer or another nominee such as a bank trust department instead of the customer) may not be aggregated with those made for other accounts and may not be aggregated with other nominee or street name accounts unless otherwise qualified as described above.
Concurrent Purchases . As described in the Prospectus, you may reduce your A Class sales charge by combining simultaneous purchases in any of the American Beacon Funds.
Other Purchases . Pursuant to a determination of eligibility by the Manager, A Class shares of the Fund may be sold at net asset value (without the imposition of a front-end sales charge) to:
current or retired trustees, and officers of the American Beacon Funds family, current or retired employees and directors of the Manager and its affiliated companies, certain family members and employees of the above persons, and trusts or plans primarily for such persons;
currently registered representatives and assistants directly employed by such representatives, retired registered representatives with respect to accounts established while active, or full-time employees (collectively, "Eligible Persons") (and their spouses, and children, including children in step and adoptive relationships, sons-in- law and daughters-in-law, if the Eligible Persons or the spouses or children of the Eligible Persons are listed in the account registration with the spouse or parent) of broker-dealers who have sales agreements with the Distributor (or who clear transactions through such dealers), plans for the dealers, and plans that include as participants only the Eligible Persons, their spouses and/or children;
companies exchanging securities with the Fund through a merger, acquisition or exchange offer;
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insurance company separate accounts;
accounts managed by the Manager, a sub-advisor to the Fund and its affiliated companies;
the Manager or a sub-advisor to the Fund and its affiliated companies;
an individual or entity with a substantial business relationship with, which may include the officers and employees of the Fund's custodian or transfer agent, the Manager or a sub-adviser to the Fund and its affiliated companies, or an individual or entity related or relating to such individual or entity;
full-time employees of banks that have sales agreements with the Distributor, who are solely dedicated to directly supporting the sale of mutual funds;
directors, officers and employees of financial institutions that have a selling group agreement with the Distributor;
banks, broker-dealers and other financial institutions (including registered investment advisors and financial planners) that have entered into an agreement with the Distributor or one of its affiliates, purchasing shares on behalf of clients participating in the Fund supermarket or in a wrap program, asset allocation program or other program in which the clients pay an asset-based fee;
clients of authorized dealers purchasing shares in fixed or flat fee brokerage accounts;
Employer-sponsored defined contribution - type plans, including 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer sponsored 403(b) plans, profit-sharing and money purchase pension plans, defined benefit plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, and individual retirement account ("IRA") rollovers involving retirement plan assets invested in the Fund in the American Beacon Funds fund family; and
Employee benefit and retirement plans for the Manager and its affiliates.
Shares are offered at net asset value to these persons and organizations due to anticipated economies in sales effort and expense. Once an account is established under this net asset value privilege, additional investments can be made at net asset value for the life of the account.
It is possible that a broker-dealer may not be able to offer one or more of these waiver categories. If this situation occurs, it is possible that the investor would need to invest directly through American Beacon Funds in order to take advantage of the waiver. The Fund may terminate or amend the terms of these sales charge waivers at any time.
Moving Between Accounts . Investments in certain account types may be moved to other account types without incurring additional A Class sales charges. These transactions include, for example:
redemption proceeds from a non-retirement account (for example, a joint tenant account) used to purchase Fund shares in an IRA or other individual-type retirement account;
required minimum distributions from an IRA or other individual-type retirement account used to purchase Fund shares in a non-retirement account; and
death distributions paid to a beneficiary's account that are used by the beneficiary to purchase Fund shares in a different account.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGES
As discussed in the Prospectus, the redemption of C Class shares may be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") if you redeem your shares within 12 months of purchase. If you purchased $1,000,000 or more of A Class shares of the Funds (and therefore paid no initial sales charges) and subsequently redeem your shares within 18 months of your purchase, you may be charged a CDSC upon redemption. In determining whether the CDSC is payable, it is assumed that shares not subject to the CDSC are the first redeemed followed by other shares held for the longest period of time. The CDSC will not be imposed upon shares representing reinvested dividends or capital gains distributions, or upon amounts representing share appreciation. As described in the Prospectus, there are various circumstances under which the CDSC will be waived. Additional information about CDSC waivers is provided below.
The CDSC is waived under the following circumstances:
Any partial or complete redemption following death or disability (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code) of a shareholder (including one who owns the shares with his or her spouse as a joint tenant with rights of survivorship) from an account in which the deceased or disabled is named. The Manager or the Fund's transfer agent may require documentation prior to waiver of the charge, including death certificates, physicians' certificates, etc.
Redemptions from a systematic withdrawal plan. If the systematic withdrawal plan is based on a fixed dollar amount or number of shares, systematic withdrawal redemptions are limited to no more than 10% of your account value or number of shares per year, as of the date the Manager or the Fund's transfer agent receives your request. If the systematic withdrawal plan is based on a fixed percentage of your account value, each redemption is limited to an amount that would not exceed 10% of your annual account value at the time of withdrawal.
Redemptions from retirement plans qualified under Section 401 of the Internal Revenue Code. The CDSC will be waived for benefit payments made by American Beacon Funds directly to plan participants. Benefit payments will include, but are not limited to, payments resulting from death, disability, retirement, separation from service, required minimum distributions (as described under Section 401(a)(9) of the Internal Revenue Code), in-service distributions, hardships, loans and qualified domestic relations orders. The CDSC waiver will not apply in the event of termination of the plan or transfer of the plan to another financial institution.
Redemptions that are mandatory withdrawals from a traditional IRA account after age 70 1/2 .
Involuntary redemptions as a result of your account not meeting the minimum balance requirements, the termination and liquidation of the Fund, or other actions by the Fund.
Distributions from accounts for which the broker-dealer of record has entered into a written agreement with the Distributor (or Manager) allowing this waiver.
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To return excess contributions made to a retirement plan.
To return contributions made due to a mistake of fact.
The following example illustrates the operation of the CDSC. Assume that you open an account and purchase 1,000 shares at $10 per share and that six months later the NAV per share is $12 and, during such time, you have acquired 50 additional shares through reinvestment of distributions. If at such time you should redeem 450 shares (proceeds of $5,400), 50 shares will not be subject to the charge because of dividend reinvestment. With respect to the remaining 400 shares, the charge is applied only to the original cost of $10 per share and not to the increase in NAV of $2 per share. Therefore, $4,000 of the $5,400 redemption proceeds will pay the charge. At the rate of 1.00%, the CDSC would be $40 for redemptions of C Class shares. In determining whether an amount is available for redemption without incurring a deferred sales charge, the purchase payments made for all shares in your account are aggregated.
REDEMPTIONS IN KIND
Although the Fund intends to redeem shares in cash, it reserves the right to pay the redemption price in whole or in part by a distribution of securities or other assets. However, shareholders always will be entitled to redeem shares for cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Fund's net asset value during any 90-day period. Redemption in kind is not as liquid as a cash redemption. In addition, to the extent the Fund redeems its shares in this manner, the shareholder assumes the risk of a subsequent change in the market value of those securities, the cost of liquidating the securities and the possibility of a lack of a liquid market for those securities.
TAX INFORMATION
The tax information set forth in the Prospectus and in this section relates solely to federal income tax law and assumes that the Fund qualifies as a "regulated investment company" under the Internal Revenue Code ("RIC") (as discussed below). The tax information in this section is only a summary of certain key federal tax considerations affecting the Fund and its shareholders and is in addition to the information provided in the Prospectus. No attempt has been made to present a complete explanation of the federal income tax treatment of the Fund or the tax implications to its shareholders. The discussions here and in the Prospectus are not intended as substitutes for careful tax planning. The information is based on the Internal Revenue Code and applicable regulations, administrative pronouncements and judicial decisions in effect on the date of this SAI. Future legislative, regulatory or administrative changes or court decisions may significantly change the tax rules applicable to the Fund and its shareholders. Any of these changes or court decisions may have a retroactive effect.
Taxation of the Fund
The Fund intends to qualify each taxable year for treatment as a RIC under Subchapter M of Chapter 1 of Subtitle A of the Internal Revenue Code. To qualify, the Fund (which is treated as a separate corporation for these purposes) must, among other requirements:
Derive at least 90% of its gross income each taxable year from (1) dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans and gains from the sale or other disposition of securities or foreign currencies, or other income, including gains from options, futures or forward contracts, derived with respect to its business of investing in securities or those currencies and (2) net income derived from an interest in a "qualified publicly traded partnership" ("QPTP") ("Gross Income Requirement"). A QPTP is a "publicly traded partnership" other than a partnership at least 90% of the gross income of which is described in clause (1);
Diversify its investments so that, at the close of each quarter of its taxable year: (1) at least 50% of the value of its total assets is represented by cash and cash items, Government securities, securities of other RICs, and other securities, with those other securities limited, in respect of any one issuer, to an amount that does not exceed 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets and that does not represent more than 10% of the issuer's outstanding voting securities (equity securities of QPTPs being considered voting securities for these purposes) and (2) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets is invested in (a) securities (other than Government securities or securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, (b) securities (other than securities of other RICs) of two or more issuers the Fund controls that are determined to be engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or (c) securities of one or more QPTPs ("Diversification Requirements"); and
Distribute annually to its shareholders at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (generally, net investment income plus the excess (if any) of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss and net gains and losses from certain foreign currency transactions, all determined without regard to any deduction for dividends paid) ("Distribution Requirement").
By qualifying for treatment as a RIC, the Fund (but not its shareholders) will be relieved of federal income tax on the part of its investment company taxable income and net capital gain ( i.e. the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) that it distributes to its shareholders. Certain aspects of the tax treatment of derivative instruments, including certain equity index options and futures, are currently unclear and may be affected by changes in legislation, regulations or other legally binding authority that could affect the treatment of income from these instruments, and the character, timing and amount of the Fund's taxable income or gains and distributions. If the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") were to assert successfully that income the Fund derives from these investments does not constitute qualifying income, the Fund might cease to qualify as a RIC or might be required to reduce its exposure to such investments. If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify for treatment as a RIC - either (1) by failing to satisfy the Distribution Requirement, even if it satisfies the Gross Income and Diversification Requirements, or (2) by failing to satisfy the Gross Income Requirement and/or either Diversification Requirement and is unable, or determines not to, avail itself of provisions that enable a RIC to cure a failure to satisfy any of the Income and Diversification Requirements as long as the failure "is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect" and the RIC pays a deductible tax calculated in accordance with those provisions and meets certain other requirements — then for federal tax purposes, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for dividends paid to its shareholders and the dividends it distributes would be taxable to its shareholders as ordinary income (or possibly, for individual and certain other non-corporate (collectively, "individual") shareholders as "qualified dividend income" (as described in the Prospectus)) to the extent of the Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits. Failure to qualify for RIC treatment would therefore have a negative impact on the Fund's income and
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performance. Furthermore, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest, and make substantial distributions before requalifying for RIC treatment. It is possible that the Fund will not qualify as a RIC in any given taxable year.
The Fund will be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax ("Excise Tax") to the extent it fails to distribute by the end of any calendar year substantially all of its ordinary (taxable) income for that year and substantially all of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending on December 31 of that year, plus certain other amounts.
Taxation of Certain Investments and Strategies
If the Fund acquires stock in a foreign corporation that is a "passive foreign investment company" ("PFIC") (generally, any foreign corporation, with certain exceptions, that, in general, meets either of the following tests for the taxable year: (1) at least 75% of its gross income is passive or (2) an average of at least 50% of its assets produce, or are held for the production of, passive income) and holds the stock beyond the end of the year of acquisition, the Fund will be subject to federal income tax on any "excess distribution" it receives on the stock or of any gain it realizes from disposition of that stock (collectively "PFIC income"), plus interest thereon, even if the Fund distributes the PFIC income as a taxable dividend to its shareholders. Fund distributions thereof will not be eligible for the 15% and 20% maximum federal income tax rates on individuals' "qualified dividend income" described in the Prospectus. The Fund may avoid this tax and interest if it elects to treat the PFIC as a "qualified electing fund"; however, the requirements for that election are difficult to satisfy. If such an election were made, the Fund would be required to include in its income each taxable year a portion of the ordinary income and net capital gains of the PFIC, even if the income and gains were not distributed to the Fund. Any such income and gains would be subject to the Distribution Requirement and to the calendar year Excise Tax distribution requirement.
Alternatively, the Fund may elect to "mark-to-market" its stock in a PFIC it owns at the end of its taxable year. Under such an election, the Fund (1) would include in gross income each taxable year (and treat as ordinary income) an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the PFIC stock as of the close of the taxable year over the Fund's adjusted basis in the PFIC stock and (2) would be allowed a deduction (as an ordinary, not a capital, loss) for the excess, if any, of its adjusted basis in the PFIC stock over the fair market value of the PFIC stock as of the close of the taxable year, but only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains included by the Fund for prior taxable years. The Fund's adjusted basis in the PFIC stock would be adjusted to reflect the amounts included in income, or deducted, under this election. Any gain or loss realized on the sale or other disposition of the PFIC stock, would be treated as ordinary income or loss. The Fund would not be subject to the deferred tax and interest charge discussed above with respect to PFIC stock for which a mark-to-market election has been made.
Investors should be aware that the Fund may not be able, at the time it acquires a foreign corporation's shares, to ascertain whether the corporation is a PFIC and that a foreign corporation may become a PFIC after the Fund acquires shares therein.
Hedging strategies, such as entering into forward contracts and selling (writing) and purchasing options and futures contracts, involve complex rules that will determine for federal income tax purposes the amount, character and timing of recognition of gains and losses the Fund may realize in connection therewith. In general, the Fund's (1) gains from the disposition of foreign currencies and (2) gains from options, futures and forward contracts derived with respect to its business of investing in securities or foreign currencies will be treated as qualifying income under the Gross Income Requirement.
The Fund may invest in one or more limited liability companies ("LLCs") and limited partnerships ("LPs") that will be classified for federal tax purposes as partnerships (and, except as expressly stated below, this discussion assumes that classification). LLCs and LPs in which the Fund may invest may include (1) a "publicly traded partnership" (that is, a partnership the interests in which are "traded on an established securities market" or "readily tradable on a secondary market (or the substantial equivalent thereof)") (a "PTP"), which may be a QPTP, or (2) a non-PTP at least 90% of the income of which satisfies the Gross Income Requirement.
If an LLC or LP in which the Fund invests is a QPTP, all its net income (regardless of source) will be qualifying income to the Fund under the Gross Income Requirement. The Fund's investment in QPTPs, together with certain other investments, however, may not exceed 25% of the value of its total assets at the end of each quarter of its taxable year in order to satisfy one of the Diversification Requirements. In addition, the Fund's holding of more than 10% of a QPTP's equity securities will not count toward its satisfying those requirements.
With respect to non-QPTPs, (1) if an LLC or LP (including a PTP) is treated for federal tax purposes as a corporation, distributions from it to the Fund might be treated as "qualified dividend income" and disposition of the Fund's interest therein would generate gain or loss from the disposition of a security, or (2) if such an LLC or LP is not treated as a corporation, the Fund would be treated as having earned its proportionate share of each item of income the LLC or LP earned. In the latter case, the Fund would be able to treat its share of the entity's income as qualifying income under the Gross Income Requirement only to the extent that income would be qualifying income if realized directly by the Fund in the same manner as realized by the LLC or LP.
Certain LLCs and LPs (e.g., private funds) in which the Fund invests may generate income and gains that are not qualifying income under the Gross Income Requirement. The Fund will monitor its investments in LLCs and LPs to assure its compliance with the requirements for qualification as a RIC.
Dividends and interest the Fund receives, and gains it realizes on foreign securities, may be subject to income, withholding or other taxes imposed by foreign countries and U.S. possessions (collectively, "foreign taxes") that would reduce the yield and/or total return on its securities. Tax treaties between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate those taxes, however, and many foreign countries do not impose taxes on capital gains on investments by foreign investors. It is impossible to determine the effective rate of foreign tax in advance, since the amount of the Fund's assets to be invested in various countries is not known.
Some futures contracts, foreign currency contracts, and "nonequity" options ( i.e. , certain listed options, such as those on a "broad-based" securities index) - except any "securities futures contract" that is not a "dealer securities futures contract" (both as defined in the Internal Revenue Code) and any interest rate swap, currency swap, basis swap, interest rate cap, interest rate floor, commodity swap, equity swap, equity index swap, credit default swap, or similar agreement - in which the Fund invests may be subject to Internal Revenue Code Section 1256 (collectively, "Section 1256 contracts").
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Any Section 1256 contracts the Fund holds at the end of its taxable year must be "marked-to-market" (that is, treated as having been sold at that time for its fair market value) for federal tax purposes, with the result that unrealized gains or losses will be treated as though they were realized. Sixty percent of any net gain or loss realized on these deemed sales, and 60% of any net realized gain or loss from any actual sales of Section 1256 contracts, will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and the balance will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. Section 1256 contracts also may be marked-to-market for purposes of the Excise Tax. These rules may operate to increase the amount that the Fund must distribute to satisfy the Distribution Requirement ( i.e. with respect to the portion treated as short-term capital gain), which will be taxable to its shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them, and to increase the net capital gain the Fund recognizes, without in either case increasing the cash available to it.
Section 988 of the Internal Revenue Code also may apply to the Fund's forward currency contracts and options and futures on foreign currencies. Under that section, each foreign currency gain or loss generally is computed separately and treated as ordinary income or loss. These gains or losses will increase or decrease the amount of the Fund's investment company taxable income to be distributed to its shareholders as ordinary income, rather than affecting the amount of its net capital gain. If Section 988 losses exceed other investment company taxable income during a taxable year, the Fund would not be able to distribute any dividends, and any distributions made during that year before the losses were realized would be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders, rather than as a dividend, thereby reducing each shareholder's basis in his or her Fund shares.
Offsetting positions the Fund enters into or holds in any actively traded option, futures or forward contract may constitute a "straddle" for federal income tax purposes. Straddles are subject to certain rules that may affect the amount, character and timing of the Fund's gains and losses with respect to positions of the straddle by requiring, among other things, that (1) losses realized on disposition of one position of a straddle be deferred to the extent of any unrealized gain in an offsetting position until the latter position is disposed of, (2) the Fund's holding period in certain straddle positions not begin until the straddle is terminated (possibly resulting in gain being treated as short-term rather than long-term capital gain) and (3) losses recognized with respect to certain straddle positions, that otherwise would constitute short-term capital losses, be treated as long-term capital losses. Applicable regulations also provide certain "wash sale" rules, which apply to transactions where a position is sold at a loss and a new offsetting position is acquired within a prescribed period, and "short sale" rules applicable to straddles. Different elections are available, which may mitigate the effects of the straddle rules, particularly with respect to "mixed straddles" (i.e., a straddle of that at least one, but not all, positions are Section 1256 contracts). When a covered call option written (sold) by the Fund expires, it will realize a short-term capital gain equal to the amount of the premium it received for writing the option. When the Fund terminates its obligations under such an option by entering into a closing transaction, it will realize a short-term capital gain (or loss), depending on whether the cost of the closing transaction is less (or more) than the premium it received when it wrote the option.
When a covered call option written by the Fund is exercised, it will be treated as having sold the underlying security, producing long-term or short-term capital gain or loss, depending on the holding period of the underlying security and whether the sum of the option price received on the exercise plus the premium received when it wrote the option is more or less than the underlying security's basis.
If the Fund has an "appreciated financial position" - generally, any position (i.e. an interest including an interest through an option, futures or forward contract or short sale) with respect to any stock, debt instrument (other than "straight debt") or partnership interest the fair market value of which exceeds its adjusted basis - and enters into a "constructive sale" of the position, the Fund will be treated as having made an actual sale thereof, with the result that it will recognize gain at that time. A constructive sale generally consists of a short sale, an offsetting notional principal contract or a futures or forward contract the Fund or a related person enters into with respect to the same or substantially identical property. In addition, if the appreciated financial position is itself a short sale or such a contract, acquisition of the underlying property or substantially identical property will be deemed a constructive sale. The foregoing will not apply, however, to any Fund transaction during any taxable year that otherwise would be treated as a constructive sale if the transaction is closed within 30 days after the end of that year and the Fund holds the appreciated financial position unhedged for 60 days after that closing (i.e., at no time during that 60-day period is the Fund's risk of loss regarding that position reduced by reason of certain specified transactions with respect to substantially identical or related property, such as having an option to sell, being contractually obligated to sell, making a short sale or granting an option to buy substantially identical stock or securities).
Basis Election and Reporting
Fund shareholders who want to use an acceptable method for basis determination with respect to Fund shares other than the
average basis method (the Fund's default method), must elect to do so in writing (which may be electronic). The basis determination
method the Fund shareholder elects may not be changed with respect to a redemption of shares after the settlement date of
the redemption.
In addition to the requirement to report the gross proceeds from the redemption of shares, each Fund (or its administrative agent) must report to the IRS and furnish to its shareholders the basis information for Fund shares that are redeemed and indicate whether they had a short-term (one year or less) or long-term (more than one year) holding period. Fund shareholders should consult with their tax advisors to determine the best IRS-accepted basis determination method for their tax situation and to obtain more information about how the basis reporting law applies to them. Fund shareholders who acquire and hold shares through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary for information related to the basis election and reporting.
Backup Withholding
The Fund is be required to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury 28% of dividends, capital gain distributions, and redemption
proceeds (regardless of the extent to which gain or loss may be realized) otherwise payable to any individual shareholder
who fails to certify that the taxpayer identification number furnished to the Fund is correct or who furnishes an incorrect
number (together with the withholding described in the next sentence, "backup withholding"). Withholding at that rate also
is required from the Fund's dividends and capital gain distributions otherwise payable to such a shareholder who (1) is subject
to backup withholding for failure to report the receipt of interest or dividend income properly or (2) fails to certify to
the Fund that he or she is not subject to backup withholding or that it is a corporation or other "exempt recipient." Backup
withholding is not an additional tax; rather, any amounts so withheld may be credited against your federal income tax liability
or refunded.
Non-U.S. Shareholders
Dividends from the Fund's investment company taxable income that are paid to a shareholder who is a non-resident alien individual or foreign entity (a "non-
U.S. person") generally are subject to 30% federal withholding tax unless a reduced rate of withholding or a withholding exemption is provided under an
applicable treaty. Non-U.S. persons are urged to consult their own tax advisers concerning the applicability of that withholding tax.
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Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act ("FATCA") - Under FATCA, "foreign financial institutions" ("FFIs") or "non-financial foreign entities" ("NFFEs") that are Fund shareholders may be subject to a generally nonrefundable 30% withholding tax on (1) income dividends the Fund pays, and (2) certain capital gain distributions and the proceeds of a redemption of Fund shares it pays after December 31, 2016. As discussed below, the FATCA withholding tax generally can be avoided (a) by an FFI, if it reports certain information regarding direct and indirect ownership of financial accounts U.S. persons hold with the FFI and (b) by an NFFE, if it certifies its status as such and, in certain circumstances, that (i) it has no substantial U.S. persons as owners or (ii) it does have such owners and reports information relating to them to the withholding agent (which may be the Fund). The U.S. Treasury Department has negotiated intergovernmental agreements ("IGAs") with certain countries and is in various stages of negotiations with other foreign countries with respect to alternative approaches to implement FATCA. Entities in those countries may be required to comply with the terms of the IGA instead of Treasury regulations, as described below.
An FFI can avoid FATCA withholding by becoming a "participating FFI," which requires the FFI to enter into a tax compliance agreement with the IRS under the Internal Revenue Code. Under such an agreement, a participating FFI agrees to (1) verify and document whether it has U.S. accountholders, (2) report certain information regarding their accounts to the IRS, and (3) meet certain other specified requirements. An FFI resident in a country that has entered into a Model I IGA with the United States must report to that country's government (pursuant to the terms of the applicable IGA and applicable law), which will, in turn, report to the IRS. An FFI resident in a Model II IGA country generally must comply with U.S. regulatory requirements, with certain exceptions, including the treatment of recalcitrant accountholders. An FFI resident in one of those countries that complies with whichever of the foregoing applies will be exempt from FATCA withholding. Those foreign shareholders also may fall into certain exempt, excepted, or deemed compliant categories established by Treasury regulations, IGAs, and other guidance regarding FATCA. An FFI or NFFE that invests in the Fund will need to provide the Fund with documentation properly certifying the entity's status under FATCA to avoid FATCA withholding. The requirements imposed by FATCA are different from, and in addition to, the tax certification rules to avoid backup withholding described above. Foreign investors are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding the application of these requirements to their own situation and the impact thereof on their investment in the Fund.
Other Taxes
Statutory rules and regulations regarding state and local taxation of ordinary income, qualified dividend income and capital
gain distributions may differ from the federal income taxation rules described above. Distributions may also be subject to
additional state, local and foreign taxes depending on each shareholder's participation situation.
DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST
The Trust is an entity of the type commonly known as a "Massachusetts business trust." Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of such a trust may, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable for its obligations. However, the Trust's Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Trust and provides for indemnification and reimbursement of expenses out of Trust property for any shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Trust. The Declaration of Trust also provides that the Trust may maintain appropriate insurance (for example, fidelity bonding) for the protection of the Trust, its shareholders, Trustees, officers, employees and agents to cover possible tort and other liabilities. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss due to shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which both inadequate insurance existed and the Trust itself was unable to meet its obligations. The Trust has not engaged in any other business.
The Trust was originally created to manage money for large institutional investors, including pension and 401(k) plans for American Airlines Group, Inc. The following individuals (and members of that individual's "immediate family"), are eligible to purchase shares of the Institutional Class with an initial investment of less than $250,000 (i) employees of the Manager, (ii) employees of a sub-advisor for Funds where it serves as sub-advisor, (iii) members of the Board, (iv) employees of Kelso/Estancia, and (v) members of the Manager's Board of Directors. The term "immediate family" refers to one's spouse, children, grandchildren, grandparents, parents, parents-in-law, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters-in-law, a sibling's spouse, a spouse's sibling, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews; relatives by virtue of remarriage (step-children, step-parents, etc.) are included. Any shareholders that the Manager transfers to the Institutional Class upon termination of the class of shares in which the shareholders were originally invested is also eligible for purchasing shares of the Institutional Class with an initial investment of less than $250,000.
The Investor Class was created to give individuals and other smaller investors an opportunity to invest in the American Beacon Funds. The Institutional and Y Classes were created to manage money for large institutional investors, including pension and 401(k) plans. The A Class and C Class were created for investors investing in the Funds through their broker-dealers or other financial intermediaries.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Trust's independent registered public accounting firm, Ernst & Young LLP, audits and reports on the Fund's annual financial statements. The audited financial statements include the schedule of investments, statement of assets and liabilities, statement of operations, statements of changes in net assets, financial highlights, notes and report of independent registered public accounting firm. Shareholders will receive annual audited financial statements and semi-annual unaudited financial statements. As of the date hereof, the Fund has not commenced operations. Accordingly, financial statements are not available for the Fund.
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APPENDIX A
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
AMERICAN BEACON SELECT FUNDS
PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES
Last Amended July 1, 2012
Preface
Proxy voting is an important component of investment management and must be performed in a dutiful and purposeful fashion in order to secure the best long-term interests of shareholders of the American Beacon Funds and the American Beacon Select Funds (collectively, the "Funds"). Therefore, these Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures (the "Policy") have been adopted by the Funds.
The Funds are managed by American Beacon Advisors, Inc. (the "Manager"). The Manager allocates discrete portions of the American Beacon Funds among sub-advisors, but the Manager may directly manage all or a portion of the assets of certain Funds directly. The Funds' Boards of Trustees have delegated proxy voting authority to the Manager. The Manager has in turn delegated proxy voting authority to each sub-advisor with respect to the sub-advisor's respective portion of the Fund(s) under management, but the Manager has retained the authority to override a proposed proxy voting decision by a sub-advisor. For the securities held in their respective portion of each Fund, the Manager and the sub-advisors make voting decisions pursuant to their own proxy voting policies and procedures, which have been adopted by the applicable Fund and approved by the applicable Fund's Board of Trustees.
Conflicts of Interest
The Board of Trustees seeks to ensure that proxies are voted in the best interests of Fund shareholders. For certain proxy proposals, the interests of the Manager, the sub-advisors and/or their affiliates may differ from Fund shareholders' interests. To avoid the appearance of impropriety and to fulfill their fiduciary responsibility to shareholders in these circumstances, the Manager and the sub-advisors are required to establish procedures that are reasonably designed to address material conflicts between their interests and those of the Funds.
When a sub-advisor deems that it is conflicted with respect to a voting matter, its policy may call for it to seek voting instructions from the client. The Manager is authorized by the Boards of Trustees to consider any such matters and provide voting instructions to the sub-advisor, unless the Manager has determined that its interests are conflicted with Fund shareholders with respect to the voting matter. In those instances, the Manager will vote in accordance with the recommendation of a third-party proxy voting advisory service.
Each American Beacon Fund has the ability to invest in the shares of any of the American Beacon Select Funds. For example, the American Beacon High Yield Bond Fund may purchase shares of the American Beacon Money Market Select Fund. If the American Beacon Money Market Select Fund issues a proxy for which the American Beacon High Yield Bond Fund is entitled to vote, the Manager's interests regarding the Money Market Fund might appear to conflict with the interests of the shareholders of the High Yield Bond Fund. In these cases, the Manager will vote in accordance with the American Beacon Select Funds Board of Trustees' recommendations in the proxy statement.
If the methods for addressing conflicts of interest, as described above, are deemed by the Manager to be unreasonable due to cost, timing or other factors, then the Manager may decline to vote in those instances.
Securities on Loan
The Manager shall engage a proxy voting service to notify the Manager before the record date about the occurrence of future shareholder meetings, as feasible. The Manager will determine whether or not to recall shares of the applicable security that are on loan with the intent of the Manager or the sub-advisor, as applicable, voting such shares. The Manager's determination shall be based on factors which may include the nature of the meeting (i.e., annual or special), the percentage of the proxy issuer's outstanding securities on loan, any other information regarding the proxy proposals of which the Manager may be aware, and the loss of securities lending income to a Fund as a result of recalling the shares on loan.
Recordkeeping
The Manager and the sub-advisors shall maintain records of all votes cast on behalf of the Funds. Such documentation will include the firm's proxy voting policies and procedures company reports provided by proxy voting advisory services, additional information gathered by the Manager or sub-advisor that was material to reaching a voting decision, and communications to the Manager regarding any identified conflicts. The Manager and the sub-advisors shall maintain voting records in a manner to facilitate the Funds' production of the Form N-PX filing on an annual basis.
Disclosure
The Manager will coordinate the compilation of the Funds' proxy voting record for each year ended June 30 and file the required information with the SEC via Form N-PX by August 31. The Manager will include a summary of the Policy and/or the proxy voting policies and procedures of the Manager and the sub-advisors, as applicable, in each Fund's Statement of Additional Information ("SAI"). In each Fund's annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders, the Manager will disclose that a description of the Policy and/or the proxy voting policies and procedures of the Manager and the sub-advisors, as applicable, is a) available upon request, without charge, by toll-free telephone request, b) on the Funds' website (if applicable), and c) on the SEC's website in the SAI. The SAI and shareholder reports will also disclose that the Funds' proxy voting record is available by toll-free telephone request (or on the Funds' website) and on the SEC's website by way of the Form N-PX. Within three business days of receiving a request, the Manager will send a copy of the policy description or voting record by first-class mail.
Manager Oversight
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The Manager shall review a sub-advisor's proxy voting policies and procedures for compliance with this Policy and applicable laws and regulations prior to initial delegation of proxy voting authority and on at least an annual basis thereafter.
Board Oversight
On at least an annual basis, the Manager will present a summary of the voting records of the Funds to the Boards of Trustees for their review. The Manager will notify the Boards of Trustees of any material changes to its proxy voting policies and procedures.
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APPENDIX B
GROSVENOR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, L.P.
PROXY VOTING POLICY
MAY 21, 2015
I. PRELIMINARY STATEMENT
A. GCMLP's Investment Management/Advisory Services
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. ("GCMLP") currently provides the following investment management and advisory services to its clients:
Providing investment management services to investment vehicles or institutional clients on a discretionary basis (i.e., GCMLP
has the authority to make and implement investment decisions on behalf of such an investment vehicle or account without seeking
the approval of any other party).
Investment vehicles over which GCMLP has investment discretion are sometimes referred to in these Proxy Voting Policies and
Procedures (this "
Policy
") individually as a "
Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicle
" and collectively as the "
Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicles
."
1
Non-fund client accounts over which GCMLP has investment discretion are sometimes referred to in this Policy individually as a "Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Account" and collectively as the "Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Accounts."
Providing investment advice to investment vehicles or institutional clients on a non-discretionary basis (e.g., GCMLP makes
investment recommendations, but does not have the authority to implement those recommendations without the approval of another
party). For clients who seek assistance in designing, building and managing their hedge fund investment programs, GCMLP offers
a wide range of tailored, non-discretionary services in several areas, as described in Part 2A of GCMLP's SEC Form ADV.
Investment vehicles over which GCMLP does not have investment discretion are sometimes referred to in this Policy individually
as a "
Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicle
" and collectively as the "
Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicles
."
Non-fund client accounts over which GCMLP does not have investment discretion are sometimes referred to in this Policy individually
as a "
Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Account
" and collectively as the "
Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Accounts
."
The Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicles and the Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicles
are sometimes referred to in this Policy individually as a "
GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicle
" and collectively as the "
GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicles
."
The Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Accounts and the Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Accounts
are sometimes referred to in this Policy individually as a "G
CM Public Markets Investment Account
" and collectively as the "
GCM Public Markets Investment Accounts
."
The GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicles and the GCM Public Markets Investment Accounts are sometimes referred to in this
Policy individually as a "
GCM Public Markets Fund
" and collectively as the "
GCM Public Markets Funds
."
Some GCM Public Markets Funds are designed for more than one investor/participant. Others are designed for a single investor/participant
(or group of related investors/participants).
Some GCM Public Markets Funds are "feeder" funds that are designed to invest all or substantially all of their assets in
GCM Public Markets Funds that are "master" funds. "Feeder" funds may be multi-investor/participant funds or single-investor/participant
funds.
B. GCMLP's Clients
GCMLP's investment management/advisory clients consist of:
the GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicles; and
participants in the GCM Public Markets Investment Accounts.
Although investors in the GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicles are not, in their capacity as such, clients of GCMLP, GCMLP sometimes refers to investors in the GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicles as "clients" for purposes of convenience.
C. GCMLP's Investment Management/Advisory Activities
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The term "Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicle" also includes investment vehicles that are registered as investment companies under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (" ICA "), and that are advised or managed by GCMLP. Such investment vehicles are sometimes referred to in this Policy individually as a " RIC " and collectively as the " RICs ." |
35 |
In the case of each GCM Public Markets Fund over which GCMLP has investment discretion, GCMLP identifies third-party investment management firms (" Investment Managers ") whose investment strategies and styles are, in its judgment, suited to the respective investment objectives, policies and restrictions of such GCM Public Markets Fund and then allocates (and ordinarily from time to time reallocates) the assets of such GCM Public Markets Fund to the investment discretion of such Investment Managers. (In the circumstances described below under the headings " Temporary Investments and Hedging Transactions " and " Direct Investments ," GCMLP may invest the assets of a GCM Public Markets Fund over which it has investment discretion directly in certain financial instruments. See also "Seeding Transactions," below.)
In the case of a Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicle or a Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Account, GCMLP may identify Investment Managers whose investment strategies and styles are, in its judgment, suited to the investment objective(s), policies and restrictions of such Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicle or Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Account, as the case may be, and then recommend to the investment manager of such Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicle or to the holder of such Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Account, as the case may be, that such Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicle or Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Account allocate or reallocate its assets to such Investment Managers. (In the circumstances described below under the headings " Temporary Investments and Hedging Transactions " and "Direct Investments," GCMLP may recommend that a Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicle or a Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Account invest its assets directly in certain financial instruments.)
The Investment Managers, in turn, invest and trade primarily in securities and other financial instruments (including futures contracts and/or options on futures contracts and swaps, either for hedging or speculative purposes).
GCMLP ordinarily allocates the assets of GCM Public Markets Funds over which it has investment discretion to a given Investment Manager by investing such assets in limited partnership interests, limited liability company interests, business trusts, shares or similar equity interests in a limited liability private investment vehicle (including offshore investment vehicles) managed by such Investment Manager.
Similarly, in the case of Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicles and Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Accounts, GCMLP may recommend to a given Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicle or Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Account that it allocate its assets to a given Investment Manager by investing such assets in limited partnership interests, limited liability company interests, business trusts, shares or similar equity interests in a limited liability private investment vehicle (including offshore investment vehicles) managed by such Investment Manager.
For purposes of this Policy, each limited liability vehicle managed by an Investment Manager is referred to as an " Underlying Public Markets Fund ." In most cases, Underlying Public Markets Funds managed by an Investment Manager are designed for multiple investors/participants, including the GCM Public Markets Funds. In other cases, an Investment Manager may establish an Underlying Public Markets Fund for a single GCM Public Markets Fund or group of GCM Public Markets Funds.
D. Temporary Investments and Hedging Transactions
Except to the extent that the governing documents relating to a particular GCM Public Markets Fund expressly provide otherwise, GCMLP may from time to time:
invest, for cash management purposes, cash held by such GCM Public Markets Fund (pending investment by such GCM Public Markets
Fund or distribution to its investors/participants) directly in securities and other financial instruments such as:
U.S. government and agency securities;
bank demand deposit accounts (which may or may not be interest bearing) and certificates of deposit; and/or
commingled investment products (such as money market mutual funds); and/or
cause such GCM Public Markets Fund to engage in hedging transactions – for example, by:
purchasing or selling securities or derivatives with the intent of reducing certain exposures; and/or
entering into foreign currency forward contracts to hedge currency risk on behalf of such GCM Public Markets Fund if such GCM Public Markets Fund is denominated in a currency other than U.S. Dollars (e.g., Japanese Yen, Euro, Swiss Franc), but invests primarily in U.S. Dollar-denominated Underlying Public Markets Funds (or if such GCM Public Markets Fund is denominated in U.S. Dollars and invests in Underlying Public Markets Funds that are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar).
These temporary investments and hedging transactions are ancillary to the primary hedge fund investment program of the affected GCM Public Markets Funds.
E. Direct Investments
GCMLP's direct opportunities program (the " Direct Opportunities Program ") seeks to provide exposure to select "high conviction" investment ideas or investment themes of an Investment Manager (" Direct Opportunities "). If there is limited capacity with respect to a particular Direct Opportunity, all available capacity with respect to such Direct Opportunity is first made available to GCM Public Markets Funds that the Operations Committee determines to be " Direct Opportunities Funds ," to the fullest extent such Direct Opportunities Funds wish to take advantage of such capacity, before such Direct Opportunity is made available to other GCM Public Markets Funds.
GCMLP typically reserves the authority to invest the assets of the GCM Public Markets Funds over which it has investment discretion in Direct Opportunities. However, except in the case of GCM Public Markets Funds that are Direct Opportunities Funds, investments in Direct Opportunities by a GCM Public Markets Fund, if made at all, ordinarily are minimal and are incidental to the primary hedge fund investment program of such GCM Public Markets Fund.
36 |
A GCM Public Markets Fund may obtain a direct investment by receiving a portfolio security distributed to it by an Underlying Public Markets Fund as an "in-kind" distribution. GCMLP generally seeks to liquidate direct investments received as "in-kind" distributions after the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund's receipt thereof, as promptly as reasonably practicable subject to the liquidity of such direct investments.
Direct investments of a GCM Public Markets Fund may also include any co-investment opportunities that an Investment Manager has made available to such GCM Public Markets Fund.
F. Seeding Transactions
GCM Public Markets Funds may enter into agreements (" Project Agreements ") under which such GCM Public Markets Funds invest in investment vehicles or accounts (" Seed Manager Funds ") and/or provide capital or debt financing to the investment management or advisory firms that manage or advise such vehicles or accounts (" Seed Managers ") in exchange for certain benefits (" Seeding Transaction Benefits ").
Seeding Transaction Benefits typically include:
the right to receive a portion of the fees, revenues and/or profits that otherwise would be received by the Seed Managers in connection with managing their Seed Manager Funds; and
a variety of other rights and entitlements with respect to Seed Manager Funds and/or their Seed Managers, such as investing in such Seed Manager Funds on fee terms that are more favorable than those typically offered by such Seed Manager Funds to their investors or otherwise on a "most favored nations" basis, investment capacity rights, and certain veto rights over actions proposed to be taken by the Seed Managers of such Seed Manager Funds – in each case exclusively as a passive investor having no control over the management or investment decision-making of such Seed Managers.
II. WHEN GCMLP IS REQUESTED TO RESPOND TO PROXY REQUESTS
The most common scenarios in which GCMLP is requested to respond to proxy requests relating to securities held by one or more GCM Public Markets Funds are as follows:
GCMLP has investment discretion over GCM Public Markets Funds and is requested by the Investment Manager of an Underlying
Public Markets Fund in which such GCM Public Markets Funds invest to vote limited partnership interests, limited liability
company interests, shares or similar equity interests in such Underlying Public Markets Fund.
A client who invests in a GCM Public Markets Fund over which GCMLP does not have investment discretion is requested by the
Investment Manager of an Underlying Public Markets Fund in which such GCM Public Markets Fund invests to vote limited partnership
interests, limited liability company interests, shares or similar equity interests in such Underlying Public Markets Fund,
and such client in turn requests GCMLP to make a recommendation as to how such client should respond to such request.
In addition, GCMLP may be requested to vote on (or make recommendations as to how to vote on) matters relating to Project Agreements and Direct Investments.
For purposes of convenience, a request by an Investment Manager or other party (other than a client) to vote a security held by a GCM Public Markets Fund (including a Direct Opportunity or other Direct Investment), or to vote on any matter (or consent to any action) relating to a Project Agreement, is referred to below as a " Proxy Request ."
III. GENERAL POLICY TO TAKE ACTION IN RESPONSE TO PROXY REQUESTS
In the case of a GCM Public Markets Fund over which GCMLP has investment discretion, it is GCMLP's policy to take action in response to each Proxy Request that it receives in connection with managing such GCM Public Markets Fund, unless:
such GCM Public Markets Fund is a "single investor" or "single participant" GCM Public Markets Fund;
GCMLP has expressly agreed with such "single investor" or "single participant" that GCMLP is not required to take action in respect of Proxy Requests affecting such GCM Public Markets Fund; and
if such GCM Public Markets Fund is subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (" ERISA "), GCMLP has expressly agreed with such "single investor" or "single participant" that GCMLP is precluded from taking action in response to Proxy Requests affecting such GCM Public Markets Fund.
Similarly, in the case of a GCM Public Markets Fund over which GCMLP does not have investment discretion, it is GCMLP's policy to recommend, to the appropriate party, what action such GCM Public Markets Fund should take in response to each Proxy Request that such GCM Public Markets Fund receives, unless:
such GCM Public Markets Fund is a "single investor" or "single participant" GCM Public Markets Fund;
GCMLP has expressly agreed with such "single investor" or "single participant" that GCMLP is not required to make recommendations respecting Proxy Requests affecting such GCM Public Markets Fund; and
if such GCM Public Markets Fund is subject to ERISA, an appropriate authorized fiduciary of such "single investor" or "single
participant" has expressly agreed with GCMLP that:
a party associated with such "single investor" or "single participant" (e.g., the plan sponsor of such "single investor" or
"single participant") has expressly reserved the authority and right to take actions in response to Proxy Requests relating
to the investments in such GCM Public Markets Fund; and
GCMLP is precluded from making recommendations respecting Proxy Requests affecting such GCM Public Markets Fund). 1
1 |
If GCMLP has so agreed with the "single investor" or "single participant" in a GCM Public Markets Fund (or, if a GCM Public Markets Fund is subject to ERISA, with an appropriate authorized fiduciary of the "single investor" or "single participant" in such GCM Public Markets Fund): |
37 |
In certain cases, however, the Operations Committee may determine to abstain from acting on a Proxy Request (or from recommending what action should be taken with respect to a Proxy Request), such as where the expected cost and/or administrative burden of giving due consideration to the Proxy Request does not justify the potential benefits to the affected GCM Public Markets Fund(s) that might result from adopting or rejecting (as the case may be) the proposal(s) in question. 1
IV. RECEIPT AND EVALUATION OF PROXY REQUESTS
A. Receipt of Proxy Requests
In order to ensure that GCMLP is in a position to give due consideration to a particular Proxy Request and to determine (or recommend), in a timely manner, what action should be taken in response to such Proxy Request, it is incumbent on GCMLP personnel to, as soon as practicable:
provide, to a "
Compliance Officer
" (i.e., GCMLP's Chief Compliance Officer or any of GCMLP's Assistant Compliance Officers), copies of any proxy solicitations,
proxy statements or similar materials (collectively, "
Proxy Materials
")
2
they receive relating to:
any investment in any Underlying Public Markets Fund, or any other security, including any Direct Opportunity or other direct
investment, held by any GCM Public Markets Fund; or
any Project Agreement in which any GCM Public Markets Fund participates; and
alert a Compliance Officer if they otherwise learn that:
an Investment Manager contemplates proposing changes to the terms on which one or more GCM Public Markets Funds invest in
an Underlying Public Markets Fund or Underlying Public Markets Funds managed by such Investment Manager;
an Investment Manager contemplates proposing changes to the terms of any Project Agreement in which one or more GCM Public Markets Funds participate; or
the issuer of a Direct Opportunity or other direct investment held by one or more GCM Public Markets Funds, or another party, proposes changes to the terms of such Direct Opportunity or other direct investment.
B. Determining Nature of Proposal (Immaterial or Material)
Upon receiving Proxy Materials or being alerted to the fact that:
an Investment Manager contemplates proposing changes to the terms on which one or more GCM Public Markets Funds invest in an Underlying Public Markets Fund or Underlying Public Markets Funds managed by such Investment Manager,
an Investment Manager contemplates proposing changes to the terms of any Project Agreement in which one or more GCM Public Markets Funds participate, or
the issuer of a Direct Opportunity or other direct investment held by one or more GCM Public Markets Funds, or another party, proposes changes to the terms of such Direct Opportunity or other direct investment,
the relevant Compliance Officer, in consultation with such other GCMLP personnel as he or she determines to be appropriate under the circumstances (which personnel shall cooperate with such Compliance Officer to the extent reasonably requested by such Compliance Officer), shall be responsible for determining as soon as practicable whether the proposal in question is:
An "
Immaterial Proposal
," which is a proposal that, if adopted,
would not
, in the reasonable judgment of such Compliance Officer, either:
be reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s) (e.g., a proposal to approve
a change in the name of an Underlying Public Markets Fund, to approve an Underlying Public Markets Fund's previous year's
audited financial statements, to approve an Underlying Public Markets Fund's appointment of independent auditors, to elect
new directors of an Underlying Public Markets Fund, etc.); or
materially adversely change the terms on which future investments may be made by one or more GCM Public Markets Funds. In other words, a proposal that, if adopted, would change any one or more terms in a manner that is favorable, or not materially adverse, to existing or future investors, is an "Immaterial Proposal."
A "
Material Proposal
," which is any proposal that is not an Immaterial Proposal – i.e., a Material Proposal is a proposal that, if adopted, would,
in the reasonable judgment of such Compliance Officer, either:
be reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s); or
materially adversely change the terms on which future investments may be made by one or more GCM Public Markets Funds.
For purposes of this Policy, Immaterial Proposals and Material Proposals are sometimes referred to collectively as "Proposals" and individually as a "Proposal."
1 |
If GCMLP determines that the cost of voting (including the cost of research, if necessary, to determine how to vote) is likely to exceed the expected economic benefits of voting, GCMLP must refrain from voting on behalf of such GCM Public Markets Fund. In making this determination, objectives, considerations and economic effects unrelated to the economic interests of the relevant GCM Public Markets Funds cannot be considered (unless the investors/participants in the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund have expressly instructed to take such objectives, considerations and economic effects into consideration). In this regard, the Department of Labor has stated (in respect of investment management accounts that are subject to ERISA) that: "[t]he fiduciary obligations of prudence and loyalty to plan participants and beneficiaries require the responsible fiduciary to vote proxies on issues that may affect the economic value of the plan's investment. However, fiduciaries also need to take into account costs when deciding whether and how to exercise their shareholder rights, including the voting of shares. Such costs include, but are not limited to, expenditures related to developing proxy resolutions, proxy voting services and the analysis of the likely net effect of a particular issue on the economic value of the plan's investment. Fiduciaries must take all of these factors into account in determining whether the exercise of such rights (e.g., the voting of a proxy), independently or in conjunction with other shareholders, is expected to have an effect on the economic value of the plan's investment that will outweigh the cost of exercising such rights " |
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The relevant Compliance Officer shall create a file for each Proxy Request (a " Proxy File "). The relevant Compliance Officer shall be responsible for ensuring that the Proxy File for a particular Proxy Request contains the Proxy Materials relating to such Proxy Request and such other materials as are noted in this Policy. |
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C. Communicating Substance of Proposal
1. Immaterial Proposals
In the case of an Immaterial Proposal, the relevant Compliance Officer shall as soon as reasonably practicable inform all of the following persons (by e-mail or written memorandum) of the nature of such proposal (all of the following being collectively referred to herein as the "Required Recipients") 1 :
all members of the Investment Committee 2 ;
all members of the Operations Committee 3 ;
the Portfolio Management Analysts 4 ;
all members of the Investment Operations Team 5 ;
all members of the Operational Due Diligence Team 6 ;
the Principal Research Analysts the Client Services Department 7 ; and
the person designated by the Head of the Research Team as the "Proxy Principal" with respect to the Investment Manager or securities in question (the " Proxy Principal "). 8
Any such e-mail or written memorandum shall contain a statement to the effect that such Compliance Officer regards the proposal in question as an Immaterial Proposal and that GCMLP shall consent (or recommend consent, as the case may be) to such Immaterial Proposal, unless, on or prior the date specified in such e-mail or written memorandum as the last date by which any objection to such Immaterial Proposal may be raised (the " Objection Deadline "):
the Operations Committee determines that GCMLP shall not act on such Immaterial Proposal;
the Proxy Principal or a member of the Operations Committee objects to such Immaterial Proposal; or
the Operations Committee determines, based on information provided to it by the Proxy Principal and/or the Portfolio Management
Analysts, that consent to such Immaterial Proposal would not be consistent with:
the investment objective(s), policies and restrictions of the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s); and/or
the best economic interests of the relevant client account(s). 9
2. Material Proposals
In the case of a Material Proposal:
upon receiving any written Proxy Materials relating to such Material Proposal, the relevant Compliance Officer shall, as soon
as reasonably practicable, provide all of the Required Recipients an e-mail or written memorandum describing the nature of
such proposal, and, to the extent known to such Compliance Officer: the reason(s) for such proposal;
the contemplated effective date of such proposal, if adopted;
whether failure to vote for or take action on such proposal will result in a mandatory redemption of the related investment(s);
the GCM Public Markets Fund(s) that would be affected by adoption of such proposal;
any special redemption rights that may apply in connection with such proposal; and
1 |
The relevant Compliance Officer shall be responsible for ensuring that such e-mail or written memorandum is placed in the Proxy File relating to such Immaterial Proposal. |
2 |
A list of the members of GCMLP's Investment Committee can be found under the heading "Investment Committee" in the "GCMLP Compliance Policies" sub-folder in the Outlook "Legal" Public Folder. |
3 |
GCMLP's Operations Committee consists of GCMLP's Vice Chairman, Chief Financial Officer ("CFO") and Chief Compliance Officer. |
4 |
The Portfolio Management Analysts consists of such members of GCMLP's Investments Department as shall be appointed from time to time by or under the authority of the Head of Portfolio Management (as defined in GCMLP's Portfolio Management Policies and Procedures). A list of the Portfolio Management Analysts can be found under the heading "Portfolio Management Analysts" in the "GCMLP Compliance Policies" sub-folder in the Outlook "Legal" Public Folder. |
5 |
The Investment Operations Team consists of such persons as the CFO may designate from time to time as members of such team and whose names are included in the following internal Outlook e-mail address: Investment Operations. |
6 |
The Operational Due Diligence Team consists of such persons as the CFO may designate from time to time as members of such team and whose names are included in the following internal Outlook e-mail address: Operational Due Diligence. |
7 |
The Principal Research Analysts consists of such persons named as the primary or the back-up assigned to the relevant Investment Manager on the Manager Assignments template prepared and updated from time to time by the Investments Department. |
8 |
The Head of the Research Team is responsible for appointing, with respect to each Investment Manager, a person who will serve as the "Proxy Principal" with respect to such investment manager. Unless the Head of the Research Team provides otherwise, the person appointed by the Head of the Research Team as the person primarily responsible for monitoring a particular Investment Manager (a " Principal ") shall be considered the "Proxy Principal" with respect to such Investment Manager.
In the case of a Terminated Underlying Public Markets Fund (defined below), the CFO, or such other person as may be appointed by the Operations Committee to perform the functions of the Proxy Principal with respect to such Terminated Underlying Public Markets Fund, shall be the "Proxy Principal" with respect to such Terminated Underlying Public Markets Fund, and the term "Proxy Principal" as used in this Policy shall be deemed to include the CFO or such other person so appointed by the Operations Committee in respect of such Terminated Underlying Public Markets Fund; provided, however, that the Operations Committee may replace the CFO or such other person as the "Proxy Principal" with respect to a Terminated Underlying Public Markets Fund at any time in its sole discretion.
For purposes of the foregoing, " Terminated Underlying Public Markets Fund " means an Underlying Public Markets Fund that has been terminated by the Investment Committee or the Operations Committee or that the Operations Committee has determined to categorize as a "workout" Underlying Public Markets Fund. The Operations Committee shall cause the Secretary of the Operations Committee to keep an up-to-date list of all Terminated Underlying Public Markets Funds and the Proxy Principal in respect of each such Terminated Underlying Public Markets Fund. |
9 |
It is understood that the investor(s)/participant(s) in a GCM Public Markets Fund may, in connection with establishing the investment objective(s), policies and restrictions of such GCM Public Markets Fund(s), instruct GCMLP that, whenever GCMLP is required to determine a course of action with respect to a Proxy Request involving an investment held by such GCM Public Markets Fund, GCMLP may or must: (1) consider factors other than factors relating to the economic value of such investment; (2) subordinate the economic interests of such GCM Public Markets Fund to objectives unrelated to the economic value of such investment) and/or (3) use the opportunity to consent to such Proxy Request to promote social purposes or to further legislative, political, regulatory or public policy issues that have no connection to enhancing the economic value of such investment. In these cases, as well as other cases, the Operations Committee may determine not to object to GCMLP's consent to a Proxy Proposal, notwithstanding that consent to such Proxy Proposal would not be consistent with the best economic interests of the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s). |
39 |
a timeline relating to taking action on such proposal, setting for the dates specified in
APPENDIX I
to this Policy ("
Proxy Action Timeline
"), including:
the deadline by which the relevant Proxy Principal must inform such Compliance Officer of such Proxy Principal's recommendation
as to how to vote on such proposal (the "
Recommendation Deadline
"); and
the deadline for taking action on such proposal (the "
Action Deadline
")
1
; and
the relevant Compliance Officer shall use his or her reasonable best efforts to complete the implementation of the procedures described in Section VI of this Policy no later than the Recommendation Deadline, and preferably sooner.
It is understood that the ability of particular persons to meet their respective obligations contained in the preceding bullet points in a timely manner will depend in significant part on the timely provision of information to such persons by others within the GCM Grosvenor organization.
D. Evaluation of Consistency of Proxy Request With Investment Objective(s), Policies and Restrictions and the Best Economic Interests of the Relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s)
Upon receiving a Proxy Request containing an Immaterial Proposal or a Material Proposal:
The Proxy Principal shall use his or her reasonable best efforts to determine, as soon as practicable, whether favorable action
on such Proposal would be consistent with the following:
the investment objective(s), policies and restrictions of the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s) (including, without limitation,
such non-economic policies, if any, as the investors/participants in the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s) shall have established
as policies governing such GCM Public Markets Funds); and/or
the best economic interests of the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s).
2
must consider only those factors that relate to the economic value of the investment to which such Proxy Request relates,
to the extent factors relating to economic value are involved in such Proxy Request
2
;
This does not mean that the Proxy Principal is obligated to disapprove a Proxy Request in a situation where approval would
result in an economic detriment to the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s); it means instead that, in determining a course
of action with respect to a Proxy Request, the Proxy Principal:
must not subordinate the economic interests of the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s) to objectives unrelated to the economic value of the investment to which such Proxy Request relates 2 ; and
may not use the opportunity to consent to a Proxy Request to promote social purposes or to further legislative, political, regulatory or public policy issues that have no connection to enhancing the economic value of the investment to which such Proxy Request relates. 2
The Portfolio Management Analysts shall use their reasonable best efforts to determine, prior to the deadline communicated to them by the relevant Compliance Officer (and preferably sooner), based on their usual and customary testing or review procedures, whether favorable action on such Proposal would be consistent with the investment restrictions applicable to the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s).
If the Proxy Principal determines that favorable action on such Proposal would not be consistent with (i) the investment objective(s), policies and restrictions of the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s) and/or (ii) the best economic interests of the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s) 2 , he or she shall promptly communicate that finding by e-mail or written memorandum to all Required Recipients. 3
If the Portfolio Management Analysts, based on their usual and customary testing or review procedures, determine that favorable action on such Proposal would not be consistent with the investment restrictions applicable to the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s), they shall promptly communicate that finding to all Required Recipients. 3
V. DETERMINING WHAT ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN WITH RESPECT TO A PROXY REQUEST
A. Immaterial Proposals
It is GCMLP's policy to act (or recommend action, as the case may be) on each Immaterial Proposal, unless the Operations Committee determines otherwise on or prior to the Objection Deadline. 4
It is GCMLP's policy to consent (or recommend consent, as the case may be) to each Immaterial Proposal unless:
on or prior to the Objection Deadline, the Proxy Principal has determined that consenting to such Immaterial Proposal would not be consistent with either or both (i) the investment objective(s), policies and restrictions of the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s) and (ii) the best economic interests of the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s), 2 or the Proxy Principal otherwise has determined to object to such Immaterial Proposal, and the Proxy Principal has communicated that determination or objection by e-mail or written memorandum to all Required Recipients (it being understood that if the Proxy Principal does not communicate any such negative determination or objection to the Requirement Recipients on or prior to the Objection Deadline, such Proxy Principal shall be deemed: (A) to have determined that consenting to such Immaterial Proposal is consistent with both (x) the investment objective(s), policies and restrictions of the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s) and (y) the best economic interests of the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s); 2 and/or
1 |
The relevant Compliance Officer shall be responsible for ensuring that such e-mail or written memorandum is placed in the Proxy File relating to such Material Proposal. |
2 |
See, however, note 13. |
3 |
The relevant Compliance Officer shall be responsible for ensuring that such e-mail or written memorandum is placed in the Proxy File relating to the Proposal in question. |
4 |
If the Operations Committee determines that GCMLP shall not act (or recommend action, as the case may be) on a Proxy Request relating to an Immaterial Proposal, it shall communicate such determination and the reason(s) for such determination (including any relevant cost/benefit analysis) to the relevant Compliance Officer by e-mail or written memorandum, and such Compliance Officer shall be responsible for ensuring that such e-mail or written memorandum is placed in the Proxy File relating to such Immaterial Proposal. |
40 |
the Operations Committee determines, based on information provided to it by the Proxy Principal and/or the Portfolio Management
Analysts, that consent to such Immaterial Proposal would not be consistent with:
the investment objective(s), policies and restrictions of the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s); and/or
the best economic interests of the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s). 1
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Operations Committee, after due consideration, may authorize GCMLP to act favorably (or make a favorable recommendation, as the case may be) on an Immaterial Proposal in either of the two situations described above, upon such terms and subject to such conditions as the Operations Committee may determine to be appropriate under the circumstances.
B. Material Proposals
Except as discussed in Section VI of this Policy, it is GCMLP's policy to act (or recommend action, as the case may be) on each Proxy Request relating to a Material Proposal in accordance with the recommendation of the Proxy Principal (including, without limitation, the CFO or such other person as may appointed by the Operations Committee to perform the functions of the Proxy Principal with respect to a Terminated Underlying Public Markets Fund) with respect to the Investment Manager or securities in question, subject to the following considerations:
Any member of the Investment Committee may object to the recommendation of a Proxy Principal in response to a Proxy Request by communicating such objection by e-mail or written memorandum to the other members of the Investment Committee, the relevant Compliance Officer and the members of the Operations Committee. 2 In the case of any such objection, the matter shall be referred to the Investment Committee, whose decision shall be final and conclusive ,3 ; provided, however, that GCMLP's Chairman or the Operations Committee may veto any action proposed to be taken by a Proxy Principal or by the Investment Committee in response to a Proxy Request. ,4
The Operations Committee may object to the recommendation of a Proxy Principal in response to a Proxy Request if the Operations Committee determines, based on information provided to it by the Proxy Principal and/or the Portfolio Management Analysts, that consent to such Proxy Request would not be consistent with: (i) the investment objective(s), policies and restrictions of the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s) and/or (ii) the best economic interests of the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s). The Operations Committee, however, after due consideration, may authorize GCMLP to act favorably (or make a favorable recommendation, as the case may be) on a Proxy Request relating to a Material Proposal in this situation, upon such terms and subject to such conditions as the Operations Committee may determine to be appropriate under the circumstances.
The Proxy Principal who is responsible for making such a recommendation shall communicate such recommendation by e-mail or written memorandum to the Required Recipients no later than the related Recommendation Deadline (it being understood that that such Proxy Principal's ability to so communicate such recommendation no later than such deadline will depend in significant part on the timely provision of information to such Proxy Principal by others within the GCM Grosvenor organization).
In the case of GCM Public Markets Funds that GCMLP manages on a discretionary basis, GCMLP ordinarily does not consult with clients prior to taking action on Proxy Requests that affect such GCM Public Markets Funds. However, in certain cases, clients who grant written legal investment discretion to GCMLP may informally reserve the right to approve or disapprove of GCMLP's decisions with respect to voting on Proxy Requests that affect their accounts.
In the case of GCM Public Markets Funds that GCMLP advises on a non-discretionary basis, GCMLP informs the clients of the Proxy Requests and follows their respective instructions with respect to voting on such requests.
C. Factors to be Considered in Determining What Actions Should be Taken in Response to Proxy Requests
GCMLP expects that Proxy Requests frequently will request approval of measures that reduce the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s)'s rights, powers and authority, and/or increase the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s)'s duties and obligations, associated with the security or Project Agreement in question ("Adverse Measures"). For example, it is anticipated that Proxy Requests frequently will request approval of increased fees and/or less favorable liquidity provisions relating to Underlying Public Markets Funds in which one or more GCM Public Markets Funds invest.
Nevertheless, it is expected that a Proxy Principal ordinarily will recommend favorable action on Proxy Requests that propose Adverse Measures as long as:
such Proxy Principal reasonably believes, based on the totality of the facts and circumstances (in the case of a Proxy Request relating to an investment in an Underlying Public Markets Fund, or to Direct Opportunity or other direct investment) that continuing to hold the relevant security has a reasonable probability of conferring economic benefits on the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s) (e.g., continued access to a high-quality Investment Manager) that outweigh the adverse economic affect(s) of such Adverse Measure, considered over the anticipated holding period of such security in the portfolio(s) of the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s); and
such Proxy Principal reasonably believes, based on the totality of the facts and circumstances (in the case of a Proxy Request relating to a Project Agreement) that adoption of the proposal in question has a reasonable probability of enhancing (or not materially reducing) the economic value and/or utility of the Project Agreement in the portfolio(s) of the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund(s) over the anticipated life of such Project Agreement.
1 |
See, however, note 13. |
2 |
The relevant Compliance Officer shall be responsible for ensuring that any such e-mail or written memorandum is placed in the Proxy File relating to such Material Proposal. |
3 |
The Investment Committee shall communicate such decision by e-mail or written memorandum to the relevant Compliance Officer and the members of the Operations Committee. The relevant Compliance Officer shall be responsible for ensuring that any such e-mail or written memorandum is placed in the Proxy File relating to such Material Proposal. |
4 |
GCMLP's Chairman or the Operations Committee, as the case may be, shall communicate any such veto by e-mail or written memorandum to the relevant Compliance Officer and the Investment Committee. The relevant Compliance Officer shall be responsible for ensuring that any such e-mail or written memorandum is placed in the Proxy File relating to such Material Proposal. |
41 |
VI. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
A. Identification of Conflicts of Interest
In furtherance of GCMLP's goal to take action on all Proxy Requests in a manner that best serves the interests of the affected GCM Public Markets Funds, GCMLP will not implement any decision to respond to (or make a recommendation as to how to respond to) a Proxy Request in a particular manner unless and until a Compliance Officer has implemented the procedures set forth below to:
identify whether GCMLP is subject to a conflict of interest in taking action in response to such Proxy Request;
assess the materiality of such a conflict; and
address a material conflict in a manner designed to serve the best interests of the affected GCM Public Markets Fund(s).
B. Procedures for Identifying Conflicts of Interest
A Compliance Officer may rely on the following in connection with seeking to identify conflicts of interest with respect to taking action in response to Proxy Requests:
1. The obligations of members of the Investment Committee, and of Proxy Principals, to bring conflicts of interest of which they are aware to the attention of such Compliance Officer (e.g., whether a member of the Investment Committee directly or indirectly owns the security in question).
2. The Trading Policy Compliance Officer shall provide each Compliance Officer a list of all "private placement" securities held by any Proxy Principal (or by any other person associated with GCMLP) and shall update such list and provide such updated list to each Compliance Officer no less frequently than quarterly.
3. Based on information provided to him or her pursuant to subsections 1-2 above, the relevant Compliance Officer, in consultation with such other GCMLP personnel as he or she determines to be appropriate under the circumstances, shall determine whether GCMLP is subject to a conflict of interest in taking action in response to a Proxy Request.
4. If the Compliance Officer determines that GCMLP is subject to a conflict of interest in taking action in response to a Proxy Request, he or she shall implement the procedures set forth below to assess whether such conflict of interest is material.
C. Procedures for Assessing Whether a Conflict of Interest Is Material
1. If the Compliance Officer determines that GCMLP is subject to a conflict of interest in taking action in response to a Proxy Request, he or she shall:
in consultation with such other GCMLP personnel as he or she determines to be appropriate under the circumstances, determine whether such conflict is material;
memorialize such determination by way of e-mail or written memorandum addressed to the Proxy File for such Proxy Request; and
place such e-mail or written memorandum in such Proxy File.
A conflict of interest ordinarily will be considered material if it can reasonably be argued that GCMLP (or a GCMLP Principal)
has a meaningful incentive to respond to the Proxy Request in a manner designed to benefit GCMLP (or a GCMLP Principal) rather
than the affected GCM Public Markets Fund(s) (even if there is no ostensible detriment to the affected GCM Public Markets
Fund(s) from responding to such request in that manner).
In addition, a conflict of interest may be considered material if it can reasonably be argued that GCMLP has a meaningful
incentive to respond to a Proxy Request in a manner designed to favor one or more GCM Public Markets Funds over one or more
other GCM Public Markets Funds.
2. If the Compliance Officer determines that GCMLP (or a GCMLP Principal or other GCMLP personnel) is subject to a conflict of interest in responding to a Proxy Request but that such conflict is not material, he or she shall (in addition to memorializing such determination as provided above):
issue an instruction (by e-mail or written memorandum 1 ) to take action in response to such Proxy Request in accordance with the decision reached pursuant to Section V of this Policy (in the case of taking such action on behalf of any one or more Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicles and Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Accounts); or
communicate the decision reached pursuant to Section V to the appropriate party or parties (in the case of recommending actions to clients/participants in one or more Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicles and Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Accounts).
3. If the Compliance Officer determines that GCMLP (or a GCMLP Principal or other GCMLP personnel) is subject to a conflict of interest in responding to a Proxy Request but that such conflict is material, he or she shall implement the procedures set forth below to address such conflict.
D. Procedures for Addressing a Material Conflict of Interest
1. If the Compliance Officer determines that GCMLP (or a GCMLP Principal or other GCMLP personnel) is subject to a material conflict of interest in taking action in response to a Proxy Request, he or she shall (in addition to memorializing such determination as provided above), in consultation with such other GCMLP personnel as he or she determines to be appropriate under the circumstances, determine how to address such conflict.
1 |
The Compliance Officer shall be responsible for ensuring that any such instruction is placed in the Proxy File for such Proxy Request. |
2. In determining how to address a material conflict of interest, the Compliance Officer may consider the following potential solutions, as well as any other solutions he or she wishes to consider:
in the case of a Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicle or Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Account, disclosing the conflict of interest to the appropriate parties; 1
42 |
in the case of a Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicle or a Discretionary Public Markets Investment Account, disclosing the conflict of interest to the appropriate parties and obtaining their consent (in accordance with the governing documents of such Fund or Account and applicable law) to act on the Proxy Request in accordance with the decision reached pursuant to Section V of this Policy 2 ; and
in the case of any GCM Public Markets Fund, engaging an independent third party 3 to recommend a response to the Proxy Request.
3. In cases where the Compliance Officer determines that GCMLP (or a GCMLP Principal or other GCMLP personnel) is subject to a conflict of interest in responding to a Proxy Request and that such conflict is material, he or she shall not issue an instruction to take or recommend action in response to such Proxy Request in accordance with the decision reached pursuant to Section V of this Policy, without: (1) first determining that such action is in the best interests of the affected GCM Public Markets Fund(s); and (2) memorializing such determination in an e-mail or written memorandum addressed to the Proxy File for such Proxy Request. 4
In the case of any GCM Public Markets Fund that is subject to ERISA, GCMLP may not issue an instruction to take or recommend action in response to a Proxy Request unless the material conflict has been cured or avoided to the satisfaction of the Compliance Officer pursuant to one or more of the following steps:
If the material conflict implicates one or more individuals on the Investment Committee or Operations Committee, as applicable, but does not implicate GCMLP (or other GCMLP Principals or personnel), the implicated individual(s) shall be recused from the decision with respect to such Proxy Request if feasible and not detrimental to such GCM Public Markets Fund.
If the impact of the material conflict goes beyond specific GCMLP individuals who can reasonably be recused from the action, GCMLP must engage an independent third party to recommend a response to the Proxy Request. The independent third party could be the fiduciary for the client, in the case of a Non-Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Account, if the fiduciary agrees in writing to assume full fiduciary responsibility for the response without advice from GCMLP.
VII. NOTICES TO INVESTORS/PARTICIPANTS IN GCM PUBLIC MARKETS FUNDS
The Client Services Department shall ensure that GCMLP delivers a written explanation of this Policy in the form of APPENDIX II hereto to: (i) each prospective investor/participant in a GCM Public Markets Fund (other than an investor/participant in a GCM Public Markets Fund that is a RIC) by verifying that the offering document or risk disclosure statement submitted to such prospective investor/participant contains such explanation, either as part of Part 2A of GCMLP's Securities and Exchange Commission Form ADV or as a separate, "stand alone" document and (ii) the Board of Directors of each GCM Public Markets Fund that is a RIC.
VIII. RESPONSES TO INVESTOR/PARTICIPANT REQUESTS
GCMLP shall, upon the request of an investor/participant or a prospective investor/participant in a GCM Public Markets Fund, provide such investor/participant or prospective investor/participant, as the case may be, a copy of the then-current version of this Policy, as soon as practicable under the circumstances. GCMLP's Client Services Department shall maintain a log of each such request received from an investor/participant or prospective investor/participant (whether oral or written), other than a request received as part of "RFP" or "RFI", indicating: (i) the name of such investor/participant or prospective investor/participant; (ii) the date on which GCMLP received such request; and (iii) the date on which GCMLP responded to such request.
GCMLP shall, as soon as practicable after the receipt of a request of an investor/participant in a particular Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Vehicle (other than a RIC) or Discretionary GCM Public Markets Investment Account, provide such investor/participant with such information as such investor/participant may reasonably request regarding how GCMLP has responded to Proxy Requests on behalf of such Vehicle or Account. GCMLP's Client Services Department shall maintain a log of each such request received from an investor/participant (whether oral or written), other than a request received as part of "RFP" or "RFI", indicating: (i) the name of such investor/participant; (ii) the date on which GCMLP received such request; and (iii) the date on which GCMLP responded to such request. If GCMLP uses a third-party service provider to respond to such a request, it shall enter into an agreement with such third-party service provider obligating such third-party service provider to:
respond to such request as soon as practicable after such third-party service provider's receipt of such request;
maintain, and to make available to GCMLP promptly upon its request, a log of each such request received from an investor/participant (whether oral or written) indicating: (i) the name of such investor/participant; (ii) the date on which such third-party service provider received such request and; (iii) the date on which GCMLP responded to such request; and
provide to a designated person or department of GCMLP a copy of such third-party service provider's response to such request as soon as practicable after responding to such request.
GCMLP shall, within three (3) business days of GCMLP's receipt of a request of an investor/participant in a RIC, send to such investor/participant the proxy voting record disclosed in such RIC's most recently filed report on Form N-PX, by first-class mail or other means designed to ensure equally prompt delivery, including by email if agreed to by such investor/participant. GCMLP's Client Services Department shall maintain a log of each such request received from an investor/participant (whether oral or written) indicating: (i) the name of such investor/participant; (ii) the date on which GCMLP received such request; and (iii) the date on which GCMLP responded to such request. If GCMLP uses a third-party service provider to respond to such a request from an investor/participant in a RIC, it shall enter into an agreement with such third-party service provider obligating such third-party service provider to:
1 |
Such disclosure must provide sufficient information regarding the conflict to enable a reasonable person to make an informed decision as to whether to respond to the Proxy Request in the manner recommended by GCMLP. |
2 |
See note 33. |
3 |
Prior to engaging an independent third party, the relevant Compliance Officer, in consultation with such other persons as he or she determines to be appropriate under the circumstances, must first determine that such independent third party: In determining whether a particular independent third party is capable of making recommendations in an impartial manner, such Compliance Officer shall: |
4 |
The Compliance Officer shall be responsible for ensuring that any such e-mail or written memorandum is placed in the Proxy File for such Proxy Request. |
43 |
send the proxy voting record disclosed in such RIC's most recently filed report on Form N-PX within three (3) business days of such third-party service-provider's receipt of such request, by first-class mail or other means designed to ensure equally prompt delivery, including by email if agreed to by such investor/participant;
maintain, and to make available to GCMLP promptly upon its request, a log of each such request received from an investor/participant (whether oral or written) indicating: (i) the name of such investor/participant; (ii) the date on which such third-party service provider received such request; and (iii) the date on which such third-party service provider responded to such request; and
provide to a designated person or department of GCMLP a copy of such third-party service provider's response to such request as soon as practicable after responding to such request.
IX. ANNUAL REVIEW
The Chief Compliance Officer (the "CCO") shall review this Policy no less frequently than annually, and otherwise as needed, for the purpose of updating it to reflect changes in proxy voting rules and regulations applicable to GCMLP (as well as changes in GCMLP's business policies and practices), and submit such updates to the Operations Committee for approval. 1
X. CREATION AND RETENTION OF RECORDS
Various parties shall be responsible for overseeing GCMLP's creation and retention of certain books and records relating to this Policy, as described in this Policy and in GCMLP's Document Creation, Security, Retention and Destruction Policies and Procedures.
1 |
All of GCMLP's compliance policies and procedures, and all amendments/revisions thereof, must be approved by the Operations Committee; provided, however, that the CCO may approve the following types of amendments/revisions to GCMLP's compliance policies and procedures, and/or adopt additional compliance policies and procedures that are designed to supplement the compliance policies and procedures that have been approved by the Operations Committee, without the need to submit such amendments/revisions or such supplemental policies and procedures to the Operations Committee for its approval: |
44 |
APPENDIX I
Proxy Action Timeline
The Compliance Officer responsible for preparing the Proxy Action Timeline relating to a particular proxy proposal may provide additional time for taking any one or more of the various actions set forth below, but should attempt, to the extent possible under the particular facts and circumstances surrounding a given proposal, not to reduce the timeframe set forth below with respect to any such action.
T Compliance Officer causes Investment Operations (or appropriate administrator(s)/trustee(s)) to submit proxy vote to manager or other appropriate party (Action Deadline); Client Services sends memo to each Post-Notification Account* describing proposal and how GCMLP voted on such proposal.
T-1 Client Services obtains instructions from each Affirmative Approval Account** as to how to vote proxy on its behalf and communicates such instructions to Compliance Officer; Client Services informs Compliance Officer of any Negative Consent Account** that has objected to the GCMLP recommendation. Compliance Officer generally causes Investment Operations to submit proxy vote to appropriate administrator(s)/trustee(s) by T-1 for submission by such administrator(s)/trustee(s) to manager or other appropriate party no later than T.
T-6 Client Services sends: (i) memo to each Affirmative Approval Account** and each Negative Consent Account** describing proposal (including, where required, all relevant materials associated with the proposal) and GCMLP's recommendation and (ii) memo to each Pre-Notification Account*** describing proposal and how GCMLP will act on proposal. T-7 Compliance Officer prepares: (i) memo to each Affirmative Approval Account** and each Negative Consent Account** describing proposal and GCMLP's recommendation and (ii) memo to each Pre-Notification Account*** describing proposal and how GCMLP will act on the proposal. T-9 Proxy Principal informs Compliance Officer of such Proxy Principal's recommendation as to how to vote on proposal (Recommendation Deadline).
T-10 Operational Due Diligence personnel informs the Compliance Officer, the Investment Committee and the Operations Committee in the event the proposed changes are not acceptable from an operational due diligence perspective; Portfolio Management Analysts inform the Compliance Officer, the Investment Committee and the Operations Committee in the event the proposed changes are not acceptable from a portfolio objectives and constraints perspective; Finance and Research provide any additional comments.
T-11 Compliance Officer provides all Required Recipients an e-mail or written memorandum (to which the Proxy Materials and the Proxy Action Timeline, if applicable, are attached) describing (i) the nature of the proposal; (ii) the contemplated effective date of such proposal, if adopted; and (iii) the GCM Public Markets Fund(s) that would be affected by adoption of such proposal. In the case of any GCM Public Markets Fund listed under the category entitled "Client Reserved Action" in the document entitled "Affirmative Approval Accounts, Negative Consent Accounts, Pre-Notification Accounts and No Correspondence Accounts" (which document can be found in the "GCMLP Compliance Policies" sub-folder in the Outlook "Legal" Public Folder), such Compliance Officer shall be responsible for forwarding all relevant materials relating to the Proxy Request in question to an appropriate representative of such GCM Public Markets Fund.
* For a list of current Post-Notification Accounts and the requirements applicable to each, see the document entitled "Affirmative Approval Accounts, Negative Consent Accounts, Pre-Notification Accounts and No Correspondence Accounts" in the "Compliance Policies" sub-folder in the Outlook "Legal" Public Folder.
** For a list of current Affirmative Approval Accounts and Negative Consent Accounts and the requirements applicable to each, see the document entitled "Affirmative Approval Accounts, Negative Consent Accounts, Pre-Notification Accounts and No Correspondence Accounts" in the "Compliance Policies" sub-folder in the Outlook "Legal" Public Folder.
*** For a list of current Pre-Notification Accounts and the requirements applicable to each, see the document entitled "Affirmative Approval Accounts, Negative Consent Accounts, Pre-Notification Accounts and No Correspondence Accounts" in the "Compliance Policies" sub-folder in the Outlook "Legal" Public Folder.
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APPENDIX II
GROSVENOR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, L.P.
Proxy Voting Disclosure
Background
Rule 206(4)-6 under the Advisers Act requires an SEC-registered investment adviser like Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. ("we," "us" or "our") to implement proxy voting policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that the adviser votes proxies in the best interests of its clients.
Pursuant to Rule 206(4)-6, we have adopted Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (Proxy Policies) that have been designed to ensure that we vote proxies in the best interests of our clients.
You may request a copy of our Proxy Policies (which are summarized below), and/or request an opportunity to review applicable proxy voting record (or in the case of an investment vehicle that is registered as investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended ("RIC"), such RIC's most recently filed Form N-PX), by contacting our Client Services Department (telephone: 1-855-426-9321; e-mail: Client.services@gcmlp.com).
When We Are Requested to Respond to Proxy Requests
The most common scenarios in which we are requested to respond to proxy requests relating to securities held by one or more client accounts (GCM Public Markets Funds) are as follows:
We have investment discretion over such client accounts and we are requested by the investment manager (Investment Manager) of an underlying investment fund in which such client accounts invest (Underlying Public Markets Fund) to vote limited partnership interests, limited liability company interests, shares or similar equity interests in such Underlying Public Markets Fund.
A client who invests in an account over which we do not have investment discretion is requested by the Investment Manager of an Underlying Public Markets Fund in which such account invests to vote limited partnership interests, limited liability company interests, shares or similar equity interests in such Underlying Public Markets Fund, and such client in turn requests us to make a recommendation as to how such client should respond to such request.
In certain cases, we may be requested to vote on (or make recommendations to clients as to how to vote on) matters relating to Project Agreements, Direct Opportunities and other direct investments, as described in the Proxy Policies. For purposes of convenience, a request by an Investment Manager or other party (other than a client) to vote a security held by a client account (including a Direct Opportunity or other direct investment), or to vote on any matter (or consent to any action) relating to a Project Agreement, is referred to below as a Proxy Request .
Material Proposals and Immaterial Proposals
We divide Proxy Requests into two general categories, those relating to "Immaterial Proposals" and those relating to "Material Proposals." We define an Immaterial Proposal as a proposal that, if adopted, would not, in our reasonable judgment, either:
be reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the relevant client account(s) (e.g., a proposal to approve a change in the name of an Underlying Public Markets Fund; to approve an Underlying Public Markets Fund's previous year's audited financial statements; to approve an Underlying Public Markets Fund's appointment of independent auditors; or to elect new directors of an Underlying Public Markets Fund, etc.); or
materially adversely change the terms on which future investments may be made by one or more of our client accounts.
In other words, a proposal that, if adopted, would change any one or more terms in a manner that is favorable, or not materially adverse, to existing or future client accounts, is an Immaterial Proposal. We define a Material Proposal as a proposal that is not an Immaterial Proposal – i.e., a Material Proposal is a proposal that, if adopted, would, in our reasonable judgment, either:
be reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the relevant client account(s); or
materially adversely change the terms on which future investments may be made by one or more client accounts.
Determining What Action Should Be Taken in Response to a Proxy Request Upon receiving a Proxy Request containing an Immaterial Proposal or a Material Proposal:
the investment professional whom we have designated as the Proxy Principal with respect to the Investment Manager or securities
in question (Proxy Principal) must determine whether favorable action on such Proposal would be consistent with:
the investment objective(s), policies and restrictions of the relevant client account(s); and
the best economic interests of the relevant client account(s). 1
This does not mean that the Proxy Principal is obligated to disapprove a Proxy Request in a situation where approval would
result in an economic detriment to the relevant client account(s); it means instead that, in determining a course of action
with respect to a Proxy Request, the Proxy Principal:
must consider only those factors that relate to the economic value of the investment to which such Proxy Request relates,
to the extent factors relating to economic value are involved in such Proxy Request (see, however, note 1);
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However, in certain cases, investor(s)/participant(s) in a client account may, in connection with establishing the investment objective(s), policies and restrictions of such client account, instruct us that, whenever we are required to determine a course of action with respect to a Proxy Request involving an investment held by such client account, we may or must: (1) consider factors other than factors relating to the economic value of such investment; (2) subordinate the economic interests of such account to objectives unrelated to the economic value of such investment) and/or (3) use the opportunity to consent to such Proxy Request to promote social purposes or to further legislative, political, regulatory or public policy issues that have no connection to enhancing the economic value of such investment. |
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must not subordinate the economic interests of the relevant client account(s) to objectives unrelated to the economic value
of the investment to which such Proxy Request relates (see, however, note 1); and
may not use the opportunity to consent to a Proxy Request to promote social purposes or to further legislative, political, regulatory or public policy issues that have no connection to enhancing the economic value of the investment to which such Proxy Request relates (see, however, note 1).
Action on Immaterial Proposals
It is our policy to act (or recommend action, as the case may be) on each Immaterial Proposal, unless our Operations Committee determines otherwise.
It is our policy to consent (or recommend consent, as the case may be) to each Immaterial Proposal unless:
the relevant Proxy Principal has determined that consenting to such Immaterial Proposal would not be consistent with either or both: (i) the investment objective(s), policies and restrictions of the relevant client account(s) and (ii) the best economic interests of the relevant client account(s) (see, however, note 1), or the Proxy Principal otherwise has determined to object to such Immaterial Proposal; and/or
our Operations Committee determines, based on information provided to it by the Proxy Principal and/or by certain other persons within our organization, that consent to such Immaterial Proposal would not be consistent with: (i) the investment objective(s), policies and restrictions of the relevant client account(s) and/or (ii) the best economic interests of the relevant client account(s) (see, however, note 1).
Notwithstanding the foregoing, our Operations Committee, after due consideration, may authorize GCM Public Markets Funds to act favorably (or make a favorable recommendation, as the case may be) on an Immaterial Proposal in either of the two situations described above, upon such terms and subject to such conditions as our Operations Committee may determine to be appropriate under the circumstances.
Action on Material Proposals
Except as discussed below under " Managing Conflicts of Interest ," it is our policy to act (or recommend action, as the case may be) on each Proxy Request relating to a Material Proposal in accordance with the recommendation of the Proxy Principal with respect to the Investment Manager or securities in question, subject to the following considerations:
Any member of our Investment Committee may object to the recommendation of a Proxy Principal in response to a Proxy Request. In the case of any such objection, the matter is referred to our Investment Committee, whose decision shall be final and conclusive; provided, however, that our Chairman or our Operations Committee may veto any action proposed to be taken by a Proxy Principal or by our Investment Committee in response to a Proxy Request.
Our Operations Committee may object to the recommendation of a Proxy Principal in response to a Proxy Request if our Operations Committee determines, based on information provided to it by the Proxy Principal and/or by certain other persons within our organization, that consent to such Proxy Request would not be consistent with: (i) the investment objective(s), policies and restrictions of the relevant client account(s) and/or (ii) the best economic interests of the relevant client account(s) (see, however, note 1). Our Operations Committee, however, after due consideration, may authorize GCM Public Markets Funds to act favorably (or make a favorable recommendation, as the case may be) on a Proxy Request relating to a Material Proposal in this situation, upon such terms and subject to such conditions as our Operations Committee may determine to be appropriate under the circumstances.
In the case of client accounts that we manage on a discretionary basis, we ordinarily do not consult with the clients prior to taking action on Proxy Requests that affect such accounts. However, in certain cases, clients who grant written legal investment discretion to us may informally reserve the right to approve or disapprove of our decisions with respect to voting on Proxy Requests that affect their accounts.
In the case of client accounts that we advise on a non-discretionary basis, we inform the clients of the Proxy Requests and follow their respective instructions with respect to voting on such requests.
Factors Considered in Determining What Action Should Be Taken in Response to a Proxy Request
We expect that Proxy Requests frequently will request approval of "Adverse Measures," namely, measures that reduce the rights, powers and authority, and/or increase the duties and obligations, associated with the security or Project Agreement in question. For example, it is anticipated that Proxy Requests frequently will request approval of increased fees and/or less favorable liquidity provisions relating to Underlying Public Markets Funds in which one or more of our client accounts invest.
Nevertheless, it is expected that a Proxy Principal ordinarily will recommend favorable action on Proxy Requests that propose Adverse Measures as long as:
such Proxy Principal reasonably believes, based on the totality of the facts and circumstances (in the case of a Proxy Request relating to an investment in an Underlying Public Markets Fund, or to a Direct Opportunity or other direct investment) that continuing to hold the relevant security has a reasonable probability of conferring economic benefits on the relevant client account(s) (e.g., continued access to a high-quality Investment Manager) that outweigh the adverse economic affect(s) of such Adverse Measure, considered over the anticipated holding period of such security in the portfolio(s) of the relevant client account(s); and
such Proxy Principal reasonably believes, based on the totality of the facts and circumstances (in the case of a Proxy Request relating to a Project Agreement) that adoption of the proposal in question has a reasonable probability of enhancing (or not materially reducing) the economic value and/or utility of the Project Agreement in the portfolio(s) of the relevant client account(s) over the anticipated life of such Project Agreement.
Managing Conflicts of Interest
In furtherance of our goal to take action on all Proxy Requests in a manner that best serves the interests of the affected client accounts, we will not implement any decision to respond to (or make a recommendation as to how to respond to) a Proxy Request in a particular manner unless and until a Compliance Officer has implemented certain procedures designed to:
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identify whether we are subject to a conflict of interest in taking action in response to such Proxy Request;
assess the materiality of such a conflict; and
address a material conflict in a manner designed to serve the best interests of the affected client accounts(s).
A conflict of interest ordinarily will be considered material if it can reasonably be argued that we (or certain of our related persons) have a meaningful incentive to respond to the Proxy Request in a manner designed to benefit us (or any such related person) rather than the affected client accounts – even if there is no ostensible detriment to the affected client account(s) from responding to such request in that manner.
In addition, a conflict of interest may be considered material if it can reasonably be argued that we have a meaningful incentive to respond to a Proxy Request in a manner designed to favor one or more of our client account(s) over one or more of our other client account(s).
All materiality determinations are based on an assessment of the particular facts and circumstances.
If the Compliance Officer determines that we (or one or more of our related persons) are subject to a conflict of interest in taking action in response to a Proxy Request but that such conflict is not material, he or she shall issue an instruction to take action in response to such Proxy Request as provided above under "Action on Immaterial Proposals" or "Action on Material Proposals," as the case may be.
If the Compliance Officer determines that we (or one or more of our related persons) are subject to a material conflict of interest in taking action in response to a Proxy Request, he or she shall, in consultation with such other of our personnel as he or she determines to be appropriate under the circumstances, determine how to address such conflict.
In determining how to address a material conflict of interest, the Compliance Officer may consider the following potential solutions, as well as any other solutions he or she wishes to consider:
in the case of a non-discretionary account, disclosing the conflict of interest to the appropriate parties;
in the case of a discretionary account, disclosing the conflict of interest to the appropriate parties and obtaining their consent (in accordance with the governing documents of such account) to act on the Proxy Request in accordance with the decision reached by us with respect to such Proxy Request; and
in the case of any account, engaging an independent third party to recommend a response to the Proxy Request.
In cases in which the Compliance Officer determines that we (or one or more of our related persons) are subject to a conflict of interest in responding to a Proxy Request and that such conflict is material, he or she shall not issue an instruction to take or recommend action in response to such Proxy Request in accordance with the decision reached by us without first determining that such action is in the best interests of the affected client account(s).
In the case of any client account that is subject to ERISA, we may not issue an instruction to take or recommend action in response to a Proxy Request unless the material conflict has been cured or avoided to the satisfaction of the Compliance Officer pursuant to one or more of the following steps:
If the material conflict implicates one or more individuals on our Investment Committee or our Operations Committee but does not implicate us (or other personnel), the implicated individual(s) shall be recused from the decision with respect to such Proxy Request if feasible and not detrimental to such account.
If the impact of the material conflict goes beyond specific employees who can reasonably be recused from the action, we must engage an independent third party to recommend a response to the Proxy Request. The independent third party could be the fiduciary for the client account, in the case of a non-discretionary account, if the fiduciary agrees in writing to assume full fiduciary responsibility for the response without advice from us.
In certain cases, depending on the interests of particular clients, a Proxy Principal may recommend that certain client accounts vote against a Material Proposal and that other client accounts vote in favor of such Material Proposal.
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BASSWOOD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC
PROXY VOTING POLICY
PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES
A. Introduction
This policy (the "Proxy Voting Policy") applies to the voting of proxies by the Firm, for those client accounts over
which the Firm has proxy voting authority.
The Proxy Voting Policy is designed to ensure that the Firm complies with the requirements of Rule 206(4)-6 and Rule 204-2 promulgated pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, and fulfills its obligation thereunder with respect to proxy voting, disclosure and recordkeeping. The Firm's objective is to ensure that it fulfills its fiduciary obligation by conducting its proxy voting activities on behalf of its clients in a manner consistent, under all circumstances, with the best interest of the clients.
To these ends, the Firm has retained a third party proxy advisory and voting service provider (the "Proxy Adviser") to assist Basswood with the analysis, voting and record keeping of all proxies. The Proxy Adviser provides independent assessment and recommendations with regard to all proxy items for securities held by its clients.
B. Proxy Voting Policy
The Firm believes that the voting of proxies is an important part of portfolio management for its clients as it provides
the client the opportunity to be heard and influence the direction of a company with the general intention to enhance the
value of the securities held in a client's account. Unless otherwise agreed between the Firm and a client, the Firm will have
the responsibility of voting proxies received by the Firm on behalf of its clients.
Consistent with the Firm's commitment to vote proxies in the best interests of its clients, Basswood reviews the proxy voting recommendations and guidelines issued by the Proxy Adviser ("Proxy Guidelines"). The Proxy Guidelines are designed to address a wide range of common business and social issues often contained in proxy statements. Although the Firm may rely on the recommendations provided by the Proxy Adviser, Basswood retains final authority to determine how each proxy is voted.
The CCO is responsible for monitoring the Firm's compliance with the Proxy Voting Policy.
C. Proxy Voting Procedures
The Proxy Adviser will track each proxy that the Firm is authorized to vote on behalf of its clients and will provide
a recommendation as to how to vote such proxy in accordance with the Proxy Guidelines. Proxy proposals received by the Firm
will be reviewed by the CCO and voted in the best interests of the clients, upon approval from Basswood's Chief Operating
Officer (the "COO") and/or Portfolio Manager. In the case where the Proxy Adviser does not provide analysis or recommendations
for a proxy, such as with a private company, the Firm will vote the proxy on a case-by-case basis, generally by manually submitting
the ballots.
The Firm may, or may not, in its discretion, base its proxy voting decisions on established policies or recommendations on individual proxy proposals developed by the Proxy Adviser in the Proxy Guidelines, or other recommendations of the Proxy Adviser. All proxy votes are ultimately cast on a case-by-case basis, taking into account, all relevant facts and circumstances at the time of the vote.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Firm may vote a proxy contrary to the Proxy Guidelines or other recommendations of the Proxy Adviser, if the Firm determines that such action is in the best interest of the clients. In the event that the Firm votes contrary to the Proxy Guidelines or recommendations, Basswood will document the basis for the Firm's contrary voting decision.
In addition, the Firm may choose not to vote proxies in certain situations or for certain clients, such as (i) where a client has informed the Firm that it wishes to retain the right to vote the proxy, (ii) where the Firm deems the cost of voting would exceed any anticipated benefit to the client, (iii) where the proxy is received for a client account that has been terminated, (iv) where a proxy is received by the Firm for a security it no longer manages on behalf of a client, or (v) where the Firm believes that such action is in the best interest of the client; and will routinely do so when a client holds a position in securities of a company in which the client does not have net market exposure or an economic interest (for instance, a client may have a "boxed" position where they hold an equal amount of shares long and short of the same security).
D. Conflicts of Interest
The Firm may occasionally be subject to conflicts of interest in the voting of proxies due to business or personal relationships
it maintains with persons having an interest in the outcome of certain votes. The Firm, its affiliates and/or Basswood personnel
may also occasionally have business or personal relationships with the proponents of proxy proposals, participants in proxy
contests, corporate directors and officers, or candidates for directorships.
Any potential or actual conflict of interest relating to a particular proxy proposal must be brought to the attention of the CCO. If at any time, the CCO becomes aware of a conflict of interest relating to a particular proxy proposal, the Firm will review the conflict and seek to address such conflict in a manner that is in the best interests of its clients.
Each conflict of interest relating to a particular proxy proposal will be handled on a case-by-case basis, based on the particular facts and circumstances. If the Firm is uncertain how to address a conflict relating to a particular proxy proposal, the Firm will (i) vote the proposal in accordance with the Proxy Adviser's recommendation for the particular proxy proposal; or (ii) if no recommendation is provided by the Proxy Adviser, the CCO may determine for the client to be notified of such conflict and cause the proxy to be voted in accordance with the client's instructions or, if no instructions are received, abstain from voting.
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E. Securities Class Action Settlements
Occasionally, the Firm will receive notification of securities class action settlements or SEC disgorgements (
"Class Actions"
) in which a client may be eligible to participate. The Firm, in its discretion, will determine if it is in the best interest
of the Funds to either participate in, or opt-out of, any Class Actions.
The Class Action documents are to be reviewed by the CCO to determine if a client is eligible to participate in the Class Action and, if so, if it is in the best interest of the client to participate. If the Firm, upon approval by the COO, determines to participate in a Class Action on behalf of a client, the CCO will file proof of claims, as appropriate. In the event the Firm opts out of a Class Action, Basswood will maintain documentation of any analysis to support its decision.
Additionally, the Firm may retain a third party class action service provider to monitor all Class Actions, determine eligibility and to file proof of claims, as appropriate.
F. ERISA Accounts
With respect to ERISA clients, the Firm votes proxies and participates in Class Actions in accordance with its fiduciary
duty, obligation to avoid prohibited transactions and applicable plan documents.
G. Books and Records
In accordance with Rule 204-2 and the Firm's Record Retention and Recordkeeping Policy, the Firm will maintain the following
records in connection with the Firm's Proxy Voting Policy and procedures:
a copy of the Proxy Voting Policy;
a copy of all proxy statements received regarding clients' securities;
a record of each vote the Firm casts on behalf of a client;
records of client requests for proxy voting information, including a copy of each written client request for information on how the Firm voted proxies on behalf of the requesting client, and a copy of any written response by the Firm to any (written or oral) client request for information on how the Firm voted proxies on behalf of the requesting client; and
any documentation prepared by the Firm that were material to making a decision on how to vote, or that memorialized the basis for the voting decision.
The foregoing records will be maintained and preserved, in an easily accessible place, for a period of five years from the end of the fiscal year during which the last entry was made on such record.
H. Disclosure to Clients
A description of the Proxy Voting Policy will be provided to a client at the inception of the Firm-client relationship. In
addition, a client may obtain a copy of the Proxy Voting Policy, as well as information regarding how proxies were voted by
the Firm for their account, upon written request to the Firm.
I. Delegation
The Firm may delegate its responsibilities under the Proxy Voting Policy to the Proxy Adviser or another third party, provided
that the Firm retains final authority and fiduciary responsibility for proxy voting. If the Firm delegates its responsibilities,
Basswood shall monitor the delegate's compliance with the Proxy Voting Policy.
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IMPALA ASSET MANAGEMENT
PROXY VOTING POLICY
Proxy Voting
Implementation Date: 8/3/2009
Most Recent Amendment Date: N/A
Background
Rule 206(4)-6 under the Advisers Act requires every investment adviser who exercises voting authority with respect to client
securities to adopt and implement written policies and procedures, reasonably designed to ensure that the adviser votes proxies
in the best interest of its clients. The procedures must address material conflicts that may arise in connection with proxy
voting. The rule further requires the adviser to provide a concise summary of the adviser's proxy voting process and offer
to provide copies of the complete proxy voting policy and procedures to clients upon request. Lastly, the rule requires that
the adviser disclose to clients how they may obtain information on how the adviser voted their proxies.
Policy
Impala will vote proxies in the best interest of its clients without regard to Impala's interest. Impala will support company
management when, in its opinion, management has the intent and ability to maximize shareholder wealth over the long term.
Proposals that diminish the rights of shareholders or diminish management or board accountability to shareholders will typically
be opposed. However, reasonable measures that provide the board or management with flexibility for negotiation during unsolicited
takeover attempts may be supported, provided that such measures do not deter every potential acquisition. Likewise, compensation
plans that appear excessive relative to comparable companies' compensation packages and/or appear unreasonable in light of
the performance of the issuer will typically be opposed. Matters involving social issues or corporate responsibility will
be evaluated principally based on their likely impact on the economic value of the issuer. On occasion, votes may be withheld
for certain directors to show Impala's disfavor with a company's chief executive or particular directors
In instances where Impala has determined that it is not in the best interest of its clients to follow the policy described
above, the Compliance Committee must approve any recommendations for votes. The CCO is responsible for maintaining the documentation
regarding any vote recommendations or vote overrides.
There may be some instances in which Impala will choose not to vote or may not be able to vote a proxy. Issues that may affect proxies for international securities include extraordinary requirements, such as share blocking, or the requirement to vote the security in person. Impala may choose not to vote proxies when it is in the client's best interest or when the cost of voting outweighs the potential benefits received.
Investors may contact Impala to obtain a copy of the proxy voting policy. In addition, investors may contact Impala for information on how the proxies for the securities in their portfolio were voted. All such information will be provided to investors free of charge.
This policy will be reviewed and approved on an annual basis by the Compliance Committee.
Conflicts of Interest
Conflicts of interest may arise when Impala or an affiliate has a relationship with an issuer that may affect Impala's judgment in voting securities in the best interest of client accounts. The following is a non-exhaustive list of potential conflicts of interest that could influence the proxy voting process:
Conflict : An investor or prospective investor in one of the funds is affiliated with an issuer that is held in a fund portfolio. For example, Company A's pension fund invests in an Impala fund. Company A is a public company and an Impala fund holds shares of Company A. This type of relationship may influence Impala to vote with management on proxies to gain favor with management. Such favor may influence Company A's decision to continue to invest with Impala.
Conflict : An investor in one of the funds is an officer or director of an issuer that is held in a fund portfolio. A similar conflict exists in this relationship as the one discussed above.
Conflict : Impala's employees maintain a personal and/or business relationship (not an advisory relationship) with issuers or individuals that serve as officers or directors of issuers. For example, the spouse of an employee may be a high-level executive of an issuer that is held in a fund portfolio. The spouse could attempt to influence Impala to vote in favor of management.
Conflict : An employee personally owns a significant number of an issuer's securities that are also held in a fund portfolio. For any number of reasons, the employee may seek to vote proxies in a different direction for his/her personal holdings than would otherwise be warranted by Impala's proxy voting policy. The employee could oppose voting the proxies according to the policy and successfully influence Impala to vote proxies in contradiction to the policy.
Impala will make every effort to ensure that proxy votes are not affected by conflicts of interest. Impala realizes that due to the difficulty of predicting and identifying all conflicts, it must rely on employees to notify the CCO of any material conflict that may impair Impala's ability to vote proxies in an objective manner.
In addition, any attempts by employees to influence the voting of client proxies in a manner that is inconsistent with Impala's proxy voting policy shall be reported to the CCO. Further, any attempts by persons or entitles outside Impala to influence the voting of client proxies shall be reported to the CCO.
Procedures for Voting Proxies
These proxy voting procedures are designed to enable Impala to resolve material conflicts of interest with clients before
voting their proxies.
Impala shall be the designated party to receive proxy voting materials on behalf of its clients.
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Compliance shall receive all proxy voting materials and will be responsible for ensuring that proxies are voted and submitted in a timely manner.
Compliance will compare each proxy to a security holdings list as of the record date of the proxy to ensure the accuracy of the number of shares. Impala will generally only exercise proxy voting authority when a client's holdings of an individual stock represent 5% or more of the client's portfolio. In cases where the security is held in a margin account, the number of available shares as of the record date will be confirmed. Securities held in the margin account are often lent by the custodian resulting in instances in which no shares are available for voting.
The CCO will reasonably try to assess any material conflicts between Impala's interests and those of its clients with respect to proxy voting by considering the situations identified in the Conflicts of Interest section.
Provided that no material conflicts of interest are identified, Impala will determine how to vote the proxy in the interest of maximizing shareholder value. Impala may also elect to abstain from voting if it deems such abstinence is in its clients' best interest. The rationale for abstaining from votes (other than those that represent less than 5% of a client's portfolio) will be documented and the documentation will be maintained in the permanent file.
If the CCO is made aware of a conflict of interest, the Compliance Committee will meet to determine the vote that is in the best interest of Impala's clients by reviewing the proxy voting materials and any additional documentation necessary to determine the appropriate vote. Records of any such meeting and all documentation shall be maintained for a period of five years.
If a decision cannot be reached by the Compliance Committee, Impala will engage the services of an outside proxy voting service or consultant who will provide an independent recommendation on the direction in which Impala should vote on the proposal. The proxy voting service's or consultant's determination will be binding on Impala.
Any attempts by an employee to influence the voting of proxies in a manner that is inconsistent with Impala's policy must be reported to the CCO or, if the Managing Partner is the person attempting to influence the voting, then to Impala's outside counsel.
Class Action Lawsuits
Impala has the authority to advise or act for the Impala Funds with respect to any legal proceeding, including class action
lawsuits and bankruptcies involving securities purchased or held by the funds. It is the responsibility of the CCO to evaluate
each proceeding and take appropriate action. The CCO may consult with the portfolio manager or analyst who recommended purchasing
the security regarding such matters.
Recordkeeping
Impala will maintain the following documentation for a period of not less than five years, the first two years of which such
documentation shall be maintained at its principal place of business.
Investor requests to review proxy votes, including the identity of the investor, the date of the request, and a copy of the response provided;
A copy of all proxy statements received;
A record of how Impala voted client proxies; and
Any documentation that was material to making a decision on how to vote, or that memorialized the basis for the decision.
Disclosure
Impala will ensure that Part 2 of Form ADV is updated as necessary to reflect: (i) all material changes to Impala's proxy
voting policy and procedures; and (ii) information about how investors may obtain information on how Impala voted proxies.
Proxy Solicitation
As a matter of practice, it is Impala's policy to not reveal or disclose to any investor how Impala may have voted (or intends
to vote) on a particular proxy until after it votes the proxy. Impala will not generally disclose such information to unrelated
third parties. The Managing Partner and CCO are to be promptly informed of the receipt of any solicitation from any person
to vote proxies on behalf of clients. The CCO shall handle all responses to such solicitations.
Responsibility
The CCO is responsible for ensuring that proxies are voted in accordance with the policies and procedures outlined above.
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INCLINE GLOBAL MANAGEMENT, LLC
PROXY VOTING POLICY
PROXY VOTING AND CLASS ACTIONS
Implementation Date: April 2012
Most Recent Amendment Date:
Background
In Proxy Voting by Investment Advisers, Investment Advisers Act Release No. 2106 (January 31, 2003), the SEC noted that, "The federal securities laws do not specifically address how an adviser must exercise its proxy voting authority for its clients. Under the Advisers Act, however, an adviser is a fiduciary that owes each of its clients a duty of care and loyalty with respect to all services undertaken on the client's behalf, including proxy voting. The duty of care requires an adviser with proxy voting authority to monitor corporate events and to vote the proxies."
Rule 206(4)-6 under the Advisers Act requires each registered investment adviser that exercises proxy voting authority with respect to client securities to:
Adopt and implement written policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that the adviser votes client securities in the clients' best interests. Such policies and procedures must address the manner in which the adviser will resolve material conflicts of interest that can arise during the proxy voting process;
Disclose to clients how they may obtain information from the adviser about how the adviser voted with respect to their securities; and
Describe to clients the adviser's proxy voting policies and procedures and, upon request, furnish a copy of the policies and procedures.
Additionally, paragraph (c)(2) of Rule 204-2 imposes additional recordkeeping requirements on investment advisers that execute proxy voting authority, as described in the Maintenance of Books and Records section of this Manual.
The Advisers Act lacks specific guidance regarding an adviser's duty to direct clients' participation in class actions. However, many investment advisers adopt policies and procedures regarding class actions.
Risks
In developing these policies and procedures, Incline Global considered numerous risks associated with the proxy voting process. This analysis includes risks such as:
Incline Global lacks written proxy voting policies and procedures;
Proxies are not identified and processed in a timely manner;
Proxies are not voted in Clients' best interests;
Conflicts of interest between Incline Global and a Client are not identified or resolved appropriately;
Proxy voting records, Client requests for proxy voting information, and Incline Global's responses to such requests, are not properly maintained;
Incline Global lacks policies and procedures regarding Clients' participation in class actions; and
Incline Global fails to maintain documentation associated with Clients' participation in class actions.
Incline Global has established the following guidelines as an attempt to mitigate these risks.
Policies and Procedures
Proxy Voting
Incline Global has retained Broadridge ("the proxy voting service") to assist in the proxy voting process. The CCO/CFO manages Incline Global's relationship with CCO/CFO. The CCO/CFO ensures that the proxy voting service provider votes all proxies according to Clients' specific instructions and Incline Global's general guidance, and retains all required documentation associated with proxy voting. Incline Global requires the proxy voting service provider to notify the Company if the proxy voting service provider experiences a material conflict of interest in the voting of Clients' proxies.
Incline Global has adopted the following proxy voting procedures designed to ensure that proxies are properly identified and voted, and that any conflicts of interest are addressed appropriately:
The CFO/CCO votes Client proxies. The CCO/CFO provides the proxy statements to the member of the Investment Team who is primarily responsible for "covering" the security associated with the proxy, i.e., the CEO/Portfolio Manager or an Analyst.
If Incline Global detects a material conflict of interest in connection with a proxy solicitation, the Company will abide
by the following procedures:
The CCO/CFO will convene the Proxy Voting Committee (the "Committee"). The CCO/CFO serves as the Committee's chairperson.
The CCO/CFO will describe the proxy vote under consideration and identify the perceived conflict of interest. The CEO/Portfolio Manager or Analyst will propose the course of action that he believes is in Incline Global's Clients' best interests. The CEO/Portfolio Manager or Analyst will tell the Committee why he believes that this course of action is most appropriate.
The Committee members will review any documentation associated with the proxy vote and evaluate the CEO/Portfolio Manager's
or Analyst's proposal. The Committee members may wish to consider, among other things:
A vote's likely short-term and long-term impact on the issuer;
Whether the issuer has responded to the subject of the proxy vote in some other manner;
Whether the issues raised by the proxy vote would be better handled by some other action by the government or the issuer;
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Whether implementation of the proxy proposal appears likely to achieve the proposal's stated objectives; and
Whether the CEO/Portfolio Manager's or Analyst's proposal appears consistent with Clients' best interests.
After taking a reasonable amount of time to consider the proposal, each of the Committee members will make a recommendation regarding the proxy vote. The CCO/CFO will record each member's recommendation, and will then vote the proxy according the recommendations of a majority of the Committee's members. Alternatively, the Committee may choose to engage an outside proxy voting service or consultant to make a recommendation; in such a case, the CCO/CFO will retain documentation of the proxy voting service or consultant's recommendation and will vote Clients' proxies in accordance with that recommendation.
Incline Global will not neglect its proxy voting responsibilities, but the Company may abstain from voting if it deems that abstaining is in its Clients' best interests. For example, Incline Global may be unable to vote securities that have been lent by the custodian. Also, proxy voting in certain countries involves "share blocking," which limits Incline Global's ability to sell the affected security during a blocking period that can last for several weeks. Incline Global believes that the potential consequences of being unable to sell a security usually outweigh the benefits of participating in a proxy vote, so Incline Global generally abstains from voting when share blocking is required. The CCO/CFO will prepare and maintain memoranda describing the rationale for any instance in which Incline Global does not vote a Client's proxy.
The proxy voting service provider will retain the following information in connection with each proxy vote:
The Issuer's name; o The security's ticker symbol or CUSIP, as applicable;
The shareholder meeting date; o The number of shares that Incline Global voted; o A brief identification of the matter voted on; o Whether the matter was proposed by the Issuer or a security-holder; o Whether Incline Global cast a vote; o How Incline Global cast its vote (for the proposal, against the proposal, or abstain); and o Whether Incline Global cast its vote with or against management. Any attempt to influence the proxy voting process by Issuers or others not identified in these policies and procedures should be promptly reported to the CCO. Similarly, any Client's attempt to influence proxy voting with respect to other Clients' securities should be promptly reported to the CCO. The CCO/CFO or Controller will reconcile proxies voted with the prime brokers' or custodian's records to ensure the correct number of proxies were voted. Proxies received after a Client terminates its advisory relationship with Incline Global will not be voted. The CCO/CFO will promptly return such proxies to the sender, along with a statement indicating that Incline Global's advisory relationship with the Client has terminated, and that future proxies should not be sent to Incline Global.
Sub-Adviser to a Mutual Fund
Per the sub-advisory agreement, Incline Global has agreed to be responsible for voting proxies of issuers of securities held by the Portfolio, in accordance with its proxy voting policies and procedures, outlined above. The purposes of this procedure is to ensure that the Incline Global complies with other obligations for disclosure and filing requirements that is required to be performed as the Fund's Proxy Administrator.
The Fund is required to describe the policies and procedures that the Adviser/Sub-Adviser uses to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities. As such, Incline Global will provide its Proxy Voting Policy, and if requested by the Adviser, a summary of such Proxy Voting Policy for inclusion in the Fund's Registration Statement, and will promptly provide the Adviser with any material amendments to the Proxy Voting Policy within a reasonable time after such amendment has taken effect.
The Fund is required to disclose annually the Fund's complete proxy voting record on Form N-PX, which provides information relating to how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30th. Incline Global will provide the Adviser with a written report of the proxies voted during the period, in a format acceptable to the Board. Incline Global is responsible to ensure that it maintains appropriate documentation and controls for the identification and reporting as required in the Form N-PX. The Adviser is responsible for ensuring the filing of Form N-PX with the SEC.
Annually, through the review of the Fund's registration statement, the Sub-Adviser's CCO/CFO or his designee will review the disclosures in the registration statement and identify whether the Appendix to the SAI with the Sub-Adviser's Proxy Voting Policy is current.
Securities on Loan
The Fund may lend portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial organizations that meet capital and other credit requirements or other criteria established by the Fund's Board of Trustees. Voting rights on the loaned securities may pass to the borrower. However, the Fund's policy requires that if a material event adversely affecting the investment occurs, the Fund must terminate the loan and regain the right to vote the securities. In such instances, Incline Global relies on the Fund to identify what is deemed to be a material event adversely affecting the investment as Incline Global does not have the ability to determine what portfolio securities are out on loan. Incline Global will vote the securities in accordance with its proxy voting policies and procedures.
Class Actions
As a fiduciary, Incline Global always seeks to act in Clients' best interests with good faith, loyalty, and due care. Incline Global's standard advisory contract authorizes the Company to direct Client participation in class actions. The CEO/Portfolio Manager will determine whether Clients will (a) participate in a recovery achieved through class actions, or (b) opt out of the class action and separately pursue their own remedy. The Controller oversees the completion of Proof of Claim forms and any associated documentation, the submission of such documents to the claim administrator, and the receipt of any recovered monies. The Controller will maintain documentation associated with Clients' participation in class actions.
Employees must notify the CEO/Portfolio Manager if they are aware of any material conflict of interest associated with Clients' participation in class actions. The Proxy Voting Committee will evaluate any such conflicts and determine an appropriate course of action for Incline Global.
Incline Global generally does not serve as the lead plaintiff in class actions because the costs of such participation typically exceed any extra benefits that accrue to lead plaintiffs.
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Disclosures to Investors
Incline Global includes a description of its policies and procedures regarding proxy voting and class actions in Part 2 of Form ADV, along with a statement that Investors can contact the CCO/CFO to obtain a copy of these policies and procedures and information about how Incline Global voted with respect to the Client's securities.
Any request for information about proxy voting or class actions should be promptly forwarded to the CCO/CFO, who will respond to any such requests.
As a matter of policy, Incline Global does not disclose how it expects to vote on upcoming proxies. Additionally, Incline Global does not disclose the way it voted proxies to unaffiliated third parties without a legitimate need to know such information.
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PASSPORT CAPITAL LLC
PROXY VOTING POLICY
POLICIES
Passport serves as the investment adviser to a number of clients.
Passport accepts and exercises proxy voting authority with respect to securities held in the Funds. Applicable law states that it is a fraudulent, deceptive, or manipulative act for the Firm to exercise voting authority with respect to client securities, without first adopting and implementing written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that proxies are voted in the best interest of its clients. The following policies and procedures have been implemented by the Firm to ensure its compliance with all regulatory requirements.
DISCLOSURE OF PROXY VOTING POLICIES IN FORM ADV PART 2
A summary of the Firm's proxy voting policies are disclosed in the Firm's Form ADV Part 2. Material changes to the policies must be made to the Form ADV Part 2 and prospectus or subscription agreement within 30 days of any change.
BEST INTERESTS OF THE CLIENT
It is Firm policy that proxies are voted in accordance with the best interests of the Fund that holds the subject security. In order to ensure that proxies are voted in the best interests of the Fund, the portfolio manager or analyst for the security sector of the soliciting issuer will work with other Passport personnel to:
Monitor corporate actions by reviewing, prior to voting, all proxy statements received on behalf of clients that have delegated voting authority.
Vote proxies received on behalf of clients that have delegated voting authority unless it is determined that abstaining would best serve client interests.
Disclose potential conflicts of interest that exist between the Firm (or its principals or employees) and the Fund's best interests and either obtain client consent to vote the proxy or delegate voting authority back to the client or a qualified third party.
DETERMINING PROXY VOTES
In the absence of a conflict of interest and subject to the paragraphs set forth below under "Blackbox Policy" and "Securities Lending", the Firm will vote proxies regarding the following types of corporate matters:
Changes in corporate governance structures
Adoption of or amendments to compensation plans (including stock options)
Matters involving social issues or corporate responsibility
Approval of advisory contracts
Approval of distribution plans ("12b-1 plans")
Approval of mergers or acquisitions
Other matters, as solicited
Prior to voting, the portfolio manager or analyst will evaluate the following documents and information, as available:
Proxy statements and other solicitation materials
Published reports of the financial condition and current market position of the issuer
Market conditions and social issues as publicly debated and discussed by reputable sources
VOTING CRITERIA
Prior to voting the portfolio manager or analyst will evaluate the proxy statement on the basis of one or more of the following factors:
The possible impact on the value of the security
The possible impact on shareholder rights and privileges
The reasonableness of the proposal
The possible impact of any proposed mergers, acquisitions and/or corporate restructuring
The possible impact of other issues particular to the proxy statement
PROCEDURES
1.0 RECEIPT AND VOTING OF PROXY SOLICITATIONS
1.1 CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
The portfolio manager or analyst contacts the CCO to review the Firm's Employee Conflict of Interest Certifications file and the relevant proxy statement received. In the event the portfolio manager or analyst determines that a possible conflict of interest exists between the best interests of the client Fund on whose behalf a proxy will be voted and the interests of the Firm or any of its owners, officers, directors or employees, the conflict of interest procedures described below will be followed.
1.2 VOTING OF PROXIES IN ACCORDANCE WITH CRITERIA
The portfolio manager or analyst reviews the proxy package and votes the proxies in accordance with the evaluation criteria established under the policy. If any documents are created that memorialize the basis for a particular vote, they are kept with a copy of the proxy statement. The CCO, ACO
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or their designee processes and sends the voted statements, or instructs our outsourced voting service, Institutional Shareholder Services, to send the voted statements. The proxy materials are maintained in a file containing a copy of the statement and voting documentation, if any, in a proxy voting file, kept chronologically by year.
1.3 BLACKBOX POLICY
A portion of the assets of Passport Global Master Fund SPC, Ltd. (the "Global Master Fund") has been allocated to an automatic trading strategy referred to herein as the "Blackbox". Because positions held by the Blackbox may be of a very short duration, Passport may receive a proxy package for a position that was, but no longer is, held by the Blackbox. If such situation occurs, and assuming the position is not then currently held by another Passport-advised Fund, Passport will not vote such proxy despite the fact that the Global Master Fund was the record holder as of the record voting date.
1.4 SECURITIES LENDING
From time to time, certain or all of the Passport-advised funds may enter into securities lending agreements. To the extent that a Passport Fund lends a security pursuant to any such arrangement, Passport may not vote the security during such time and, as such, will refrain from any proxy votes that occur while the applicable security is being lent out.
2.0 REVIEW OF POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
The Firm is sensitive to conflicts of interest that may arise in the proxy decision making process. For example, conflicts may arise under the following circumstances:
Proxy votes regarding non-routine matters are solicited by a company that has (or whose retirement plans have) an institutional separate account relationship with the Firm or a large investment in one of the Funds managed by the Firm.
A Passport employee has a personal interest in the outcome of a particular proxy proposal (which might be the case if, for example, a member of a Passport employee's immediate family were a director or executive officer of the relevant company).
A Passport owner, officer or employee (or a family member or related person of that owner, officer or employee) held a position on the board of directors or is 10% or greater shareholder of (or in the case of a family member or related person, is an officer of) a company, whose securities are held by a client fund and from whom the company is soliciting the fund's proxy.
All potential conflicts of interest must be brought to the attention of the CCO who will decide whether or not a conflict in fact exists. The CCO will seek to resolve all conflicts in the Fund's best interest. Voting in accordance with the voting factors described above will generally prevent any conflicts that may appear to exist from affecting Passport's voting. The CCO will inquire whether the Firm or the portfolio manager deciding how to vote has any interests that could be viewed as potentially conflicting with the interests of Passport's clients. If there are any potential conflicts, the CCO will consult with other senior management and, as appropriate, an independent fiduciary to determine what votes on those proposals would be in the collective best interest of Passport's clients.
A log of Conflict of Interest Determinations is maintained. A copy of this form is included with these procedures. Each time a Conflict of Interest is determined to exist by the CCO, the Log is updated to include the relevant security.
3.0 INVESTOR REQUESTS FOR PROXY VOTING INFORMATION
All investor requests for proxy voting information are brought to the attention of the CCO who will send a response letter to the requesting investor within 10 days of our receipt of the request. Copies of the form letters used to respond to such requests are included with these procedures. The response letter includes all relevant information regarding the Firm's proxy voting procedures or the particular votes cast on behalf of the Fund in which the requesting investor participates, including:
Name of security
Date the proxy was voted
How the proxy was voted; or if not voted
When instructions were provided to Institutional Shareholder Services for voting, if applicable
4.0 MAINTENANCE OF BOOKS AND RECORDS
The Assistant Compliance Officer is responsible for compliance with applicable proxy voting recordkeeping requirements. The Firm maintains the following proxy-related documents:
4.1 CURRENT AND HISTORY PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
A chronological file is maintained by an ACO.
Superseded versions of the Firm's proxy voting policies and procedures are kept onsite in the office for at least 2 years before being moved to offsite storage. Superseded versions are kept for at least 5 years before being destroyed.
4.2 PROXY STATEMENTS RECEIVED REGARDING CLIENT SECURITIES AND RECORDS OF VOTES CAST ON BEHALF OF CLIENTS
The Firm keeps copies of each proxy statement voted chronologically by year along with the Firm's cross reference report.
4.3 ANY DOCUMENTS PREPARED BY THE PORTFOLIO MANAGER OR ANALYST WHO VOTED THE PROXY THAT WERE MATERIAL TO MAKING A DECISION
HOW TO VOTE, OR THAT MEMORIALIZED THE BASIS FOR THE DECISION
Any such documents are attached to the applicable proxy statement and filed as above.
4.4 LOG OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST DETERMINATIONS
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4.5 CLIENT REQUESTS FOR PROXY VOTING INFORMATION AND THE FIRM'S RESPONSE
A response letter to all investor proxy information requests is sent to the client within 10 days. Copies of all response letters are kept in a chronological file maintained by an ACO.
5.0 EFFECTIVE DATE
This Policy is effective immediately and was last updated November 1, 2014.
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PINE RIVER CAPITAL MANAGEMENT L.P.
PROXY VOTING POLICY
Proxy Voting Guidelines and Procedures
January 2015
These Proxy Voting Guidelines and Procedures ("Procedures") apply to Pine River Capital Management L.P. ("Pine River") and all Funds and accounts for which Pine River is responsible for voting proxies, including all limited partnerships, limited liability companies, and accounts for which it acts as investment manager, investment adviser or, if applicable, as sub-adviser (the "Funds").
In voting proxies, Pine River is guided by general fiduciary principles. Pine River's goal is to act prudently and in the best interest of the Funds. Pine River seeks to consider all positive and negative consequences its vote could have on the value of the investment. Where Pine River votes proxies, it will do so in a manner that it believes will be consistent with efforts to maximize the value of a Fund's positions.
Voting of Proxies
Pine River reviews proxy materials to evaluate all the issues presented. In making voting decisions, Pine River may rely on a company's disclosures, its board's recommendations, a company's track record, country-specific best practices, third party service providers and our investment professionals' views.
Pine River may determine to abstain from voting a proxy or a specific proxy item when it concludes that the potential benefit of voting is outweighed by the cost. In other words, Pine River may do this when it does not seem in the Fund's best interest to vote.
When a Fund has authorized Pine River to vote proxies on its behalf, Pine River generally will not accept instructions from the Fund or investors in the Funds ("Investors") regarding how to vote proxies.
Use of Third Party Service Provider
Pine River has retained the services of Institutional Shareholder Services ("ISS"), which is a leading global provider of investment decision support tools. ISS offers proxy voting solutions to institutional clients globally. Their services include in-depth research, voting recommendations, vote execution, recordkeeping, and reporting.
As a general practice, Pine River has authorized ISS to cast Pine River's proxy votes consistent with the ISS Standard Proxy Voting Guidelines (the "Guidelines"), which align with the views and factors that Pine River generally considers important in casting proxy votes. The Guidelines address a wide variety of individual topics, including, shareholder voting rights, anti-takeover defenses, board structures, the election of directors, executive and director compensation, reorganizations, business combinations, and various shareholder proposals. In connection with each proxy vote, ISS prepares a written analysis and recommendation ("ISS Recommendation") that reflects ISS's application of the Guidelines to the particular proxy issues. ISS Recommendations are available to all Pine River investment professionals upon request.
On a periodic basis Pine River Operations will send an email to all investment professionals who hold positions subject to an upcoming proxy vote, which will include the details of the upcoming vote and the proposed ISS Recommendation. The investment professional will notify Pine River Operations if he or she would prefer to vote differently from the ISS Recommendation and/or abstain from voting.
Voting Against ISS Recommendations
On any particular proxy vote, Pine River may decide to diverge from the Guidelines. If an investment professional's judgment differs from that of ISS, the vote will be manually cast by Pine River Operations staff with a note identifying the investment professional who made the request. A written record of any correspondence with the investment professional regarding the vote will also be attached to the proxy vote record on the ISS system.
Conflicts of Interest
In furtherance of Pine River's duty to vote proxies in the best interests of the Funds, Pine River follows these Procedures designed to identify and address material conflicts that may arise between Pine River's interests and those of the Fund and its Investors before voting proxies.
Procedures for Identifying Conflicts of Interest:
i) Pine River shall monitor the potential for conflicts of interest that might be present with respect to voting proxies on behalf of Investors, whether as a result of personal relationships, significant client relationships (i.e., those accounting for greater than 5% of annual revenues), or special circumstances that may arise during Pine River's course of business.
ii) Pine River's Chief Compliance Officer shall maintain a current list of any issuers with whom Pine River has a conflict of interest in voting proxies on behalf of the Funds. Once identified, Pine River shall not vote proxies relating to issuers on this list on behalf of the Funds until it has determined that the conflict of interest is no longer material or a method for resolving the particular conflict of interest has been agreed upon and implemented. Procedures relating to Pine River abstaining from voting certain identified proxies is described below.
Procedures for Assessing Materiality of Conflicts of Interest and for Addressing Material Conflicts of Interest:
i) Pine River's Chief Compliance Officer will determine whether a conflict of interest is material. A conflict of interest
will be considered material if it is determined that a certain conflict has the potential to influence Pine River's decision-making in voting the proxy. A conflict
of interest shall be deemed material if the issuer that is the subject of the proxy or any executive officer of that issuer has a client relationship
with Pine River. All other materiality determinations will be based on an assessment of the particular facts and circumstances. Pine River's Chief Compliance Officer
shall maintain a written record of all materiality determinations.
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ii) If it is determined that a conflict of interest is not material, Pine River may vote proxies notwithstanding the existence
of the conflict.
iii) If it is determined that a conflict of interest is material, one or more methods may be used to resolve the conflict,
including:
disclosing the conflict to the Funds and obtaining their consent before voting;
suggesting to the Funds that they engage another party to vote the proxy on their behalf;
engage a third party to recommend a vote with respect to the proxy based on application of the Procedures set forth herein; or
such other method as is deemed appropriate under the circumstances given the nature of the conflict.
Pine River shall maintain a written record of the method used to resolve a material conflict of interest.
Recordkeeping
Pine River, in coordination with ISS, is responsible for maintaining the following records relating to proxy voting:
i) a copy of these Procedures;
ii) a copy of each proxy form (as voted);
iii) a copy of each proxy solicitation, including proxy statements and related materials with regard to each vote;
iv) documents relating to the identification and resolution of conflicts of interest, if any;
v) any documents created by Pine River that were material to a proxy voting decision or that memorialized the basis for that
decision; and
vi) a copy of each written request from an Investor for information on how Pine River voted proxies on behalf of a Fund,
and a copy of any written response by Pine River to any written or oral request for information by an Investor on how Pine
River voted proxies for a Fund.
These records shall be maintained and preserved in Pine River's office for the first two years from the end of the fiscal year during which the last entry was made on that record (the "last entry date"). Thereafter, these records shall be kept in an easily accessible location for a period of not less than five years from the last entry date.
In lieu of keeping copies of proxy statements and voting records, Pine River may rely on proxy statements filed on the EDGAR system and voting records maintained by ISS.
These Procedures will be reviewed on at least an annual basis.
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RIVER CANYON FUND MANAGEMENT LLC
PROXY VOTING POLICY
PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
I. BACKGROUND
The act of managing assets of clients may include the voting of proxies related to such managed assets. Where the power to vote in person or by proxy has been delegated, directly or indirectly, to the investment adviser, the investment adviser has the fiduciary responsibility for (a) voting in a manner that is in the best interests of the client, and (b) properly dealing with potential conflicts of interest arising from proxy proposals being voted upon.
The policies and procedures of River Canyon Fund Management LLC (the "Adviser") for voting proxies received for accounts managed by the Adviser are set forth below and are applicable if:
The underlying advisory agreement entered into with the client expressly provides that the Adviser shall be responsible to vote proxies received in connection with the client's account; or
The underlying advisory agreement entered into with the client is silent as to whether or not the Adviser shall be responsible to vote proxies received in connection with the client's account and the Adviser has discretionary authority over investment decisions for the client's account.
These Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures are designed to ensure that proxies are voted in an appropriate manner and should
complement the Adviser's investment policies and procedures regarding its general responsibility to monitor the performance
and/or corporate events of companies that are issuers of securities held by funds and/or managed accounts advised by the Adviser.
Any questions about these policies and procedures should be directed to Doug Anderson at 310/272-1360.
II. PROXY VOTING POLICIES
A. General Principles
The Adviser shall vote proxies in a manner that is in the best interest of the client. The Adviser shall consider only those factors that relate to the client's investment or dictated by the client's written instructions, including how the result of the requested vote will economically impact and affect the value of the client's investment.
In voting on each and every issue, the Adviser and its Employees shall vote in a prudent and timely fashion and only after a careful evaluation of the issue(s) presented on the ballot.
The Adviser has hired ProxyEdge, an affiliate of ADP, to assist in coordinating its voting of proxies and to provide certain record keeping services. ProxyEdge does not vote proxies for the Adviser, but does inform the Adviser about upcoming proxies related to the securities held by the Adviser's clients.
B. Conflicts of Interest
In exercising its voting discretion, the Adviser and its Employees shall avoid any direct or indirect conflict of interest raised by such voting decision. The Adviser will provide adequate disclosure to the client if any substantive aspect or foreseeable result of the subject matter to be voted upon raises a material actual or potential conflict of interest to the Adviser or:
any affiliate of the Adviser (For purposes of these Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures, an affiliate means: (i) any person directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Adviser; (ii) any officer, director, principal, partner, employer, or direct or indirect beneficial owner of any 10% or greater equity or voting interest of the Adviser; or (iii) any other person for which a person described in clause (ii) acts in any such capacity);
any issuer of a security for which the Adviser (or any affiliate of the Adviser) acts as a sponsor, advisor, manager, custodian, distributor, underwriter, broker, or other similar capacity; or
any person with whom the Adviser (or any affiliate of the Adviser) has an existing, material contract or business relationship that was not entered into in the ordinary course of the Adviser's (or its affiliate's) business.
(Each of the above persons being an "Interested Person.")
After informing the client of any potential conflict of interest, the Adviser will take other appropriate action as required under these Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures, as provided below.
The Adviser has retained ProxyEdge to keep certain records required by applicable law in connection with the Adviser's proxy voting activities for clients. The Adviser will provide proxy-voting information to clients upon their written or oral request.
III. PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES
A. The analyst responsible for monitoring the security (the "Responsible Party") shall be designated by the Adviser to make discretionary voting decisions for the client's account after consultation with senior management. The Accounting Department will be responsible for processing proxy votes. The Responsible Party should assume that he or she has the power to vote all proxies related to a security held by a fund or a managed account advised by the Adviser.
B. All proxies and ballots are delivered to and/or received by ProxyEdge. Any proxies received by the Adviser will be forwarded to the Accounting Department and then forwarded to ProxyEdge who will log such proxy upon receipt.
C. The Responsible Party shall follow the procedures set forth below:
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Prior to voting, the Responsible Party will verify whether his or her voting power is subject to any limitations or guidelines issued by the client. At this time, there are no limitations or guidelines imposed by any client.
If the responsible party is aware of any actual or potential conflict, the Responsible Party will raise this issue with the Compliance Department. The determination regarding the presence of any actual or potential conflict of interest shall be noted by the Responsible Party and/or Compliance Department (i.e., comparing the apparent parties affected by the proxy proposal being voted upon against the Adviser's internal list of Interested Persons and, for any matches found, describing the process taken to determine the anticipated magnitude and possible probability of any conflict of interest being present), which shall be reviewed and signed off on by the Responsible Party's direct supervisor (and if none, by a Managing Partner of the Advisor). If not such conflict exists, the Responsible Party will skip to 4 below.
If an actual or potential conflict is found to exist, written notification of the conflict (the "Conflict Notice") shall be given to the client or the client's designee in sufficient detail and with sufficient time (to the extent practicable under the circumstances) to reasonably inform the client of the actual or potential conflict involved.
Specifically, the Conflict Notice should describe: (a) the proposal to be voted upon; (b) the actual or potential conflict of interest involved; (c) the Adviser's vote recommendation (with a summary of material factors supporting the recommended vote); and (d) if applicable, the relationship between the Adviser and any Interested Person.
The Conflict Notice will either request the client's consent to the Adviser's vote recommendation or request the client to vote the proxy directly or through another designee of the client. The Conflict Notice and consent thereto may be sent or received, as the case may be, by mail, fax, electronic transmission or any other reliable form of communication that may be recalled, retrieved, produced, or printed in accordance with the recordkeeping policies and procedures of the Adviser.If the client is unreachable or has not affirmatively responded before the response deadline for the matter being voted upon, in an effort to act in the best interest of the client under the circumstances, the Adviser may:
a. rely upon the vote recommendation of an independent third-party (in such a situation the Adviser will likely rely on the
vote recommendation of Glass-Lewis) if the vote recommendation would fall in favor of the Adviser's interest (or the interest
of an Interested Person);
b. cast its vote as recommended if the vote recommendation would fall against the Adviser's interest (or the interest of
an Interested Person); or
c. abstain from voting.
4. Once a decision has been made regarding whether or not to vote the proxy, the Responsible Party will instruct the Accounting
Department how to vote (i.e., either for or against the various proposals).
In accordance with SEC Rule 204-2(c)(2), as amended, the Adviser shall retain the following:
A record of the vote cast, if any (unless this record is retained by a third party for the benefit of the Adviser and the third party is able to promptly provide the Adviser with a copy of the voting record upon its request);
A record memorializing the basis for the vote cast or if no vote is cast, a record of the analysis and determination that the cost of voting the proxy exceeds the benefit to the client of voting the proxy (in most cases owning less than 1% will satisfy this requirement);
A copy of any document created by the Adviser or its Employees that was material in making the decision on how to vote the subject proxy; and
A copy of any Conflict Notice and/or conflict consent, if applicable.
The above copies and records shall be retained by the Adviser for a period not less than five (5) years (or in the case of an Employee benefit plan, no less than six (6) years), which shall be maintained at the appropriate office of the Adviser.
D. In accordance with SEC Rule 204-2(c)(2), as amended, the Adviser shall retain the following:
A copy of the proxy statement received, unless retained by a third party for the benefit of the Adviser or the proxy statement is available from the SEC's Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (EDGAR) system; and
A copy of any request or any other written communication (including emails or other electronic communications) to or from the client regarding the subject proxy vote cast by, or the vote recommendation of, the Adviser.
The above copies and records shall be retained in the client's file for a period not less than five (5) years (or in the case of an Employee benefit plan, no less than six (6) years), which shall be maintained at the appropriate office of the Adviser.
IV. PROXY VOTING-RELATED DISCLOSURE
Consistent with SEC Rule 206(4)-6, as amended, the Adviser shall take reasonable measures to inform its clients of (1) its proxy voting policies and procedures, and (2) the process or procedures clients must follow to obtain information regarding how the Adviser voted with respect to assets held in their accounts. This information may be provided to clients through the Adviser's Form ADV Part 2 disclosure or by separate notice to the client (or in the case of an Employee benefit plan, the plan's trustee or other fiduciaries).
Last Updated: October 22, 2013
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TREMBLANT CAPITAL GROUP
PROXY VOTING POLICY
PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES
(Revised as of January, 2015)
I. Statement of Policy
Proxy voting is an important right of shareholders and reasonable care and diligence must be undertaken to ensure that such rights are properly and timely exercised. The Adviser generally retains proxy-voting authority with respect to securities purchased for its clients. Under such circumstances, the Adviser votes proxies in the best interest of its clients and in accordance with these policies and procedures.
II. Use of Third-Party Proxy Voting Service
The Adviser has entered into an agreement with an independent third party (the "Proxy Voting Service") to provide the Adviser with its research on proxies and to facilitate the electronic voting of proxies.
The SEC has expressed its view that although the voting of proxies remains the duty of a registered adviser, an adviser may contract with service providers to perform certain functions with respect to proxy voting so long as the adviser is comfortable that the proxy voting service is independent from the issuer companies on which it completes its proxy research. In assessing whether a proxy voting service is independent (as defined by the SEC), the SEC counsels investment advisers that they should not follow the recommendations of an independent proxy voting service without first determining, among other things, that the proxy voting service (a) has the capacity and competence to analyze proxy issues and (b) is in fact independent and can make recommendations in an impartial manner in the best interests of the adviser's clients.
At a minimum annually, or more frequently as deemed necessary, the Adviser will ensure that a review of the independence and impartiality of the Proxy Voting Service is carried out, including obtaining certification or other information from the Proxy Voting Service to enable the Adviser to make such an assessment.
III. Proxy Voting Procedures
A. With Proxy Voting Service
The Adviser has instructed the Proxy Voting Service to execute all proxies in accordance with the recommendation of the preferred provider (the "Provider") as authorized by the Adviser, unless instructed otherwise by the Adviser. If the Provider has not made a recommendation prior to the voting deadline, the Adviser will instruct the Proxy Voting Service to vote in accordance with the management recommendation or as otherwise instructed by the Adviser. The Proxy Voting Service will execute ballots in accordance with the Adviser's guidelines and will notify the Adviser immediately that a vote has been executed on its behalf and the character of the vote.
B. Without Proxy Voting Service
In general, proxies relating to securities held in client accounts will be sent directly to the Proxy Voting Service. In the event that (a) the Proxy Voting Service is unable to vote the proxy on behalf of the Adviser or (b) the Adviser has made a determination that it is in the best interests of the Adviser's clients for the Adviser to vote the proxy without the assistance of the Proxy Voting Service, the Adviser will follow the procedures outlined herein, but instead of providing the Provider's recommendation to the analyst and/or Portfolio Manager, the management recommendation, if any, will be provided.
C. Adviser Procedures
Tremblant's Research Services group will (a) provide the analyst and/or Portfolio Manager who covers the respective issuer and who is responsible for voting the proxy on behalf of the Adviser with (i) the name of the issuer to which the proxy vote pertains, (ii) the Provider recommendation, or, if there is none, the management recommendation, and (iii) the date by which the Adviser must vote the proxy, and (b) if applicable, coordinate with Middle Office on (i) the list of accounts that hold the security and (ii) the number of votes each account controls (reconciling any duplications). The analyst and/or Portfolio Manager will determine whether the Adviser will follow the Provider's (or management's) recommendation. The analyst and/or Portfolio Manager will send his/her decision on how the Adviser will vote a proxy to Research Services who will correspond directly with the Proxy Voting Service. In the event that the analyst and/or Portfolio Manager decides to vote contrary to the Provider's recommendation, such decision and rationale will be noted. Where possible, the Proxy Voting Service completes the actual voting so there exists one central source for the documentation of the Adviser's proxy voting records.
IV. Voting Guidelines
A. In the absence of specific voting guidelines from the client, the Adviser will vote proxies in the best interests of each particular client, which may result in different voting results for proxies for the same issuer.
B. The Adviser shall determine whether a proposal is in the best interests of its clients and may take into account the following factors, among others:
Whether the proposal was recommended by management and the Adviser's opinion of management;
Whether the proposal acts to entrench existing management; and
Whether the proposal fairly compensates management for past and future performance.
V. Proxy Recordkeeping
The Adviser will maintain files relating to the Adviser's proxy voting procedures in an easily accessible place. Under the services contract between the Adviser and its Proxy Voting Service, the Proxy Voting Service will maintain the Adviser's proxy-voting records. Records will be maintained and preserved
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for five years from the end of the fiscal year during which the last entry was made on a record, with records for the most recent two years kept in the offices of the Adviser. Records of the following will be retained:
copies of these proxy voting policies and procedures, and any amendments thereto;
a copy of each proxy statement that the Adviser receives regarding client securities (the Adviser may rely on third parties or EDGAR);
a record of each vote that the Adviser casts;
a copy of any document the Adviser created that was material to making a decision how to vote proxies, or that memorializes that decision. (For votes that are inconsistent with the Adviser's general proxy voting polices, the reason/rationale for such an inconsistent vote is required to be briefly documented and maintained); and
a copy of each written client request for information on how the Adviser voted such client's proxies, and a copy of any written response to any (written or oral) client request for information on how the Adviser voted its proxies.
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APPENDIX C
Ratings Definitions
Below are summaries of the ratings definitions used by some of the rating organizations. Those ratings represent the opinion of the rating organizations as to the credit quality of the issues that they rate. The summaries are based upon publicly available information provided by the rating organizations.
Ratings of Long-Term Obligations and Preferred Stocks — The Funds utilize ratings provided by rating organizations in order to determine eligibility of long-term obligations. The ratings described in this section may also be used for evaluating the credit quality for preferred stocks.
Credit ratings typically evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments, not the market value risk of bonds. The rating organizations may fail to update a credit rating on a timely basis to reflect changes in economic or financial conditions that may affect the market value of the security. For these reasons, credit ratings may not be an accurate indicator of the market value of a bond.
The four highest Moody's ratings for long-term obligations (or issuers thereof) are Aaa, Aa, A and Baa. Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, with minimal credit risk. Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk. Obligations rated A are considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk. Obligations rated Baa are subject to moderate credit risk. They are considered medium-grade and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.
Moody's ratings of Ba, B, Caa, Ca and C are considered below investment grade. Obligations rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements and are subject to substantial credit risk. Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk. Obligations rated Caa are judged to be of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk. Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest. Obligations rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest. Moody's also appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.
The four highest Standard & Poor's ratings for long-term obligations are AAA, AA, A and BBB. An obligation rated AAA has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor's. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong. An obligation rated AA differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong. An obligation rated A is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong. An obligation rated BBB exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
Standard & Poor's ratings of BB, B, CCC, CC, C and D are considered below investment grade and are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions. An obligation rated BB is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. An obligation rated B is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated BB, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. An obligation rated CCC is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. An obligation rated CC is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The CC rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but Standard & Poor's expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default. An obligation rated C is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher. An obligation rated D is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due unless Standard & Poor's believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to D if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
The four highest ratings for long-term obligations by Fitch Ratings are AAA, AA, A and BBB. Obligations rated AAA are deemed to be of the highest credit quality. AAA ratings denote the lowest expectation of default risk. They are assigned only in case of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events. Obligations rated AA are deemed to be of very high credit quality. AA ratings denote expectations of very low default risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events. Obligations rated A are deemed to be of high credit quality. An A rating denotes expectations of default credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to changes in circumstances or in economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings. Obligations rated BBB are deemed to be of good credit quality. BBB ratings indicate that expectations of default risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate but adverse business and economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity. This is the lowest investment grade category.
Fitch's ratings of BB, B, CCC, CC, C, RD and D are considered below investment grade or speculative grade. Obligations rated BB are deemed to be speculative. BB ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to default risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial flexibility exists which supports the servicing of financial commitments. Obligations rated B are deemed to be
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highly speculative. B ratings indicate that material default risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is vulnerable to deterioration in the business and economic environment. Obligations rated CCC indicate, for issuers and performing obligations, default is a real possibility. Obligations rated CC indicate, for issuers and performing obligations, default of some kind appears probable. Obligations rated C indicate exceptionally high levels of credit risk. Default is imminent or inevitable, or the issuer is in standstill. Conditions that are indicative of a 'C' category rating for an issuer include: (a) the issuer has entered into a grace or cure period following non-payment of a material financial obligation; (b) the issuer has entered into a temporary negotiated waiver or standstill agreement following a payment default on a material financial obligation; or (c) Fitch Ratings otherwise believes a condition of 'RD' or 'D' to be imminent or inevitable, including through the formal announcement of a distressed debt exchange. Obligations rated RD indicate an issuer that in Fitch Ratings' opinion has experienced an uncured payment default on a bond, loan or other material financial obligation but which has not entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other formal winding-up procedure, and which has not otherwise ceased operating. This would include: (a) the selective payment default on a specific class or currency of debt; (b) the uncured expiry of any applicable grace period, cure period or default forbearance period following a payment default on a bank loan, capital markets security or other material financial obligation; (c) the extension of multiple waivers or forbearance periods upon a payment default on one or more material financial obligations, either in series or in parallel; or (d) execution of a distressed debt exchange on one or more material financial obligations. Obligations rated D indicate an issuer that in Fitch Ratings' opinion has entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other formal winding-up procedure, or which has otherwise cease business. Default ratings are not assigned prospectively to entities or their obligations; within this context, non-payment on an instrument that contains a deferral feature or grace period will generally not be considered a default until after the expiration of the deferral or grace period unless a default is otherwise driven by bankruptcy or other similar circumstance, or by a distressed debt exchange. "Imminent" default typically refers to the occasion where a payment default has been intimated by the issuer, and is all but inevitable. This may, for example, be where an issuer has missed a scheduled payment, but (as is typical) has a grace period during which it may cure the payment default. Another alternative would be where an issuer has formally announced a distressed debt exchange, but the date of the exchange still lies several days or weeks in the immediate future. In all cases, the assignment of a default rating reflects the agency's opinion as to the most appropriate rating category consistent with the rest of its universe of ratings, and may differ from the definition of default under the terms of an issuer's financial obligations or local commercial practice.
Ratings of Municipal Obligations — Moody's ratings for short-term investment-grade municipal obligations are designated Municipal Investment Grade (MIG or VMIG in the case of variable rate demand obligations) and are divided into three levels — MIG/VMIG 1, MIG/VMIG 2 and MIG/VMIG 3. Factors used in determination of ratings include liquidity of the borrower and short-term cyclical elements. The MIG/VMIG 1 rating denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing. The MIG/VMIG 2 rating denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group. The MIG/VMIG 3 rating denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established. An SG rating denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.
Standard & Poor's uses SP-1, SP-2, and SP-3 to rate short-term municipal obligations. A rating of SP-1 denotes a strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation. A rating of SP-2 denotes a satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes. A rating of SP-3 denotes a speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.
Ratings of Short-Term Obligations — Moody's short-term ratings, designated as P-1, P-2, P-3, or NP, are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations that generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months. The rating P-1 is the highest short-term rating assigned by Moody's and it denotes an issuer (or supporting institution) that has a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations. The rating P-2 denotes an issuer (or supporting institution) that has a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations. The rating P-3 denotes an issuer (or supporting institution) that has an acceptable ability for repayment of senior short-term policyholder claims and obligations. The rating NP denotes an issuer (or supporting institutions) that does not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.
Standard & Poor's short-term ratings are generally assigned to obligations with an original maturity of no more than 365 days — including commercial paper. A short-term obligation rated A-1 is rated in the highest category by Standard & Poor's. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong. A short-term obligation rated A-2 is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory. A short-term obligation rated A-3 exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. A short-term obligation rated B is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. Ratings of B-1, B-2, and B-3 may be assigned to indicate finer distinctions within the B category. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. A short-term obligation rated C is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. A short-term obligation rated D is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the "D" rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless Standard & Poor's believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The 'D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to 'D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
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AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
PART C. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 28. | Exhibits |
(a) | (1) | Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, dated March 4, 2015, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 225, filed June 30, 2015 (“PEA No. 225”) | |
(2) | Certificates of Designation for American Beacon AHL Managed Futures Fund, American Beacon Bahl & Gaynor Small Cap Growth Fund, American Beacon Crescent High Income Fund, American Beacon Global Evolution Frontier Markets Debt Fund, and American Beacon Ionic Absolute Return Fund are incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 208, filed December 19, 2014 (“PEA No. 208”) | ||
(3) | Certificate of Designation for American Grosvenor Long/Short Fund (filed herewith) | ||
(b) | Amended and Restated Bylaws, dated February 18, 2014, are incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No.184, filed April 29, 2014 (“PEA No. 184”) | ||
(c) | Rights of holders of the securities being registered are contained in Articles III, VIII, X, XI and XII of the Registrant’s Declaration of Trust and Articles III, V, VI and XI of the Registrant’s Bylaws | ||
(d) | (1)(A) | Management Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Select Funds and American Beacon Advisors, Inc., dated April 30, 2015, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 228, filed August 28, 2015 (“PEA No. 228”) | |
(1)(B) | Amended Schedule A to Management Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Select Funds and American Beacon Advisors, Inc., dated June 22, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(1)(C) | Management Agreement between American Beacon Cayman Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Ltd. and American Beacon Advisors, Inc., dated July 9, 2014, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 203, filed August 19, 2014 (“PEA No. 203”) | ||
(2)(A) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss, Inc., dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(B)(i) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Brandywine Global Investment Management, LLC, with respect to the American Beacon Flexible Bond Fund, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(B)(ii) | Amendment to Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Brandywine Global Investment Management, LLC, with respect to the American Beacon Flexible Bond Fund, dated May 11, 2015 (filed herewith) |
(2)(B)(iii) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Brandywine Global Investment Management, LLC, with respect to the American Beacon Large Cap Value Fund, American Beacon Small Cap Value Fund, and American Beacon Balanced Fund, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(C) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Calamos Advisors LLC, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(D) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Causeway Capital Management LLC, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(E) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Dreman Value Management LLC, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(F) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Franklin Advisers, Inc., dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(G) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Hotchkis and Wiley Capital Management LLC, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(H) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Lazard Asset Management LLC, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(I) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Logan Circle Partners, L.P., dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(J) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(K) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and NISA Investment Advisors, L.L.C., dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(L) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Pzena Investment Management, LLC, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(M) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Templeton Investment Counsel, LLC, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(N) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and The Boston Company Asset Management, LLC, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(O) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Standish Mellon Asset Management Company LLC, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) |
(2)(P) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Zebra Capital Management, LLC, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(Q) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Strategic Income Management, LLC, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(R) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Brandes Investment Partners, L.P., dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(S) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Massachusetts Financial Services Company, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(T) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Pacific Investment Management Company LLC, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(U) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Stephens Investment Management Group, LLC, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(V)(i) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc., dated April 30, 2015, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 228 | ||
(2)(V)(ii) | Form of First Amendment to Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc., is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 228 | ||
(2)(W) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Holland Capital Management LLC, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(X) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and PENN Capital Management Company, Inc., dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(Y) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and The London Company of Virginia, LLC, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(Z) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Earnest Partners, LLC, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(AA) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Acadian Asset Management LLC, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) |
(2)(BB) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Sustainable Growth Advisers, LP, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(CC) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors Inc., and Global Evolution USA, LLC, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(DD) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and AHL Partners LLP, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(EE) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Bahl & Gaynor, Inc., dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(FF) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Crescent Capital Group LP, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(GG) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Cayman Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Ltd., American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and AHL Partners LLP, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(HH) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Hillcrest Asset Management, LLC, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(II) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Ionic Capital Management LLC, dated June 22, 2015, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 225 | ||
(2)(JJ) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Sound Point Capital Management, L.P., is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 230, filed September 25, 2015 | ||
(2)(KK) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and WEDGE Capital Management, L.L.P, dated April 30, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(LL) | Form of Lead Investment Advisory Agreement between American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(MM) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., and Basswood Capital Management, LLC (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(NN) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., and Impala Asset Management (filed herewith) |
(2)(OO) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., and Incline Global Management, LLC (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(PP) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., and Passport Capital LLC (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(QQ) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., and Pine River Capital Management LP (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(RR) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., and River Canyon Fund Management LLC (filed herewith) | ||
(2)(SS) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., and Tremblant Capital Group (filed herewith) | ||
(e) | (1) | Form of Distribution Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Mileage Funds, American Beacon Select Funds, and Foreside Fund Services, LLC, dated March 31, 2009, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 75, filed May 1, 2009 (“PEA No. 75”) | |
(2)(A) | Eleventh Amendment to Schedule I of the Distribution Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Mileage Funds, American Beacon Select Funds, and Foreside Fund Services, LLC, dated July 14, 2014, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 203 | ||
(f) | Bonus, profit sharing or pension plans – (none) | ||
(g) | (1) | Custodian Agreement between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company, dated December 1, 1997, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 24, filed February 26, 1998 (“PEA No. 24”) | |
(2) | Amended and Restated Schedule D to the Custodian Agreement, effective as of January 21, 2014, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 180, filed February 18, 2014 (“PEA No. 180”) | ||
(h) | (1)(A) | Transfer Agency and Service Agreement between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company, dated January 1, 1998, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 24 | |
(1)(B) | Amendment to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement regarding anti-money laundering procedures, dated September 24, 2002, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 42, filed February 28, 2003 (“PEA No. 42”) |
(1)(C) | Amendment to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement to replace fee schedule, dated March 26, 2004, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 64, filed March 1, 2007 (“PEA No. 64”) | ||
(1)(D) | Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement, dated September 18, 2014, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 206, filed October 17, 2014 (“PEA No. 206”) | ||
(2)(A) | Securities Lending Agency Agreement between the American Beacon Funds and Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., dated March 15, 2008, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 97, filed December 30, 2010 (“PEA No. 97”) | ||
(2)(B) | First Amendment to the Securities Lending Agency Agreement, dated May 2, 2008, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 97 | ||
(2)(C) | Second Amendment to the Securities Lending Agency Agreement, dated May 20, 2009, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 97 | ||
(2)(D) | Third Amendment to the Securities Lending Agency Agreement, dated November 3, 2009, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 97 | ||
(3)(A) | Restated and Amended Administration Agreement among American Beacon Funds, the American Beacon Select Funds, and American Beacon Advisors, Inc., dated May 10, 2012, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 145, filed May 25, 2012 (“PEA No. 145”) | ||
(3)(B) | Amended and Restated Schedule A to Restated and Amended Administration Agreement among American Beacon Funds, the American Beacon Select Funds, and American Beacon Advisors, Inc., dated July 1, 2014, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 206 | ||
(4) | Administration Agreement between American Beacon Cayman Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Ltd. and American Beacon Advisors, Inc., dated July 1, 2014, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 203 | ||
(5)(A) | Administrative Services Agreement among American AAdvantage Funds, American AAdvantage Mileage Funds, AMR Investment Services Trust, AMR Investment Services, Inc., and State Street Bank and Trust Company, dated November 29, 1999, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 28, filed March 12, 1999 (“PEA No. 28”) | ||
(5)(B) | Amendment to Administrative Services Agreement among American AAdvantage Funds, American AAdvantage Mileage Funds, AMR Investment Services Trust, AMR Investment Services, Inc. and State Street Bank and Trust Company, dated June 30, 2004, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 50, filed June 30, 2004 (“PEA No. 50”) | ||
(6)(A) | Amended and Restated Administrative Services Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Master Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and State Street Bank and Trust Company, dated March 1, 2005, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 97 |
(6)(B) | Amendment to the Amended and Restated Administrative Services Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Master Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and State Street Bank and Trust Company, dated December 7, 2010, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 97 | ||
(6)(C) | Amendment to the Amended and Restated Administrative Services Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Master Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and State Street Bank and Trust Company, dated February 3, 2012, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 129, filed February 2, 2012 (“PEA No. 129”) | ||
(6)(D) | Seventh Amendment to the Amended and Restated Administrative Services Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and State Street Bank and Trust Company, dated August 28, 2013, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 166, filed September 20, 2013 (“PEA No. 166”) | ||
(6)(E) | Eighth Amendment to the Amended and Restated Administrative Services Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and State Street Bank and Trust Company, dated July 7, 2014, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 203 | ||
(7) | Service Plan Agreement for the American Beacon Funds Investor Class, dated March 6, 2009, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 77, filed August 3, 2009 (“PEA No. 77”) | ||
(8) | Service Plan Agreement for the American Beacon Funds Advisor Class (formerly known as the AAdvantage Funds Service Class), dated May 1, 2003, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No.45, filed May 1, 2003 (“PEA No. 45”) | ||
(9)(A) | Service Plan Agreement for the American Beacon Funds Retirement Class, dated April 30, 2009, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 75 | ||
(9)(B) | Amendment to Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Service Plan Agreement for the American Beacon Funds Retirement Class, dated July 14, 2014, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 203 | ||
(10)(A) | Service Plan Agreement for the American Beacon Funds Y Class, dated July 24, 2009, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 77 | ||
(10)(B) | Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Service Plan Agreement for the American Beacon Funds Y Class, dated July 14, 2014, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 203 | ||
(11)(A) | Service Plan Agreement for the American Beacon Funds A Class, dated February 16, 2010, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No.84, filed March 16, 2010 (“PEA No. 84”) | ||
(11)(B) | Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Service Plan Agreement for the American Beacon Funds A Class, dated July 14, 2014, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 203 |
(12)(A) | Service Plan Agreement for the American Beacon Funds C Class, dated May 25, 2010, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 90, filed June 15, 2010 (“PEA No. 90”) | ||
(12)(B) | Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Service Plan Agreement for the American Beacon Funds C Class, dated July 14, 2014, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 203 | ||
(13) | Master-Feeder Participation Agreement among Small Cap Index Fund, International Equity Index Fund, Quantitative Master Series Trust, and Princeton Funds Distributor, Inc., dated June 30, 2000, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 32, filed July 7, 2000 (“PEA No. 32”) | ||
(14) | Master-Feeder Participation Agreement among S&P 500 Index Fund, Equity 500 Index Portfolio and SSgA Funds Management, Inc., dated May 1, 2001, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 41, filed October 1, 2002 (“PEA No. 41”) | ||
(15) | Amended and Restated Credit Agreement between American Beacon Funds and American Beacon Advisors, Inc., dated January 31, 2008, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 70, filed February 29, 2008 (“PEA No. 70”) | ||
(16)(A) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Agreement for the American Beacon Earnest Partners Emerging Markets Equity Fund, dated August 9, 2013, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 164, filed August 27, 2013 | ||
(16)(B) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Agreement for the American Beacon Acadian Emerging Markets Managed Volatility Fund, dated August 9, 2013, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 166 | ||
(16)(C) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Agreement for the American Beacon SGA Global Growth Fund, dated August 9, 2013, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 168, filed October 3, 2013 | ||
(16)(D) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Agreement for the American Beacon Global Evolution Frontier Markets Income Fund, dated November 12, 2013, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 171, filed November 19, 2013 (“PEA No. 171”) | ||
(16)(E) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Agreement for certain American Beacon Funds, dated December 19, 2013, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 173, filed December 27, 2013 (“PEA No. 173”) | ||
(16)(F) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Agreement for certain American Beacon Funds, dated February 14, 2014, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 181, filed February 28, 2014 (“PEA No. 181”) | ||
(16)(G) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Agreement for certain American Beacon Funds, dated March 28, 2014, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 185, filed April 29, 2014 |
(16)(H) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Agreement for the American Beacon AHL Managed Futures Strategy Fund, dated June 5, 2014, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 203 | ||
(16)(I) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Agreement for the American Beacon Bahl & Gaynor Small Cap Growth Fund, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 198, filed July 14, 2014 (“PEA No. 198”) | ||
(16)(J) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Agreement for the American Beacon Earnest Partners Emerging Markets Equity Fund, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 194, filed May 28, 2014 (“PEA No. 194”) | ||
(16)(K) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Agreement for the American Beacon Crescent Short Duration High Income Fund, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 196, filed July 7, 2014 (“PEA No. 196”) | ||
(16)(L) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Agreement for certain American Beacon Funds, dated July 1, 2014, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 203 | ||
(16)(M) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Agreement for certain American Beacon Funds, dated November 13, 2014, is incorporated by reference to PEA 208 | ||
(16)(N) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Agreement for certain American Beacon Funds, dated January 23, 2015, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 213, filed February 27, 2015 (“PEA No. 213”) | ||
(16)(O) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Agreement for American Beacon Ionic Strategic Arbitrage Fund, dated June 3, 2015, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 225 | ||
(16)(P) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Agreement for certain American Beacon Funds, dated April 8, 2015, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 217, filed April 30, 2015 | ||
(16)(Q) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Agreement for certain American Beacon Funds, dated April 8, 2015, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 219, filed May 29, 2015(“PEA No. 219”) | ||
(16)(R) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Agreement for American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund, dated May 21, 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(i) | Opinion and consent of counsel – (filed herewith) | ||
(j) | Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm – (none) | ||
(k) | Financial statements omitted from prospectus – (none) |
(l) | Letter of investment intent, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 23, filed December 18, 1997 (“PEA No. 23”) | ||
(m) | (1) | Distribution Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 for the Advisor Class (formerly known as the Service Class), is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 45 | |
(2)(A) | Distribution Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 for the Retirement Class, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 77 | ||
(2)(B) | Amendment to Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Distribution Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 for the Retirement Class, dated July 14, 2014, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 203 | ||
(3)(A) | Distribution Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 for the A Class, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 88 filed May 17, 2010 | ||
(3)(B) | Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Distribution Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 for the A Class, dated July 14, 2014, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 203 | ||
(4)(A) | Distribution Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 for the C Class, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 90 | ||
(4)(B) | Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Distribution Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 for the C Class, dated July 14, 2014, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 203 | ||
(n) | Amended and Restated Plan Pursuant to Rule 18f-3, dated March 9, 2011, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 103, filed March 18, 2011 (“PEA No. 103”) | ||
(p) | (1) | Code of Ethics of American Beacon Advisors, Inc., American Beacon Funds, and American Beacon Select Funds, dated February 18, 2014, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 181 | |
(2) | Code of Ethics of State Street Master Funds, dated April 1, 2012, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 158, filed April 30, 2013 (“PEA No. 158”) | ||
(3) | Code of Ethics of Quantitative Master Series LLC, dated March 22, 2013, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 158 | ||
(4) | Code of Ethics of Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss, Inc., dated December 31, 2010, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 100, filed March 1, 2011 (“PEA No. 100”) | ||
(5) | Code of Ethics of Brandywine Global Investment Management, LLC, dated February 2014, is incorporated be reference to PEA No. 194 | ||
(6) | Code of Ethics and Insider Trading Policy of Calamos Advisors LLC, dated March 17, 2009, is incorporated be reference to PEA No. 97 | ||
(7) | Code of Ethics of Causeway Capital Management LLC, dated April 25, 2005 and revised August 10, 2010, is incorporated be reference to PEA No. 97 |
(8) | Code of Ethics and Insider Trading Policy of Dreman Value Management LLC, February 24, 2010, is incorporated be reference to PEA No. 97 | ||
(9) | Code of Ethics of Hotchkis and Wiley Capital Management, LLC, dated December 2013, is incorporated be reference to PEA No. 181 | ||
(10) | Code of Ethics and Personal Investment Policy of Lazard Asset Management LLC, dated January 2012, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 148, filed October 26, 2012 (“PEA No. 148”) | ||
(11) | Code of Ethics and Personal Trading Guidelines of Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., effective September 16, 2013, is incorporated be reference to PEA No. 171 | ||
(12) | Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct of NISA Investment Advisors, L.L.C., dated February 2014, is incorporated be reference to PEA No. 194 | ||
(13) | Code of Business Conduct and Ethics of Pzena Investment Management, LLC, revised January 2009, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 73, filed February 27, 2009 (“PEA No. 73”) | ||
(14) | Code of Ethics and Policy Statement on Insider Trading of Franklin Templeton, parent company of Franklin Advisers, Inc. and Templeton Investments Counsel, LLC, dated May 2013, is incorporated be reference to PEA No. 171 | ||
(15) | Code of Conduct and Personal Securities Trading Policy of The Bank of New York Mellon, parent company of The Boston Company Asset Management, LLC and Standish Mellon Asset Management LLC, dated March 2012, is incorporated be reference to PEA No. 153 | ||
(16) | Code of Ethics of Zebra Capital Management, LLC, dated November 2011, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 136, filed March 15, 2012 (“PEA No. 136”) | ||
(17) | Code of Ethics for Strategic Income Management, LLC, dated January 2015, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 219 | ||
(18) | Code of Ethics of Massachusetts Financial Services Co., dated September 19, 2014, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 213 | ||
(19) | Code of Ethics of Brandes Investment Partners, L.P., dated August 15, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 113, filed July 1, 2011 (“PEA No. 113”) | ||
(20) | Code of Ethics of Fortress Investment Group LLC (on behalf of Logan Circle Partners, L.P.), dated January 2012, is incorporated be reference to PEA No. 136 | ||
(21) | Code of Ethics of Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (PIMCO), dated May 2009, as revised January 2015, is incorporated by reference to (“PEA No. 219”) |
(22) | Code of Ethics for Stephens Investment Management Group, LLC, dated April 2012, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 153 | ||
(23) | Code of Ethics for Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc., dated June 23, 2011, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 129 | ||
(24) | Code of Ethics and Conduct for Holland Capital Management LLC, dated February 2014, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 194 | ||
(25) | Code of Ethics for PENN Capital Management Company, Inc., dated February 21, 2012, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 131, filed February 23, 2012 (“PEA No. 131”) | ||
(26) | Code of Ethics for The London Company of Virginia, LLC, dated April 2, 2012, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 145 | ||
(27) | Code of Ethics for Earnest Partners, dated August 4, 2008, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 161, filed June 14, 2013 (“PEA No. 161”) | ||
(28) | Code of Ethics for Sustainable Growth Advisers, LP, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 162, filed July 11, 2013 (“PEA No. 162”) | ||
(29) | Code of Ethics for Acadian Asset Management LLC, dated February 2015, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 219 | ||
(30) | Code of Ethics for Global Evolution USA, LLC, dated January 1, 2013, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 161 | ||
(31) | Code of Ethics for AHL Partners LLP, revised December 2013, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 203 | ||
(32) | Code of Ethics for Bahl & Gaynor, Inc., amended 2014, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 189, filed May 1, 2014 | ||
(33) | Code of Ethics for Crescent Capital Group LP, dated May 2011, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 196 | ||
(34) | Code of Ethics for Hillcrest Asset Management, LLC, dated July 8, 2014 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 208 | ||
(35) | Code of Ethics for Ionic Capital Management LLC, dated May 2014, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 214, filed March 18, 2015 | ||
(36) | Code of Ethics for Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., dated June 27, 2014 (filed herewith) | ||
(37) | Code of Ethics for Basswood Capital Management, LLC, dated August 2015 (filed herewith) | ||
(38) | Code of Ethics for Impala Asset Management, dated November 14, 2013 (filed herewith) | ||
(39) | Code of Ethics for Incline Global Management, LLC, dated October 2014 (filed herewith) |
Item 29. Persons Controlled by or under Common Control with Registrant
None.
Item 30. Indemnification
Article XI of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust provides that:
Limitation of Liability
Section 1 . Provided they have exercised reasonable care and have acted under the reasonable belief that their actions are in the best interest of the Trust, the Trustees shall not be responsible for or liable in any event for neglect or wrongdoing of them or any officer, agent, employee or investment adviser of the Trust, but nothing contained herein shall protect any Trustee against any liability to which he or she would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office.
Indemnification
Section 2 .
(a) Subject to the exceptions and limitations contained in paragraph (b) below: |
(i) every person who is, or has been, a Trustee or officer of the Trust (hereinafter referred to as "Covered Person") shall be indemnified by the appropriate portfolios to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his being or having been a Trustee or officer and against amounts paid or incurred by him in the settlement thereof; |
(ii) the words "claim," "action," "suit," or "proceeding" shall apply to all claims, actions, suits or proceedings (civil, criminal or other, including appeals), actual or threatened while in office or thereafter, and the words "liability" and "expenses" shall include, without limitation, attorneys' fees, costs, judgments, amounts paid in settlement, fines, penalties and other liabilities. |
(b) | No indemnification shall be provided hereunder to a Covered Person: |
(i) who shall have been adjudicated by a court or body before which the proceeding was brought (A) to be liable to the Trust or its Shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office or (B) not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that his action was in the best interest of the Trust; or |
(ii) in the event of a settlement, unless there has been a determination that such Trustee or officer did not engage in willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office (A) by the court or other body approving the settlement; (B) by at least a majority of those Trustees who are neither interested persons of the Trust nor are parties to the matter based upon a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry); or (C) by written opinion of independent legal counsel based upon a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry); provided, however, that any Shareholder may, by appropriate legal proceedings, challenge any such determination by the Trustees, or by independent counsel. |
(c) The rights of indemnification herein provided may be insured against by policies maintained by the Trust, shall be severable, shall not be exclusive of or affect any other rights to which any Covered Person may now or hereafter be entitled, shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be such Trustee or officer and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person. Nothing contained herein shall affect any rights to indemnification to which Trust personnel, other than Trustees and officers, and other persons may be entitled by contract or otherwise under law.
(d) Expenses in connection with the preparation and presentation of a defense to any claim, action, suit, or proceeding of the character described in paragraph (a) of this Section 2 may be paid by the applicable Portfolio from time to time prior to final disposition thereof upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such Covered Person that such amount will be paid over by him to the Trust if it is ultimately determined that he is not entitled to indemnification under this Section 2; provided, however, that:
(i) such Covered Person shall have provided appropriate security for such undertaking; |
(ii) the Trust is insured against losses arising out of any such advance payments; or |
(iii) | either a majority of the Trustees who are neither interested persons of the Trust nor parties to the matter, or independent legal counsel in a written opinion, shall have determined, based upon a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a trial-type inquiry or full investigation), that there is reason to believe that such Covered Person will be found entitled to indemnification under this Section 2. |
According to Article XII, Section 1 of the Declaration of Trust, the Trust is a trust, not a partnership. Trustees are not liable personally to any person extending credit to, contracting with or having any claim against the Trust, a particular Portfolio or the Trustees. A Trustee, however, is not protected from liability due to willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office.
Article XII, Section 2 provides that, subject to the provisions of Section 1 of Article XII and to Article XI, the Trustees are not liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law, or for any act or omission in accordance with advice of counsel or other experts or for failing to follow such advice.
Numbered Paragraph 8 of the Management Agreement provides that:
8. Limitation of Liability of the Manager . The Manager shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by a Trust or any Fund in connection with the matters to which this Agreement relate except a loss resulting from the willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by it of its obligations and duties under this Agreement. Any person, even though also an officer, partner, employee, or agent of the Manager, who may be or become an officer, Board member, employee or agent of a Trust shall be deemed, when rendering services to a Trust or acting in any business of a Trust, to be rendering such services to or acting solely for a Trust and not as an officer, partner, employee, or agent or one under the control or direction of the Manager even though paid by it.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Acadian Asset Management LLC provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with AHL Partners LLP provides, in relevant part, that:
9. Liability . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders, the Manager or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless, the Manager, any affiliated person within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Manager, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Manager or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities or commodities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of the Adviser’s responsibilities to the Trust which may be based upon any willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of, the Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement, relating to its trading activities or information provided to the Manager regarding the Adviser, by the Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Adviser. The U.S. federal and state securities laws impose liabilities on persons who act in good faith, and therefore, nothing in this Agreement is intended to limit the obligations of the Adviser under such laws.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Bahl & Gaynor, Inc. provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . Liability of Adviser. The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless, the Manager, any affiliated person within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Manager, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Manager or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of the Adviser’s responsibilities to the Trust which may be based upon any willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of, the Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Adviser. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Straus, Inc. provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 16 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Basswood Capital Management, LLC provides that:
16. Liability and Indemnification by Parties .
A. The Underlying Adviser shall have no liability to the Manager, Lead Adviser, the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Underlying Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser, any affiliated person of the Manager or the Lead Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Trust, the Manager or the Lead Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Underlying Adviser’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Underlying Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Underlying Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Underlying Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Underlying Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished to the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trust by the Underlying Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Underlying Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
B. The Lead Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Lead Adviser’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Lead Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Lead Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Lead Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Lead Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished by the Lead Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Lead Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
C. The Manager agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Manager’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Underlying Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Manager or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Manager or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Manager or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was not made in reliance upon information furnished to the Manager by the Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of the Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
D. A party seeking indemnification hereunder (the “Indemnified Party”) will (i) provide prompt notice to the other of any Claim for which it intends to seek indemnification, (ii) grant control of the defense and/or settlement of the Claim to the other party, and (iii) cooperate with the other party in the defense thereof. The Indemnified Party will have the right at its own expense to participate in the defense of any Claim, but will not have the right to control the defense, consent to judgment or agree to the settlement of any Claim without the written consent of the other party. The party providing the indemnification will not consent to the entry of any judgment or enter any settlement which (i) does not include, as an unconditional term, the release by the claimant of all liabilities for Claims against the Indemnified Party or (ii) which otherwise adversely affects the rights of the Indemnified Party.
E. No party will be liable to another party for consequential, special or punitive damages under any provision of this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Brandes Investment Partners, L.P. provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any other third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 11 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Brandywine Global Investment Management, LLC provides that:
11. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders, the Manager or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Manager shall indemnify the Adviser, its officers, directors and employees, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, controls the Adviser, for any liability and expenses, including without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, which may be sustained as a result of the Manager’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, reckless disregard of its duties hereunder.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Calamos Advisors LLC provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . Adviser will not be liable for any loss suffered by reason of any investment, decision, recommendation, or other action taken or omitted in what Adviser in good faith believes to be the proper performance of its duties hereunder. No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to protect the Adviser against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which it might otherwise be subject by reason of any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 8 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Causeway Capital Management LLC provides that:
8. Liability of Adviser . No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to protect the Adviser against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which it might otherwise be subject by reason of any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Crescent Capital Group LP provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . Neither the Adviser nor any director, officer or employee of the Adviser performing services for the Trust in connection with the Adviser’s discharge of its obligations hereunder shall have liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless, the Manager, any affiliated person within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Manager, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Manager or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of the Adviser’s responsibilities to the Trust which may be based upon any willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of, the Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Adviser. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Dreman Value Management LLC provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to protect the Adviser against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which it might otherwise be subject by reason of any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Earnest Partners, LLC provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Franklin Advisers, Inc. provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Global Evolution USA, LLC provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraphs 10 and 11 of the Lead Investment Advisory Agreement with Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P . provide that:
10. Liability of the Lead Adviser . In the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations or duties hereunder on the part of the Lead Adviser, the Lead Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, the Funds or to any shareholder of the Funds or any third party for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any investment by a Fund.
11. Indemnification
A. The Lead Adviser shall indemnify and hold harmless the Trust, the Manager, any affiliated person of the Manager within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Manager or Trust, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses) (collectively, “Claims”), to which the Manager or Trust or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of the Lead Adviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of its duties under this Agreement in the performance of its obligations under this Agreement provided, however, that the Lead Adviser’s obligation under this Section 11A shall be reduced to the extent that such Claim is caused by or is otherwise directly related to (i) any material breach by the Manager of its representations or warranties made herein, (ii) any willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the Manager, its affiliated person or controlling person in the performance of any of its or their duties or obligations hereunder, or (iii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the registration statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the omission to state therein a material fact known to the Manager that was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, unless such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished to the Manager or the Trust by the Lead Adviser. The indemnification in this Section 11A shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
B. The Manager shall indemnify and hold harmless the Lead Adviser, any affiliated person of the Lead Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Lead Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses) (collectively, “Claims”), to which the Lead Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of the Manager’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of its duties under this Agreement in the performance of its obligations under this Agreement provided, however, that the Manager’s obligation under this Section 11B shall be reduced to the extent that such Claim is caused by or is otherwise directly related to (i) any material breach by the Lead Adviser of its representations or warranties made herein, (ii) any willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the Lead Adviser, its affiliated person or controlling person in the performance of any of its or their duties or obligations hereunder, or (iii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the registration statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the omission to state therein a material fact known to the Lead Adviser that was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, unless such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished to the Lead Adviser by the Manager. The indemnification in this Section 11B shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
C. A party seeking indemnification hereunder (the “Indemnified Party”) will (i) provide prompt notice to the other of any Claim for which it intends to seek indemnification, (ii) grant control of the defense and/or settlement of the Claim to the other party, and (iii) cooperate with the other party in the defense thereof. The Indemnified Party will have the right at its own expense to participate in the defense of any Claim, but will not have the right to control the defense, consent to judgment or agree to the settlement of any Claim without the written consent of the other party. The party providing the indemnification will not consent to the entry of any judgment or enter any settlement which (i) does not include, as an unconditional term, the release by the claimant of all liabilities for Claims against the Indemnified Party or (ii) which otherwise adversely affects the rights of the Indemnified Party.
D. No party will be liable to another party for consequential damages under any provision of this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Hillcrest Asset Management, LLC provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless, the Manager, any affiliated person within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Manager, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Manager or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of the Adviser’s responsibilities to the Trust which may be based upon any willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of, the Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Adviser. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Holland Capital Management LLC provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Hotchkis and Wiley Capital Management, LLC provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to protect the Adviser against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which it might otherwise be subject by reason of any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 14 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Impala Asset Management provides that:
14. Liability and Indemnification by Parties .
A. The Underlying Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Underlying Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser, any affiliated person of the Manager or the Lead Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Trust, the Manager or the Lead Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Underlying Adviser’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Underlying Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Underlying Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Underlying Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Underlying Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished to the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trust by the Underlying Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Underlying Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
B. The Lead Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Lead Adviser’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Lead Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Lead Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Lead Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Lead Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished by the Lead Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Lead Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
C. The Manager agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Manager’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Underlying Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Manager or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Manager or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Manager or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was not made in reliance upon information furnished to the Manager by the Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of the Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
D. A party seeking indemnification hereunder (the “Indemnified Party”) will (i) provide prompt notice to the other of any Claim for which it intends to seek indemnification, (ii) grant control of the defense and/or settlement of the Claim to the other party, and (iii) cooperate with the other party in the defense thereof. The Indemnified Party will have the right at its own expense to participate in the defense of any Claim, but will not have the right to control the defense, consent to judgment or agree to the settlement of any Claim without the written consent of the other party. The party providing the indemnification will not consent to the entry of any judgment or enter any settlement which (i) does not include, as an unconditional term, the release by the claimant of all liabilities for Claims against the Indemnified Party or (ii) which otherwise adversely affects the rights of the Indemnified Party.
E. No party will be liable to another party for consequential damages under any provision of this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 14 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Incline Global Management, LLC provides that:
14. Liability and Indemnification by Parties .
A. The Underlying Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Underlying Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser, any affiliated person of the Manager or the Lead Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Trust, the Manager or the Lead Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Underlying Adviser’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Underlying Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Underlying Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Underlying Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Underlying Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished to the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trust by the Underlying Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Underlying Adviser for use therein (and not superseded by revisions provided to Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trust prior to the publication of the relevant document or communication). The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
B. The Lead Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Lead Adviser’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Lead Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Lead Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Lead Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Lead Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished by the Lead Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Lead Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
C. The Manager agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Manager’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Underlying Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Manager or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Manager or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Manager or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was not made in reliance upon information furnished to the Manager by the Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of the Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
D. A party seeking indemnification hereunder (the “Indemnified Party”) will (i) provide prompt notice to the other of any Claim for which it intends to seek indemnification, (ii) grant control of the defense and/or settlement of the Claim to the other party, and (iii) cooperate with the other party in the defense thereof. The Indemnified Party will have the right at its own expense to participate in the defense of any Claim, but will not have the right to control the defense, consent to judgment or agree to the settlement of any Claim without the written consent of the other party. The party providing the indemnification will not consent to the entry of any judgment or enter any settlement which (i) does not include, as an unconditional term, the release by the claimant of all liabilities for Claims against the Indemnified Party or (ii) which otherwise adversely affects the rights of the Indemnified Party.
E. No party will be liable to another party for consequential damages under any provision of this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 8 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Lazard Asset Management LLC provides that:
8. Liability of Adviser . No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to protect the Adviser against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which it might otherwise be subject by reason of any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Logan Circle Partners, L.P. provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Massachusetts Financial Services Co. provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any other third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 7 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Inc. provides that:
7. (a) Standard of Care . Except as may otherwise be provided by applicable laws and regulations, neither the Adviser nor any of its affiliates or its or their officers, directors, employees or agents shall be subject to any liability to the Manager, the Trust, the Portfolios or any shareholder of a Portfolio or the Trust for any error of judgment or any loss arising out of any investment or other act or omission in the course of, connected with, or arising out of any service to be rendered under this Agreement, except by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of the Adviser’s duties hereunder or by reason of the Adviser’s reckless disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder. The Manager acknowledges and agrees that the Adviser makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, that any level of performance or investment results will be achieved by the Portfolios or the Assets designated by the Manager to the Adviser, or that the Portfolios or such Assets will perform comparably with any standard or index, including other clients of the Adviser, whether public or private.
(b) Indemnification . The Manager shall hold harmless and indemnify the Adviser for any and all claims, losses, liabilities, costs, damages or expenses (including reasonable attorneys fees) (“Losses”) incurred by the Adviser in connection with the performance of its duties hereunder; provided, however, that nothing contained herein shall require that the Adviser be indemnified for Losses resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of the Adviser’s duties hereunder or by reason of the Adviser’s reckless disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder.
The Adviser shall hold harmless and indemnify the Manager for any and all Losses incurred by the Manager that arise from the Adviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties hereunder or by reason of the Adviser’s reckless disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder; provided, however, that nothing contained herein shall require that the Manager be indemnified for Losses resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of the Manager’s duties hereunder or by reason of the Manager’s reckless disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder.
Numbered Paragraph 8 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with NISA Investment Advisors, L.L.C. provides that:
8. Liability of Adviser . Adviser will not be liable for any loss suffered by reason of any investment, decision, recommendation, or other action taken or omitted in what Adviser in good faith believes to be the proper performance of its duties hereunder. No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to protect the Adviser against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which it might otherwise be subject by reason of any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 8 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Pacific Investment Management Company LLC provides that:
8. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 17 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Passport Capital LLC provides that:
14. Liability and Indemnification by Parties .
A. Except as otherwise provided within this Agreement, in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of Underlying Adviser’s obligations and duties hereunder (“Disabling Conduct”) on the part of Underlying Adviser, none of Underlying Adviser, its affiliated persons within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, officers, directors, members, agents, employees or controlling persons shall be subject to liability to the Manager, the Lead Adviser, the Trust or any third party, including shareholders, for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security by the Funds.
B. The Underlying Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser, any affiliated person of the Manager or the Lead Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, their officers, directors, members, agents, employees and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Trust, the Manager or the Lead Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Disabling Conduct of the Underlying Adviser or its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Underlying Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Underlying Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact pertaining thereto which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished in writing to the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trust by the Underlying Adviser for use therein. The Underlying Adviser shall have no liability or responsibility with respect to other disclosures or statements or omissions. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
C. The Lead Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, its officers, directors, members, agents, employees and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Disabling Conduct of the Lead Adviser or any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Lead Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Lead Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished by the Lead Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Lead Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
D. The Manager agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, its officers, directors, members, agents, employees and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Investment Company Act, controls the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of this agreement, except to the extent such claims are determined by a non-appealable final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction to result from the Underlying Adviser’s Disabling Conduct or the matters described in Section 17(B). The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
E. A party seeking indemnification hereunder (the “Indemnified Party”) will (i) provide prompt notice to the other of any Claim for which it intends to seek indemnification, (ii) grant control of the defense and/or settlement of the Claim to the other party, and (iii) cooperate with the other party in the defense thereof. The Indemnified Party will have the right at its own expense to participate in the defense of any Claim, but will not have the right to control the defense, consent to judgment or agree to the settlement of any Claim without the written consent of the other party. The party providing the indemnification will not consent to the entry of any judgment or enter any settlement which (i) does not include, as an unconditional term, the release by the claimant of all liabilities for Claims against the Indemnified Party or (ii) which otherwise adversely affects the rights or reputation of the Indemnified Party.
F. No party will be liable to another party for consequential damages under any provision of this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 8 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with PENN Capital Management Company, Inc. provides that:
8. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 15 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Pine River Capital Management LP provides that:
15. Liability and Indemnification by Parties .
A. Neither the Underlying Adviser, nor any of its directors, officers, members, partners, employees, supervised persons, or affiliated persons (within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act), nor any person who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Underling Adviser (collectively, the “Underlying Adviser Affiliates”) shall have any liability to the Trust, its shareholders, the Manager, the Lead Adviser, any affiliated person of the Manager or the Lead Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, any person who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Trust, the Manager or the Lead Adviser or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, that the Underlying Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser, any affiliated person of the Manager or the Lead Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Trust, the Manager or the Lead Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses, the “Losses”), to which the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Underlying Adviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Underlying Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Underlying Adviser or by any of the Underlying Adviser Affiliates acting on behalf of the Underlying Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Underlying Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished to the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trust by the Underlying Adviser or any Underlying Adviser Affiliate for use therein and not superseded by revisions furnished to the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trust by the Underlying Adviser or any Underlying Adviser Affiliate prior to the publication of the relevant document or communication. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
B. The Lead Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser and any of the Underlying Adviser Affiliates, against any and all Losses to which the Underlying Adviser or an Underlying Adviser Affiliate may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Lead Adviser’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Lead Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement or the Lead Adviser Management Agreement by the Lead Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, partners, employees, supervised persons, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Lead Adviser; (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Lead Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished by the Lead Adviser or any of its directors, officers, partners, employees, supervised persons, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Lead Adviser for use therein; or (iii) the conduct of any other underlying adviser to a Fund. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
C. The Manager agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser and any of the Underlying Adviser Affiliates, against any and all Losses to which the Underlying Adviser or an Underlying Adviser Affiliate may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Manager’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Manager’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement or the Investment Management Agreement by the Manager or by any of its directors, officers, employees, supervised persons, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Manager; (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Manager or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was not made in reliance upon information furnished to the Manager by the Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser or any director, officer, agent, supervised person or employee of the Lead Adviser or any Underlying Adviser Affiliate for use therein, or (iii) the conduct of any other underlying adviser to a Fund. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
D. A party seeking indemnification hereunder (the “Indemnified Party”) will (i) provide prompt notice to the other of any claim for which it intends to seek indemnification, (ii) grant control of the defense and/or settlement of the claim to the other party, and (iii) cooperate with the other party in the defense thereof. The Indemnified Party will have the right at its own expense to participate in the defense of any claim, but will not have the right to control the defense, consent to judgment or agree to the settlement of any claim without the written consent of the other party. The party providing the indemnification will not consent to the entry of any judgment or enter any settlement which (i) does not include, as an unconditional term, the release by the claimant of all liabilities for claims against the Indemnified Party or (ii) which otherwise adversely affects the rights of the Indemnified Party.
E. No party will be liable to another party for lost profits under any provision of this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Pzena Investment Management, LLC provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in its reasonable judgment, in good faith and believed by it to be authorized or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred upon it by this Agreement, or in accordance with (or in the absence of) specific directions or instructions from the Manager. No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to protect the Adviser against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which it might otherwise be subject by reason of any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 14 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with River Canyon Fund Management LLC provides that:
14. Liability and Indemnification by Parties .
A. The Underlying Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party for any error of judgment or any loss arising out of any investment or other act or omission in the course of, connected with, or arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Underlying Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser, any affiliated person of the Manager or the Lead Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Trust, the Manager or the Lead Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Underlying Adviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Underlying Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Underlying Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Underlying Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Underlying Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, but only if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished to the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trust by the Underlying Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Underlying Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
B. The Lead Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Lead Adviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Lead Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Lead Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Lead Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Lead Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished by the Lead Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Lead Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
C. The Manager agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Manager’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Manager’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Manager or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Manager or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Manager or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was not made in reliance upon information furnished to the Manager by the Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of the Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
D. A party seeking indemnification hereunder (the “Indemnified Party”) will (i) provide prompt notice to the other of any Claim for which it intends to seek indemnification, (ii) grant control of the defense and/or settlement of the Claim to the other party, and (iii) cooperate with the other party in the defense thereof. The Indemnified Party will have the right at its own expense to participate in the defense of any Claim, but will not have the right to control the defense, consent to judgment or agree to the settlement of any Claim without the written consent of the other party. The party providing the indemnification will not consent to the entry of any judgment or enter any settlement which (i) does not include, as an unconditional term, the release by the claimant of all liabilities for Claims against the Indemnified Party or (ii) which otherwise adversely affects the rights of the Indemnified Party.
E. No party will be liable to another party for consequential damages under any provision of this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Standish Mellon Asset Management LLC provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Manager shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Adviser for (a) any action taken, omitted or suffered by Adviser in connection with this Agreement or the services provided hereunder, unless such act or omission shall have resulted from Adviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence; or (b) any loss arising from Adviser’s adherence to Manager’s instructions. Adviser shall in no event be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, exemplary or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Stephens Investment Management Group, LLC provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Strategic Income Management, LLC provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any other third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Sustainable Growth Advisers, LP provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 8 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Templeton Investment Counsel, LLC provides that:
8. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 8 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with The Boston Company Asset Management, LLC provides that:
8. Liability of Adviser . No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to protect the Adviser against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which it might otherwise be subject by reason of any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with The London Company of Virginia, LLC provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 15 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Tremblant Capital LP provides that:
15. Liability and Indemnification by Parties .
A. The Underlying Adviser, and its officers, members, partners and employees, shall have no liability to the Manager, the Lead Adviser, the Fund, Fund shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, except that the Underlying Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Fund, the Manager, the Lead Adviser, any affiliated person of the Manager or the Lead Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, or any controlling person within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act of the Fund, the Manager or the Lead Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Fund, the Manager, the Lead Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Underlying Adviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Underlying Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Underlying Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Underlying Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Prospectus and/or proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Allocated Portion or the Underlying Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact that was known, or should have been known, to the Underlying Adviser which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished to the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Fund by the Underlying Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Underlying Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
B. The Lead Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, or any controlling person within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act of the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), incurred by the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person arising out of (i) the Lead Adviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Lead Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Lead Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, and/or proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Fund or the Lead Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished by the Lead Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Lead Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
C. | The Manager agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, or any controlling person, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, of the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), incurred by the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person arising out of (i) the Manager’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Manager’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Manager or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Manager or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, and/or proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Fund or the Manager or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished by Manager or any director, officer, agent or employee of the Manager for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
D. | A party seeking indemnification hereunder (the “Indemnified Party”) will (i) provide prompt notice to the other of any claim for indemnification (“Claim”) for which it intends to seek indemnification, (ii) grant control of the defense and/or settlement of the Claim to the other party, and (iii) cooperate with the other party in the defense thereof. The Indemnified Party will have the right at its own expense to participate in the defense of any Claim, but will not have the right to control the defense, consent to judgment or agree to the settlement of any Claim without the written consent of the other party. The party providing the indemnification will not consent to the entry of any judgment or enter any settlement which (i) does not include, as an unconditional term, the release by the claimant of all liabilities for Claims against the Indemnified Party or (ii) which otherwise adversely affects the rights of the Indemnified Party. |
E. | No party will be liable to another party for consequential damages under any provision of this Agreement. |
Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with Zebra Capital Management, LLC provides that:
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any other third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Numbered Paragraph 11 of the Administration Agreement provides that:
11. Limitation of Liability of American Beacon Advisors, Inc. (“ABA”) . ABA shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by a Trust or any Series in connection with the matters to which this Agreement relate except a loss resulting from the willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by it of its obligations and duties under this Agreement. Any person, even though also an officer, partner, employee, or agent of ABA, who may be or become an officer, Board member, employee or agent of a Trust shall be deemed, when rendering services to any Trust or acting in any business of a Trust, to be rendering such services to or acting solely for the Trust and not as an officer, partner, employee, or agent or one under the control or direction of ABA even though paid by it.
Section 4.2 of the Distribution Agreement provides that:
(a) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, Foreside shall not be responsible for, and the Clients shall on behalf of each applicable Fund or Class thereof, indemnify and hold harmless Foreside, its employees, directors, officers and managers and any person who controls Foreside within the meaning of section 15 of the Securities Act or section 20 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (for purposes of this Section 4.2(a), "Foreside Indemnitees") from and against, any and all losses, damages, costs, charges, reasonable counsel fees, payments, liabilities and other expenses of every nature and character (including, but not limited to, direct and indirect reasonable reprocessing costs) arising out of or attributable to all and any of the following (for purposes of this Section 4.2(a), a "Foreside Claim"):
(i) any action (or omission to act) of Foreside or its agents taken in connection with this Agreement; provided, that such action (or omission to act) is taken in good faith and without willful misfeasance, negligence or reckless disregard by Foreside of its duties and obligations under this Agreement;
(ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or arising out of or based upon any alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, unless such statement or omission was made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, information furnished to the Clients in connection with the preparation of the Registration Statement or exhibits to the Registration Statement by or on behalf of Foreside;
(iii) any material breach of the Clients' agreements, representations, warranties, and covenants in Sections 2.9 and 5.2 of this Agreement; or
(iv) the reliance on or use by Foreside or its agents or subcontractors of information, records, documents or services which have been prepared, maintained or performed by the Clients or any agent of the Clients, including but not limited to any Predecessor Records provided pursuant to Section 2.9(b).
(b) Foreside will indemnify, defend and hold the Clients and their several officers and members of their Governing Bodies and any person who controls the Clients within the meaning of section 15 of the Securities Act or section 20 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (collectively, the "Clients Indemnitees" and, with the Foreside Indemnitees, an "Indemnitee"), free and harmless from and against any and all claims, demands, actions, suits, judgments, liabilities, losses, damages, costs, charges, reasonable counsel fees and other expenses of every nature and character (including the cost of investigating or defending such claims, demands, actions, suits or liabilities and any reasonable counsel fees incurred in connection therewith), but only to the extent that such claims, demands, actions, suits, judgments, liabilities, losses, damages, costs, charges, reasonable counsel fees and other expenses result from, arise out of or are based upon all and any of the following (for purposes of this Section 4.2(c), a "Clients Claim" and, with a Foreside Claim, a "Claim"):
(i) any material action (or omission to act) of Foreside or its agents taken in connection with this Agreement, provided that such action (or omission to act) is not taken in good faith and with willful misfeasance, negligence or reckless disregard by Foreside of its duties and obligations under this Agreement.
(ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, information furnished to the Clients in writing in connection with the preparation of the Registration Statement by or on behalf of Foreside; or
(iii) any material breach of Foreside's agreements, representations, warranties and covenants set forth in Section 2.4 and 5.1 hereof
(d) The Clients or Foreside (for purpose of this Section 4.2(d), an "Indemnifying Party") may assume the defense of any suit brought to enforce any Foreside Claim or Clients Claim, respectively, and may retain counsel chosen by the Indemnifying Party and approved by the other Party, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. The Indemnifying Party shall advise the other Party that it will assume the defense of the suit and retain counsel within ten (10) days of receipt of the notice of the claim. If the Indemnifying Party assumes the defense of any such suit and retains counsel, the other Party shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional counsel that they retain. If the Indemnifying Party does not assume the defense of any such suit, or if other Party does not approve of counsel chosen by the Indemnifying Party, or if the other Party has been advised that it may have available defenses or claims that are not available to or conflict with those available to the Indemnifying Party, the Indemnifying Party will reimburse any Indemnitee named as defendant in such suit for the reasonable fees and expenses of any counsel that the Indemnitee retains. An Indemnitee shall not settle or confess any claim without the prior written consent of the applicable Client, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.
(e) An Indemnifying Party's obligation to provide indemnification under this section is conditioned upon the Indemnifying Party receiving notice of any action brought against an Indemnitee within twenty (20) days after the summons or other first legal process is served. Such notice shall refer to the Person or Persons against whom the action is brought. The failure to provide such notice shall not relieve the Indemnifying Party of any liability that it may have to any Indemnitee except to the extent that the ability of the party entitled to such notice to defend such action has been materially adversely affected by the failure to provide notice.
(f) The provisions of this section and the parties' representations and warranties in this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Indemnitee and shall survive the sale and redemption of any Shares made pursuant to subscriptions obtained by Foreside. The indemnification provisions of this section will inure exclusively to the benefit of each person that may be an Indemnitee at any time and their respective successors and assigns (it being intended that such persons be deemed to be third party beneficiaries under this Agreement).
Section 4.3 of the Distribution Agreement provides that:
Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, except as specifically set forth below:
(a) Neither Party shall be liable for losses, delays, failure, errors, interruption or loss of data occurring directly or indirectly by reason of circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including, without limitation, acts of God; action or inaction of civil or military authority; public enemy; war; terrorism; riot; fire; flood; sabotage; epidemics; labor disputes; civil commotion; interruption, loss or malfunction of utilities, transportation, computer or communications capabilities; insurrection; or elements of nature;
(b) Neither Party shall be liable for any consequential, special or indirect losses or damages suffered by the other Party, whether or not the likelihood of such losses or damages was known by the Party;
(c) No affiliate, director, officer, employee, manager, shareholder, partner, agent, counsel or consultant of either Party shall be liable at law or in equity for the obligations of such Party under this Agreement or for any damages suffered by the other Party related to this Agreement;
(d) Except as set forth in Section 4.2(f), there are no third party beneficiaries of this Agreement;
(e) Each Party shall have a duty to mitigate damages for which the other Party may become responsible;
(f) The assets and liabilities of each Fund are separate and distinct from the assets and liabilities of each other Fund, and no Fund shall be liable or shall be charged for any debt, obligation or liability of any other Fund, whether arising under this Agreement or otherwise; and in asserting any rights or claims under this Agreement, Foreside shall look only to the assets and property of the Fund to which Foreside's rights or claims relate in settlement of such rights or claims; and
(g) Each Party agrees promptly to notify the other party of the commencement of any litigation or proceeding of which it becomes aware arising out of or in any way connected with the issuance or sale of Shares.
Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a trustee, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
Supplemental Limited Indemnification from the Administrator
Each of the Trustees of the Trust has entered into an arrangement with the Trust’s Administrator, whereby she or he may be indemnified by the Administrator for liability arising from a failure of the Administrator to carry out its duties under the Administration Agreement with the Trust and for certain securities laws claims. The arrangement is principally designed to supplement the indemnification afforded under the Trust’s Declaration of Trust as well as liability coverage provided by insurance policies. The arrangement is limited to civil and administrative claims.
Item 31.
I. | Business and Other Connections of Investment Manager |
American Beacon Advisors, Inc. (the “Manager”) offers investment management and administrative services to the Registrant. It acts in the same capacity to other investment companies, including those listed below.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of American Beacon Advisors, Inc. is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with American Beacon
Advisors, Inc. |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Sonia L. Bates; Asst. Treasurer, Dir. Tax & Financial Reporting | Asst. Treasurer, American Beacon Funds Complex; Asst. Treasurer, Lighthouse Holdings, Inc.; Asst. Treasurer, Lighthouse Holdings Parent, Inc.; Asst. Treasurer, American Private Equity Management, L.L.C.; Asst. Treasurer, Astro AB Borrower, Inc. | |
Rosemary K. Behan; Secretary | Secretary, American Beacon Funds Complex; Secretary, Lighthouse Holdings, Inc.; Secretary, Lighthouse Holdings Parent, Inc.; Secretary, American Private Equity Management, L.L.C.; Secretary, American Beacon Cayman Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Ltd.; Secretary, Astro AB Borrower, Inc. | |
Christopher L. Collins; Director
|
Manager; APEM, L.L.C.; Director; ABA, Inc.; President and Director; Astro AB Borrower, Inc.; President and Director; Astro AB Acquisition, Inc.; President and Director; Astro AB Topco, Inc.; Vice President and Director; Astro AB Holdings, LLC. | |
Stephen C. Dutton; Director
|
Manager; APEM, L.L.C.; Vice President & Treasurer and Director; Astro AB Borrower, Inc., Vice President & Treasurer and Director; Astro AB Acquisition, Inc., Vice President & Treasurer and Director; Astro AB Topco, Inc., Vice President and Director; Astro AB Holdings, LLC. | |
Melinda G. Heika; Treasurer | Treasurer, American Beacon Funds Complex; Treasurer, Lighthouse Holdings, Inc.; Treasurer, Lighthouse Holdings Parent, Inc.; Treasurer, American Private Equity Management, L.L.C.; Director and Treasurer, American Beacon Cayman Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Ltd.; Treasurer, Astro AB Borrower, Inc. | |
Takashi B. Moriuchi; Director
|
Manager; APEM, L.L.C.; Director; Astro AB Borrower, Inc., Director; Astro AB Acquisition, Inc., Director; Astro AB Topco, Inc., Director; Astro AB Holdings, LLC. | |
Gene L. Needles, Jr.; Director, President and Chief Executive Officer | President, American Beacon Funds Complex; Director, President, Lighthouse Holdings, Inc.; President, Lighthouse Holdings Parent, Inc.; Manager, American Private Equity Management, L.L.C.; President, American Beacon Cayman Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Ltd.; Director, Astro AB Borrower, Inc.; Director, Astro AB Acquisition, Inc.; Director, Astro AB Astro Topco, Inc., President & CEO, Astro AB Holdings, LLC. | |
William F. Quinn; Executive Vice President | Chairman & Director, Lighthouse Holdings, Inc.; Chairman & Director, Lighthouse Holdings Parent, Inc.; Manager, American Private Equity Management, L.L.C.; Director, American Airlines Federal Credit Union; Director, Hicks Acquisition II, Inc.; Independent Trustee, National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust | |
Jeffrey K. Ringdahl, Chief Operating Officer | Senior Vice President, American Beacon Funds Complex; Senior Vice President, Lighthouse Holdings, Inc.; Senior Vice President, Lighthouse Holdings Parent, Inc.; Vice President, American Private Equity Management; Director and Vice President, American Beacon Cayman Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Ltd.; Director, Astro AB Borrower, Inc.; Director, Astro AB Acquisition, Inc.; Director, Astro AB Astro Topco, Inc., Chief Operating Officer, Astro AB Holdings, LLC. |
The principal address of the Manager, the American Beacon Funds, American Private Equity Management, L.L.C., and Astro AB Holdings, LLC, and Lighthouse Holdings Parent, Inc. is 220 East Las Colinas Blvd., Suite 1200, Irving, Texas 75039.
II. Business and Other Connections of Investment Advisers
The investment advisers listed below provide investment advisory services to the Trust.
American Beacon Advisors, Inc. , 220 East Las Colinas Blvd., Suite 1200, Irving, Texas 75039.
Acadian Asset Management LLC (“Acadian”) is an investment sub-adviser for the American Beacon Acadian Emerging Markets Managed Volatility Fund. The principal address of Acadian is 260 Franklin Street, Boston, MA 02110.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Acadian is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Acadian |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Laurent de Greef, Member of Board of Managers | None | |
John Chisholm, Executive Vice President, CIO, Member of Board of Managers | Director, Acadian Asset Management (UK) Ltd | |
Churchill Franklin, CEO, Member of Board of Managers | Director, Acadian Asset Management (UK) Ltd; Director, Acadian Cayman Limited G.P. | |
Ronald Frashure, Chairman of Board of Managers | Director, Acadian Asset Management (Singapore) Pte Ltd; Director, Acadian Cayman Limited G.P. | |
Mark Minichiello, Executive Vice President, COO, Treasurer, Secretary, Member of Board of Managers | Director, Acadian Asset Management (UK) Ltd; Director, Acadian Asset Management (Singapore) Pte Ltd; Director, Acadian Asset Management (Japan) | |
Brendan Bradley, Senior Vice President, Director, Portfolio Management, Member of Board of Managers | None | |
Ross Dowd, Executive Vice President, Head of Client Service, Member of Board of Managers | Director, Acadian Asset Management (UK) Ltd; Director, Acadian Cayman Limited G.P.; Director, Acadian Asset Management (Australia) Ltd.; Director, Acadian Asset Management (Singapore) Pte Ltd; Director, Acadian Asset Management (Japan) | |
Mauricio Karchmer, Senior Vice President, Member of Board of Managers | None | |
Theodore Noon, Senior Vice President, Member of Board of Managers | None | |
Linda Gibson, Member of Board of Managers | Executive Vice President and Head of Global Distribution – OM Asset Management PLC (a public company traded on the NYSE); Director, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Distribution – OMAM Inc. (f/k/a Old Mutual (US) Holdings Inc.) (a holding company); Director, Acadian Asset Management LLC (an investment advisor); Director, Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss, LLC (an investment advisor); Director, OMAM (HFL) Inc. (f/k/a Old Mutual (HFL) Inc.) (a holding company for Heitman affiliated financial services firms); Director, OMAM International Ltd. (f/k/a Old Mutual Asset Management International, Ltd.) (an investment advisor | |
Christopher Hadley, Member of Board of Managers | Executive Vice President and Chief Talent Officer – OM Asset Management PLC (a public company traded on the NYSE); Executive Vice President and Chief Talent Officer – OMAM Inc. (f/k/a Old Mutual (US) Holdings Inc.) (a holding company); Director, Acadian Asset Management LLC (an investment advisor) | |
Aidan Riordan, Member of Board of Managers | Executive Vice President, Head of Affiliate Management - OM Asset Management PLC (a public company traded on the NYSE); Executive Vice President, Head of Affiliate Management - OMAM Inc. (f/k/a Old Mutual (US) Holdings Inc.) (a holding company); Director, Acadian Asset Management LLC (an investment advisor); Director, Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss, LLC (an investment advisor); Director, The Campbell Group, Inc. (a holding company for The Campbell Group LLC); Director, Copper Rock Capital Partners LLC (an investment advisor); Director, OMAM (HFL) Inc. (f/k/a Old Mutual (HFL) Inc. (a holding company for Heitman affiliated financial services firms); Director, Investment Counselors of Maryland, LLC (an investment advisor); Director, Thompson, Siegel & Walmsley LLC (an investment advisor) | |
Stephen Belgard, Member of Board of Managers | Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer - OM Asset Management PLC (a public company traded on the NYSE); Director, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer - OMAM Inc. (f/k/a Old Mutual (US) Holdings Inc.) (a holding company); Director, Acadian Asset Management LLC (an investment advisor); Director, OMAM International Ltd. (f/k/a Old Mutual Asset Management International, Ltd.) (an investment advisor) |
AHL Partners LLP (“AHL”) is a registered investment adviser and is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon AHL Managed Futures Strategy Fund. The principal address of AHL is 2 Swan Lane, London, United Kingdom EC4R 3AD. Information as to the officers and directors of the Investment Adviser is included in its Form ADV, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (CRD number 167882), and is incorporated herein by reference.
Bahl & Gaynor, Inc. (“Bahl & Gaynor”) is a registered investment adviser and is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Bahl & Gaynor Small Cap Growth Fund. The principal address of Bahl & Gaynor is 212 East Third Street, Suite 200 Cincinnati, OH 45202. Information as to the officers and directors of the Investment Adviser is included in its Form ADV, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (CRD number 106139), and is incorporated herein by reference.
Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss, LLC (“Barrow”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Balanced Fund, American Beacon Large Cap Value Fund, American Beacon Mid-Cap Value Fund, American Beacon Small Cap Value Fund, and American Beacon Intermediate Bond Fund. The principal address of Barrow is 2200 Ross Avenue, 31 st Floor, Dallas, TX 75201-2761.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Barrow is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Barrow |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
James P. Barrow; President, Secretary, Treasurer, Executive Director, Member Board of Managers | None | |
J. Ray. Nixon; Executive Director, Member Board of Managers | None | |
Patricia B. Andrews; Chief Compliance and Risk Officer, Director | None | |
John S. Williams; Managing Director | None | |
Linda T. Gibson; Member Board of Managers | OMAM, Inc., Executive Vice President and Head of Global Distribution | |
Aidan J. Riordan; Member Board of Managers | OMAM, Inc., Executive Vice President and Head of Affiliate Management |
Basswood Capital Management, LLC (“Basswood”) is a registered investment adviser and is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund. The principal address of Basswood is 645 Madison Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10022. Information as to the officers and directors of the Investment Adviser is included in its Form ADV, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (CRD number 138032), and is incorporated herein by reference.
Brandes Investment Partners, L.P. (“Brandes”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Emerging Markets Fund. The principal address of Brandes is 11988 El Camino Real, Suite 600, San Diego, CA 92130.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Brandes is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Brandes |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Charles H. Brandes; Chairman | None | |
Glenn R. Carlson; Executive Director | None | |
Jeffrey A. Busby; Executive Director | None | |
Ian N. Rose; General Counsel | None | |
Brent V. Woods; Chief Executive Officer | None | |
Kenneth Little; Managing Director, Investments Group | None | |
Oliver Murray; Managing Director, Portfolio Management and Client Services | None | |
Gregory S. Houck; Managing Director of Operations | None | |
Gary K. Iwamura; Finance Director | None | |
Roberta L. Loubier; Global Head of Compliance, Chief Compliance Officer | None |
Brandywine Global Investment Management, LLC (“Brandywine”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Flexible Bond Fund, American Beacon Balanced Fund, American Beacon Large Cap Value Fund, and American Beacon Small Cap Value Fund. The principal address of Brandywine is 2929 Arch Street, 8 th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Brandywine is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Brandywine |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
David F. Hoffman, Senior Managing Director | None | |
Mark P. Glassman, Chief Administrative Officer | None | |
Patrick S. Kaser, Managing Director | None | |
Paul R. Lesutis, Senior Managing Director | None | |
Henry F. Otto, Senior Managing Director | None | |
Stephen S. Smith, Senior Managing Director | None | |
Adam B. Spector, Managing Director | None | |
Steven M. Tonkovich, Senior Managing Director | None | |
Edward A. Trumpbour, Senior Managing Director | None | |
Thomas C. Merchant, Secretary | None | |
Beth O’Malley, Assistant Secretary | None | |
Melissa A. Warren, Assistant Secretary | None |
Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (“Bridgeway”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Bridgeway Large Cap Value Fund. The principal address of Bridgeway is 20 Greenway Plaza, Suite 450, Houston, Texas 77046.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Bridgeway is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Bridgeway |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
John N. R. Montgomery, Director/Chairman of the Board of Directors/Chief Investment Officer | Vice President and Director, Bridgeway Funds, Inc. | |
Linda G. Giuffre, Chief Compliance Officer | Chief Compliance Officer and Treasurer, Bridgeway Funds, Inc. | |
Michael D. Mulcahy, Director/President/Chief Operating Officer | President and Director, Bridgeway Funds, Inc. | |
Von D. Celestine, Treasurer/Vice President/Secretary | None | |
Richard P. Cancelmo, Vice President | Vice President, Bridgeway Funds, Inc. | |
Franklin J. Montgomery, Director | None | |
Ann M. Montgomery, Director | Sage Education Group, LLC - Owner |
Calamos Advisors, LLC (“Calamos”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Retirement Income and Appreciation Fund. The principal address of Calamos is 2020 Calamos Court, Naperville, IL 60563-2787.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Calamos is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Calamos |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
John P. Calamos; CEO, Global Co-CIO |
Member of Board of Trustees of Benedictine University Member of Board of Trustees of Illinois Institute of Technology Board of Directors – National Hellenic Museum Board of Directors – Choose DuPage |
|
Gary D. Black; EVP, Global Co-CIO | None | |
J. Christopher Jackson; SVP, General Counsel and Secretary | None | |
Nimish S. Bhatt; SVP, Chief Financial Officer, Head of Fund Administration | None | |
Jessica Mazza; VP, Chief Compliance Officer | None |
Causeway Capital Management, LLC (“Causeway”), a Delaware limited liability company, is a registered investment adviser and is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon International Equity Fund. The principal address of Causeway is 11111 Santa Monica Boulevard, 15th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90025. Information as to the officers and directors of the Investment Adviser is included in its Form ADV, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (CRD number 113308), and is incorporated herein by reference.
Crescent Capital Group LP (“Crescent Capital”) is the investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Crescent Short Duration High Income Fund, whose principal office is located at 11100 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 2000, Los Angeles, CA 90025.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Crescent Capital is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Crescent Capital |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Mark L. Attanasio, Managing Partner | Chairman and Principal Owner of the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club |
Dreman Value Management, LLC (“Dreman”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Small Cap Value Fund. The principal address of Dreman is 777 South Flagler Drive, Suite 800-West Tower, West Palm Beach, FL 33401.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Dreman is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Dreman |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Emory C. Hoover; Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director | None | |
Mark J. Roach; Managing Director | None | |
David N. Dreman; Chairman | None | |
Nelson P. Woodard; Co-Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director | None | |
David H. Kanefsky; General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer | None | |
Christian Abadiotakis; Chief Financial Officer | None |
Earnest Partners (“Earnest”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Earnest Partners Emerging Markets Equity Fund. The principal address of Earnest is 1180 Peachtree Street, Suite 2300 Atlanta, GA 30309.
Set forth below is the information as to any business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Earnest is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged in his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Earnest |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Paul E. Viera; CEO & Manager | Manager, Westchester Limited, LLC; Manager, GREYBULL Partners LLC | |
John G. Whitmore, COO | COO, GREYBULL Partners LLC | |
James M. Wilson, CCO and Secretary | CCO and Secretary, GREYBULL Partners LLC |
Franklin Advisers, Inc. (“Franklin”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon High Yield Bond Fund. The principal address of Franklin is One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403-1906.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Franklin is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Franklin |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Edward B. Jamieson; Director, President and CIO | None | |
Kenneth A. Lewis; Chief Financial Officer | None | |
Craig S. Tyle; Chief Legal Officer | None | |
John M. Lusk; Director and Vice President | None | |
Breda M. Beckerle; Chief Compliance Officer | None | |
Mark L. Constant; Treasurer | None | |
William Y. Yun; Executive Vice President | None | |
Madison S. Gulley; Executive Vice President | None | |
Rupert H. Johnson, Jr.; Director | None | |
Christopher J. Molumphy; Director and Executive Vice President | None |
Global Evolution USA, LLC (“Global Evolution”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Global Evolution Frontier Markets Income Fund. The principal address of Global Evolution is 790 East Colorado Boulevard, Suite 500, Pasadena, CA 91101.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Global Evolution is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Global Evolution |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Soren Rump, Director | None | |
Morten Bugge, Director | None | |
Michael McAdams, Managing Director | Minority partner at and oversees investment allocations for Holly Street Wealth, a California Registered Investment Advisor | |
Kent Roberts, Managing Director | Independent director of Biolargo, Inc.; Member of the Advisory Board for Novus Partners |
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. (“Grosvenor”) is the investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund. The principal address of Grosvenor is 900 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1100, Chicago, IL 60611. Information as to the officers and directors of the Investment Adviser is included in its Form ADV, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (CRD number 106548), and is incorporated herein by reference.
Hillcrest Asset Management, LLC (“Hillcrest”) is the investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Small Cap Value Fund. The principal address of Hillcrest is 2805 Dallas Parkway, Suite 250, Plano, Texas 75093
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Hillcrest and is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Hillcrest |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Brian Bruce, Chief Executive Officer | None | |
Deborah Ann Trask, Chief Investment Officer | None | |
Douglas E. Stark, Managing Director | None | |
Brandon L. Troegle, Portfolio Manager | None |
Holland Capital Management LLC (“Holland”) is the investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Holland Large Cap Growth Fund. The principal address of Holland is 300 W. Madison, Suite 700, Chicago, Illinois 60606.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Holland is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Holland |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Louis A. Holland, Jr.; Director | Consultant: Cumota LLC; Cumota Consulting LLC; Brickland Partners, Inc.; TNE Management, LLC | |
Monica L. Walker; President and CEO, Chief Investment Officer – Equity; Director; Former Managing Director, Managing Partner and Portfolio Manager | None | |
Laura J. Janus; Chief Investment Officer – Fixed Income; Director; Former Managing Partner and Portfolio Manager |
None | |
Susan M. Chamberlain; Chief Compliance Officer | None |
Hotchkis and Wiley Capital Management, LLC (“Hotchkis”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Balance Fund, American Beacon Large Cap Value Fund, and American Beacon Small Cap Value Fund. The principal address of Hotchkis is 725 South Figueroa Street, 39 th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012-5439.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Hotchkis is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Hotchkis |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
George H. Davis; Chief Executive Officer and Executive Committee Member | Trustee of the Hotchkis & Wiley Funds and Director of Hotchkis & Wiley Ltd. | |
James E. Menvielle; Chief Financial Officer | Vice President and Treasurer of the Hotchkis & Wiley Funds and Director of Hotchkis & Wiley Ltd. | |
Anna Marie S. Lopez; Chief Operating Officer | President of the Hotchkis & Wiley Funds and Director of Hotchkis & Wiley Ltd. | |
Tina H. Kodama; Chief Compliance Officer | Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer of the Hotchkis & Wiley Funds | |
Sheldon J. Lieberman; Executive Committee Member |
None | |
C. Nigel Hurst-Brown; Executive Committee Member |
Chief Executive and Director of Hotchkis and Wiley ltd. | |
Douglas H. Martin; Executive Committee Member | Senior Managing Director of Stephens Inc. and Board of Director of Conns, Inc. |
Impala Asset Management, LLC (“Impala”) is a registered investment adviser and is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund. The principal address of Impala is 107 Cherry Street, New Canaan, CT 06840. Information as to the officers and directors of the Investment Adviser is included in its Form ADV, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (CRD number 138752), and is incorporated herein by reference.
Incline Global Management, LLC (“Incline Global”) is a registered investment adviser and is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund. The principal address of Incline Global is 40 West 57th Street, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10019. Information as to the officers and directors of the Investment Adviser is included in its Form ADV, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (CRD number 162607), and is incorporated herein by reference..
Lazard Asset Management, LLC (“Lazard”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon International Equity Fund. The principal address of Lazard is 30 Rockerfeller Plaza, 55 th Floor, New York, NY 10112.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Lazard is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Lazard |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Ashish Bhutani; Director, CEO | Vice Chairman, Lazard Ltd. | |
Gerard B. Mazzari; COO | Chief Financial Officer, Lazard Asset Management Securities, LLC | |
Nathan A. Paul; General Counsel | Vice President and Secretary of the Fund; Chief Legal Officer of Lazard Asset Management Securities, LLC | |
Brian D. Simon; Chief Compliance Officer | Managing Director of Lazard Asset Management, LLC | |
Kenneth M. Jacobs; Director | None | |
Alexander F. Stern; Director | None | |
Charles Carroll; Deputy Chairman | Head of Global Marketing, Lazard Asset Management, LLC; Chief Executive Officer | |
Andrew Lacey; Deputy Chairman | None | |
John Reinsberg; Deputy Chairman | None | |
Robert P. DeConcini; Chairman | None | |
Andreas Huebner; Senior Managing Director | None | |
Robert Prugue; Senior Managing Director | None | |
Bill Smith; Senior Managing Director | None |
Logan Circle Partners, L.P. (“Logan”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon High Yield Bond Fund. The principal address of Logan is 1717 Arch Street, Suite 1500; Philadelphia, PA 19103.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Logan is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Logan |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Jude T. Driscoll; CEO/Chief Investment Officer | None | |
William C. Gadsden; Chief Operating Officer | None |
Massachusetts Financial Services Company (“MFS”) serves as an investment sub-adviser for the American Beacon Large Cap Value Fund. The principal address of MFS is 111 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02199. MFS is a subsidiary of Sun Life of Canada (U.S.) Financial Services Holdings Inc., which in turn is an indirect majority-owned subsidiary of Sun Life Financial, Inc. (a diversified financial services company), located at Sun Life Financial Centre, 150 King Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each director and principal executive officer of MFS is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with MFS |
Other Substantial Business and Connections
During the Past Two Fiscal Years |
|
Robert J. Manning; Director, Co-Chief Executive Officer & Chairman of the Board of Directors | Trustee of various funds within the MFS Funds complex+ | |
Mark N. Polebaum; Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary | None+ | |
Michael W. Roberge; President, Co-Chief Investment Officer, Director of Global Research, and Director | None+ | |
Amrit Kanwal; Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | None+ | |
David A. Antonelli; Vice Chairman | None+ | |
Robin A. Stelmach; Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer | Trustee of various funds within the MFS Funds complex + | |
Carol W. Geremia; Executive Vice President | None+ | |
James A. Jessee; Executive Vice President | None+ | |
Timothy M. Fagan; Chief Compliance Officer | None+ | |
Colm J. Freyne; Director |
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Sun Life Financial, Inc. |
|
Stephen C. Peacher; Director | President of Sun Life Investment Management and Chief Investment Officer of Sun Life Financial, Inc. |
+Certain principal executive officers and directors of Massachusetts Financial Services Company ("MFS") serve as officers or directors of some or all of MFS’ corporate affiliates and certain officers of MFS serve as officers of some or all of the MFS Funds and/or officers or directors of certain MFS non-U.S. investment companies. Except as set forth above or in Schedules B and D of Form ADV filed by MFS pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (SEC File No. 801-17352), each principal executive officer of MFS has been engaged during the past two fiscal years in no business profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature other than as an officer of MFS or certain of MFS' corporate affiliates.
The identity of those corporate affiliates is identified below or is incorporated by reference from Schedules B and D of such Form ADV.
Investment Adviser Corporate Affiliate | Address | |
MFS Institutional Advisors, Inc. | 111 Huntington Ave., Boston, Massachusetts 07618 U.S.A. | |
MFS Fund Distributors, Inc. | 111 Huntington Ave., Boston, Massachusetts 07618 U.S.A. | |
MFS Service Center Inc. | 100 Hancock Street, Quincy, MA 02171 U.S.A. | |
MFS International LTD. | Canon's Court, 22 Victoria Street, Hamilton, HM12, Bermuda | |
MFS International Holdings PTY LTD |
One Carter Lane London EC4V 5ER U.K. |
|
MFS International (U.K.) Limited | Paternoster House, 65 St. Paul 's Churchyard, London EC4M 8AB, U.K. | |
MFS International Switzerland GMBH |
Bahnhofstrasse 100, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland |
|
MFS International (Hong Kong) Limited | Wheelock House, 20 Pedder Street, Level 19, Suite 1901, Central, Hong Kong | |
MFS do Brasil Desenvolvimento de Mercado Ltda. (Brazil) |
Rua Joaquim Floriano, 1.052 – 11 o Andar, conjunto 111, Itaim Bibi, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil 04534-004 |
|
MFS International (Chile) SPA |
Santiago Isidora 3000 Av Isidora Goyenechea #3000, Las Condes, Santiago, Chile |
|
MFS International Singapore PTE. LTD. |
501 Orchard Road, #13-01/03/04 Wheelock Place Singapore 238880 |
|
MFS Investment Management Company (LUX.) S.a.r.l. |
19, Rue de Bitbourg, L-1273 Luxembourg |
|
MFS Investment Management K.K. | 16 F Daido Seimei Kasumigaseki Building, 1-4-2 Kasumigaseki 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan 100-0013 | |
Sun Life of Canada (U.S.) Financial Services Holdings, Inc. | 111 Huntington Ave., Boston, Massachusetts 07618 U.S.A. | |
3060097 Nova Scotia Company |
1959 Upper Water Street Suite 1100, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3J3N2 |
|
MFS Investment Management Canada Limited |
77 King Street West, 35 th Floor Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5K 1B7 |
|
MFS Bermuda Holdings LTD. |
Canon's Court 22 Victoria Street Hamilton, HM 12, Bermuda |
|
MFS Heritage Trust Company | 111 Huntington Ave., Boston, Massachusetts 07618 U.S.A. |
The MFS Funds include the following. The address of the MFS Funds is: 111 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02199.
Massachusetts Investors Trust | |
Massachusetts Investors Growth Stock Fund | |
MFS Series Trust I | |
MFS Series Trust II | |
MFS Series Trust III |
MFS Series Trust IV | |
MFS Series Trust V | |
MFS Series Trust VI | |
MFS Series Trust VII | |
MFS Series Trust VIII | |
MFS Series Trust IX | |
MFS Series Trust X | |
MFS Series Trust XI | |
MFS Series Trust XII | |
MFS Series Trust XIII | |
MFS Series Trust XIV | |
MFS Series Trust XV | |
MFS Series Trust XVI | |
MFS Municipal Series Trust | |
MFS Variable Insurance Trust | |
MFS Variable Insurance Trust II | |
MFS Variable Insurance Trust III | |
MFS Institutional Trust | |
MFS California Municipal Fund | |
MFS Charter Income Trust | |
MFS Government Markets Income Trust | |
MFS High Income Municipal Trust | |
MFS High Yield Municipal Trust | |
MFS InterMarket Income Trust I | |
MFS Intermediate High Income Fund | |
MFS Intermediate Income Trust | |
MFS Investment Grade Municipal Trust | |
MFS Municipal Income Trust | |
MFS Multimarket Income Trust | |
MFS Special Value Trust |
Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Inc. (“Morgan Stanley IM”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Emerging Markets Fund. The principal address of Morgan Stanley IM is 522 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10036.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Morgan Stanley IM is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Morgan Stanley
IM |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Gregory J. Fleming Managing Director and President |
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. | |
Christopher O’Dell Managing Director and Secretary |
Managing Director and Secretary of Morgan Stanley Distribution Inc. and Morgan Stanley Services Company Inc.; Secretary of other entities affiliated with Morgan Stanley IM. | |
Stefanie Chang Yu Managing Director and Chief Compliance Officer |
Chief Compliance Officer of the Morgan Stanley Funds. | |
Jeffrey Gelfand Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer |
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Morgan Stanley Distribution Inc., Chief Financial Officer of Morgan Stanley Services Company Inc. and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. | |
Mary Alice Dunne Managing Director and Director |
None. | |
Arthur Lev; Managing Director and Director | Managing Director of Morgan Stanley Distribution Inc. and Morgan Stanley Services Company Inc. | |
James Janover Managing Director and Director |
None. | |
Kevin Klingert Managing Director and Director |
Managing Director and Director of Morgan Stanley Services Company Inc. | |
Karen Cassidy Managing Director and Treasurer |
Treasurer of other entities affiliated with Morgan Stanley IM. | |
John Chiota Executive Director and Chief Anti-Money Laundering Officer |
Anti-Money Laundering Officer of other entities affiliated with Morgan Stanley IM. |
NISA Investment Advisors, LLC (“NISA”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Fund. The principal address of NISA is 101 South Hanley Road, Suite 1700, St. Louis, MO 63105-3487.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of NISA is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with NISA |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Jess B. Yawitz; Chairman & Chief Executive Officer & Managing Member | None | |
William J. Marshall; President & Managing Member | None | |
David G. Eichhorn; Managing Director, Investment Strategies & Managing Member | None | |
Kenneth L. Lester; Managing Director, Portfolio Management & Managing Member | None | |
Anthony R. Pope; Managing Director, Portfolio Management & Managing Member | None | |
Gregory J. Yess; Managing Director, Client Services & Managing Member | None | |
Michael R. DeNorscia; Director, Operations | None | |
Mark A. Folkins; Chief Administrative Officer | None | |
Cheryl L. Hanson; Director, Client Services | None | |
Paul L. Jones; Director, Equity Portfolio Management | None | |
Matt D. Kaplan; Chief Risk Officer | None | |
Clarence R. Krebs; Director, Defined Contribution Solutions & Member | None | |
Joseph A. Murphy; Director, Portfolio Management & Member | None | |
Marianne O’Doherty; Chief Compliance Officer | None | |
Donald A. Pinkard; Chief Technology Officer | None | |
Bella L.F., Sanevich; General Counsel & Member | None | |
Daniel A. Scholz; Director, Investment Strategies | None | |
Kevin D. Schuman; Director, Client Services | None |
Pacific Investment Management Company, LLC (“PIMCO”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Flexible Bond Fund. The principal address of PIMCO is 840 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of PIMCO is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with PIMCO |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Douglas M. Hodge, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, PIMCO | Trustee and Senior Vice President of the Trust, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, and PIMCO ETF Trust. Senior Vice President of PIMCO Equity Series and PIMCO Equity Series VIT. Director and Vice President, StocksPLUS Management Inc.; Director, PIMCO Europe Ltd., PIMCO Asia Pte Ltd., PIMCO Australia Pty Ltd, PIMCO Japan Ltd. and PIMCO Asia Limited (Hong Kong) | |
Jennifer E. Durham; Chief Compliance Officer and Executive Vice President | Chief Compliance Officer, the Trust, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust and PIMCO ETF Trust | |
Daniel J. Ivascyn, Managing Director and Group Chief Investment Officer, PIMCO | ||
Neel T. Kashkari; Managing Director | Trustee and President of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series VIT. Formerly Interim Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability, Assistant Secretary for International Economics and Senior Advisor to Secretary Paulson, United States Department of Treasury | |
David C. Flattum; Managing Director and General Counsel | Chief Legal Officer of the Trust, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust and PIMCO ETF Trust | |
Brent R. Harris; Managing Director and Executive Committee Member | Director and President, StocksPLUS Management, Inc. Trustee and Chairman of the Trust and PIMCO Equity Series VIT. Trustee, Chairman and President of PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust and PIMCO ETF Trust. Director, PIMCO Luxembourg S.A. and PIMCO Luxembourg II | |
Ki M. Hong; Managing Director | Formerly, Vice Chairman of Asia Pacific, Bank of America Merrill Lynch | |
Sabrina C. Callin; Managing Director | Acting Head of PIMCO Advisory; and Vice President, StocksPLUS Management, Inc. | |
Makoto Takano; Managing Director | Director and President, PIMCO Japan Ltd. | |
Joseph V. McDevitt; Managing Director | Director and Chief Executive Officer, PIMCO Europe Limited. |
Passport Capital, LLC (“Passport”) is a registered investment adviser and is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund. The principal address of Passport is One Market Street, Steuart Tower, Suite 200 San Francisco, CA 94105. Information as to the officers and directors of the Investment Adviser is included in its Form ADV, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (CRD number 138032), and is incorporated herein by reference.
Penn Capital Management Company, Inc. (“PENN”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon High Yield Bond Fund. The principal address of PENN is Three Crescent Drive, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19112.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of PENN is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with PENN |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Marcia A. Hocker; President | None | |
Richard A. Hocker; Chief Executive Officer & Chief Investment Officer | None | |
Gerald McBride; Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer | None | |
John G. Livewell; Chief Compliance Officer | None | |
Eric Green; Director of Research & Senior Portfolio Manager | None | |
Christian M. Noyes; Director of Marketing & Client Services/ Senior Managing Partner | None | |
Scott D. Schumacher; Senior Portfolio Manager, Senior Managing Partner | None | |
J. Paulo Silva; Senior Portfolio Manager | None |
Pine River Capital Management L.P. (“Pine River”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon [Alternative Strategies] Fund. The principal address of Pine River is 601 Carlson Parkway, Suite 330, Minnetonka, MN 55305.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and partner of Pine River is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Global Evolution |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Brian Taylor, CEO and Partner | Chairman and Director of Two Harbors Investment Corp. | |
Thomas Siering, Partner | CEO, President and Director of Two Harbors Investment Corp.; Director of Silver Bay Realty Trust Corp. | |
Bill Roth, Partner | Chief Investment Officer of Two Harbors Investment Corp. |
Pzena Investment Management, LLC (“Pzena”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Mid-Cap Value Fund. The principal address of Pzena is 120 West 45 th Street, 20 th Floor, New York, NY 10036.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Pzena is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Pzena |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
John P. Goetz; Managing Principal, Co-Chief Investment Officer, and Member with Class B Units | None | |
Richard S. Pzena; Managing Principal; Chief Executive Officer, Co-Chief Investment Officer, and Member with Class B Units | None | |
William L. Lipsey; Managing Principal, Marketing & Client Services, and Member with Class B Units | None | |
Joan F. Berger; General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, and Member with Class B Units | None | |
Gary J. Bachman; Chief Financial Officer and Member with Class B Units and Class A common stock | None | |
Benjamin Silver; Co-Director of Research, Portfolio Manager, and Member with Class B Units | None | |
Michael D. Peterson; Managing Principal, Portfolio Manager, Executive Vice President and Member with Class B Units | None |
River Canyon Fund Management LLC (“River Canyon”) is a registered investment adviser and is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund. The principal address of River Canyon is 2000 Avenue of the Stars, 11th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90067. Information as to the officers and directors of River Canyon is included in its Form ADV, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (CRD number 169465), and is incorporated herein by reference.
Standish Mellon Asset Management Company, LLC (“Standish”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Fund. The principal address of Standish is BNY Mellon Center, 201 Washington Street, Suite 2900, Boston, MA 02108-4408.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Standish is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Standish |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
James D. MacIntyre; President and Chief Executive Officer, Board Member | None | |
Julia Braithwaite; Chief Compliance Officer, Secretary | None | |
Steven Lipiner; Treasurer | None | |
Mitchell E. Harris; Chairman of Fixed Income Cash and Currency Group, Executive Chairman Board Member, Trustee of Sole Owner | None | |
John A. Park; Trustee of Sole Owner | None | |
Edward H. Ladd; Board Member | None | |
Christine Todd; Board Member | None | |
Mark Santero | None |
Stephens Investment Management Group, LLC (“SIMG”) is the investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Stephens Mid-Cap Growth Fund and American Beacon Stephens Small Cap Growth Fund. The principal address of SIMG and Stephens Inc. is 111 Center Street, Little Rock, Arkansas 72201.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of SIMG is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with SIMG |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Joseph W. Simpson; President and Chief Executive Officer, Manager | Executive Vice President, Stephens Inc. | |
Ryan E. Crane; Chief Investment Officer, Manager, Member Class B | Senior Vice President, Stephens Inc. | |
Michael W. Nolte; Chief Operating Officer, Senior Vice President, Manager | Senior Vice President, Stephens Inc. | |
David C. Prince; Chief Compliance Officer, General Counsel | Senior Vice President, Stephens Inc. |
Strategic Income Management, LLC (“SiM”) is the investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon SiM High Yield Opportunities Fund. The principal address of SiM is 720 Olive Way, Suite 1675, Seattle, WA 98101.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of SiM is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with SiM |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Randall L. Yoakum; Manager, Member, Chief Executive Officer | None | |
Gary J. Pokrzywinski; Manager, Member, Chief Investment Officer | None | |
Timothy T. Black; Elected Manager, Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Operating Officer | None |
Sustainable Growth Advisers, LP (“SGA”) is the investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon SGA Global Growth Fund. The principal address of SGA is 301 Tresser Boulevard, Suite 1310, Stamford, CT 06901.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of SGA is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with SGA |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
George P. Fraise, Co-Founder | None | |
Gordon Marchand, Co-Founder
|
Board Director- Chase Investment Counsel; Board Director- Zounds Hearing Inc. | |
Robert L. Rohn, Co-Founder | None |
Templeton Investment Counsel, LLC (“Templeton”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon International Equity Fund. The principal address of Templeton is 300 Southeast 2 nd Street, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Templeton is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Templeton |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Donald F. Reed; Chief Executive Officer and Chairman | None | |
Cynthia L. Sweeting; President/Director of Portfolio Management for the Templeton Global Equity Group | None | |
Antonio T. Docal; Executive Vice President and Portfolio Manager | None | |
Peter A. Nori; Executive Vice President and Portfolio Manager | None | |
Craig S. Tyle; Chief Legal Officer | None | |
Mark L. Constant; Treasurer | None | |
Michael J. D’Agrosa; Chief Compliance Officer | None | |
Gregory E. McGowan; Exec. Vice President | None | |
Madison S. Gulley; Executive Vice President | None |
The Boston Company Asset Management, LLC (“Boston Company”) is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Small Cap Value Fund and the American Beacon Emerging Markets Fund. The principal address of Boston Company is One Boston Place, Boston, MA 02108.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Boston Company is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Boston Company |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Bart A. Grenier; Chairman, Chief Executive Officer & Chief Investment Officer/Manager | None | |
Adam B. Joffe– Executive Vice President, -Chief Operating Officer | None |
The London Company Of Virginia, LLC (“London Company”) is the investment sub-adviser for the American Beacon London Company Income Equity Fund. The principal place of business address of London Company is 1801 Bayberry Court, Suite 301, Richmond, Virginia 23226.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of London Company is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with London
Company |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections During the Past Two Fiscal Years |
|
Stephen, M. Goddard, Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer | None | |
Jonathan Moody, Principal and Portfolio Manager | None | |
Andrew Wetzel, Chief Compliance Officer | None |
Tremblant Capital Group (“Tremblant”) is a registered investment adviser and is an investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund. The principal address of Tremblant is 767 Fifth Avenue, Floor 12A, New York, NY 10153. Information as to the officers and directors of the Investment Adviser is included in its Form ADV, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (CRD number 138743), and is incorporated herein by reference.
WEDGE Capital Management, LLC (“WEDGE”) is the investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Mid-Cap Value Fund. The principal address of WEDGE is 301 South College Street, Suite 2920, Charlotte, NC 28202.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of WEDGE is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with WEDGE |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections During the Past Two Fiscal Years |
|
Michael Gardner, General Partner | None | |
Bradley Fisher, General Partner | None | |
Bradley Horstmann, Chief Compliance Officer and General Partner | None | |
Paul Vezolles, General Partner | None | |
Martin Robinson, General Partner | None | |
John Norman, General Partner | None | |
Andrei Bolshakov, General Partner | None | |
Darrin Witt, General Partner | None |
Zebra Capital Management, LLC (“Zebra”) is the investment sub-advisor for the American Beacon Zebra Large Cap Equity Fund and American Beacon Zebra Small Cap Equity Fund. The principal address of Zebra is 612 Wheelers Farms Rd., Milford, CT 06461.
Set forth below is information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and director of Zebra is, or at any time during the past two fiscal years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
Name; Current Position with Zebra |
Other Substantial Business and
Connections |
|
Roger G. Ibbotson; Chairman | Professor, Yale University | |
John Holmgren, President | None | |
Peter A. Schaffer; Chief Operating Officer, Chief Compliance Officer | None |
Information as to the officers and directors of each of the above investment advisers may also be included in that adviser's current Form ADV filed with the SEC and is incorporated by reference herein.
Item 32. Principal Underwriter
(a) Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as principal underwriter for the following investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended:
1. | Absolute Shares Trust |
2. | AdvisorShares Trust |
3. | American Beacon Funds |
4. | American Beacon Select Funds |
5. | Ark ETF Trust |
6. | Avenue Mutual Funds Trust |
7. | BP Capital TwinLine Energy Fund, Series of Professionally Managed Portfolios |
8. | BP Capital TwinLine MLP Fund, Series of Professionally Managed Portfolios |
9. | Bridgeway Funds, Inc. |
10. | Calamos ETF Trust |
11. | Cane Alternative Strategies Fund, Series of Northern Lights Fund Trust III |
12. | Capital Innovations Global Agri, Timber, Infrastructure Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust |
13. | Carlyle Select Trust |
14. | Center Coast MLP Focus Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust |
15. | Context Capital Funds |
16. | Corsair Opportunity Fund |
17. | Direxion Shares ETF Trust |
18. | Evanston Alternative Opportunities Fund |
19. | Exchange Traded Concepts Trust II |
20. | FlexShares Trust |
21. | Forum Funds |
22. | Forum Funds II |
23. | FQF Trust |
24. | FSI Low Beta Absolute Return Fund |
25. | Gottex Trust |
26. | Henderson Global Funds |
27. | Horizon Spin-off and Corporate Restructuring Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust (f/k/a Liberty Street Horizon Fund) |
28. | Horizons ETF Trust |
29. | Infinity Core Alternative Fund |
30. | Ironwood Institutional Multi-Strategy Fund LLC |
31. | Ironwood Multi-Strategy Fund LLC |
32. | Manor Investment Funds |
33. | Outlook Funds Trust |
34. | Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund |
35. | Performance Trust Mutual Funds, Series of Trust for Professional Managers |
36. | Pine Grove Alternative Fund |
37. | Pine Grove Alternative Institutional Fund |
38. | Plan Investment Fund, Inc. |
39. | PMC Funds, Series of Trust for Professional Managers |
40. | Precidian ETFs Trust |
41. | Quaker Investment Trust |
42. | Renaissance Capital Greenwich Funds |
43. | RevenueShares ETF Trust |
44. | Robinson Tax Advantaged Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust |
45. | Salient MF Trust |
46. | SharesPost 100 Fund |
47. | Sound Shore Fund, Inc. |
48. | Steben Alternative Investment Funds |
49. | Steben Select Multi-Strategy Fund |
50. The 504 Plan
51. | The Roxbury Funds |
52. | TIFF Investment Program |
53. | Toroso Newfound Tactical Allocation Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust |
54. | Turner Funds |
55. | V2 Hedged Equity Fund, Series of Trust for Advised Portfolios |
56. | West Loop Realty Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust (f/k/a Chilton Realty Income & Growth Fund) |
57. | Wintergreen Fund, Inc. |
58. | WisdomTree Trust |
(b) The following are the Officers and Managers of the Distributor, the Registrant’s underwriter. The Distributor’s main business address is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101.
Name | Address | Position with Underwriter | Position with Registrant | |||
Mark A. Fairbanks | Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101 | President | None |
Name | Address | Position with Underwriter | Position with Registrant | |||
Richard J. Berthy | Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101 | Vice President, Treasurer and Manager | None | |||
Jennifer E. Hoopes | Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101 | Secretary | None | |||
Nanette K. Chern | Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101 | Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer | None | |||
Lisa S. Clifford | Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101 | Vice President and Managing Director of Compliance | None | |||
Paula R. Watson | Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101 | Assistant Secretary | None |
(c) Not applicable.
Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records
The books and other documents required by Section 31(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 are maintained in the physical possession of 1) the Trust's custodian at State Street Bank and Trust Company, 225 Franklin Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110; 2) the Manager at American Beacon Advisors, Inc., 220 East Las Colinas Blvd., Suite 1200, Irving, Texas 75039; 3) Boston Financial Data Services, an affiliate of the Trust’s transfer agent, 330 West 9 th St., Kansas City, Missouri 64105; 4) Mastercraft, 3021 Wichita Court, Fort Worth, Texas 76140; or 5) the Trust's investment advisers at the addresses listed in Item 31 above.
Item 34. Management Services
Not applicable.
Item 35. Undertakings
Not applicable.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“1933 Act”), and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant represents that this Amendment meets all the requirements for effectiveness pursuant to Rule 485(b) under the 1933 Act and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 231 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Irving and the State of Texas, on September 30, 2015.
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS | |||
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||
Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |||
President |
Pursuant to the requirements of the 1933 Act, this Post-Effective Amendment No. 231 to the Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature | Title | Date | ||
/s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | President (Principal Executive Officer) | September 30, 2015 | ||
Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||||
/s/ Melinda G. Heika | Treasurer (Principal Financial Officer) | September 30, 2015 | ||
Melinda G. Heika | ||||
Gilbert G. Alvarado* | Trustee | September 30, 2015 | ||
Gilbert G. Alvarado | ||||
Joseph B. Armes* | Trustee | September 30, 2015 | ||
Joseph B. Armes | ||||
Gerard J. Arpey* | Trustee | September 30, 2015 | ||
Gerard J. Arpey | ||||
W. Humphrey Bogart* | Trustee | September 30, 2015 | ||
W. Humphrey Bogart | ||||
Brenda A. Cline* | Trustee | September 30, 2015 | ||
Brenda A. Cline | ||||
Eugene J. Duffy* | Trustee | September 30, 2015 | ||
Eugene J. Duffy | ||||
Thomas M. Dunning* | Trustee | September 30, 2015 | ||
Thomas M. Dunning | ||||
Alan D. Feld* | Trustee | September 30, 2015 | ||
Alan D. Feld | ||||
Richard A. Massman* | Chairman and Trustee | September 30, 2015 | ||
Richard A. Massman | ||||
Barbara J. McKenna* | Trustee | September 30, 2015 | ||
Barbara J. McKenna | ||||
R. Gerald Turner* | Trustee | September 30, 2015 | ||
R. Gerald Turner |
*By | /s/ Rosemary K. Behan | |
Rosemary K. Behan | ||
Attorney-In-Fact |
EXHIBIT INDEX
Type: | Description: | |
(a)(3) | Certificate of Designation for American Grosvenor Long/Short Fund | |
(d)(1)(B) | Amended Schedule A to Management Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Select Funds and American Beacon Advisors, Inc., dated June 22, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(A) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss, Inc., dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(B)(i) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Brandywine Global Investment Management, LLC, with respect to the American Beacon Flexible Bond Fund, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(B)(ii) | Amendment to Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Brandywine Global Investment Management, LLC, with respect to the American Beacon Flexible Bond Fund, dated May 11, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(B)(iii) | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Brandywine Global Investment Management, LLC, with respect to the American Beacon Large Cap Value Fund, American Beacon Small Cap Value Fund, and American Beacon Balanced Fund, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(C) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Calamos Advisors LLC, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(D) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Causeway Capital Management LLC, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(E) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Dreman Value Management LLC, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(F) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Franklin Advisers, Inc., dated April 30, 2015(filed herewith) | |
(d)(2)(G) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Hotchkis and Wiley Capital Management LLC, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(H) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Lazard Asset Management LLC, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(I) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Logan Circle Partners, L.P., dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(J) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(K) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and NISA Investment Advisors, L.L.C., dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(L) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Pzena Investment Management, LLC, dated April 30, 2015 |
(d)(2)(M) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Templeton Investment Counsel, LLC, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(N) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and The Boston Company Asset Management, LLC, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(O) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Standish Mellon Asset Management Company LLC, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(P) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Zebra Capital Management, LLC, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(Q) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Strategic Income Management, LLC, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(R) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Brandes Investment Partners, L.P., dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(S) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Massachusetts Financial Services Company, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(T) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Pacific Investment Management Company LLC, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(U) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Stephens Investment Management Group, LLC, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(W) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Holland Capital Management LLC, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(X) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and PENN Capital Management Company, Inc., dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(Y) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and The London Company of Virginia, LLC, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(Z) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Earnest Partners, LLC, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(AA) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Acadian Asset Management LLC, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(BB) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Sustainable Growth Advisers, LP, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(CC) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors Inc., and Global Evolution USA, LLC, dated April 30, 2015 |
(d)(2)(DD) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and AHL Partners LLP, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(EE) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Bahl & Gaynor, Inc., dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(FF) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Crescent Capital Group LP, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(GG) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Cayman Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Ltd., American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and AHL Partners LLP, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(HH) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and Hillcrest Asset Management, LLC, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(KK) | Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., and WEDGE Capital Management, L.L.P, dated April 30, 2015 | |
(d)(2)(LL) | Form of Lead Investment Advisory Agreement between American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. | |
(d)(2)(MM) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., and Basswood Capital Management, LLC | |
(d)(2)(NN) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., and Impala Asset Management | |
(d)(2)(OO) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., and Incline Global Management, LLC | |
(d)(2)(PP) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., and Passport Capital LLC | |
(d)(2)(QQ) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., and Pine River Capital Management LP | |
(d)(2)(RR) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., and River Canyon Fund Management LLC | |
(d)(2)(SS) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., and Tremblant Capital Group | |
(h)(16)(R) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Agreement for American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund, dated May 21, 2015 | |
(i) | Opinion and consent of counsel | |
(p)(36) | Code of Ethics for Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., dated June 27, 2014 | |
(p)(37) | Code of Ethics for Basswood Capital Management, LLC, dated August 2015 |
(p)(38) | Code of Ethics for Impala Asset Management, dated November 14, 2013 | |
(p)(39) | Code of Ethics for Incline Global Management, LLC, dated October 2014 | |
(p)(40) | Code of Ethics for Passport Capital LLC, dated January 2015 | |
(p)(41) | Code of Ethics for Pine River Capital Management LP, dated April 2015 | |
(p)(42) | Code of Ethics for River Canyon Fund Management LLC, dated August 25, 2015 | |
(p)(43) | Code of Ethics for Tremblant Capital Group, dated July 2015 |
Other Exhibits | ||
Powers of Attorney for Trustees of American Beacon Funds and the American Beacon Select Funds, dated June 2, 2015 |
Exhibit (a)(3)
Creation and Designation of
Additional Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest of
American Beacon Funds
Pursuant to Article III, Section 1 of the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of the American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) dated March 4, 2015 (“Trust Instrument”), the American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund (the “Fund”), a new series of the Trust, was created by resolution of the Trust’s Board of Trustees (“Board”) on March 4, 2015.
The Fund and the Fund’s shares of beneficial interest (“Shares”) are designated as follows:
1. | The initial classes of Shares of the Fund are designated as Institutional Class Shares, Investor Class Shares, Y Class Shares, A Class Shares and C Class Shares. Each class of Shares has the same rights and obligations, except as provided in the Trust Instrument, the Fund’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (“Registration Statement”) or by resolution adopted by the Board. The Fund’s Shares shall be offered for sale and redeemed on the terms set forth in the Trust’s Registration Statement. |
2. | All rights and preferences of the Fund and the Shares are as set forth in the Trust Instrument and the Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Trust dated March 4, 2015. |
IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the undersigned have executed this instrument the 14 th day of May, 2015.
/s/ Gilbert G. Alvarado
Gilbert G. Alvarado
/s/ Joseph B. Armes
Joseph B. Armes
/s/ Gerard J. Arpey
Gerard J. Arpey
/s/ W. Humphrey Bogart
W. Humphrey Bogart
/s/ Brenda A. Cline
Brenda A. Cline
/s/ Eugene J. Duffy
Eugene J. Duffy
/s/ Thomas M. Dunning
Thomas M. Dunning
/s/ Alan D. Feld
Alan D. Feld
/s/ Richard A. Massman
Richard A. Massman
/s/ Barbara J. McKenna
Barbara J. McKenna
/s/ R. Gerald Turner
R. Gerald Turner
Exhibit (d)(1)(B)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
AMERICAN BEACON SELECT FUNDS
AMENDMENT TO
Management Agreement
The attached amended and restated Schedule A is hereby incorporated into the Management Agreement dated April 30, 2015, as amended (“Agreement”), by and between the American Beacon Funds and the American Beacon Select Funds, each a Massachusetts business trust (each, a “Trust”), on behalf of each Fund of a Trust listed on Schedule A hereto, as may be amended from time to time (each, a “Fund”), and American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Manager”), and supersedes any prior Schedule A to the Agreement.
Dated: June 22, 2015
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS | ||
AMERICAN BEACON SELECT FUNDS | ||
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||
President | ||
AMERICAN BEACON ADVISORS, INC. | ||
By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Chief Operating Officer |
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AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
AMERICAN BEACON SELECT FUNDS
Management Agreement
AMENDED AND RESTATED
SCHEDULE A
I. | Management Fees |
As compensation pursuant to Paragraph 7 of the Management Agreement for services rendered pursuant to such Agreement (other than the securities lending services set forth in Paragraph 2(b) of the Agreement), the American Beacon Funds and the American Beacon Select Funds shall pay to the Manager a fee, computed daily and paid monthly, at the following annual rates as a percentage of each applicable Fund’s average daily net assets. For the Funds listed below for which an asterisk appears next to the fee rates, the Manager shall be responsible for paying the fees of any Subadviser to whom it directly delegates duties pursuant to Paragraph 2(f) of the Management Agreement; in all other instances, the Funds shall pay such fees.
A. | American Beacon Funds |
Acadian Emerging Markets Managed Volatility Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
AHL Managed Futures Strategy Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Bahl & Gaynor Small Cap Growth Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Balanced Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Bridgeway Large Cap Value Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Crescent Short Duration High Income Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Earnest Partners Emerging Markets Equity Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Emerging Markets Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Flexible Bond Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Global Evolution Frontier Markets Income Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
High Yield Bond Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Holland Large Cap Growth Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Ionic Strategic Arbitrage Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Intermediate Bond Fund | 0.20 | %* | ||
International Equity Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
International Equity Index Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Large Cap Value Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Mid-Cap Value Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Retirement Income and Appreciation Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
S&P 500 Index Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
SiM High Yield Opportunities Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
SGA Global Growth Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Short-Term Bond Fund | 0.20 | %* | ||
Small Cap Index Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Small Cap Value Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Small Cap Value II Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Stephens Mid-Cap Growth Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Stephens Small Cap Growth Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
The London Company Income Equity Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Zebra Global Equity Fund | 0.05 | % | ||
Zebra Small Cap Equity Fund | 0.05 | % |
For purposes of computing the fee payable by the AHL Managed Futures Strategy Fund hereunder, the average daily net assets of the AHL Managed Futures Strategy Fund shall include the assets invested by the Fund in the Fund’s wholly-owned subsidiary, the American Beacon Cayman Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Ltd.
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To the extent and for such periods of time that a Fund invests all of its investable assets (i.e., securities and cash) in another registered investment company pursuant to a master-feeder arrangement, then such Fund will not pay the Manager a fee pursuant to the schedule set forth above.
B. | American Beacon Select Funds |
Money Market Select Fund | 0.09 | %* | ||
U.S. Government Money Market Select Fund | 0.09 | %* |
To the extent and for such periods of time that a Fund invests all of its investable assets (i.e., securities and cash) in another registered investment company pursuant to a master-feeder arrangement, then such Fund shall not pay the Manager a fee pursuant to the schedule set forth above.
II. | Advisory Fees |
As compensation pursuant to Paragraph 7 of the Management Agreement for direct portfolio management of a portion of a Fund’s assets (which is in addition to the direct portfolio management services of a Fund’s short-term cash assets) rendered pursuant to such Agreement (other than the management services set forth in Paragraph 2 and the securities lending services set forth in Paragraph 2(b) of that Agreement), the American Beacon Funds shall pay to the Manager an advisory fee, computed daily and paid monthly, at the following annual rates as a percentage of the portion of the Fund’s average daily net assets managed by the Manager:
Balanced Fund | 0.15 | % | ||
Retirement Income and Appreciation Fund | 0.15 | % |
III. | Securities Lending Fees |
As compensation for services provided by the Manager in connection with securities lending activities of each Fund of a Trust, a lending Fund shall pay to the Manager, with respect to cash collateral posted by borrowers, a fee of up to 25% of the net monthly interest income (the gross interest income earned by the investment of cash collateral, less the amount paid to borrowers as well as related expenses) from such activities and, with respect to loan fees paid by borrowers when a borrower posts collateral other than cash, a fee up to 25% of such loan fees.
Dated: June 22, 2015
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Exhibit (d)(2)(A)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated the 30 th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the “Trust”), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss, LLC (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s). The Advisor shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
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(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios.
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement and provided to the Adviser. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
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3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser's then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX). The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations. The Manager and the Trust agree to forward all proxy materials, notices and related shareholder communications to Adviser promptly upon receipt, and to instruct Custodian to do so. The Adviser will not be liable with regard to the voting of proxies if the Adviser did not receive the proxy materials and related communications in a timely manner.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, except in the case of the American Beacon Intermediate Bond Fund as described below, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser quarterly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevant quarter. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s), regardless of whether compensation with respect to such assets is paid to the Adviser by the Trust or the Manager. The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser, other than the American Beacon Intermediate Bond Fund.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, for the services rendered by the Adviser under this Agreement to the American Beacon Intermediate Bond Fund, the Manager shall pay compensation to the Adviser in the manner described in this Section at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto.
The Adviser agrees: (1) that the blended fee in basis points for services rendered to each Portfolio (i.e. the effective fee rate taking into account break-points based on total assets) will not exceed the blended fee in basis points contracted with an account of the same or smaller size (including other accounts managed for the same client) for the same strategy (other than as set forth below); and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any other client of the same or larger size for whom the Adviser provides investment advisory services for the same strategy (other than as set forth below) under solely an asset based fee arrangement (i.e., not a performance fee arrangement) will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid by the Trust or the Manager with respect to the same strategy. In the event that the fee charged to the Trust or the Manager exceeds the fee charged to an account described in (1) or (2) above, the fee charged to the Trust or the Manager shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other account from the time such fee is charged to such other account. For the avoidance of doubt, to the extent that multiple accounts of the Trust are aggregated for purposes of calculating the fees payable by the Trust or the Manager set forth on Schedule A attached hereto, any comparison done for purposes of this paragraph shall be done against the aggregate assets under management used to calculate the appropriate fee. For example, the assets under management of the American Beacon Balanced Fund and the American Beacon Large Cap Value Fund, , and any assets or trust assets of American Airlines, Inc. under management by the Adviser with respect to the same strategies shall be considered one account for purposes of any comparison hereunder. Fees payable by any affiliates of the Adviser will be disregarded for purposes of this paragraph.
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5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
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11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
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, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
5 |
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ James P. Barrow | By: | /s/Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | James P. Barrow | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | President | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
6 |
Schedule A
to the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss, LLC
American Beacon Funds (“Trust”) or American Beacon Advisors, Inc. (“Manager”) as applicable, shall pay compensation to Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss, LLC (“BHMS”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and BHMS for rendering investment management services, the following annual percentage rages for assets under BHMS’s management:
Compensation Payable by the Manager
American Beacon Intermediate Bond Fund:
0.15% per annum
Compensation Payable by the Trust
American Beacon Balanced Fund; American Beacon Large Cap Value Fund 1 :
0.30% per annum on the first $200 million
0.20% per annum on the next $300 million
0.15% per annum on the excess over $500 million
American Beacon Small Cap Value Fund:
Fundamental Investment Strategy:
0.45% per annum on the first $200 million
0.35% per annum on the next $200 million
0.25% per annum on the excess over $400 million
Quantitative Investment Strategy:
0.35% per annum on the first $400 million
0.25% per annum on the excess over $400 million
American Beacon Mid-Cap Value Fund:
0.45% per annum on the first $100 million
0.40% per annum on the next $200 million
0.30% per annum on the excess over $300 million
7 |
1 In calculating the applicable percentage rate for the American Beacon Balanced Fund and the American Beacon Large Cap Value Fund, , the assets under management by Adviser for these funds are combined and also aggregated together with other assets or trust assets of American Airlines, Inc. also under management by the Adviser (except assets managed by the Adviser under the HALO Bond Program).
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar quarter, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar quarter during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ James P. Barrow | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | James P. Barrow | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | President | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
8 |
Exhibit (d)(2)(B)(i)
American Beacon Advisors
Tri-Party Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement
Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC
Flexible Bond Fund
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated this 30 day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Legg Mason, Inc. (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties and Powers of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).
1 |
American Beacon Advisors
Tri-Party Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement
Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC
Flexible Bond Fund
The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to, and in connection with the services performed by, the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents, including without limitation, futures and options transactions, brokerage agreements, clearing agreements, account documentation, futures and option agreements, swap agreements, and other investment related agreements required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein. Adviser is authorized on behalf of Manager to make all elections required in such agreements, instruments and documentation and make and to receive all related notices from brokers or other counterparties. Manager also authorizes Adviser as agent and attorney-in-fact to make transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts on margin, for the Portfolio, and authorizes each broker with whom Adviser makes such transactions to follow its’ instructions with respect to such transactions. Manager understands and agrees that Adviser will determine that such transactions are permitted before instructing a broker to enter into such transactions and that any broker receiving an order for any such transaction will have no independent obligation to ensure that the transactions are consistent with the Trust’s registration statement of the Portfolio’s investment guidelines; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit of margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of a Portfolio with respect to any of its investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
2 |
American Beacon Advisors
Tri-Party Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement
Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC
Flexible Bond Fund
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such material matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and comparable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”).
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3 |
American Beacon Advisors
Tri-Party Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement
Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC
Flexible Bond Fund
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser's then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX). The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule A attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate as specified in the attached Schedule A to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevant month. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rate specified in the attached Schedule A, there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule. The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
The Adviser agrees that the fee charged hereunder will be no more than that charged for any other client of similar type, with similar asset level, within the same strategy and obtained after the date of this Agreement. Furthermore, the Adviser agrees to notify the Manager on a timely basis of any fee schedule it enters into with any other client of similar type, with similar asset level, within the same strategy and obtained after the date of this Agreement which is lower than the fee paid hereunder. In the event that the fee charged hereunder exceeds the fee charged to such an account, the fee charged hereunder shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other account from the time such fee is charged to such other account.
5. Legal Matters . The Adviser will not take any action or render advice involving legal action on behalf of the Manager with respect to securities or other investments held in the Portfolios or the issuers thereof, which become the subject of legal notices or proceedings, including securities class actions and bankruptcies.
6. Electronic Delivery . Manager authorizes Adviser to electronically offer and/or deliver its current Form ADV Part II as well as any other documents required by law or rule. Upon written request, Manager may receive hard copy versions.
7. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
4 |
American Beacon Advisors
Tri-Party Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement
Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC
Flexible Bond Fund
8. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
9. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
10. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
11. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
12. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
13. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
5 |
American Beacon Advisors
Tri-Party Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement
Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC
Flexible Bond Fund
As used in this Section 13, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
14. 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.
15. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
16. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
17. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
[Remainder of page left blank]
6 |
American Beacon Advisors
Tri-Party Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement
Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC
Flexible Bond Fund
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Brandywine Global Investment | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
Management, LLC | ||||
By: | /s/ Mark P. Glassman | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Mark P. Glassman | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Chief Administrative Officer | Chief Operating Officer | ||
American Beacon Funds | ||||
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |||
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |||
Title: | President |
7 |
American Beacon Advisors
Tri-Party Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement
Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC
Flexible Bond Fund
Schedule A
To the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
Among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon Flexible Bond Fund (the “Fund”) a fee of 0.55 of 1% for all Fund assets under Adviser’s management.
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar quarter during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
Brandywine Global Investment | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
Management, LLC | ||||
By: | /s/ Mark P. Glassman | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Mark P. Glassman | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Chief Administrative Officer | Chief Operating Officer | ||
American Beacon Funds | ||||
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |||
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |||
Title: | President |
8 |
Exhibit (d)(2)(B)(ii)
AMENDMENT TO
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
This Amendment to the American Beacon Funds Investment Advisory Agreement ("Amendment") is effective as of May 11, 2015, by and among the American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the “Trust”), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware corporation ("Manager"), and Brandywine Global Investment Management, LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Legg Mason, Inc. (the “Adviser”).
WHEREAS, Manager and Adviser entered into an Investment Advisory Agreement dated as of April 30, 2015 (as amended, supplemented, restated or otherwise modified, the "Agreement"); and
WHEREAS, the parties desire to amend certain provisions of the Agreement, as more particularly set forth below.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the mutual covenants and agreements hereinafter contained, the parties hereby agree as follows:
1. | Amendments to the Agreement. |
(a) | Section 18- Representation of Adviser – is hereby added as follows: |
Representation of Adviser . The Adviser represents and warrants as follows:
The Adviser is providing commodity interest trading advice to the Fund and is registered as a commodity trading advisor (“CTA”) with the CFTC. The Adviser is relying on an exemption under CFTC Regulation 4.7(c) from the preparation and delivery to the Fund of a CTA disclosure document.
(b) | CFTC Disclosure Statement |
The following shall be placed immediately above the signature line of the Agreement:
PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION IN CONNECTION WITH ACCOUNTS OF QUALIFIED ELIGIBLE PERSONS, THIS BROCHURE OR ACCOUNT DOCUMENT IS NOT REQUIRED TO BE, AND HAS NOT BEEN, FILED WITH THE COMMISSION. THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION DOES NOT PASS UPON THE MERITS OF PARTICIPATING IN A TRADING PROGRAM OR UPON THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF COMMODITY TRADING ADVISOR DISCLOSURE. CONSEQUENTLY, THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION HAS NOT REVIEWED OR APPROVED THIS TRADING PROGRAM OR THIS BROCHURE OR ACCOUNT DOCUMENT.
2. Miscellaneous.
(a) Except as expressly amended by this Amendment, all provisions of the Agreement shall remain in full force and effect. Capitalized terms used herein without definition shall have the meanings ascribed thereto in the Agreement.
(b) This Amendment may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
Brandywine Global Investment Management, LLC | American Beacon Funds | |||
By | /s/ Mark P. Glassman | By | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Mark P. Glassman | Gene L. Needles, Jr | |||
Chief Administrative Officer | President & CEO | |||
American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | ||||
By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |||
Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||||
Chief Operating Officer |
1 |
Exhibit (d)(2)(B)(iii)
American Beacon Advisors
Tri-Party Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement
Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC
Large Cap Value, Small Cap Value, and Balanced Funds
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated this 30 day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Legg Mason, Inc. (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended ("1940 Act"), consisting of several portfolios of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Trust's Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively, the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time, and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).)
1 |
American Beacon Advisors
Tri-Party Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement
Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC
Large Cap Value, Small Cap Value, and Balanced Funds
The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to, and in connection with the services performed by, the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents, including without limitation, futures and options transactions, brokerage agreements, clearing agreements, account documentation, futures and option agreements, swap agreements, and other investment related agreements required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein. Adviser is authorized on behalf of Manager to make all elections required in such agreements, instruments and documentation and make and to receive all related notices from brokers or other counterparties. Manager also authorizes Adviser as agent and attorney-in-fact to make transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts on margin, for the Portfolio, and authorizes each broker with whom Adviser makes such transactions to follow its’ instructions with respect to such transactions. Manager understands and agrees that Adviser will determine that such transactions are permitted before instructing a broker to enter into such transactions and that any broker receiving an order for any such transaction will have no independent obligation to ensure that the transactions are consistent with the Trust’s registration statement of the Portfolio’s investment guidelines; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit of margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of a Portfolio with respect to any of its investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
2 |
American Beacon Advisors
Tri-Party Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement
Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC
Large Cap Value, Small Cap Value, and Balanced Funds
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and comparable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”).
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain the best net results with respect to brokers' commissions and discounts as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3 |
American Beacon Advisors
Tri-Party Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement
Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC
Large Cap Value, Small Cap Value, and Balanced Funds
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule A attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule A to the average daily assets of the specified portfolios during the relevant payment period. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
The Adviser agrees that the fee charged hereunder will be no more than that charged for any other client of similar type. Furthermore, the Adviser agrees to notify the Manager on a timely basis of any fee schedule it enters into with any other client of similar type which is lower than the fee paid hereunder.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified statements of financial condition, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
4 |
American Beacon Advisors
Tri-Party Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement
Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC
Large Cap Value, Small Cap Value, and Balanced Funds
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the 1940 Act or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
9. Liability of Adviser . No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to protect the Adviser against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which it might otherwise be subject by reason of any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days' nor more than 60 days' written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days' written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
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American Beacon Advisors
Tri-Party Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement
Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC
Large Cap Value, Small Cap Value, and Balanced Funds
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment," "interested persons," and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
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, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
[Remainder of page left blank]
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American Beacon Advisors
Tri-Party Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement
Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC
Large Cap Value, Small Cap Value, and Balanced Funds
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Brandywine Global Investment | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
Management, LLC |
By: | /s/ Henry Otto | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Henry Otto | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Managing Director | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
7 |
American Beacon Advisors
Tri-Party Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement
Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC
Large Cap Value, Small Cap Value, and Balanced Funds
Schedule A
To the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
Among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Brandywine Global Investment Management, LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Brandywine Global Investment Management, LLC (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon Large Cap Value Fund , American Beacon Small Cap Value Fund , and American Beacon Balanced Fund in accordance with the following annual percentage rates:
1. | For assets up to $500 million: |
American Beacon Large Cap Value Fund : 0.25%
American Beacon Balanced Fund: 0.225%
2. | For assets $500 - 600 million: |
0.225%
3. | For assets over $600 million: |
0.20%
Compensation shall be paid by the Trust to the Adviser quarterly in arrears for the American Beacon Large Cap Value Fund and the American Beacon Balanced Fund and monthly in arrears for the American Beacon Small Cap Value Fund.
In calculating the amount of assets under management solely for the purpose of determining the applicable percentage rate, there shall be included all other assets or trust assets of American Airlines, Inc. also under management by the Investment Manager.
For purposes of calculating the fee for assets between $500 million and $600 million, the reduced fee rate will be applied pro rata based on assets for each equity portfolio. For purposes of calculating the fee for assets over $600 million, the reduced fee rate will be applied pro rata based on assets for each portfolio, except for the American Beacon Small Cap Value Fund .
4. | American Beacon Small Cap Value Fund |
0.50% for assets up to $100 million
0.45% for assets between $100 million and $250 million
0.40% for assets over $250 million
8 |
American Beacon Advisors
Tri-Party Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement
Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC
Large Cap Value, Small Cap Value, and Balanced Funds
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar quarter, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar quarter during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
Brandywine Global Investment | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
Management, LLC |
By: | /s/ Henry Otto | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Henry Otto | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Managing Director | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
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Exhibit (d)(2)(C)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated 30th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Calamos Advisors LLC (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).)
1
The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g. any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
2
(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios.
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain the best net results with respect to brokers' commissions and discounts as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser's then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX). The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations .
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall be calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevant month. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
3
The Adviser agrees that in the event it subsequently advises an account with comparable objectives and strategies for a client pursuant to which it advises an amount of assets for the entire client relationship equal to or less than the assets managed for the Trust or any of its affiliates, and pursuant to which it charges a fee rate that produces a lower fee at the same level of assets, the Adviser will reduce the fee payable to the lower fee rate, beginning at the time the lower fee is charged to the other client(s).
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
9. Liability of Adviser . Adviser will not be liable for any loss suffered by reason of any investment, decision, recommendation, or other action taken or omitted in what Adviser in good faith believes to be the proper performance of its duties hereunder. No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to protect the Adviser against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which it might otherwise be subject by reason of any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
4
11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
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, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
5
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Calamos Advisors LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
By: | /s/ John P. Calamos, Sr. | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | John P. Calamos, Sr. | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Chairman, CEO/CIO | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
6
Schedule A
to the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Calamos Advisors LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Calamos Advisors LLC (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services regarding the American Beacon Retirement Income and Appreciation Fund in accordance with the following annual percentage rates:
0.75% per annum if assets are less than $25 million
0.60% per annum if assets are over $25 million but less than $50 million
0.55% per annum if assets are in excess of $50 million
The fee calculation will be adjusted for any cash flows of $5 million or greater into or out of each account under management during the month to reflect the partial time period during which the assets were under management.
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of the 30th day of April, 2015
Calamos Advisors LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ John P. Calamos, Sr. | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | John P. Calamos, Sr. | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Chairman, CEO/CIO | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
7
Exhibit (d)(2)(D)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated the 30th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Causeway Capital Management LLC (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager and agreed to by the Adviser from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).)
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The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g. any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and, if applicable, use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values (not including significant U.S. market movements) and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
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(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Part 46 of the regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and comparable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”).
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain the best net results with respect to brokers' commissions and discounts as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Adviser shall certify upon request at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
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4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser quarterly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevant quarter. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser
The Adviser agrees that the fee charged hereunder will be no more than that charged for any other client of similar type. Furthermore, the Adviser agrees to notify the Manager on a timely basis of any fee schedule it enters into with any other client of similar type which is lower than the fee paid by the Trust.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
9. Liability of Adviser . No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to protect the Adviser against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which it might otherwise be subject by reason of any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
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10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
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, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
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15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Causeway Capital Management LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Gracie V. Fermelia | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Gracie V. Fermelia | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Chief Operating Officer | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
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Schedule A
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Causeway Capital Management LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Causeway Capital Management LLC (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon International Equity Fund (the “Portfolio”) in accordance with the following annual percentage rates:
0.20% on the first $750 million
0.15% on all excess assets
To the extent that the Portfolio invests all of its investable assets (i.e., securities and cash) in another investment company, however, no portion of the advisory fee attributable to the Portfolio as specified above shall be paid for the period that the Portfolio’s assets are so invested.
In calculating the amount of assets under management solely for the purpose of determining the applicable percentage rate, there shall be included all other assets managed by the Investment Manager on behalf of American Airlines, Inc. If the management of the Portfolio commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar quarter, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar quarter during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of 30th day of April, 2015
Causeway Capital Management LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Gracie V. Fermelia | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Gracie V. Fermelia | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Chief Operating Officer | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
7 |
Exhibit (d)(2)(E)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated this 30th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Dreman Value Management LLC (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).)
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The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g. any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
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(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios.
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain the best net results with respect to brokers' commissions and discounts as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX). The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevantmonth. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
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The Adviser agrees: (1) that the blended fee in basis points charged to the Trust will not exceed the blended fee in basis points charged to an account of the same or smaller size; and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any other client of the same or larger size for whom the Adviser provides investment advisory services will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid by the Trust. In the event that the fee charged to the Trust exceeds the fee charged to an account described in (1) or (2) above, the fee charged to the Trust shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other account from the time such fee is charged to such other account.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
9. Liability of Adviser . No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to protect the Adviser against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which it might otherwise be subject by reason of any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
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11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
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, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
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A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Dreman Value Management, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Mark Roach | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Mark Roach | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Managing Director & Portfolio Manager | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
6 |
Schedule A
to the
Investment Advisory Agreement
among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Dreman Value Management, LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay 0.55% per annum to Dreman Value Management, LLC (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for all American Beacon Small Cap Value Portfolio assets under the Adviser’s management.
If the management of the Portfolios commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendarmonth, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of the 30th day of April, 2015
Dreman Value Management, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Mark Roach | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Mark Roach | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Managing Director & Portfolio Manager | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
7 |
Exhibit (d)(2)(F)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated this 30th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Franklin Advisers, Inc. (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).)
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The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g. any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and the Manager shall assist the Adviser by promptly providing copies of any documents required to be provided or delivered to which the Adviser may not otherwise have access; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the individual securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
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(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and comparable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”).
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager in writing, Adviser is authorized to exercise corporate actions for the Portfolios in Adviser's discretion and, in the case of proxy statements, in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. Manager acknowledges that Adviser may not exercise a corporate action due to various factors, including, but not limited to, a Portfolio's ineligibility to participate in such corporate action, Adviser's inability to provide documentation within the period of time required for participation after good-faith efforts, or if Adviser otherwise determines that participation is not in the best interests of the Portfolio. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX). The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
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4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevant month. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
The Adviser agrees that, except with respect to Excepted Accounts, as defined below:
(1) the blended fee in basis points contracted hereunder will not exceed the blended fee in basis points contracted with a US dollar high yield bond account with the same or smaller size (including other accounts managed for the same client); and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any other client of the same or larger size for whom the Adviser manages a US dollar high yield bond account under an asset based fee arrangement (i.e., not a performance fee arrangement) will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid hereunder. In the event that the fee charged hereunder exceeds the fee charged to an account described in (1) or (2) above, which description does not include Excepted Accounts, the fee charged hereunder shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other account from the time such fee is charged to such other account. “Excepted Accounts” shall mean: (i) the Franklin Templeton High Income Fund, a series of Franklin Global Trust; and (ii) the Franklin Templeton internal account (Franklin Advisers – Separate Account for high yield).
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
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8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Adviser, which will promptly give copies of such records to the Manager or Trust within a reasonable time after written request by them.
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
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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, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Franklin Advisers, Inc. | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
By: | /s/Christopher Molumphy | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Christopher Molumphy | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Executive Vice President, and | Chief Operating Officer | ||
Chief Investment Officer | ||||
American Beacon Funds | ||||
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |||
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |||
Title: | President |
6 |
Schedule A
to the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Franklin Advisers, Inc.
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Franklin Advisers, Inc. (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon High Yield Bond Fund in accordance with the following annual percentage rates for all Trust assets under Adviser’s management:
First $50 million | 0.40 of 1% | |
Next $150 million | 0.35 of 1% | |
Next $100 million | 0.30 of 1% | |
Over $300 million | 0.25 of 1% |
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of the 30th day of April, 2015
Franklin Advisers, Inc. | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
By: | /s/ Christopher Molumphy | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Christopher Molumphy | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Executive Vice President, and | Chief Operating Officer | ||
Chief Investment Officer | ||||
American Beacon Funds | ||||
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |||
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |||
Title: | President |
7 |
Exhibit (d)(2)(G)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated this 30th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Hotchkis and Wiley Capital Management LLC (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).)
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The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g. any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
2 |
(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios.
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain the best net results with respect to brokers' commissions and discounts as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX). The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser quarterly in arrears, except for the Small Cap Value Portfolio, which shall be paid monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fees by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevant quarter or month, as applicable. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
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The Adviser agrees that the fee charged hereunder will be no more than that charged for any other client of similar type. Furthermore, the Adviser agrees to notify the Manager on a timely basis of any fee schedule it enters into with any other client of similar type which is lower than the fee paid hereunder.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
9. Liability of Adviser . No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to protect the Adviser against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which it might otherwise be subject by reason of any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
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11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
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, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
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A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Hotchkis and Wiley Capital Management LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Anna Marie Lopez | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Anna Marie Lopez | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Chief Operating Officer | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
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Schedule A
To the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
Among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Hotchkis and Wiley Capital Management LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Hotchkis and Wiley Capital Management LLC (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon Large Cap Value Fund , American Beacon Balanced Fund , and American Beacon Small Cap Value Fund in accordance with the following annual percentage rates:
American Beacon Large Cap Value Fund and
American Beacon Balanced Fund Assets
0.60% on the first $10 million
0.50% on the next $40 million
0.30% on the next $100 million
0.20% on the next $250 million
0.15% on the next $400 million
0.125% on the next $650 million
0.15% on all excess assets
In calculating the amount of assets under management solely for the purpose of determining the applicable percentage rate for Large Cap Value assets, there shall be included all other assets managed by the Investment Manager on behalf of other clients of American Beacon Advisors, Inc., except for the Small Cap Value Portfolio.
American Beacon Small Cap Value Portfolio
0.50% on the first $100 million
0.45% on the next $150 million
0.40% on all excess assets
The fee rate to be charged for the Small Cap Value Portfolio will commence with the applicable tier of the Small Cap Value Portfolio fee schedule after taking into consideration the Large Cap Equity assets.
If the management of a Portfolio commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar quarter, or month for the Small Cap Value Portfolio, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar quarter or month, as applicable, during which the Agreement was in force.
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To the extent that a Portfolio invests all of its investable assets (i.e., securities and cash) in another investment company, however, no portion of the advisory fee attributable to the Portfolio as specified above shall be paid for the period that the Portfolio’s assets are so invested.
DATED: as of the 30th day of April, 2015
Hotchkis and Wiley Capital Management LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Anna Marie Lopez | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Anna Marie Lopez | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Chief Operating Officer | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
8 |
Exhibit (d)(2)(H)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated this 30th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Lazard Asset Management LLC (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended ("1940 Act"), consisting of several portfolios of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively, the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time, and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).)
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The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide reasonable assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolio for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager, when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market value of such securities.
(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) reasonably cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Trust, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent, pricing agents, all other agents and representatives of the Portfolio and the Manager as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager and (ii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons.
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain the best net results with respect to brokers' commissions and discounts as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
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3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with applicable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines, only to the extent of such occurence. The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule A attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser quarterly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule A to the average daily assets of the specified portfolios during the relevant quarter. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
The Adviser agrees that, in the event it subsequently enters into an agreement with a client (1) pursuant to which it manages an amount of assets for the entire client relationship equal to or less than the assets of the account, (2) the client relationship is for a sub-advised relationship with respect to a substantially similar investment management mandate and (3) the client relationship is not pursuant to a wrap fee or similar arrangement or an individual or entity with a relationship to the Adviser or one of its members or employees, and, pursuant to which it charges a fee rate that produces a lower fee at the same level of assets held in the account, Lazard will reduce the fee payable with respect to that account to the lower fee rate. In the event that the lower fee rate charged to the other client is subsequently increased, the fee payable with respect to the account shall be similarly increased, but not above the amount set forth in Schedule A.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified statements of financial condition, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
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7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the 1940 Act that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
9. Liability of Adviser . No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to protect the Adviser against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which it might otherwise be subject by reason of any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment," "interested persons," and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
4
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 written consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas, to the extent not inconsistent with applicable federal securities laws including the US Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended and/or the 1940 Act.
15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Lazard Asset Management LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Charles L. Carroll | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Name: | Charles L. Carroll | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |||
Title: | Deputy Chairman | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds |
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||||
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||||
Title: | President |
5
Schedule A
to the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Lazard Asset Management LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Lazard Asset Management LLC (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon International Equity Fund (the “Portfolio”) in accordance with the following annual percentage rates:
0.50% per annum for the first $100 million
0.325% per annum for the next $400 million
0.20% per annum on all excess assets
In calculating the amount of assets under management solely for the purpose of determining the applicable percentage rate, there shall be included all other assets or trust assets of American Airlines, Inc. also under management by the Investment Manager.
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar quarter, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar quarter during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
Lazard Asset Management LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Charles Carroll | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Charles Carroll | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Deputy Chairman | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds |
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |||
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |||
Title: | President |
6
Exhibit (d)(2)(I)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated this 30th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Logan Circle Partners, L.P. (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).)
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The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g. any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
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(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios.
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX). The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevantmonth. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
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The Adviser agrees that, except with respect to an Excepted Account, as defined below:
(1) that the blended fee in basis points contracted hereunder will not exceed the blended fee in basis points contracted with a High Yield mandates of the same or smaller size (including other accounts managed for the same client); and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any other client of the same or larger size for whom the Adviser provides investment advisory services for High Yield mandates under an asset based fee arrangement (i.e., not a performance fee arrangement) will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid hereunder. In the event that the fee charged hereunder exceeds the fee charged to an account described in (1) or (2) above, the fee charged hereunder shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other account from the time such fee is charged to such other account. “Excepted Account” shall mean the Russell Investment Management Company and its affiliates ( collectively “Russell” ). Russell is a multiple mandate client of Adviser and the lower fee charged for the Excepted Account is based on cumulative assets managed for Russell by Adviser. In the event the multiple mandate status is eliminated and the Excepted Account becomes similar in size to the American Beacon High Yield Bond Fund, the Adviser agrees to either reduce the fee charged hereunder to match the fee charged to the Excepted Account or raise the fee charged to the Excepted Account to match the fee charged hereunder.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules which are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
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10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement shall become effective on the date first indicated above, subject to the condition of the Board of Trustees, including a majority of those Trustees who are not interested persons (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) of the Manager or the Adviser, shall have approved this Agreement. Unless sooner terminated as provided herein, this Agreement shall continue in full force and effect for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
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.
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13. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Logan Circle Partners, L.P. | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Jude T. Driscoll | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Jude T. Driscoll | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Chief Executive Officer | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
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Schedule A
To the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
Among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Logan Circle Partners, L.P.
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Logan Circle Partners, L.P. (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Second Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon High Yield Bond Fund in accordance with the following annual percentage rates for all Trust assets under Adviser’s management:
First $50 million | 0.33 of 1% |
Next $50 million | 0.30 of 1% |
Over $100 million | 0.25 of 1% |
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendarmonth, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
Logan Circle Partners, L.P. | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Jude T. Driscoll | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Jude T. Driscoll | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Chief Executive Officer | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
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Exhibit (d)(2)(J)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated this 30th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the “Trust”), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc. (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time (“Assets”), and, with respect to such Assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees, in such form as may be mutually agreed upon by the parties, concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities with respect to the Assets subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish and provide to the Adviser in writing, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement, as amended from time to time, and applicable laws and regulations. In the event that other investment advisers are retained to render investment management services to a Portfolio in addition to the Adviser, the Manager acknowledges and agrees that the Adviser will not be held responsible for such other investment advisers’ compliance with policies and limitations applicable to the Portfolio. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to the Assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of the Assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s), a copy of which, and any subsequent modifications thereto, shall be timely provided to the Adviser.) The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement. The Adviser shall provide to the Manager a copy of Part II of its current Form ADV as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and such other information and reports related to the Adviser’s management of the Assets as may reasonably be requested by the Manager from time to time. The Manager acknowledges and agrees that the Adviser may perform the services required under this Agreement through the Adviser’s employees, officers and/or agents.
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The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g. any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement.
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(b) Duties of the Manager. The Manager shall provide (or cause the Trust’s Custodian(s) to provide) timely information to the Adviser regarding such matters as the composition of assets of the Portfolios, cash requirements and cash available for investment in the Portfolios, and all other information as may be reasonably necessary for the Adviser to perform its responsibilities hereunder. The Manager has furnished the Adviser with a copy of the current prospectus and statement of additional information of each Portfolio and agrees during the continuance of this Agreement to furnish the Adviser with copies of any revisions or supplements relating to the Portfolios or the management thereof at, or, if practicable, before the time such revisions or supplements become effective. No revisions shall be made, nor supplements issued, regarding a Portfolio or the Adviser without the prior review of the Adviser. No written disclosure materials naming or relating to the Adviser or its employees other than materials provided or approved by the Adviser shall be used by the Manager, the Trust or their affiliates in offering or marketing shares of the Trust or the Portfolios; provided, however, that the Manager shall not be required to obtain prior approval for materials in which the Adviser is merely referenced by name, along with the names of other sub-advisers for the Portfolio(s), with no further description of the Adviser. The Manager agrees to notify the Adviser of any decisions of the Trustees of the Trust applicable to the Portfolio that may affect the duties of the Adviser under this Agreement, and to furnish the Adviser with copies of any financial statements or reports made by a Portfolio to its shareholders and any further materials or information which the Adviser may reasonably request to enable it to perform its duties under this Agreement.
(c) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
(d) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as may reasonably be deemed necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and comparable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”).
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2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain the best net results with respect to brokers' commissions and discounts as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser (“Adviser’s Assets”) to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement as applied solely to the Adviser’s Assets. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio or a sub-adviser to a portfolio that is under common control with the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets, except as permitted by Rule 12d3-1 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and or voted inconsistently with the Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule A attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser quarterly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule A to the average daily assets of the specified portfolios as provided by the Manager during the relevant quarter. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). Although the Manager may from time to time waive the compensation it is entitled to receive from the Trust or the Portfolio(s), any such waiver will have no effect on the Trust’s obligation to pay the Adviser the compensation set forth in the Schedule(s) attached hereto.The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
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If, in the future, another investment adviser (“Fund Client”) retains the Adviser to sub-advise a portfolio (or portion thereof) registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“Fund Account”), and (i) such Fund Client has a substantially similar business relationship with the Adviser, (ii) such Fund Account has assets equal to or less than the Assets designated to the Adviser, (iii) such Fund Account is managed in a substantially similar manner with similar investment policies and guidelines as the applicable Portfolio, and (iv) such Fund Client receives a fee schedule that would result in a lower fee than the fee provided for such Portfolio hereunder, then the Adviser will timely notify the Manager of such lower fee arrangement. The following client accounts shall not be considered for purposes of this paragraph: (i) accounts that pay incentive fees (i.e., fees that are based all or in part on the performance of a client’s account against any benchmark or on capital appreciation or total returns of such account), (ii) clients that maintain multiple accounts with the Adviser, (iii) clients that are affiliates of the Adviser, and (iv) accounts that the Adviser has been retained to replace an existing investment adviser.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
7. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust, are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request; provided, however, that the Adviser may retain a copy of such records.
8. (a) Standard of Care . Except as may otherwise be provided by applicable laws and regulations, neither the Adviser nor any of its affiliates or its or their officers, directors, employees or agents shall be subject to any liability to the Manager, the Trust, the Portfolios or any shareholder of a Portfolio or the Trust for any error of judgment or any loss arising out of any investment or other act or omission in the course of, connected with, or arising out of any service to be rendered under this Agreement, except by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of the Adviser’s duties hereunder or by reason of the Adviser’s reckless disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder. The Manager acknowledges and agrees that the Adviser makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, that any level of performance or investment results will be achieved by the Portfolios or the Assets designated by the Manager to the Adviser, or that the Portfolios or such Assets will perform comparably with any standard or index, including other clients of the Adviser, whether public or private.
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(b) Indemnification . The Manager shall hold harmless and indemnify the Adviser for any and all claims, losses, liabilities, costs, damages or expenses (including reasonable attorneys fees) (“Losses”) incurred by the Adviser in connection with the performance of its duties hereunder; provided, however, that nothing contained herein shall require that the Adviser be indemnified for Losses resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of the Adviser’s duties hereunder or by reason of the Adviser’s reckless disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder.
The Adviser shall hold harmless and indemnify the Manager for any and all Losses incurred by the Manager that arise from the Adviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties hereunder or by reason of the Adviser’s reckless disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder; provided, however, that nothing contained herein shall require that the Manager be indemnified for Losses resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of the Manager’s duties hereunder or by reason of the Manager’s reckless disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder.
9. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested persons of the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested persons of the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested persons of the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such “interests” shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
10. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue as to each Portfolio for two years after the Portfolio’s initial approval and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the applicable Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of the applicable Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the applicable Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Manager. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
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As used in this Section 10, and Section 9 above, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
11. 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.
12. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
13. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Delaware.
14. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolios, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Morgan Stanley Investment | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
Management Inc. |
By: | /s/ James Upton | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | James Upton | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Managing Director | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
8 |
Schedule A
to the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc.
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc. (the "Adviser") pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment sub-advisory services with respect to the American Beacon Emerging Markets Fund (the "Portfolio") of the American Beacon Funds based on the following calculation:
0.90% per annum on the first $50 million
0.75% per annum on the next $50 million
0.70% per annum on the excess over $100 million
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar quarter, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar quarter during which the Agreement was in force.
DATED: April 30, 2015
Morgan Stanley Investment | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
Management Inc. |
By: | /s/ James Upton | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | James Upton | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Managing Director | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
9 |
Exhibit (d)(2)(K)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated the 30th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and NISA Investment Advisors, LLC (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's sole discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain pursuant to Section 7 of this Agreement, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).) The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
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2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain the best net results with respect to brokers' commissions and discounts as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevant month. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
The Adviser agrees: (1) that the blended fee in basis points charged to the Trust will not exceed the blended fee in basis points charged to a similar account of the same or smaller size; and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any other client of the same or larger size for whom the Adviser provides similar investment advisory services will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid by the Trust. In the event that the fee charged to the Trust exceeds the fee charged to an account described in (1) or (2) above, the fee charged to the Trust shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other account from the time such fee is charged to such other account.
4. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
5. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
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6. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. It is understood and acknowledged that the advice given and timing of the Adviser’s services to the Trust may not necessarily relate to, and may differ from, the advice given and/or timing of the Adviser’s services to such other persons or concerns. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
7. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 which are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
8. Liability of Adviser . Adviser will not be liable for any loss suffered by reason of any investment, decision, recommendation, or other action taken or omitted in what Adviser in good faith believes to be the proper performance of its duties hereunder. No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to protect the Adviser against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which it might otherwise be subject by reason of any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
9. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
10. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
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As used in this Section 10, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
11. 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, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
[Remainder of page left blank]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
NISA Investment Advisors, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Gregory J. Yess | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Gregory J. Yess | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Managing Director, Client Services | Chief Operating Officer | ||
& Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
5 |
Schedule A
to the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
NISA Investment Advisors, LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to NISA Investment Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 3 of the Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Fund in accordance with the following annual percentage rates for all Treasury Inflation Protected Securities assets under Adviser’s management:
Assets greater than $300 million
0.05% per annum
Assets less than $300 million
0.09% per annum on the first $50 million
0.07% per annum on the next $50 million
0.05% per annum on the excess over $100 million
If assets are less that $300 million, the fee shall be capped at a quarterly equivalent of $37,500 .
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendarmonth, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
NISA Investment Advisors, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Gregory J. Yess | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Gregory J. Yess | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Managing Director, Client Services | Chief Operating Officer | ||
& Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
6 |
Exhibit (d)(2)(L)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated this 30th day of April_, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Pzena Investment Management, LLC (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's sole discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).)
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The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g. any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
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(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios.
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain the best net results with respect to brokers' commissions and discounts as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
All portfolio transactions for the Portfolios will be consummated by payment to or delivery by the custodian for the Trust (the “Custodian”) of all cash and/or securities due to or from the Portfolios, and the Adviser shall not have possession or custody thereof or any responsibility or liability with respect to such custody. The Adviser shall advise and confirm in writing to the Custodian all investment orders for the Portfolios placed by it with brokers and dealers at the time and in the manner requested by the Custodian.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX). The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
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4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevantmonth. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
The Adviser agrees: (1) that the blended fee in basis points charged to the Trust will not exceed the blended fee in basis points charged hereafter to a mid cap value account of the same or smaller size; and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any other client of the same or larger size for whom the Adviser provides mid cap value investment advisory services will not hereafter be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid by the Trust. In the event that the fee charged to the Trust exceeds the fee charged to an account described in (1) or (2) above, the fee charged to the Trust shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other account from the time such fee is charged to such other account.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
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9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in its reasonable judgment, in good faith and believed by it to be authorized or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred upon it by this Agreement, or in accordance with (or in the absence of) specific directions or instructions from the Manager. No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to protect the Adviser against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which it might otherwise be subject by reason of any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
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.
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13. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
A copy of the Adviser’s Form ADV has been provided to the Manager.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Pzena Investment Management, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ John P. Goetz | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | John P. Goetz | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Managing Principal | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
6 |
Schedule A
To the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
Among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Pzena Investment Management, LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Pzena Investment Management, LLC (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon Mid-Cap Value Fund in accordance with the following annual percentage rates for all Mid Cap Value assets under Adviser’s management:
0.850% per annum on the first $10 million
0.640% per annum on the next $40 million
0.510% per annum on the next $50 million
0.425% per annum on the excess over $100 million
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
Pzena Investment Management, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ John P. Goetz | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | John P. Goetz | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Managing Principal | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
7 |
Exhibit (d)(2)(M)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated the 30th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Templeton Investment Counsel, LLC (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).)
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The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g. any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation, and the Manager shall assist the Adviser by promptly providing copies of any documents required to be provided or delivered to which the Adviser may not otherwise have access; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the individual securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
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(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and comparable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”).
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain the best net results with respect to brokers' commissions and discounts as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
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4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule A attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser quarterly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule A to the average daily assets of the specified portfolios during the relevant quarter. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
The Adviser agrees that the fee charged hereunder will be no more than that charged for any other client of similar size regardless of type except that the Adviser's clients before November 1, 1995 are excluded from this provision. Furthermore, the Adviser agrees to notify the Manager on a timely basis of any fee schedule it enters into with any other client of similar size which is lower than the fee paid by the Trust.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
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10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
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, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that it shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
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A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Templeton Investment Counsel, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Cindy L. Sweeting | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Cindy L. Sweeting | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | President | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
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Schedule A
to the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Templeton Investment Counsel, LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Templeton Investment Counsel, LLC (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon International Equity Fund (the “Portfolio”) in accordance with the following annual percentage rates:
0.50% per annum on the first $100 million
0.35% per annum on the next $50 million
0.30% per annum on the next $250 million
0.25% per annum on the excess over $400 million.
In calculating the amount of assets under management solely for the purpose of determining the applicable percentage rate, there shall be included all other assets managed by the Investment Manager on behalf of American Airlines, Inc. and its affiliates.
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar quarter, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar quarter during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
Templeton Investment Counsel, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Cindy L. Sweeting | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Cindy L. Sweeting | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | President | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
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Exhibit (d)(2)(N)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated this 30 day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and The Boston Company Asset Management, LLC (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).)
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The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g. any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
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(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and comparable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”).
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain the best net results with respect to brokers' commissions and discounts as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX). The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule A attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser quarterly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule A to the average daily assets of the specified portfolios during the relevant quarter. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
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The Adviser agrees: (1) that the fee schedule in basis points for managing Emerging Markets assets of the Trust or any of its affiliates and the employee benefit plans of AMR Corporation and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “AMR Emerging Markets Assets”) will not exceed the fee schedule in basis points charged by the Adviser to any subsequent Emerging Markets client of the same or lesser size; and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any subsequent Emerging Markets client of the same or larger size will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee for managing the AMR Emerging Markets Assets. In the event that the fee for managing the AMR Emerging Markets Assets exceeds the fee charged to a client described in (1) or (2) above, the fee charged for managing the AMR Emerging Markets assets shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other client from the time such fee is charged to such other client. The foregoing shall not pertain to clients for whom the Adviser has a performance-based fee arrangement.
The Adviser agrees: (1) that the fee schedule in basis points for managing Small Cap Value assets of the Trust or any of its affiliates and the employee benefit plans of AMR Corporation and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “AMR Small Cap Value Assets”) will not exceed the fee schedule in basis points charged by the Adviser to any subsequent Small Cap Value client of the same or lesser size; and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any subsequent Small Cap Value client of the same or larger size will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee for managing the AMR Small Cap Value Assets. In the event that the fee for managing the AMR Small Cap Value Assets exceeds the fee charged to an account described in (1) or (2) above, the fee charged for managing the AMR Small Cap Value Assets shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other client from the time such fee is charged to such other client. The foregoing shall not pertain to clients for whom the Adviser has a performance-based fee arrangement.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
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8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
9. Liability of Adviser . No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to protect the Adviser against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which it might otherwise be subject by reason of any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
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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, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
The Boston Company Asset | |
Management, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Bart Grenier | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Bart Grenier | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Chairman, CEO & CIO | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds |
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
6
Schedule A
to the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
The Boston Company Asset Management, LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to The Boston Company Asset Management, LLC (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon Emerging Markets Fund and American Beacon Small Cap Value Fund in accordance with the following annual percentage rates:
Ø | With respect to the American Beacon Emerging Markets Portfolio : |
0.69% on all assets
Ø | With respect to the American Beacon Small Cap Value Portfolio : |
0.50% on the first $100 million in assets
0.45% on the next $150 million in assets
0.40% on assets above $250 million
To the extent that a Portfolio invests all of its investable assets (i.e., securities and cash) in another investment company, however, no portion of the advisory fee attributable to the Portfolio as specified above shall be paid for the period that the Portfolio’s assets are so invested.
In calculating the amount of assets under management solely for the purpose of determining the applicable percentage rate, there shall be included all other assets with the same investment strategies managed by the Investment Manager on behalf of the employee benefit plans of AMR Corporation and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar quarter, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar quarter during which the Agreement was in force.
7
Dated: as of 30 April, 2015
The Boston Company Asset | |
Management, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Bart Grenier | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Bart Grenier | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Chairman, CEO & CIO | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds |
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
8
Exhibit (d)(2)(O)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated this 30th day of April 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Standish Mellon Asset Management Company LLC (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, Manager represents and warrants that it is an investment advisor under the Investment Advisors Act of 1940, as amended; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager as the Administrator of the Trust to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser as a sub-advisor to a series of the Trust to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. With respect to any of the portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager shall make the decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service. The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).) The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
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2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . The Trust will exercise voting rights on any assets held in the Portfolios.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevant month. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
The Adviser agrees: (1) that the fee schedule in basis points for managing Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (“TIPS”) assets of the Trust or any of its affiliates or subsidiaries will not exceed the fee schedule in basis points charged by the Adviser to any subsequent TIPS client with an account of the same or smaller size ; and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any other TIPS client of the same or larger size for whom the Adviser provides investment advisory services under an asset based fee arrangement (i.e., not a performance fee arrangement) will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid hereunder. In the event that the fee charged hereunder exceeds the fee charged to an account described in (1) or (2) above, the fee charged hereunder shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other account from the time such fee is charged to such other account.
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5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager of the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 which are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
Manager shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Adviser for (a) any action taken, omitted or suffered by Adviser in connection with this Agreement or the services provided hereunder, unless such act or omission shall have resulted from Adviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence; or (b) any loss arising from Adviser’s adherence to Manager’s instructions.. Adviser shall in no event be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, exemplary or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
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11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
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.
12. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent, subject to approval by the Board and to the extent required by the Investment Company Act of 1940.
13. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the state of Delaware.
14. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
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15. Upon execution of this Agreement, Adviser shall deliver to Manager a current copy of Adviser’s Part II of its Form ADV, the receipt of which shall occur at least 48 hours prior to entering into this Agreement, as required by Rule 204-3 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Adviser shall deliver a complete copy of Part II of its Form ADV to Manager annually.
16. The Manager authorizes and consents to the disclosure of the Manager and/or Trust's identity as a client of Adviser in any representative client list prepared by Adviser for use in its marketing materials. Further, the Manager and Adviser agree that disclosure of any performance information regarding the Trust's account will be limited to inclusion in a composite of performance information in which the Trust's and/or Portfolio's name is disclosed.
17. Adviser acknowledges the confidential nature of the portfolio data, documents and overall investment strategies that may be disclosed by or on behalf of the Trust, its agents and employees pursuant to this Agreement (the “Manager Confidential Information”). Manager acknowledges the confidential nature of Adviser’s investment management services, including, among other things, market research, strategic plans, proprietary models, portfolio analysis, the terms of this Agreement, and investment returns (the “Adviser Confidential Information”). All Manager Confidential Information and Adviser Confidential Information furnished by either Manager or Adviser to the other party hereunder shall be treated as confidential by the receiving party and shall not be disclosed by the receiving party to any third parties unless approved by the party that provided the confidential information, except that such information may be disclosed without consent if required to fulfill such party’s obligations under this Agreement or by law, regulation, judicial process or government order.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Standish Mellon Asset | |
Management Company LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Patrick St. A. Lyn | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Patrick St. A. Lyn | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Managing Director | Chief Operating Officer | ||
Client Service & Marketing |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
6 |
Schedule A
to the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Standish Mellon Asset Management Company LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation of 0.05% per annum to Standish Mellon Asset Management Company LLC (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Second Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Fund for all Trust assets under Adviser’s management.
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendarmonth, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
Standish Mellon Asset | |
Management Company LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Patrick St. A. Lyn | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Patrick St. A. Lyn | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Managing Director | Chief Operating Officer | ||
Client Service & Marketing |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
7 |
Exhibit (d)(2)(p)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated this 30th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Zebra Capital Management, LLC (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).)
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The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g. any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and comparable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”).
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2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX). The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevantmonth. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
The Adviser agrees: (1) that the blended fee in basis points contracted hereunder will not exceed the blended fee in basis points contracted with an account of the same or smaller size (including other accounts managed for the same client); and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any other client of the same or larger size for whom the Adviser provides investment advisory services under an asset based fee arrangement (i.e., not a performance fee arrangement) will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid hereunder. In the event that the fee charged hereunder exceeds the fee charged to an account described in (1) or (2) above, the fee charged hereunder shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other account from the time such fee is charged to such other account.
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5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
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As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
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, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
[Remainder
of page intentionally left blank]
5 |
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Zebra Capital Management, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | ||
By: | /s/ Peter A. Schaffer | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl |
Name: | Peter A. Schaffer | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Title: | Chief Operating Officer | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds | |
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. |
Title: | President |
6 |
Schedule A
to the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Zebra Capital Management, LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Zebra Capital Management, LLC (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon Zebra Global Equity Fund and the American Beacon Zebra Small Cap Equity Fund in accordance with the following annual percentage rates for all Trust assets under Adviser’s management:
American Beacon Zebra Global Equity Fund :
First $350 million | 0.35% |
Next $400 million | 0.30% |
Over $750 million | 0.25% |
American Beacon Zebra Small Cap Equity Fund :
First $350 million | 0.55% |
Next $400 million | 0.50% |
Over $750 million | 0.45% |
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendarmonth, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
Zebra Capital Management, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | ||
By: | /s/ Peter A. Schaffer | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl |
Name: | Peter A. Schaffer | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Title: | Chief Operating Officer | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds | |
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. |
Title: | President |
7 |
Exhibit (d)(2)(Q)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated 30th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Strategic Income Management, LLC (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust, or such other party as directed by Manager, with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain or which the Manager may reasonably request, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).)
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The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g. any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
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(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and comparable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”).
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX). The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevantmonth. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
3 |
The Adviser agrees: (1) that the blended fee in basis points contracted hereunder will not exceed the blended fee in basis points contracted with any other high yield account of the same or smaller size (including other accounts managed for the same client); and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any other high yield client of the same or larger size for whom the Adviser provides investment advisory services under an asset based fee arrangement (i.e., not a performance fee arrangement) will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid hereunder. In the event that the fee charged hereunder exceeds the fee charged to an account described in (1) or (2) above, the fee charged hereunder shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other account from the time such fee is charged to such other account. However, the preceding will not apply to the management of Unit Investment Trusts or to Canadian accounts (clients based in Canada investing in Canadian high yield assets).
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
4 |
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager; by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser; or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
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, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
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A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Strategic Income Management, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Randall Yoakum | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Randall Yoakum | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | CEO | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
6 |
Schedule A
To the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
Among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Strategic Income Management, LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Strategic Income Management, LLC (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon SiM High Yield Opportunities Fund in accordance with the following annual percentage rates for all Trust assets under Adviser’s management:
First $250 million | 0.45 of 1% |
Next $250 million | 0.40 of 1% |
Next $500 million | 0.35 of 1% |
Over $1 billion | 0.30 of 1% |
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
Strategic Income Management, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Randall Yoakum | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Randall Yoakum | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | CEO | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
7 |
Exhibit (d)(2)(R)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated this 30 day of April, 2015, by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust " ), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Brandes Investment Partners, L.P. (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with agreed upon records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular agreed upon reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish and provide to Adviser, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and made available to Adviser, and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (For the avoidance of doubt, Adviser shall not have responsibility for or discretionary authority over the selection of any cash management or short-term vehicle for uninvested cash in the Account.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s) and provided to Adviser.)
1
The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement. The adviser shall not be liable for any act, conduct or omission of the Trust's Custodian(s).
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also reasonably shall: (i) cooperate with and provide assistance to the Manager, the Trust's administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information.
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and made available to Adviser. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
2
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in accordance with the Adviser's proxy voting policy and procedures, a current copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser quarterly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevant quarter. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
The Adviser agrees: (l) that the blended fee in basis points contracted hereunder will not exceed the blended fee in basis points contracted with an account of the same or smaller size (including other accounts managed for the same client); and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any other client of the same or larger size for whom the Adviser provides investment advisory services under an asset based fee arrangement (i.e., not a performance fee arrangement) will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid hereunder. In the event that the fee charged hereunder exceeds the fee charged to an account described in (1) or (2) above, the fee charged hereunder shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other account from the time such fee is charged to such other account.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
3
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or, if applicable the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser solely on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
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.
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13. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios' shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Brandes Investment Partners, L.P. | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Brent V. Woods | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Brent V. Woods | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | CEO | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
5
Schedule A
To the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
Among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Brandes Investment Partners, L.P.
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Brandes Investment Partners, L.P. (the "Adviser") pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon Emerging Markets Fund in accordance with the following annual percentage rates for all Trust assets under Adviser's management:
0.75 of 1.00% for the first $300 million in assets
0.70 of 1.00% for the next $300 million in assets
0.60 of 1.00% for assets over $600 million
If there are additional investment accounts for which the Manager acts as investment manager with assets invested by the Adviser using similar guidelines, then those assets shall be aggregated with this Portfolio to determine fair market value. The aggregated fair market value shall be used in the fee computation and the resultant fee shall be prorated to each appropriate investment account or Portfolio.
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar quarter, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar quarter during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
Brandes Investment Partners, L.P. | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Brent V. Woods | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Brent V. Woods | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | CEO | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
6
Exhibit (d)(2)(S)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated this 30th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Massachusetts Financial Services Company (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Manager acknowledges that the Adviser is not the compliance agent for the Portfolios or the Manager, and does not have access to all of the Portfolios’ books and records necessary to perform certain compliance testing. However, to the extent the Adviser has agreed to perform the services specified in this Agreement, the Adviser shall perform compliance testing based upon its books and records with respect to the Portfolio(s), which comprise a portion of the Portfolios’ books and records, and upon information and written instructions received from the Portfolio(s) and/or the Manager.
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The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).)
The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement, and shall not be responsible for providing fund administration services, such as fund accounting and tax services, to the Portfolios.
Manager has made available or will make available to Adviser current copies and supplements thereto of the Portfolios’ Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, and will promptly make available to it all future amendments and supplements, if any. Manager shall provide the Adviser with reasonable advance notice of (i) any change to a Portfolio’s investment objectives, policies and/or restrictions, and (ii) any change to the Trust’s compliance policies and procedures that are reasonably likely to affect the management of the Portfolios or that otherwise relate to the Adviser’s duties hereunder.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide reasonable assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to assist in arranging for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities (provided that the Adviser shall not be responsible for providing information based on valuations provided by third party services which value foreign equity securities based upon changes in one or more broad-based indices). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Adviser shall not be responsible for any valuation determinations made with respect to the Portfolios.
(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws applicable to the services provided by the Adviser hereunder as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information.
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2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request.
The Adviser acknowledges that the Manager and the Trust may rely on Rule 17a-7, Rule 17a-10, Rule 10f-3, Rule 12d3-1 and Rule 17e-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the Adviser hereby agrees that it will not consult with any other sub-adviser to the Portfolios with respect to transactions in securities or other assets, other than for purposes of complying with Rule 12d3-1(a) or (b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX). The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations. The Adviser shall not be responsible for filing proofs of claim or otherwise participating in class action lawsuits or bankruptcy proceedings with respect to securities currently or previously held by the Portfolios.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser quarterly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevant quarter. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
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5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, summaries of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request. The Manager will periodically provide the Adviser with a list of the affiliates of the Manager, the Trust and/or the Portfolios to which investment restrictions apply, and will specifically identify in writing (a) all publicly traded companies in which the Portfolios may not invest, together with ticker symbols for all such companies, and (b) any affiliated broker-dealers and any restrictions that apply to the use of those broker-dealers by the Portfolios. The Manager acknowledges that it received a copy of the Adviser’s Form ADV prior to the execution of this Agreement.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 which are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request; provided, however, that, to the extent required by law, the Adviser may retain a copy of such records.
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
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11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
12. Confidentiality . (a) Each party will use non-public records or information obtained under this Agreement only for the purposes contemplated hereby, and will not disclose such records or information in any manner other than expressly authorized by the Trust, or if disclosure is expressly required by applicable federal or state regulatory authorities or by this Agreement.
(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Adviser acknowledges that the Trust has adopted a policy and procedures for disclosure of portfolio holdings information (the “Policy”) and that Adviser has received a copy of the Policy. Adviser shall not disclose to any third party the “non-public portfolio holdings” of the Portfolios, unless (1) there is a legitimate business purpose for such disclosure, (2) such third party agrees in writing with the Adviser to keep such information confidential and to not engage in trading based upon such information, and (3) clearance is obtained from the Manager prior to the disclosure. “Non-public portfolio holdings” means holdings which have not first been made public by making a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission which is required to include such portfolio holdings information or have not otherwise been disclosed in the public domain.
(c) It is understood that any non-public information or recommendation supplied by, or produced by, the Adviser in connection with the performance of its obligations hereunder or any investment transaction undertaken by the Adviser for the Portfolios is to be regarded by the Trust and the Manager as confidential and for use only by the Manager and the Portfolios.
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13. 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.
14. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
15. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
16. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that it shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Massachusetts Financial Services Company | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Robert J. Manning | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Robert J. Manning | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Chief Executive Officer | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
6 |
Schedule A
To the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
Among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Massachusetts Financial Services Company
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Massachusetts Financial Services Company (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon Large Cap Value Fund in accordance with the following annual percentage rates:
First $100 million | 0.350% |
Next $400 million | 0.300% |
Next $1 billion | 0.275% |
Over $1.5 billion | 0.200% |
In calculating the amount of large cap value assets under management solely for purposes of calculating the applicable percentage rate, there shall be included all other large cap value assets of the Manager’s clients also under management by the Adviser.
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar quarter, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar quarter during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
Massachusetts Financial Services Company | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Robert J. Manning | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Robert J. Manning | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Chief Executive Officer | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
7 |
Exhibit (d)(2)(T)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated this 30th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“the 1940 Act”), as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”); and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to the portions of certain of its investment portfolios assigned to Adviser and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule A attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
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1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain which requirements shall be communicated to the Adviser, and to render regular reports in a mutually agreeable format to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities, as the Manager or the Trust shall reasonably request. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations, and such other investment guidelines or restrictions established from time to time by the Manager or the Trust which must be communicated in writing by Manager to Adviser in advance. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g. any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that the Adviser shall (a) use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents furnished to the Adviser; (b) provide all notifications and deliver all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio pursuant to such documentation; and (c) as soon as reasonably practicable notify the Manager if commercially practicable under the circumstances of the actual occurrence (as evidenced by a notice from the trading counterparty pursuant to the terms of such documentation) of an event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit of margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide reasonable assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available to the Adviser’s designated pricing agent. Should the Manager require to be notified of fair value recommendations with respect to the securities and other instruments owned by the Portfolios, the Adviser will include the Manager to a distribution list for such notifications. For the purpose of clarification, the recommendations are based solely on the Adviser’s Pricing Policy and may be inconsistent with the Trust’s and/or the Manager’s pricing policies. These recommendations are intended to provide reasonable assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and the Adviser will not bear any liability for the notifications provided the recommendations are consistent with this intent, including to the extent that the recommendations are inconsistent with the Trust’s or the Manager’s pricing policy.
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(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications in a mutually agreeable format relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any reasonable appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall reasonably comply with all applicable statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions to the extent entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios, including without limitation, compliance with all applicable recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and comparable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission to the extent applicable (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”). Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, the Adviser shall have no obligation to perform the following services or to have employees of the Adviser perform the following roles, as applicable: (a) shareholder services or support functions, such as responding to shareholders’ questions about the Manager or its investments or strategies; (b) providing employees of the Adviser to serve as officers of the Manager; or (c) providing employees of the Adviser to serve as the Manager’s Chief Compliance Officer and associated staff.
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser shall not be liable for any act or omission of any brokerage firm or firms or counterparties designated by Manager or chosen by the Adviser with reasonable care. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager and set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
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3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX). The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule B attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule B to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevant month. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule B, there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule B. The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
5. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, or parent company’s financial statements, as applicable, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request in connection with the obligations of the parties under this Agreement.
6. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
7. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered to the Manager or Trust on request and within a reasonable period of time; provided, however, that the Adviser may, at its own expense, make and retain a copy of such records.
8. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
9. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
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10. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed, including by electronic mail, postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 10, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
11. 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.
12. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
13. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
14. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
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A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
15. Representations of the Manager . The Manager represents and warrants as follows:
(a) | The Trust is and will continue to be the owner of all assets for which the Manager delegates investment discretion to the Adviser from time to time. All cash and the indicia of ownership of all other investments shall be held by the Trust’s custodian bank. The Adviser shall not be liable for any act or omission of such custodian bank, unless such act or omission is a result of Adviser’s negligence or willful misconduct. |
(b) | The Trust is a “qualified institutional buyer” (“QIB”) as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Manager will promptly notify the Adviser if the Trust ceases to be a QIB. |
(c) | The Trust is a “qualified eligible person” (“QEP”) as defined in Commodity Futures Trading Commission Rule 4.7 (“CFTC Rule 4.7”), and the Manager will promptly notify the Adviser if the Trust ceases to be a QEP, and hereby consents to be a QEP, and hereby consents to be treated as an “exempt account” under CFTC Rule 4.7. |
(d) | The assets in the Portfolio(s) are free from all liens and charges, and the Manager undertakes that no liens or charges will arise from the act or omissions of the Manager which may prevent the Adviser from giving a first priority lien or charge on the assets solely in connection with the Adviser’s authority to direct the deposit of margin or collateral to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolio(s) with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement. |
(e) | The Manager has received a copy of Part 2 of the Adviser’s Form ADV. |
(f) | The Adviser is expressly authorized to rely upon any and all instructions, approvals and notices given on behalf of the Manager by any one or more of those persons designated as representatives of the Trust whose names, titles and specimen signatures appear in Schedule C attached hereto. The Manager shall provide a Secretary Certificate, Incumbency Certificate, or similar document indicating that the persons designated as representatives have the authority to bind the Trust. The Manager may amend such Schedule C from time to time by written notice to the Adviser. The Adviser shall continue to rely upon these instructions until notified by the Manager to the contrary. |
(g) | The Adviser may delegate portfolio management and administrative duties to its affiliates and share such information as necessary to accomplish these purposes. Additionally, the Adviser will have the ability to delegate back office services to State Street Investment Manager Solutions, LLC. In all cases, the Adviser shall remain liable as if such services were provided directly. No additional fees shall be imposed for such services except as otherwise agreed. |
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(h) | The Manager shall provide the Adviser with a list of each “government entity” invested in the Trust in accordance with Rule 206(4)-5 under the Advisers Act in a manner and with such frequency that is mutually agreed upon by the parties. |
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION IN CONNECTION WITH ACCOUNTS OF QUALIFIED ELIGIBLE PERSONS, THIS ACCOUNT DOCUMENT IS NOT REQUIRED TO BE, AND HAS NOT BEEN, FILED WITH THE COMMISSION. THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION DOES NOT PASS UPON THE MERITS OF PARTICIPATING IN A TRADING PROGRAM OR UPON THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF COMMODITY TRADING ADVISOR DISCLOSURE. CONSEQUENTLY, THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION HAS NOT REVIEWED OR APPROVED THIS TRADING PROGRAM OR THIS ACCOUNT DOCUMENT.
Pacific Investment Management Company LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Brent L. Holden | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Brent L. Holden | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Managing Director | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
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Schedule A
To the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
Among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Pacific Investment Management Company LLC
American Beacon Flexible Bond Fund
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Schedule B
To the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
Among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Pacific Investment Management Company LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon Flexible Bond Fund in accordance with the following annual percentage rates for all Trust assets under Adviser’s management:
0.60% on all assets under management
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force except in the event services are terminated for cause by the Manager or the Trust in the first three months, the Manager shall be liable for the first three months’ fees.
This fee schedule is based upon the specific objectives, policies and limitations for each Portfolio set forth in the Trust’s current registration statement and such other investment guidelines or restrictions for the Portfolio(s) as of the date of this Agreement. Subject to approval of the Board of Trustees of the American Beacon Funds, a deviation from such objectives, policies, limitations, registration statement, investment guidelines or restrictions may result in a change in the foregoing fees.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
Pacific Investment Management Company LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Brent L. Holden | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Brent L. Holden | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Managing Director | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
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Schedule C
To the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
Among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Pacific Investment Management Company LLC
Name | Title | Signature |
Adriana Posada | Sr. Portfolio Manager | /s/ Adriana Posada |
Kirk Brown | Sr. Portfolio Manager | /s/ Kirk Brown |
Cynthia Thatcher | Portfolio Manager | /s/ Cynthia Thatcher |
Chaketa Jackson | Sr. Analyst | /s/ Chaketa Jackson |
Christen Griffith | Sr. Analyst | /s/ Christen Griffith |
Colin Hamer | Analyst | /s/ Colin Hamer |
Wyatt Crumpler | V.P., Asset Management | /s/ Wyatt Crumpler |
Rosemary Behan | V.P., General Counsel | /s/ Rosemary Behan |
Gene Needles | President & CEO | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. |
Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | Chief Operating Officer | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl |
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Exhibit (d)(2)(U)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated this 30th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Stephens Investment Management Group, LLC (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).)
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The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g. any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
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(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios.
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX). The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevantmonth. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
Where the Adviser provides investment advisory services to the Trust or the Manager and also to any other registered investment company with substantially the same investment strategy as the Adviser provides to the Trust or the Manager under an asset based fee arrangement (i.e., not a performance fee arrangement):
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(1) The Adviser agrees that the blended basis point fee contracted with any other registered investment company client will not be less than the blended basis point fee contracted hereunder in substantially the same strategy in situations where the total assets of the other registered investment company in substantially the same strategy with the Adviser are the same or less than the assets designated hereunder; and
(2) The Adviser agrees that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any other registered investment company client will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid hereunder in substantially the same strategy where the total assets of the other investment company in substantially the same strategy with the Adviser are the same or more than the assets designated hereunder.
In the event that the fee charged hereunder exceeds the fee charged to a registered investment company client in substantially the same strategy described in (1) or (2) above, the fee charged hereunder shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other registered investment company account in substantially the same strategy from the time such fee is charged to such other account.
This Section 4 shall not apply to accounts of private investment companies which the Adviser advises or sub-advises which are unregistered with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to an exemption as contained in Section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Subject to the Adviser’s recordkeeping obligations under Rule 204-2 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
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9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
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, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
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15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Stephens Investment Management Group, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ J. Warren Simpson | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | J. Warren Simpson | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | President | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
6 |
Schedule A
To the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
Among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Stephens Investment Management Group, LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Stephens Investment Management Group, LLC (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon Stephens Mid-Cap Growth Fund and the American Beacon Stephens Small Cap Growth Fund in accordance with the following annual percentage rates for assets under Adviser’s management:
American Beacon Stephens Small Cap Growth Fund
First $200 million in assets | 0.65 of 1% |
Over $200 million in assets | 0.60 of 1% |
American Beacon Stephens Mid-Cap Growth Fund
First $100 million in assets | 0.50 of 1% |
Over $100 million in assets | 0.45 of 1% |
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendarmonth, the fees shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
Stephens Investment Management Group, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ J. Warren Simpson | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | J. Warren Simpson | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | President | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
7 |
Exhibit (d)(2)(W)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated this 30 th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Holland Capital Management LLC (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).)
1 |
The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g. any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
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(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios.
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX). The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
3 |
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser month in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevant month. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
The Adviser agrees that for all accounts contracted directly with the Adviser (excluding accounts contracted indirectly through an intermediary and/or contracted through a client managed, directed, or monitored emerging, minority, or manager development program) and managed by the Adviser in substantially the same manner employing the same investment strategy: (1) that the blended fee in basis points contracted hereunder will not exceed the blended fee in basis points contracted with an account of the same or smaller size (including other accounts managed for the same client); and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any other account of the same or larger size for whom the Adviser provides investment advisory services under an asset based fee arrangement (i.e., not a performance fee arrangement) will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid hereunder. In the event that the fee charged hereunder exceeds the fee charged to an account described in (1) or (2) above, the fee charged hereunder shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other account from the time such fee is charged to such other account.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, audited financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The Adviser agrees that for so long as it acts as the sole sub-adviser to the Portfolios neither the Adviser nor any affiliate or employee of the Adviser will engage in the business of providing investment advisory or sub-advisory services to investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”), that primarily invest in or offer a fund with a similar investment objective and strategy of the Portfolios, or any successor of the Portfolios.
4 |
Notwithstanding the foregoing restrictions, Manager and Adviser hereby agree that restrictions stipulated in the preceding paragraph shall not apply to Adviser’s activities with respect to the following types of investment companies registered under the 1940 Act:
(i) Closed-end publicly offered registered investment companies;
(ii) Investment companies advised or sub-advised by two or more parties that make portfolio decisions with respect to separate portions of a portfolio, provided, however, that Adviser’s allocation of any such portfolio may not exceed 55% of the portfolio’s assets; and
(iii) Investment companies of a variable insurance trust in which the investment companies are offered exclusively through variable insurance products.
The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
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11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
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, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
6 |
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this Agreement is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Holland Capital Management LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Monica L. Walker | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Monica L. Walker | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | President & CEO | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
7 |
Schedule A
To the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
Among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Holland Capital Management LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Holland Capital Management LLC (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon Holland Large Cap Growth Fund in accordance with the following annual percentage rates for all Trust assets under Adviser’s management:
First $125 million | 0.40 of 1% | |||
Next $125 million | 0.35 of 1% | |||
Over $250 million | 0.30 of 1% |
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of the 30th day of April, 2015
Holland Capital Management LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Monica L. Walker | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Monica L. Walker | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | President & CEO | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
8 |
Exhibit (d)(2)(X)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated this 30th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and PENN Capital Management Company, Inc. (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to a certain investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).)
1
The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g. any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
2
(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and authorized representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios.
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX). The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevant month. The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
3
The Adviser agrees that: (1) the blended fee in basis points contracted hereunder will not exceed the blended fee in basis points subsequently contracted with a mutual fund account of the same or smaller size (including other accounts managed for the same client) using the same investment strategy , exc1uding Adviser's own proprietary registered mutual funds that may be offered in the future ; and (2) the actual annual dollar fee paid by any other mutual fund client of the same or larger size using the same investment strategy for whom the Adviser provides investment advisory services under an asset based fee arrangement (i.e., not a performance fee arrangement), exc1uding Adviser's own proprietary registered mutual funds that may be offered in the future, will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid hereunder. In the event that the fee charged hereunder exceeds the fee charged to an account described in (1) or (2) above, the fee charged hereunder shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other mutual fund account from the time such fee is charged to such other account.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request. The Adviser will have the ability to make copies of the required documentation in order to fulfill its books and records requirements pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
4
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
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, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
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15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
PENN Capital Management Company, Inc. | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
By: | /s/ Gerald McBride | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Gerald McBride | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | CFO | Chief Operating Officer | ||
American Beacon Funds | ||||
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |||
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |||
Title: | President |
6
Schedule A
To the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
Among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
PENN Capital Management Company, Inc.
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to PENN Capital Management Company, Inc. (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon High Yield Bond Fund in accordance with the following annual percentage rates for all Trust assets under Adviser’s management:
First $50 million 0.40 of 1%
Next $150 million 0.35 of 1%
Next $100 million 0.30 of 1%
Over $300 million 0.25 of 1%
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 3, 2015
PENN Capital Management Company, Inc. | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
By: | /s/ Gerald McBride | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Gerald McBride | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | CFO | Chief Operating Officer | ||
American Beacon Funds | ||||
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |||
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |||
Title: | President |
7
Exhibit (d)(2)(Y)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated April 30, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the "Trust"), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and The London Company of Virginia, LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability Company (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).)
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The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g. any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
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(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios.
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Adviser shall certify at least annually or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevantmonth. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
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The Adviser agrees: that for all accounts contracted directly with the Adviser (excluding accounts contracted indirectly through an intermediary, such as Unified Managed Accounts) and managed by the Adviser in substantially the same manner employing the same Income Equity investment strategy (1) that the blended fee in basis points contracted hereunder will not exceed the blended fee in basis points contracted with an account of the same or smaller size (including other accounts managed for the same client); and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any other client of the same or larger size for whom the Adviser provides investment advisory services under an asset based fee arrangement (i.e., not a performance fee arrangement) will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid hereunder. In the event that the fee charged hereunder exceeds the fee charged to an account described in (1) or (2) above, the fee charged hereunder shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other account from the time such fee is charged to such other account.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
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10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
11. Use of Names . Adviser shall grant the Manager use of the Adviser’s name(s), derivatives, logos, trademarks, service marks or trade names only in connection with certain materials used in the ordinary course of business, such as prospectuses, financial reports, fund fact sheets, fund name and related materials.
12. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 12, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
13. 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.
14. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
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15. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Delaware.
16. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
The London Company of Virginia, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Melissa Carlucci | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Melissa A. Carlucci | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Principal & COO | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
6 |
Schedule A
To the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
Among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
The London Company of Virginia, LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to The London Company of Virginia, LLC (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon The London Company Income Equity Fund in accordance with the following annual percentage rates for all Trust assets under Adviser’s management:
First $25 million | 0.40 of 1% | |||
Next $225 million | 0.35 of 1% | |||
Over $250 million | 0.30 of 1% |
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
The London Company of Virginia, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By | /s/ Melissa Carlucci | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Melissa A. Carlucci | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Principal & COO | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
7 |
Exhibit (d)(2)(Z)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this 30 th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (“Trust”) American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and EARNEST Partners, LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability Company (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust’s agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
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1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish and provide to the Adviser in writing, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and made available to the Adviser together with written notification and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s), but generally refers to a writing by the representatives of the Adviser who have been authorized by the Trust’s Board from time to time to provide instructions to the Trust’s Custodian. For the purpose of clarification, “Proper Instructions” can be instructions in any format, including without limitation electronic instructions, that are agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust’s Custodian.) The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g. any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or costs associated with gaining access to foreign markets or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
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(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager, upon the Manager’s written request, in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser, provided that the Adviser will not incur any cost or expense in connection with the provision of such valuation information or prices, with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will use reasonable efforts to monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and upon the Manager’s written request provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons informed as to such matters as the Adviser may deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide responses to reasonable requests made by such persons as soon as reasonably practicable; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts, 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and comparable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”).
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement and made available to the Adviser together with written notification. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
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3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager in writing, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations. The Adviser shall not be responsible for advising or acting for the Manager or the Trust in legal proceedings, including but not limited to class actions, settlements and related proofs of claim, or bankruptcies, involving securities purchased or held in the Portfolio(s). Should the Adviser receive notices or related materials for the Portfolio(s) involving securities purchased by the Adviser in the Portfolio(s), the Adviser shall use commercially reasonable efforts to transmit copies of such notices to the Trust’s current custodian. The Adviser shall not incur any liability for any reasonable delay or failure to timely provide such notices or related materials to the Trust’s current custodian.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser quarterly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevant quarter. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), if applicable, there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser, and the Adviser agrees to seek payment of its fees solely from the Trust.
The Adviser agrees: (1) that the blended fee rate in basis points contracted with the Trust will not exceed the blended fee rate in basis points contracted with an Account (as defined below) of the same or smaller size (including other accounts managed for the same client) for whom the Adviser provides investment advisory services under an asset based fee arrangement (i.e., not a performance fee arrangement); and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid by an Account of the same or larger size for whom the Adviser provides investment advisory services under an asset based fee arrangement (i.e., not a performance fee arrangement) will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid by the Trust. In the event that the fee charged to the Trust exceeds the fee charged to an Account described in (1) or (2) above, the fee charged to the Trust shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other Account from the time such fee is charged to such other Account. An Account is defined as follows: (i) an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (ii) utilizing a substantially similar emerging market investment strategy (iii) that becomes a client of the Adviser after the effective date of this Agreement.
Additionally, the Adviser agrees to promptly notify the Trust, upon request, if it contracts with an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 to manage an emerging market fund. The notification will include discussion as to whether the new emerging market fund is substantially similar to the Portfolio.
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5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust other services. Such services shall be rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, Portfolio financial statements, and such other information with regard to this Agreement as each may reasonably request. The Manager hereby acknowledges receipt of the Adviser's Form ADV, Part 2 before or at the time of entering into this Agreement pursuant to Rule 204-3 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby in the judgment of the Adviser. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager of the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request; provided however, that the Adviser may retain copies of all such records.
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement. The Adviser shall not be responsible for any loss incurred by reason of any act or omission of any custodian, including but not limited to any loss arising from, on account of or in connection with any custodian failing to timely notify the Adviser of any corporate action or similar transaction. The Adviser shall not be responsible for any loss incurred by reason of any act or omission of any broker or dealer; provided, however, that the Adviser will make reasonable efforts to require that brokers and dealers selected by the Adviser perform their obligations with respect to the Portfolio(s).
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
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11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
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, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
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A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
EARNEST Partners, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/James M. Wilson | By | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | James M. Wilson | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||
Title: | CCO | President and Chief Executive Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Title: | Vice President |
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Schedule A
To the
Investment Advisory Agreement
Between
American Beacon Funds,
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
EARNEST Partners, LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to EARNEST Partners, LLC (“Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon Earnest Partners Emerging Markets Equity Fund in accordance with the following annual percentage fee rates for all Trust assets under Adviser’s management:
First $250 million | 0.70 of 1% |
Next $250 million | 0.65 of 1% |
Over $500 million | 0.60 of 1% |
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar quarter, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar quarter during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated as of 30th day of April, 2015
EARNEST Partners, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/James M. Wilson | By | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | James M. Wilson | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||
Title: | CCO | President and Chief Executive Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Title: | Vice President |
8 |
Exhibit (d)(2)(AA)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this 30th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachussetts Business Trust (“the Trust”) American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Acadian Asset Management LLC (the "Adviser"); a Delaware limited liability company.
WHEREAS, the Trust, is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees;
WHEREAS, the Trust's agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager appoints the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such appointment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s), but generally refers to a writing by the representatives of the Adviser who have been authorized by the Trust’s Board from time to time to provide instructions to the Trust’s Custodian. For the purpose of clarification, “Proper Instructions” can be instructions in any format, including without limitation, electronic instructions, that are agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust’s Custodian.) The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement and at no time will be responsible for or have custody of the Portfolio’s assets.
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(b) Derivative Transactions. The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (1) enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g., any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral.
(c) Valuation . The Adviser, following its own Fair Valuation policies, will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities. The Adviser is not a pricing source and should not be relied upon as the sole source for the official valuation of any positions held by the Portfolio.
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(d) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. The Adviser will not be responsible for providing legal or tax advice to the Manager related to the Portfolios and will not be responsible for responding to any notices of class action claims related to positions held in the Portfolios. The Adviser will disclose in any Form 13F filings related to positions held in the Portfolio that it has shared discretion with the Manager.
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as determined by the Adviser. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser, or a third party service retained by the Adviser, shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
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4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser quarterly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevant quarter. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of the fees to the Adviser, and the Adviser agrees to seek payment of its fees solely from the Trust.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager of the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 which are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request. The Adviser may retain copies of any books or records that it is required to retain to meet any legal or regulatory obligation. The Adviser retains all rights in and to any investment models used by or on behalf of the Portfolios and any models based upon or derived from them. Adviser authorizes Manager’s use of the Adviser’s service marks and/or trademarks in connection with the marketing of the Portfolio(s), including but not limited to, the Portfolio(s)’ registration statements and fact sheets. In addition, the Manager acknowledges and agrees that it has no rights in or to the name “Acadian” beyond the limited use rights granted herein.
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9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing (including facsimile and email), addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party and contact below, unless such party has previously designated another address.
To the Manager:
Gene L. Needles, Jr.
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
220
East Las Colinas Blvd.
Suite 1200
Irving, Texas 75039
Email: gene.needles@ambeacon.com
Phone: (817) 391-6100
Fax: (817) 391-6086
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To the Trust:
Gene L. Needles, Jr.
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
220
East Las Colinas Blvd.
Suite 1200
Irving, Texas 75039
Email: gene.needles@ambeacon.com
Phone: (817) 391-6100
Fax: (817) 391-6086
To the Adviser:
Ross Dowd
Acadian Asset Management LLC
260 Franklin Street
Boston, MA 02110
Email: rdowd@acadian-asset.com
Phone: (617) 850-3500
Fax: (617) 850-3501
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
12. Receipt of Disclosure Document . The Manager acknowledges receipt, at least 48 hours prior to entering into this Agreement, of a copy of the Adviser’s Form ADV Part 2A and Part 2B containing certain information regarding the Investment Manager, the nature of its business, its managed volatility investment process, and its investment team. The Manager consents to electronic delivery of all future amendments to Form ADV and other disclosure documents.
13. 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.
14. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
15. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
16. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
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A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Acadian Asset Management LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
By: | /s/ Mark J. Minichiello | By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Mark J. Minichiello | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||
Title: | Chief Operating Officer | President & CEO |
American Beacon Funds | ||
By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Title: | Vice President |
7 |
Schedule A
To the
American Beacon Funds
Investment Advisory Agreement
Among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Acadian Asset Management LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Acadian Asset Management LLC(“Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon Acadian Emerging Markets Managed Volatility Fund in accordance with the following annual percentage rates for all Trust assets under Adviser’s management:
First $500 million 0.65 of 1%
Over $500 million 0.60 of 1%
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar quarter, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar quarter during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
Acadian Asset Management LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
By: | /s/ Mark Minichiello | By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Mark Minichiello | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||
Title: | Chief Operating Officer | President & CEO |
American Beacon Funds | ||
By: | /s/ Jeffrey Ringdahl | |
Name: | Jeffrey Rindgahl | |
Title: | Vice President |
8 |
Exhibit (d)(2)(BB)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this 30th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (“Trust”), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Sustainable Growth Advisers, LP, a Delaware Limited Partnership (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust’s agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Portfolios") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
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1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).) The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g. any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Advisor shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
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(c) Compliance Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and comparable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”).
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
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4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser quarterly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevant quarter. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
The Adviser agrees: (1) that the blended fee rate in basis points contracted hereunder with respect to the American Beacon SGA Global Growth Fund will not exceed the blended fee rate in basis points contracted with an account of the same or smaller size (including other accounts managed for the same client); and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any other client of the same or larger size for whom the Adviser provides investment advisory services under an asset based fee arrangement (i.e., not a performance fee arrangement) will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid hereunder. In the event that the fee charged hereunder exceeds the fee charged to an account described in (1) or (2) above, the fee charged hereunder shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other account from the time such fee is charged to such other account.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager of the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
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10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
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, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
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15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Sustainable Growth Advisers, LP | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Gordon M. Marchand | By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gordon M. Marchand | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||
Title: | Founding Principal | President & Chief Executive Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Title: | Vice President |
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Schedule A
To the
Investment Advisory Agreement
Between
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Sustainable Growth Advisers, LP
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Sustainable Growth Advisers, LP (“Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon SGA Global Growth Fund (the “Fund”) the following fee for all Fund assets under Adviser’s management.
First $100 million | 0.45 of 1% |
Next $900 million | 0.40 of 1% |
Over $1 billion | 0.35 of 1% |
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar quarter, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar quarter during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
Sustainable Growth Advisers, LP | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Gordon M. Marchand | By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gordon M. Marchand |
Gene L. Needles, Jr. |
||
Title: | Founding Principal | President & Chief Executive Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Title: | Vice President |
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Exhibit (d)(2)(CC)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this 30th day of April, 2015 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (“Trust”), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Global Evolution USA, LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability Company (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“Investment Company Act”), consisting of several series funds of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”); and
WHEREAS, the Trust’s agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Advisers Act”);
WHEREAS, the Manager and the Trust desire to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its funds and such other funds as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Funds") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
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1. | (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager and the Trust appoint the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion (the “Portfolio”), if any, of the Funds' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Funds, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities (1) in conformity with all applicable securities law, including but not limited to the Investment Company Act, the Advisers Act, the Commodity Exchange Act, the Securities Act of 1933 (“Securities Act”), and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”), (2) subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Board may from time to time establish which shall be communicated in writing by the Manager to Adviser in advance, (3) in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Fund set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time, which shall be communicated in writing by the Manager to Adviser in advance, and applicable laws and regulations, and (4) in compliance with such other investment guidelines or restrictions established from time to time by the Manager or the Trust which shall be communicated in writing by the Manager to Adviser in advance. The Adviser accepts such appointment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Fund assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Funds' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s), but generally refers to a writing by the representatives of the Adviser who have been authorized by the Trust’s Board from time to time to provide instructions to the Trust’s custodian. For the purpose of clarification, “Proper Instructions” can be instructions in any format, including without limitation, electronic instructions that are agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust’s custodian.) |
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The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Funds, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents including without limitation, futures and options transactions, brokerage agreements, clearing agreements, account documentation, futures and option agreements, swap agreements, and other investment related agreements required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Funds. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein. Adviser is authorized on behalf of Manager to make all elections required in such agreements, instruments and documentation and make and to receive all related notices from brokers or other counterparties. Manager also authorizes Adviser as agent and attorney-in-fact to make transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts on margin, for the Portfolio, and authorizes each broker with whom Adviser makes such transactions to follow its’ instructions with respect to such transactions. Manager understands and agrees that Adviser will determine that such transactions are permitted before instructing a broker to enter into such transactions and that any broker receiving an order for any such transacton will have no independent obligation to ensure that the transactions are consistent with the Trust’s registration statement or the Fund’s investment guidelines; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are consistent with the relevant Fund’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the parties hereto shall work together to provide all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Fund under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager upon becoming aware of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Fund under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Funds, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Funds; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Funds with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit of margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Funds by its custodian subject to control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments in the Portfolio, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments in the Portfolio for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments the Portfolio for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities. The Adviser will maintain adequate records with respect to securities valuation information provided hereunder, and shall provide such information to Manager upon request.
(c) Compliance and Other Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, shall provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall:
(i) | continue to be a duly formed legal entity, validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of formation, fully authorized to enter into this Agreement and carry out its duties and obligations hereunder; |
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(ii) | be registered as an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") under the Advisers Act, and be registered or licensed as an investment adviser under the laws of all jurisdictions in which its activities require to be so registered or licensed, except where the failure to be so licensed would not have an adverse effect on the Adviser, Manager or Trust. The Adviser shall maintain such registration or license in effect and in good standing at all times during the term of this Agreement; | |
(iii) | Maintain any necessary registrations, licenses, or exemptions, to the extent required, with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and/or National Futures Association. | |
(iv) | at all times provide its best judgment and effort to the Manager and the Trust in carrying out its obligations hereunder; | |
(v) | use the same care and skill in providing such services as it uses in providing services to other accounts for which it has investment management responsibilities; | |
(vi) |
cooperate
with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator,
custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives
of the Funds, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep relevant persons informed as to such
matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations
to the Funds, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable
requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each
so as to promote the efficient ex
|
|
(vii) | maintain a written Code of Ethics complying with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act and provide the Manager with a current copy of the Code of Ethics. Within (20) twenty days of the end of each calendar quarter certify to the Manager that the Adviser has complied with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 during the previous calendar quarter and that there have been no violations of the Code of Ethics or, if a violation has occurred, that appropriate action has been taken in response to such violation. Upon written request of the Manager, the Adviser shall permit representatives of the Manager to examine the reports (or summaries of the reports) required to be made under the Code of Ethics and other records evidencing enforcement of the Code of Ethics; | |
(viii) | assist the Trust and the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) in complying with Rule 38a-1 under the Investment Company Act. Specifically, the Adviser represents that it shall maintain a compliance program in accordance with the requirements of Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act, as amended, and shall provide the CCO with reasonable access to information regarding the Adviser’s compliance program, which access shall include on-site visits with the Adviser as may be reasonably requested from time to time. In connection with the periodic review and annual report required to be prepared by the CCO pursuant to Rule 38a-1, the Adviser agrees to provide certifications as may be reasonably requested by the CCO related to the design and implementation of the Adviser’s compliance program; |
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(ix) | comply with the Trusts’ policy on selective disclosure of Portfolio holdings of the Funds as described in the Trusts’ current registration statement, and upon request from the Manager, provide a certification to the Manager with respect to compliance with the Funds’ selective disclosure policy; | |
(x) | treat confidentially and as proprietary all records and other information relating to the Funds, and not use records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except to the Adviser’s lawyers and accountants, the Trust’s or a Fund’s auditors, after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Manager, when requested by the Manager , when required by law or regulation or when requested by the SEC or another regulatory agency ; | |
(xi) | as soon as reasonably practicable notify the Manager of any impending change of a portfolio manager, portfolio management or any other material matter that may require disclosure to the Board and/or shareholders of the Funds; | |
(xii) | provide the Manager with a current and complete copy of the Adviser’s Form ADV, and any supplements or amendments thereto; | |
(xiii) | provide the Manager with a current list of persons the Adviser wishes to have authorized to give instructions to the Trust’s custodian regarding assets of the Funds; | |
(xiv) | be responsible for the filing of Schedule 13D/13G and Form 13F, and any non-U.S. securities filing equivalents of these filings, on behalf of the Trust reflecting holdings over which the Adviser and its affiliates have investment and/or voting discretion; | |
(xv) | provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held within the Portfolio ; | |
(xvi) | not permit any employee of the Adviser to have any material connection with the handling of the Funds if such employee has been permanently or temporarily enjoined by reason of any misconduct, by order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, from acting as an investment adviser or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity or in connection with the purchase or sale of any security; | |
(xvii) | regularly report to the Manager on the investment program for the Portfolio and the issuers and securities represented in the Portfolio , and furnish the Manager, with respect to the Portfolio , such periodic and special reports as the Manager may reasonably request, including, but not limited to, reports concerning transactions and performance of each Fund, reports regarding compliance with the Trust’s procedures pursuant to Rules 17e-1, 17a-7, 10f-3 and 12d3-1 under the Investment Company Act, Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act, compliance with investment guidelines and restrictions, trade errors, liquidity determinations, and compliance with the Adviser’s Code of Ethics, and such other procedures or requirements that the Manager may reasonably request from time to time; |
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(xviii) | promptly review the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Portfolio , and any amendments or supplements thereto, which relate to the Adviser or the Portfolio and confirm that, with respect to the disclosure respecting or relating to the Adviser, including any performance information the Adviser provides that is included in or serves as the basis for information included in the prospectus or statement of additional information, such prospectus or statement of additional information contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager promptly of any material fact known to the Adviser respecting or relating to the Adviser that is not contained but required to be contained in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto provided to the Advisor , or of any statement respecting or relating to the Adviser contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect. With respect to the disclosure respecting each Fund, the Adviser represents and agrees that the description in the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information regarding investment objectives and strategies for the Portfolio is consistent with the manner in which the Adviser intends to manage the Funds, and the description of risks is consistent with risks known to the Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Adviser intends to manage the Funds P ortfolio . The Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager immediately in the event that the Adviser becomes aware that the prospectus or statement of additional information for a Fund is inconsistent in any material respect with the manner in which the Adviser is managing the Fund, and in the event that the principal risks description is inconsistent in any material respect with the risks known to the Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Adviser is managing the Fund Portfolio . In addition, the Adviser agrees to comply with the Manager’s reasonable request for information regarding the personnel of the Adviser who are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Trust’s assets as may be required to be disclosed in the prospectus or statement of additional information; | |
(xix) | Upon request, provide certifications to the principal executive and financial officers of the Trust (the “certifying officers”) that support the certifications required to be made by the certifying officers in connection with the preparation and/or filing of the Trust’s Form N-CSRs, N-Qs, N-SARs, shareholder reports, financial statements, and other disclosure documents or regulatory filings, in such form and content as the Trust shall reasonably request or in accordance with procedures adopted by the Trust; and | |
(xx) | provide the Manager with such other compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be reasonably necessary. |
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(d) Delegation of Authority. Any of the duties specified in this Agreement with respect to the Fund may be delegated by the Adviser, at the Adviser’s expense, to an appropriate party, including an affiliated party, subject to such approval by the Board and shareholders of the applicable Fund to the extent required by the Investment Company Act. The delegation of duties by the Adviser shall in no way reduce the obligations of the Adviser under this Agreement and the Adviser shall be responsible to the Trust and the Manager for all acts or omissions in connection with the performance of the Adviser’s duties under this Agreement.
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of Portfolio securities for the Funds and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to Portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager and communicated in writing in advance or set forth in the Trust’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Funds in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
The Manager reserves the right, after prior notice to the Adviser, to exercise voting rights on any assets held in the Funds on an individual security or ongoing basis.
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4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1, 2, and 3 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be accrued daily and paid to the Adviser at least quarterly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Funds during the relevant quarter. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
The Adviser agrees: (1) that the blended fee rate in basis points contracted hereunder with respect to the American Beacon Global Evolution Frontier Markets Income Fund will not exceed the blended fee rate in basis points contracted with a frontier market debt account of the same or smaller size (including, in determining size, any other accounts managed for the same client) under an asset based fee arrangement (i.e., this paragraph shall not apply to any account with a performance fee arrangement); and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid for a frontier market debt account of the same or larger size for which the Adviser provides investment advisory services under an asset based fee arrangement (i.e., this paragraph shall not apply to any client with a performance fee arrangement) will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid hereunder. In the event that the fee charged hereunder exceeds the fee charged to an account described in (1) or (2) above, the Adviser shall promptly notify the Manager and the fee charged hereunder shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other account from the time such fee is charged to such other account for as long as the fee arrangement continues.
The Adviser shall bear all expenses incurred by it and its staff with respect to all activities in connection with the performance of the Adviser’s services under this Agreement, including but not limited to salaries, benefits, overhead, travel, and preparation of reports. Upon request by the Manager, Adviser agrees to reimburse the Manager for costs associated with certain supplements to the Fund’s disclosure documents (“Supplements”). Such Supplements are those generated due to changes by Adviser requiring prompt disclosure in the Trust’s prospectus, statement of additional information, and/or information statement and for which, at the time of notification by Adviser to Manager of such changes, the Trust is not already generating a supplement for other purposes or for which the Manager may not be able to reasonably add such changes to a pending supplement. Such changes by Adviser include, but are not limited to, changes to its material ownership structure, to key investment personnel , to investment style or management. Adviser shall reimburse the Manager or the Trust, as applicable, for all of the costs associated with generating such Supplements, and/or any required Board and/or proxy expenses related to approving a change in control of the Adviser. Reimbursable costs may include, but are not limited to, costs of preparation, filing, printing, postage, and/or distribution of such Supplements to all existing Fund shareholders.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
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6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, statements of additional information, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager of the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request, provided that the Adviser shall be entitled to retain copies of such records to the extent lawfully required to do so. Adviser authorizes Manager’s use of the Adviser’s service marks and/or trademarks in connection with the marketing of the Fund(s), including but not limited to, the Fund(s)’ registration statements and fact sheets, provided that the Manager and Adviser will have agreed in advance as to the basis of use of the Adviser’s service marks and/or trademarks. In addition, the Manager acknowledges and agrees that it has no rights in or to the Adviser’s name beyond the limited use rights granted herein.
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless, the Manager, any affiliated person within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Manager, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Manager or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of the Adviser’s responsibilities to the Trust which may be based upon any willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of, the Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Adviser. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
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11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Fund and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Fund; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Fund fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager upon not less than (30) thirty days nor more than (60) sixty days prior notice to the Adviser, by vote of a majority of the Board of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund on not less than (30) thirty days nor more than (60) sixty days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on sixty (60) days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment.
A notice period provided in this Section may be waived by the party required to be notified, in their absolute discretion.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
12. Severability . If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, statute, rule or otherwise, such provision will be modified, rewritten or interpreted to include as much of its nature and scope as will render it enforceable. If it cannot be so modified, rewritten or interpreted to be valid and enforceable in any respect, it will not be given effect, and the remainder of the Agreement will be enforced as if such provision had never been included.
13. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual written consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Fund’s shareholders to the extent required by the Investment Company Act.
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14. Miscellaneous .
(a) | Governing Law and Venue . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas without giving effect to any conflict of laws provisions thereof. |
(b) Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement.
(c) No Implied Waiver . Either party’s failure to insist in any one or more instances upon strict performance by the other party of the terms of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any continuing or subsequent failure to perform or delay in performance of any term hereof.
(d) Entire Agreement . This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding between the parties and supersedes any and all prior or contemporaneous understandings and agreements, whether oral or written, between the parties, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
(e) Headings . Headings used in this Agreement are provided for convenience only and shall not be used to construe meaning or intent.
(f) Notices . Any notices required to be given hereunder may be delivered by hand, facsimile, deposited with a nationally recognized overnight carrier, or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, in each case, to the address of the other party listed below (or such other address as may be furnished by a party in accordance with this paragraph). All such notices or communications shall be deemed to have been given and received (a) in the case of personal delivery or facsimile, on the date of such delivery, (b) in the case of delivery by a nationally recognized overnight carrier, the earlier of (i) the date of receipt or (ii) the third business day following dispatch and (c) in the case of mailing, on the seventh business day following such mailing. All such notices shall be delivered to:
A. | If to the Manager: |
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
220 E. Las Colinas Blvd.
Suite 1200
Irving, Texas 75039
Attention: Chief Investment Officer
with a copy to General Counsel at the same address.
Facsimile: 817-391-6131
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B. | If to the Adviser: |
Global Evolution USA, LLC
790 East Colorado Boulevard
Suite 500
Pasadena, California 91101
Attention: Michael P. McAdams, Managing Director
Facsimile: 626-568-2755
Email: mcadams@globalevolution.com
15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Fund, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Fund. The Adviser further agrees that it shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Fund, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Global Evolution USA, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
By: | /s/ Michael P. McAdams | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Michael P. McAdams | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Managing Director | Chief Operating Officer | ||
American Beacon Funds | ||||
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |||
Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||||
President |
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Schedule A
To the
Investment Advisory Agreement
Between
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Global Evolution USA,LLC
The American Beacon Global Evolution Frontier Markets Income Fund (“the Fund”), a series of American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Global Evolution USA, LLC (“Adviser”) in the amount of 0.50 of 1% (50 basis points) for all Fund assets under Adviser’s management pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the Fund.
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar quarter, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar quarter during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
Global Evolution USA, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
By: | /s/ Michael P. McAdams | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Michael P. McAdams | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Managing Director | Chief Operating Officer | ||
American Beacon Funds | ||||
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr | |||
Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||||
President |
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Exhibit (d)(2)(DD)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this 30th day of April, 2015. by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (“Trust”), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and AHL Partners LLP , a England and Wales limited liability partnership (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“Investment Company Act”), consisting of several series funds of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”); and
WHEREAS, the Trust’s agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Adviser is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority of the United Kingdom (“FCA”), is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Advisers Act”), is registered as a commodity trading advisor (“CTA”) with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a member of the National Futures Association (“NFA”);
WHEREAS, the Manager and the Trust desire to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its funds and such other funds as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Funds") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
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1. | (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager and the Trust appoint the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Funds' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Funds, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the assets to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Board concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities (1) in conformity with all applicable securities law, including but not limited to the Investment Company Act, the Advisers Act, the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (“Securities Act”), and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), (2) subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and Board of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Board may from time to time establish, (3) in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Fund set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations, and (4) in compliance with such other investment guidelines or restrictions established from time to time by the Manager or the Trust and agreed to by the Adviser which shall be communicated in writing by the Manager to Adviser in advance. The Adviser accepts such appointment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Fund assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to any residual cash in the Fund. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Adviser has categorized the Trust as a professional client (as defined in the rules, guidance, principles and codes comprised in the Handbook of Rules and Guidance issued by the FCA (the “FCA Rules”)) and the Adviser will provide its services hereunder on that basis. The Trust has the right to request that the Adviser categorize it as a retail client (as defined in the FCA Rules) either generally or in specific circumstances. However, it is the Adviser’s policy not to agree to such requests from its clients. The Manager will instruct the Trust's custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Funds' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s), but generally refers to a writing by the representatives of the Adviser who have been authorized by the Board from time to time to provide instructions to the Trust’s custodian. For the purpose of clarification, “Proper Instructions” can be instructions in any format, including without limitation, electronic instructions that are agreed upon in writing by the Adviser and the Trust’s custodian.) |
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The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Funds, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) negotiate the terms of any documents including without limitation, futures and options transactions, brokerage agreements, clearing agreements, account documentation, futures and option agreements, swap agreements, and other investment related agreements required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Funds. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein. Adviser is authorized on behalf of Manager to make all elections required in such agreements, instruments and documentation and make and to receive all related notices from brokers or other counterparties. Manager also authorizes Adviser as agent and attorney-in-fact to make transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts on margin, for the Portfolio, and authorizes each broker with whom Adviser makes such transactions to follow its instructions with respect to such transactions. Manager understands and agrees that Adviser will determine that such transactions are permitted before instructing a broker to enter into such transactions and that any broker receiving an order for any such transaction will have no independent obligation to ensure that the transactions are consistent with the Trust’s registration statement or the Fund’s investment guidelines; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are consistent with the relevant Fund’s investment policies and other governing documents with respect to the investment policies and governing documents applicable to the investments managed by the Adviser; (b) with the reasonable assistance of the Manager, the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Fund under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall promptly notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default that in the Adviser’s sole discretion is likely to occur or termination event affecting a Fund under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for property delivered for the Funds, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Funds; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Funds with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit of margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Funds by its custodian subject to control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver property or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all investments made by the Adviser and owned by the Funds, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the investments owned by the Funds for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser, to the extent that it becomes aware of potentially significant events that could affect the values of the investments owned by the Funds, will notify the Manager when, in its opinion, such event has occurred and may not be reflected in the market values of such investments. The Adviser will maintain adequate records with respect to valuation information provided hereunder, and shall provide such information to Manager upon request.
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(c) Compliance and Other Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, shall provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall:
(i) | continue to be a duly formed legal entity, validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of formation, fully authorized to enter into this Agreement and carry out its duties and obligations hereunder; | |
(ii) | be registered as an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") under the Advisers Act, and be registered or licensed as an investment adviser under the laws of all jurisdictions in which its activities require to be so registered or licensed, except where the failure to be so licensed would not have an adverse effect on the Adviser, Manager or Trust. The Adviser shall maintain such registration or license in effect and in good standing at all times during the term of this Agreement; | |
(iii) | be registered with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) as a commodity trading advisor and be a member of the National Futures Association (“NFA”). The Adviser shall maintain such registration or license in effect and in good standing at all times during the term of this Agreement.. | |
(iv) | at all times provide its best judgment and effort to the Manager and the Trust in carrying out its obligations hereunder; | |
(v) | use the same care and skill in providing such services as it uses in providing services to other similar accounts for which it has investment management responsibilities; | |
(vi) | (a) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Funds, the Trust and the Manager; (b) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Funds, the Trust and the Manager; (c) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (d) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Funds, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the CFTC (provided, however, that, upon request by the Manager, the Adviser shall provide such records to the Manager within three business days in order for the Manager and the Fund to be in compliance with CFTC Regulation 45.2(e)(2)) and comparable rules of the SEC (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”); | |
(vii) | maintain a written Code of Ethics complying with the requirements of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act and provide the Manager with a current copy of the Code of Ethics. Within (20) twenty days of the end of each calendar quarter certify to the Manager that the Adviser has complied with the requirements of Rule 204A-1 during the previous calendar quarter and that there have been no material violations of the Code of Ethics or, if a violation has occurred, that appropriate action has been taken in response to such violation. Upon written request of the Manager, the Adviser shall permit representatives of the Manager to examine the reports (or summaries of the reports) required to be made under the Code of Ethics and other records evidencing enforcement of the Code of Ethics; |
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(viii) | assist the Trust and the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) in complying with Rule 38a-1 under the Investment Company Act. Specifically, the Adviser represents that it shall maintain a compliance program in accordance with the requirements of Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act, as amended, and shall provide the CCO with reasonable access to information regarding the Adviser’s compliance program, which access shall include on-site visits with the Adviser as may be reasonably requested from time to time. In connection with the periodic review and annual report required to be prepared by the CCO pursuant to Rule 38a-1, the Adviser agrees to provide certifications as may be reasonably requested by the CCO related to the design and implementation of the Adviser’s compliance program; | |
(ix) | comply with the Trusts’ policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Funds as described in the Trusts’ current registration statement, and upon request from the Manager, provide a certification to the Manager with respect to compliance with the Funds’ selective disclosure policy; | |
(x) | treat confidentially and as proprietary all records and other information relating to the Funds, and not use records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Manager or when so requested by the Manager or required by law or regulation; | |
(xi) | promptly notify the Manager of any material change to the trading model, portfolio management, the roles and responsibilities of any personnel of the Advisor named in the Fund’s prospectus or statement of additional information (“SAI”) or any other material matter that may require disclosure to the Board and/or shareholders of the Funds; | |
(xii) | provide the Manager with a current and complete copy of the Adviser’s Form ADV, and any material supplements or amendments thereto; | |
(xiii) | provide the Manager with a current list of persons the Adviser wishes to have authorized to give instructions to the Trust’s custodian regarding assets of the Funds; | |
(xiv) | be responsible for the filing of Schedule 13D/13G and Form 13F, and any non-U.S. securities filing equivalents of these filings, including the Fund’s holdings over which the Adviser and its affiliates have investment and/or voting discretion; | |
(xv) | provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held within the Funds managed by the Adviser; | |
(xvi) | not permit any employee of the Adviser to have any material connection with the handling of the Funds if such employee has been permanently or temporarily enjoined by reason of any misconduct, by order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, from acting as an investment adviser or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity or in connection with the purchase or sale of any security; | |
(xvii) | regularly report to the Manager on the investment program for the Funds and the issuers and securities represented in the Funds, and furnish the Manager, with respect to the Funds, such periodic and special reports as the Manager may reasonably request, including, but not limited to, reports concerning transactions and performance of each Fund, reports regarding compliance with the Trust’s procedures pursuant to Rules 17e-1, 17a-7, 10f-3 and 12d3-1 under the Investment Company Act, Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act, compliance with investment guidelines and restrictions, trade errors (for the avoidance of doubt, trade errors shall not include system events), liquidity determinations, and compliance with the Adviser’s Code of Ethics, and such other procedures or requirements that the Manager may reasonably request from time to time; |
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(xviii) | promptly review the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Funds, and any amendments or supplements thereto, which relate to the Adviser and approve the disclosure respecting or relating to the Adviser, including any performance information the Adviser provides that is included in or serves as the basis for information included in the prospectus or statement of additional information, confirm such prospectus or statement of additional information contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager promptly of any material fact known to the Adviser respecting or relating to the Adviser that is not contained in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or of any statement respecting or relating to the Adviser contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect. With respect to the disclosure respecting each Fund, the Adviser represents and agrees that the description in the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information regarding investment objectives and strategies is consistent with the manner in which the Adviser intends to manage the Funds, and the description of risks is consistent with risks known to the Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Adviser intends to manage the Funds. The Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager promptly in the event that the Adviser becomes aware that the prospectus or statement of additional information for a Fund is inconsistent in any material respect with the manner in which the Adviser is managing the Fund, and in the event that the principal risks description is inconsistent in any material respect with the risks known to the Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Adviser is managing the Fund. In addition, the Adviser agrees to comply with the Manager’s reasonable request for information regarding the personnel of the Adviser who are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Trust’s assets as may be required to be disclosed in the prospectus or statement of additional information; | |
(xix) | upon request, provide certifications to the principal executive and financial officers of the Trust (the “certifying officers”) that support the certifications required to be made by the certifying officers in connection with the preparation and/or filing of the Trust’s Form N-CSRs, N-Qs, N-SARs, shareholder reports, financial statements, and other disclosure documents or regulatory filings, in such form and content as the Trust shall reasonably request or in accordance with procedures adopted by the Trust; | |
(xx) | upon request, provide the Manager with a certificate regarding the Adviser’s compliance with its bunched orders policy; and | |
(xxi) | provide the Manager with such other compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be reasonably necessary. |
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(d) Acknowledgements of the Trust and the Manager . For the avoidance of doubt, save as set out in the prospectus and SAI and such other investment guidelines or restrictions as may be established from time to time, the Trust and the Manager confirm that there are not: (i) any limits or restrictions on the length of time for which it wishes to hold any particular investment; (ii) any preferences regarding risk taking; (iii) any particular risk profile; or (d) any particular purpose for its investment. Except as provided by or pursuant to this Agreement, the prospectus, the Investment Company Act, or the investment guidelines, there will be no restrictions on the extent of the Adviser’s investment discretion. Further, the Trust and the Manager acknowledge the risks set forth in the prospectus regarding the Adviser’s investment program.
2. Fund Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers and futures commission merchants (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio assets for the Funds and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and Board of the Trust such information relating to Fund transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Fund’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Fund established by the Manager or set forth in the Trust’s registration statement.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Funds in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
The Manager reserves the right to exercise voting rights on any assets held in the Funds on an individual security or ongoing basis.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be accrued daily paid to the Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Funds during the relevant month. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
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The Adviser shall bear all expenses incurred by it and its staff with respect to all activities in connection with the performance of the Adviser’s services under this Agreement, including but not limited to salaries, benefits, overhead, travel, and preparation of reports. Upon request by the Manager, Adviser agrees to reimburse the Manager for costs associated with certain supplements to the Fund’s disclosure documents (“Supplements”). Such Supplements are those generated due to changes by Adviser requiring prompt disclosure in the Trust’s prospectus, statement of additional information, and/or information statement and for which, at the time of notification by Adviser to Manager of such changes, the Trust is not already generating a supplement for other purposes or for which the Manager may not be able to reasonably add such changes to a pending supplement. Such changes by Adviser include, but are not limited to, changes to its structure, to key investment personnel, to investment style or management. Adviser shall reimburse the Manager or the Trust, as applicable, for all of the costs associated with generating such Supplements, and/or any required Board and/or proxy expenses related to approving a change in control of the Adviser. Reimbursable costs may include, but are not limited to, costs of preparation, filing, printing, postage, and/or distribution of such Supplements to all existing Fund shareholders.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, statements of additional information, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager of the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act, CFTC Regulations 4.23 and 4.33 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request, provided that the Adviser shall be entitled to retain a copy of such records if it is legally required to do so. Adviser authorizes Manager’s use of the Adviser’s service marks and/or trademarks in connection with the marketing of the Fund(s), including but not limited to, the Fund(s)’ registration statements and fact sheets. In addition, the Manager acknowledges and agrees that it has no rights in or to the Adviser’s name beyond the limited use rights granted herein.
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9. Liability . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders, the Manager or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless, the Manager, any affiliated person within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Manager, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Manager or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities or commodities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of the Adviser’s responsibilities to the Trust which may be based upon any willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of, the Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement, relating to its trading activities or information provided to the Manager regarding the Adviser, by the Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Adviser. The U.S. federal and state securities laws impose liabilities on persons who act in good faith, and therefore, nothing in this Agreement is intended to limit the obligations of the Adviser under such laws.
Neither the Manager nor the Trust shall have any liability to the Adviser or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Manager and the Trust agree to indemnify and hold harmless, the Adviser against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Adviser may become subject under the securities or commodities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of the Manager’s or the Trust’s responsibilities to the Adviser which may be based upon any willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of, the Manager’s or the Trust’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by either of the Manager or the Trust or by any of their directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of either.
The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
11. Representations and warrants of the Manager and Trust . The Manager and the Trust hereby represent and warrant as follows:
(i) | Each has all requisite authority to enter into, execute, deliver and perform its respective obligations under this Agreement; |
(ii) | The performance of its respective obligations under this Agreement does not conflict with any law, regulation or order to which it is subject; |
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(iii) | The Manager and the Trust have received the Adviser’s Privacy Policy and Part 2 of Form ADV of the Adviser at least 48 hours prior to the date of the execution of this Agreement; |
(iv) | The Manager is a member of the NFA and is registered under the CEA as a commodity pool operator; and |
(v) | The Fund (as defined in Schedule A hereto) is a “qualified eligible person” (QEP”) as defined in Regulation 4.7 under the CEA and consents to being treated as an exempt account under CFTC Regulation 4.7(c). |
12. Anti-Money Laundering Representation and Warranties . The Manager and/or the Trust represents, warrants and agrees that:
(i) | the Trust has implemented anti-money laundering policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to comply with the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 and any other applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations, and, where appropriate, the Trust may reasonably rely on broker-dealers and other intermediaries to implement anti-money laundering policies and procedures; |
(ii) | the Manager (or any person controlling or controlled by the Manager; any person having a beneficial interest in the Manager; or any person for whom the Manager is acting as agent or nominee in connection with the assets of the Fund(s)) is not (i) an individual or entity named on any available lists of known or suspected terrorists, terrorist organizations or of other sanctioned persons issued by the United States government and the government(s) of any jurisdiction(s) in which the Manager is doing business, including the list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) as such list may be amended from time to time (commonly known as the “SDN List” administered by OFAC, as such list may be amended from time to time; (ii) an individual or entity otherwise prohibited by the OFAC sanctions programs; or (iii) a current or former senior foreign political figure (“SFPF”) 1 or politically exposed person (“PEP”), 2 or an immediate family member or close associate of such an individual; |
(iii) | it has conducted enhanced scrutiny with respect to current or former SFPFs or PEPs from whom it receives funds reasonably designed to ensure that such funds are not directly or indirectly derived from official corruption or any other illegal activity; |
1 A “senior foreign political figure” is defined as (a) a current or former senior official in the executive, legislative, administrative, military or judicial branches of a non-U.S. government (whether elected or not), a current or former senior official of a major non-U.S. political party, or a current or former senior executive of a non-U.S. government-owned commercial enterprise; (b) a corporation, business, or other entity that has been formed by, or for the benefit of, any such individual; (c) an immediate family member of any such individual; and (d) a person who is widely and publicly known (or is actually known) to be a close associate of such individual. For purposes of this definition, a "senior official" or "senior executive" means an individual with substantial authority over policy, operations, or the use of government-owned resources; and "immediate family member" means a spouse, parents, siblings, children and spouse's parents or siblings.
2 A "politically exposed person" ("PEP") is a term used for individuals who are or have been entrusted with prominent public functions in a foreign country, for example, Heads of State or of government, senior politicians, senior government, judicial or military officials, senior executives of state owned corporations, important political party officials. Business relationships with family members or close associates of PEPs involve reputational risks similar to those with PEPs themselves.
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(iv) | it is not a prohibited foreign shell bank, 3 nor does it receive deposits from, make payments on behalf of, or handle other financial transactions related to prohibited foreign shell banks; and |
(v) | it will notify the Adviser promptly in writing should the Manager become aware of any change in the information set forth in these representations; and upon reasonable request by the Adviser, it will provide such information as the Adviser may need to satisfy applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations. |
13. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Fund and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) by the vote of a majority of the Board 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 agreed by the Adviser, or (b) by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Fund; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Fund fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, (a) by the Manager upon not less than (30) thirty days nor more than (60) sixty days prior notice to the Adviser, (b) by vote of a majority of the Board of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund on not less than (30) thirty days nor more than (60) sixty days written notice to the Adviser, or (c) by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on sixty (60) days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment.
A notice period provided in this Section may be waived by the party required to be notified, in their absolute discretion.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
14. Severability . If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, statute, rule or otherwise, such provision will be modified, rewritten or interpreted to include as much of its nature and scope as will render it enforceable. If it cannot be so modified, rewritten or interpreted to be valid and enforceable in any respect, it will not be given effect, and the remainder of the Agreement will be enforced as if such provision had never been included.
3 A "prohibited foreign shell bank" is a foreign bank that does not have a physical presence in any country, and is not a “regulated affiliate,” i.e. , an affiliate of a depository institution, credit union, or foreign bank that (i) maintains a physical presence in the U.S. or a foreign country, and (ii) is subject to banking supervision in the country regulating the affiliated depository institution, credit union, or foreign bank.
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15. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual written consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Fund’s shareholders to the extent required by the Investment Company Act.
16. Miscellaneous .
(a) | Governing Law and Venue . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas without giving effect to any conflict of law provisions thereof. |
(b) Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement.
(c) No Implied Waiver . Either party’s failure to insist in any one or more instances upon strict performance by the other party of the terms of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any continuing or subsequent failure to perform or delay in performance of any term hereof.
(d) Entire Agreement . This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding between the parties and supersedes any and all prior or contemporaneous understandings and agreements, whether oral or written, between the parties, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
(e) Headings . Headings used in this Agreement are provided for convenience only and shall not be used to construe meaning or intent.
(f) Electronic Delivery . The Manager and Trust hereby agree and provide their consent to have the Adviser electronically deliver Account Communications. “Account Communications” means all current and future account statements; privacy statements; audited financial information; this Agreement (including all supplements and amendments hereto); the Adviser’s Form ADV and updates thereto; notices and other information, documents, data and records regarding the Fund assets. Electronic communications include e-mail delivery as well as electronically making available to the Manager Account Communications on the Adviser’s Internet site, if applicable. By signing this Agreement, the Manager and the Trust consent to electronic delivery as described in the preceding three sentences. It is the Manager’s affirmative obligation to notify the Adviser in writing if the Manager’s e-mail address changes. The Manager may revoke or restrict its consent to electronic delivery of Account Communications at any time by notifying the Adviser, in writing, of the Manager’s intention to do so.
Neither the Adviser nor its affiliates will be liable for any interception of Account Communications. The Manager should note that no additional charge for electronic delivery will be assessed, but the Manager may incur charges from its Internet service provider or other Internet access provider. In addition, there are risks, such as systems outages, that are associated with electronic delivery.
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(g) Notices . Any notices required to be given hereunder may be delivered by hand, facsimile, deposited with a nationally recognized overnight carrier, or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, in each case, to the address of the other party listed below (or such other address as may be furnished by a party in accordance with this paragraph). All such notices or communications shall be deemed to have been given and received (a) in the case of personal delivery or facsimile, on the date of such delivery, (b) in the case of delivery by a nationally recognized overnight carrier, the earlier of (i) the date of receipt or (ii) the third business day following dispatch and (c) in the case of mailing, on the seventh business day following such mailing. All such notices shall be delivered to:
A. | If to the Manager: |
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
220
East Las Colinas Blvd.
Suite 1200
Irving, Texas 75039
Attention: Chief Investment Officer
with a copy to General Counsel at the same address.
Facsimile: 817-391-6131
Email: wyatt.crumpler@ambeacon.com
rosemary.behan@ambeacon.com
B. | If to the Adviser: |
AHL Partners LLP
c/o Man Investments
452 5th Avenue, 27th Floor
New York, NY 10018
Attention: Chief Operating Officer of the Americas
With a copy to Head of US Legal at the same address.
Facsimile: 212- 224-7210
Email: legalUS@maninvestments.com
17. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Fund, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Fund. The Adviser further agrees that it shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Fund, nor from the Board or any individual Board member.
18. CFTC Legend . PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION IN CONNECTION WITH ACCOUNTS OF QUALIFIED ELIGIBLE PERSONS, THIS BROCHURE OR ACCOUNT DOCUMENT IS NOT REQUIRED TO BE, AND HAS NOT BEEN, FILED WITH THE COMMISSION. THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION DOES NOT PASS UPON THE MERITS OF PARTICIPATING IN A TRADING PROGRAM OR UPON THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF COMMODITY TRADING ADVISOR DISCLOSURE. CONSEQUENTLY, THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION HAS NOT REVIEWED OR APPROVED THIS TRADING PROGRAM OR THIS BROCHURE OR ACCOUNT DOCUMENT.
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A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Man Investments Limited, as managing member of AHL Partners LLP:
By: | /s/ Jonathan Eliot | |
Authorized Signatory | ||
Name: | Jonathan Eliot | |
Title: | Director |
American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | ||
By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds | ||
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles Jr. | |
Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||
President |
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Schedule A
To the
Investment Advisory Agreement
Between
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
AHL Partners LLP
The American Beacon AHL Managed Futures Strategy Fund (“the Fund”), a series of American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to AHL Partners LLP (“Adviser”) pursuant to Section 3 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the Fund a fee of 100 basis points for all Fund assets under Adviser’s management.
The fee payable hereunder shall be computed based on the average daily net assets of the Fund, including assets invested by the Fund in the Fund’s wholly-owned subsidiary, the American Beacon Cayman Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Ltd.
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
Man Investments Limited, as managing member of AHL Partners LLP:
By: | /s/ Jonathan Eliot | |
Authorized Signatory | ||
Name: | Jonathan Eliot | |
Title: | Director |
American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | ||
By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds | ||
By: |
/s/ Gene L. Needles Jr. |
|
Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||
President |
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Exhibit (d)(2)(EE)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
This AGREEMENT, effective April 30, 2015, by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (“Trust”), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Bahl & Gaynor, Inc., d/b/a Bahl & Gaynor Investment Counsel, an Ohio corporation (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“Investment Company Act”), consisting of several series funds of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”); and
WHEREAS, the Trust’s agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Advisers Act”);
WHEREAS, the Manager and the Trust desire to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its funds and such other funds as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Funds") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. | (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager and the Trust appoint the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Funds' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Funds, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities (1) in conformity with all applicable securities law, including but not limited to the Investment Company Act, the Advisers Act, the Commodity Exchange Act, the Securities Act of 1933 (“Securities Act”), and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”), (2) subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Board may from time to time establish, (3) in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Fund set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations, and (4) in compliance with such other investment guidelines or restrictions established from time to time by the Manager or the Trust which shall be communicated in writing by the Manager to Adviser in advance. The Adviser accepts such appointment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Fund assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Funds' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s), but generally refers to a writing by the representatives of the Adviser who have been authorized by the Trust’s Board from time to time to provide instructions to the Trust’s custodian. For the purpose of clarification, “Proper Instructions” can be instructions in any format, including without limitation, electronic instructions that are agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust’s custodian.) |
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The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Funds, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents including without limitation, futures and options transactions, brokerage agreements, clearing agreements, account documentation, futures and option agreements, swap agreements, and other investment related agreements required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Funds. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein. Adviser is authorized on behalf of Manager to make all elections required in such agreements, instruments and documentation and make and to receive all related notices from brokers or other counterparties. Manager also authorizes Adviser as agent and attorney-in-fact to make transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts on margin, for the Portfolio, and authorizes each broker with whom Adviser makes such transactions to follow its’ instructions with respect to such transactions. Manager understands and agrees that Adviser will determine that such transactions are permitted before instructing a broker to enter into such transactions and that any broker receiving an order for any such transaction will have no independent obligation to ensure that the transactions are consistent with the Trust’s registration statement or the Fund’s investment guidelines; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations consistent with the relevant Fund’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Fund under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Fund under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Funds, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Funds; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Funds with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit of margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Funds by its custodian subject to control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
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(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Funds, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Funds for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Funds for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities. The Adviser will maintain adequate records with respect to securities valuation information provided hereunder, and shall provide such information to Manager upon request.
(c) Compliance and Other Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, shall provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall:
(i) | continue to be a duly formed legal entity, validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of formation, fully authorized to enter into this Agreement and carry out its duties and obligations hereunder; |
(ii) | be registered as an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") under the Advisers Act, and be registered or licensed as an investment adviser under the laws of all jurisdictions in which its activities require to be so registered or licensed, except where the failure to be so licensed would not have an adverse effect on the Adviser, Manager or Trust. The Adviser shall maintain such registration or license in effect and in good standing at all times during the term of this Agreement; |
(iii) | Maintain any necessary registrations, licenses, or exemptions, to the extent required, with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and/or National Futures Association. |
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(iv) | at all times provide its best judgment and effort to the Manager and the Trust in carrying out its obligations hereunder; |
(v) | use the same care and skill in providing such services as it uses in providing services to other accounts for which it has investment management responsibilities; |
(vi) | cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Funds, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Funds, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Funds, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the CFTC and comparable rules of the SEC (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”); |
(vii) | maintain a written Code of Ethics complying with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act and provide the Manager with a current copy of the Code of Ethics. Within (20) twenty days of the end of each calendar quarter certify to the Manager that the Adviser has complied with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 during the previous calendar quarter and that there have been no violations of the Code of Ethics or, if a violation has occurred, that appropriate action has been taken in response to such violation. Upon written request of the Manager, the Adviser shall permit representatives of the Manager to examine the reports (or summaries of the reports) required to be made under the Code of Ethics and other records evidencing enforcement of the Code of Ethics; |
(viii) | assist the Trust and the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) in complying with Rule 38a-1 under the Investment Company Act. Specifically, the Adviser represents that it shall maintain a compliance program in accordance with the requirements of Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act, as amended, and shall provide the CCO with reasonable access to information regarding the Adviser’s compliance program, which access shall include on-site visits with the Adviser as may be reasonably requested from time to time. In connection with the periodic review and annual report required to be prepared by the CCO pursuant to Rule 38a-1, the Adviser agrees to provide certifications as may be reasonably requested by the CCO related to the design and implementation of the Adviser’s compliance program; |
(ix) | comply with the Trusts’ policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Funds as described in the Trusts’ current registration statement, and upon request from the Manager, provide a certification to the Manager with respect to compliance with the Funds’ selective disclosure policy; |
(x) | treat confidentially and as proprietary all records and other information relating to the Funds, and not use records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Manager or when so requested by the Manager or required by law or regulation; |
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(xi) | promptly notify the Manager of any impending change of a portfolio manager, portfolio management or any other material matter that may require disclosure to the Board and/or shareholders of the Funds; |
(xii) | provide the Manager with a current and complete copy of the Adviser’s Form ADV, and any supplements or amendments thereto; |
(xiii) | provide the Manager with a current list of persons the Adviser wishes to have authorized to give instructions to the Trust’s custodian regarding assets of the Funds; |
(xiv) | be responsible for the filing of Schedule 13D/13G and Form 13F, and any non-U.S. securities filing equivalents of these filings, on behalf of the Trust reflecting holdings over which the Adviser and its affiliates have investment and/or voting discretion; |
(xv) | provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held within the Funds managed by the Adviser; |
(xvi) | not permit any employee of the Adviser to have any material connection with the handling of the Funds if such employee has been permanently or temporarily enjoined by reason of any misconduct, by order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, from acting as an investment adviser or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity or in connection with the purchase or sale of any security; |
(xvii) | regularly report to the Manager on the investment program for the Funds and the issuers and securities represented in the Funds, and furnish the Manager, with respect to the Funds, such periodic and special reports as the Manager may reasonably request, including, but not limited to, reports concerning transactions and performance of each Fund, reports regarding compliance with the Trust’s procedures pursuant to Rules 17e-1, 17a-7, 10f-3 and 12d3-1 under the Investment Company Act, Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act, compliance with investment guidelines and restrictions, trade errors, liquidity determinations, and compliance with the Adviser’s Code of Ethics, and such other procedures or requirements that the Manager may reasonably request from time to time; |
(xviii) | promptly review the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Funds, and any amendments or supplements thereto, which relate to the Adviser or the Funds and confirm that, with respect to the disclosure respecting or relating to the Adviser, including any performance information the Adviser provides that is included in or serves as the basis for information included in the prospectus or statement of additional information, such prospectus or statement of additional information contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager immediately of any material fact known to the Adviser respecting or relating to the Adviser that is not contained in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or of any statement respecting or relating to the Adviser contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect. With respect to the disclosure respecting each Fund, the Adviser represents and agrees that the description in the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information regarding investment objectives and strategies is consistent with the manner in which the Adviser intends to manage the Funds, and the description of risks is consistent with risks known to the Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Adviser intends to manage the Funds. The Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager immediately in the event that the Adviser becomes aware that the prospectus or statement of additional information for a Fund is inconsistent in any material respect with the manner in which the Adviser is managing the Fund, and in the event that the principal risks description is inconsistent in any material respect with the risks known to the Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Adviser is managing the Fund. In addition, the Adviser agrees to comply with the Manager’s reasonable request for information regarding the personnel of the Adviser who are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Trust’s assets as may be required to be disclosed in the prospectus or statement of additional information; |
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(xix) | Upon request, provide certifications to the principal executive and financial officers of the Trust (the “certifying officers”) that support the certifications required to be made by the certifying officers in connection with the preparation and/or filing of the Trust’s Form N-CSRs, N-Qs, N-SARs, shareholder reports, financial statements, and other disclosure documents or regulatory filings, in such form and content as the Trust shall reasonably request or in accordance with procedures adopted by the Trust; and |
(xx) | provide the Manager with such other compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be reasonably necessary. |
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Funds and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Funds in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
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The Manager reserves the right to exercise voting rights on any assets held in the Funds on an individual security or ongoing basis.
4. Compensation of the Adviser .
For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1, 2, and 3 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in the Schedule attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be accrued daily and paid to the Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule to the average daily assets of the specified Fund during the relevant month. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule, there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule. The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
The Adviser agrees that for small cap growth accounts established after the effective date of this agreement: (1) that the blended fee rate in basis points contracted hereunder with respect to the American Beacon Bahl & Gaynor Small Cap Growth Fund will not exceed the blended fee rate in basis points contracted with an account of the same or smaller size (including other accounts managed for the same client); and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any other client of the same or larger size for whom the Adviser provides investment advisory services under an asset based fee arrangement (i.e., not a performance fee arrangement) will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid hereunder. In the event that the fee charged hereunder exceeds the fee charged to an account described in (1) or (2) above, the Adviser shall promptly notify the Manager and the fee charged hereunder shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other account from the time such fee is charged to such other account.
The Adviser shall bear all expenses incurred by it and its staff with respect to all activities in connection with the performance of the Adviser’s services under this Agreement, including but not limited to salaries, benefits, overhead, travel, and preparation of reports. Upon request by the Manager, Adviser agrees to reimburse the Manager for costs associated with certain supplements to the Fund’s disclosure documents (“Supplements”). Such Supplements are those generated due to changes by Adviser requiring prompt disclosure in the Trust’s prospectus, statement of additional information, and/or information statement and for which, at the time of notification by Adviser to Manager of such changes, the Trust is not already generating a supplement for other purposes or for which the Manager may not be able to reasonably add such changes to a pending supplement. Such changes by Adviser include, but are not limited to, changes to its structure, to key investment personnel, to investment style or management. Adviser shall reimburse the Manager or the Trust, as applicable, for all of the costs associated with generating such Supplements, and/or any required Board and/or proxy expenses related to approving a change in control of the Adviser. Reimbursable costs may include, but are not limited to, costs of preparation, filing, printing, postage, and/or distribution of such Supplements to all existing Fund shareholders.
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5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, statements of additional information, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager of the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request, provided that the Adviser shall be entitled to retain a copy of such records if it is legally required to do so. Adviser authorizes Manager’s use of the Adviser’s service marks and/or trademarks in connection with the marketing of the Fund(s), including but not limited to, the Fund(s)’ registration statements and fact sheets. In addition, the Manager acknowledges and agrees that it has no rights in or to the Adviser’s name beyond the limited use rights granted herein.
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless, the Manager, any affiliated person within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Manager, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Manager or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of the Adviser’s responsibilities to the Trust which may be based upon any willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of, the Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Adviser. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
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11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Fund and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Fund; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Fund fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager upon not less than (30) thirty days nor more than (60) sixty days prior notice to the Adviser, by vote of a majority of the Board of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund on not less than (30) thirty days nor more than (60) sixty days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on sixty (60) days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment.
A notice period provided in this Section may be waived by the party required to be notified, in their absolute discretion.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
12. Severability . If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, statute, rule or otherwise, such provision will be modified, rewritten or interpreted to include as much of its nature and scope as will render it enforceable. If it cannot be so modified, rewritten or interpreted to be valid and enforceable in any respect, it will not be given effect, and the remainder of the Agreement will be enforced as if such provision had never been included.
13. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual written consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Fund’s shareholders to the extent required by the Investment Company Act.
14. Miscellaneous .
(a) | Governing Law and Venue . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas without giving effect to any conflict of laws provisions thereof. |
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(b) Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement.
(c) No Implied Waiver . Either party’s failure to insist in any one or more instances upon strict performance by the other party of the terms of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any continuing or subsequent failure to perform or delay in performance of any term hereof.
(d) Entire Agreement . This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding between the parties and supersedes any and all prior or contemporaneous understandings and agreements, whether oral or written, between the parties, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
(e) Headings . Headings used in this Agreement are provided for convenience only and shall not be used to construe meaning or intent.
(f) Notices . Any notices required to be given hereunder may be delivered by hand, facsimile, deposited with a nationally recognized overnight carrier, or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, in each case, to the address of the other party listed below (or such other address as may be furnished by a party in accordance with this paragraph). All such notices or communications shall be deemed to have been given and received (a) in the case of personal delivery or facsimile, on the date of such delivery, (b) in the case of delivery by a nationally recognized overnight carrier, the earlier of (i) the date of receipt or (ii) the third business day following dispatch and (c) in the case of mailing, on the seventh business day following such mailing. All such notices shall be delivered to:
A. | If to the Manager: |
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
220 East Las
Colinas Blvd.
Suite 1200
Irving, Texas 75039
Attention: President
with a copy to General Counsel at the same address.
Facsimile: 817-391-6131
B. | If to the Adviser: |
Bahl & Gaynor, Inc.
212 East 3rd Street, Suite 200
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Attention: President
Facsimile: 513-297-0618
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15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Fund, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Fund. The Adviser further agrees that it shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Fund, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Bahl & Gaynor, Inc. | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
d/b/a Bahl & Gaynor Investment Counsel |
By: | /s/ Edward A. Woods | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Edward A. Woods | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Vice President, Principal & Portfolio Manager | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles Jr | |
Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||
President |
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Schedule A
To the
Investment Advisory Agreement
Between
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Bahl & Gaynor, Inc.
d/b/a Bahl & Gaynor Investment Counsel
The American Beacon Bahl & Gaynor Small Cap Growth Fund (“the Fund”), a series of American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Bahl & Gaynor, Inc., d/b/a Bahl & Gaynor Investment Counsel (“Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the Fund the following fee for all Fund assets under Adviser’s management.
Up to $500 million 0.525%
Over $500 million 0.50%
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Effective date of April 30, 2015
Bahl & Gaynor, Inc. | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
d/b/a Bahl & Gaynor Investment Counsel |
By: | /s/ Edward A Woods | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K Ringdahl | |
Name: | Edward A. Woods | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | Vice President, Principal & Portfolio Manager | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles Jr | |
Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||
President |
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Exhibit (d)(2)(FF)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this 30th day of April, 2015. by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (“Trust”), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Crescent Capital Group LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“Investment Company Act”), consisting of several series funds of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”); and
WHEREAS, the Trust’s agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Advisers Act”);
WHEREAS, the Manager and the Trust desire to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to a certain fund and such other funds as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule attached hereto (the "Fund") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended or supplemented from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager and the Trust appoint the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Fund’s assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time by written notice to the Adviser (as specified further below), and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Fund, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities (1) in conformity with all applicable securities law, including but not limited to the Investment Company Act, the Advisers Act, the Commodity Exchange Act, the Securities Act of 1933 (“Securities Act”), and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”), (2) subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies and procedures as the Board may from time to time establish, (3) in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Fund set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations, and (4) in compliance with such other investment guidelines or restrictions established from time to time by the Manager or the Trust(“Investment Guidelines”), which shall be communicated in writing by the Manager to the Adviser in advance. The Manager shall discharge its responsibilities in conformity with all applicable securities law, including but not limited to the Investment Company Act, the Advisers Act, the Commodity Exchange Act, the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. The Adviser accepts such appointment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Fund assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.)
The Manager will instruct the Trust's custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Fund’s assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s), but generally refers to a writing by the representatives of the Adviser who have been authorized by the Trust’s Board from time to time to provide instructions to the Trust’s custodian. For the purpose of clarification, “Proper Instructions” can be instructions in any format, including without limitation, electronic instructions that are agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust’s custodian.)
The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Fund, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents including without limitation, futures and options transactions, brokerage agreements, clearing agreements, account documentation, futures and option agreements, swap agreements, and other investment related agreements required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Fund. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein. Adviser is authorized on behalf of Manager to make all elections required in such agreements, instruments and documentation and make and to receive all related notices from brokers or other counterparties. Manager also authorizes Adviser as agent and attorney-in-fact to make transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts on margin, for the Portfolio, and authorizes each broker with whom Adviser makes such transactions to follow its instructions with respect to such transactions. This power-of-attorney is a continuing power-of-attorney and shall remain in full force and effect until revoked by the Manager or the Trust in writing, but any such revocation shall not affect any transaction initiated prior to receipt by the Adviser of such notice. Manager understands and agrees that Adviser will determine that such transactions are permitted before instructing a broker to enter into such transactions and that any broker receiving an order for any such transaction will have no independent obligation to ensure that the transactions are consistent with the Trust’s registration statement or the Fund’s Investment Guidelines; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such statements and disclosures are consistent with the relevant Fund’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Fund under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall promptly notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting the Fund under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Fund, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Fund; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Fund with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit of margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Fund by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide, or procure the provision of, reasonable assistance to the Manager in order to help the Manager determine or confirm the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Fund, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Fund for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will provide reasonable assistance to the Manager in monitoring the securities and other investments owned by the Fund for potential significant events that could affect their values and will notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Manager understands and agrees that it, and not the Adviser or any of its affiliates, shall be ultimately responsible for the valuation of all portfolio securities held by the Fund. The Adviser will maintain adequate records with respect to securities valuation information provided hereunder, and shall provide such information to Manager upon request.
(c) Compliance and Other Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, shall provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. In addition the Manager and the Adviser represent and warrant that:
(i) | the Manager and Adviser shall continue to be duly formed legal entities, validly existing under the laws of their jurisdiction of formation, fully authorized to enter into this Agreement and carry out their duties and obligations hereunder, and this Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Manager and the Adviser; | |
(ii) | the Manager and the Adviser shall be registered as investment advisers with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") under the Advisers Act, and be registered or licensed as investment advisers under the laws of all jurisdictions in which their activities require to be so registered or licensed, except where the failure to be so licensed would not have an adverse effect on the Adviser, Manager or Trust. The Manager and the Adviser shall maintain such registrations or licenses in effect and in good standing at all times during the term of this Agreement; | |
(iii) | the Manager and the Adviser shall maintain any necessary registrations, licenses, or exemptions, to the extent required, with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and/or National Futures Association ; | |
(iv) | the Adviser shall at all times provide its commercially reasonable best judgment and effort to the Manager and the Trust in carrying out its obligations hereunder; | |
(v) | the Adviser shall use the same care and skill in providing such services as it uses in providing services to other accounts for which it has investment management responsibilities; | |
(vi) | (i) the Adviser shall cooperate with and provide, or procure the provision of, reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Funds, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Funds, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Funds, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the CFTC and comparable rules of the SEC (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”); | |
(vii) | the Manager and the Adviser shall each maintain a written Code of Ethics complying with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act and the Adviser shall provide the Manager with a current copy of its Code of Ethics. The Adviser shall periodically certify to the Manager that the Adviser has materially complied, to the best of the Adviser’s knowledge and after due inquiry, with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 and that there have been no material violations of the Code of Ethics or, if such a violation has occurred, that appropriate action has been taken in response to such violation. Upon written request of the Manager, the Adviser shall permit representatives of the Manager to examine the reports (or summaries of the reports) required to be made under the Code of Ethics and other records evidencing enforcement of the Code of Ethics; |
(viii) | the Adviser shall assist the Trust and the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) in complying with Rule 38a-1 under the Investment Company Act. Specifically, the Adviser represents that it shall maintain a compliance program in accordance with the requirements of Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act, as amended, and shall provide the CCO with reasonable access to information regarding the Adviser’s compliance program, which access shall include on-site visits with the Adviser as may be reasonably requested from time to time by the Trust. In connection with the periodic review and annual report required to be prepared by the CCO pursuant to Rule 38a-1, the Adviser agrees to provide certifications as may be reasonably requested by the CCO related to the design and implementation of the Adviser’s compliance program; | |
(ix) | the Adviser shall comply with the Trusts’ policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Fund as described in the Trusts’ current registration statement, and upon request from the Manager, provide a certification to the Manager with respect to compliance with the Fund’s selective disclosure policy; | |
(x) | the Adviser shall treat confidentially and as proprietary all records and other information relating to the Fund, and not use records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Manager or when so requested by the Manager or required by law or regulation; | |
(xi) | the Adviser shall promptly notify the Manager, in writing, of any impending change of a portfolio manager, portfolio management or any other material matter that may require disclosure to the Board and/or shareholders of the Fund; | |
(xii) | the Adviser shall provide the Manager with a current and complete copy of the Adviser’s Form ADV, and any supplements or amendments thereto; | |
(xiii) | the Adviser shall provide the Manager with a current list of persons the Adviser wishes to have authorized to give instructions to the Trust’s custodian regarding assets of the Fund; | |
(xiv) | the Adviser shall be responsible for the filing of Schedule 13D/13G and Form 13F, and any non-U.S. securities filing equivalents of these filings, on behalf of the Trust reflecting holdings over which the Adviser and its affiliates have investment and/or voting discretion; | |
(xv) | the Adviser shall provide, or procure the provision of, reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held within the Fund managed by the Adviser; | |
(xvi) | neither the Adviser nor any “affiliated person,” as defined in Section 2(a)(3) of the 1940 Act is or has been permanently or temporarily enjoined by reason of any misconduct, by order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, from acting as an investment adviser or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity or in connection with the purchase or sale of any security, as set forth in Section 9 of the 1940 Act; |
(xvii) | the Adviser shall regularly report to the Manager on the investment program for the Fund and the issuers and securities represented in the Fund, and furnish the Manager, with respect to the Fund (i) such periodic and special reports as the Manager may reasonably request (either in person (at the sole cost of the Manager) or by telephone or other electronic means), including, but not limited to, reports concerning transactions and performance of each Fund, provided that the Adviser is provided with such notice of any new requested report as is reasonably sufficient to allow the Adviser to respond to such request, and that the form of such reports is mutually agreed upon by the parties, (ii) reports regarding compliance with the Trust’s procedures pursuant to Rules 17e-1, 17a-7, 10f-3 and 12d3-1 under the Investment Company Act, Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act, compliance with investment guidelines and restrictions, and (iii) reports regarding trade errors, liquidity determinations, and compliance with the Adviser’s Code of Ethics, and such other procedures or requirements that the Manager may reasonably request from time to time; | |
(xviii) | the Adviser shall promptly review those portions of the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Fund, and any amendments or supplements thereto, which relate to the Adviser or the Fund and confirm that, with respect to the disclosure respecting or relating to the Adviser (including any performance information the Adviser provides that is included in, or serves as the basis for, information included in the prospectus or statement of additional information), such prospectus or statement of additional information contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager immediately of any material fact known to the Adviser respecting or relating to the Adviser that is not contained in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or of any statement respecting or relating to the Adviser contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect. With respect to the disclosure respecting each Fund, the Adviser represents and agrees that as of the date of the Fund’s inception, the description in the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information regarding investment objectives and strategies is consistent with the manner in which the Adviser intends to manage the Fund, and the description of risks is consistent with risks known to the Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Adviser intends to manage the Fund. The Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager promptly in the event that the Adviser becomes aware that the prospectus or statement of additional information for a Fund is inconsistent in any material respect with the manner in which the Adviser is managing the Fund, and in the event that the principal risks description is inconsistent in any material respect with the risks known to the Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Adviser is managing the Fund. In addition, the Adviser agrees to comply with the Manager’s reasonable request for information regarding the personnel of the Adviser who are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Trust’s assets as may be required to be disclosed in the prospectus or statement of additional information; |
(xix) | the Adviser shall, upon request, provide certifications to the principal executive and financial officers of the Trust (the “certifying officers”) that support the certifications required to be made by the certifying officers in connection with the preparation and/or filing of the Trust’s Form N-CSRs, N-Qs, N-SARs, shareholder reports, financial statements, and other disclosure documents or regulatory filings, in such form and content as the Trust shall reasonably request or in accordance with procedures adopted by the Trust; and | |
(xx) | the Adviser shall provide the Manager with such other compliance reports and certifications relating to the Adviser’s duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be reasonably necessary. |
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Fund and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Fund’s assets allocated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with the Investment Guidelines or the Fund’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment adviser of the Fund concerning transactions for the Fund in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Fund in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations. The Adviser shall be permitted to retain, subject to the Adviser’s ultimate responsibility and oversight, a third party service provider to assume primary responsibility for the coordination and execution of proxy votes, where applicable.
The Manager reserves the right to exercise voting rights on any assets held in the Fund on an individual security or ongoing basis.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1, 2, and 3 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule A attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be accrued daily and paid to the Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Fund during the relevant month. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
The Adviser agrees: (1) that the blended fee rate in basis points contracted hereunder with respect to the American Beacon Crescent Short Duration High Income Fund will not exceed the blended fee rate in basis points contracted with a client with a Similar Account (defined below) that is the same or smaller in size than such Fund (including other accounts managed for the same client); and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any other client with a Similar Account of a larger size for whom the Adviser provides investment advisory services under an asset based fee arrangement will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid hereunder. In the event that the fee charged hereunder exceeds the fee charged to a Similar Account described in (1) or (2) above, the Adviser shall promptly notify the Manager and the fee charged hereunder shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such Similar Account from the time such fee is charged to such Similar Account. “Similar Account” shall mean an account that (a) invests in the same type of investment assets allocated to the Fund, within the same relative asset allocation ranges, and (b) does not include a performance or incentive fee arrangement as a component of its fee schedule.
The Adviser shall bear all expenses incurred by it and its staff with respect to all activities in connection with the performance of the Adviser’s services under this Agreement, including but not limited to salaries, benefits, overhead, travel, and preparation of reports. Upon request by the Manager, Adviser agrees to reimburse the Manager for costs associated with certain supplements to the Fund’s disclosure documents (“Supplements”). Such Supplements are those generated due to changes by Adviser requiring prompt disclosure in the Trust’s prospectus, statement of additional information, and/or information statement and for which, at the time of notification by Adviser to Manager of such changes, the Trust is not already generating a supplement for other purposes or for which the Manager may not be able to reasonably add such changes to a pending supplement. Such changes by Adviser include, but are not limited to, changes to its structure, to key investment personnel, to investment style or management. Adviser shall reimburse the Manager or the Trust, as applicable, for all of the costs associated with generating such Supplements, and/or any required Board and/or proxy expenses related to approving a change in control of the Adviser. Reimbursable costs may include, but are not limited to, costs of preparation, filing, printing, postage, and/or distribution of such Supplements to all existing Fund shareholders and any additions or modifications to the Adviser’s operations necessary to perform its services hereunder in compliance with this Agreement, any policies and procedures adopted by the Trust and applicable law. The Fund shall be responsible for payment of brokerage commissions, transfer fees, investment-related registration costs, transaction-related taxes (including transfer taxes and premiums), taxes withheld on foreign dividends, investment-related interest expense, borrowing charges on securities sold short, dividends on securities sold but not yet purchased, loan settlement costs ( e.g. , ClearPar), margin fees and other similar costs and transaction-related expenses and fees arising out of transactions effected on behalf of the Fund, which shall be deducted from the portion of assets of the Fund allocated to the Adviser.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish promptly to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, statements of additional information, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser .
The Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others pursuant to exclusivity terms negotiated between the Manager and Adviser so long as Adviser’s services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser may on occasion give advice or take action with respect to other investment entities that it manages with different investment guidelines than the Fund where such advice or action differs from the advice given with respect to the portion of assets of the Fund allocated to the Adviser. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager of the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request, provided that the Adviser shall be entitled to retain a copy of such records if it is legally required to do so. Adviser authorizes Manager’s use of the Adviser’s service marks and/or trademarks in connection with the marketing of the Fund, including but not limited to, the Fund’s registration statements and fact sheets. In addition, the Manager acknowledges and agrees that it has no rights in or to the Adviser’s name beyond the limited use rights granted in Section 13 hereof. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the Adviser shall be permitted to retain copies of the Fund’s books and records at its own cost and expense (and may retain originals and provide the Fund or the Manager with copies to the extent necessary to comply with Rule 204-2 under the Advisers Act).
9. Liability of Adviser . Neither the Adviser nor any director, officer or employee of the Adviser performing services for the Trust in connection with the Adviser’s discharge of its obligations hereunder shall have liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless, the Manager, any affiliated person within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Manager, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Manager or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of the Adviser’s responsibilities to the Trust which may be based upon any willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of, the Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Adviser.
In no event will the Adviser or its affiliates be responsible for any operations of the Trust or any portion of the Fund not managed by the Adviser (including, without limitation, any actions or omissions of the Board or of the Manager or any broker, dealer, underwriter, administrator or other service provider to the Trust except those actions or omissions that directly result from the Adviser's instructions or actions or omissions) except as expressly set forth in this Agreement. In no event will the Adviser or its affiliates have any responsibility for any other funds of the Trust, for any portion of the Fund not managed by the Adviser or for the acts or omissions of any other investment adviser to the Trust or Fund. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Fund and thereafter, provided that continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Fund (within the meaning of the Investment Company Act); provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Fund fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager upon not less than (30) thirty days nor more than (60) sixty days prior notice to the Adviser, by vote of a majority of the Board of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund on not less than (30) thirty days nor more than (60) sixty days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on sixty (60) days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment.
A notice period provided in this Section may be waived by the party required to be notified, in their absolute discretion.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
12. Confidentiality. The Manager shall not use, nor will it allow any investor in the Fund to use, the information provided by the Adviser to trade for its own account or for the account of any other person or try to “reverse engineer” the investment and trading methodologies and strategies of the Adviser. In addition, the Manager will not disclose information regarding portfolio holdings of the portion of assets of the Fund allocated to the Adviser to any other adviser of the Trust, any other service provider to the Trust or any other person, except to the extent that such disclosure (i) is already publicly known, (ii) is ascertainable from public sources; (iii) is permitted under the Trust’s policies on disclosure of portfolio holdings; (iv) is expressly required or requested by applicable federal, state or other governmental regulatory authorities or any self-regulatory organizations or (v) is to a service provider to the Trust (not including any other adviser) that has a need to know such information in order to perform its duties to the Trust.
The confidentiality provisions of this Section 12 will not apply to any information that either party hereto can show: (a) is or subsequently becomes publicly available without breach of any obligation owed to the other party; (b) became known to either party from a source other than the other party, and without breach of an obligation of confidentiality owed to the other party; (c) is independently developed by either party without reference to the information required by this Agreement to be treated confidentially; or (d) is used by either party in order to enforce any of its rights, claims or defenses under, or as otherwise contemplated in, this Agreement. Nothing in this Section 12 will be deemed to prevent either party to this Agreement from disclosing any information received hereunder pursuant to any applicable law, rule or regulation or in response to a request from a duly constituted regulatory, self-regulatory or other judicial authority with appropriate jurisdiction over such party.
13. Use of Adviser Name. Adviser hereby grants to the Trust and the Manager the license to use Adviser’s name in the name of the Fund for so long as Adviser serves as investment adviser with respect to at least a portion of the Fund’s assets. Prior to using marketing materials with respect to the Fund, the Manager shall (i) provide the Adviser with samples of materials to be used in the marketing of the Fund, including the Trust's disclosure documents, shareholder communications, advertising, sales literature and similar communications that contain or reference the Adviser’s name and/or the names of its affiliates, and (ii) not distribute, or cause to be distributed, any such materials to any third party prior to receipt of written approval from the Adviser in respect of any information therein related to the Adviser or its affiliates(the “Adviser Information”), provided that the Adviser shall not unreasonably withhold such approval. Following such approval, the Manager may only alter, edit or amend the Adviser Information without the further prior written approval of the Adviser provided that such alterations, edits or amendments are not substantive, do not cause any information therein to be misleading or inaccurate and do not result in the omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Materials which have been approved by the Adviser in accordance with this paragraph are referred to herein as “Approved Materials”. In connection with the marketing of the Fund, Adviser authorizes Manager to use Adviser’s trademarks and/or service marks (the “Marks”). Manager acknowledges that Adviser owns the Marks and Manager has no right to alienate the Marks, nor does Manager have permission to use the Marks for any purpose other than the marketing or distribution of the Fund.
14. Severability . If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, statute, rule or otherwise, such provision will be modified, rewritten or interpreted to include as much of its nature and scope as will render it enforceable. If it cannot be so modified, rewritten or interpreted to be valid and enforceable in any respect, it will not be given effect, and the remainder of the Agreement will be enforced as if such provision had never been included.
15. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual written consent, subject to approval by (i) the Board and (ii) the Fund’s shareholders to the extent required by the Investment Company Act (except, in the case of (ii), pursuant to the terms and conditions of an SEC exemptive order permitting amendment of the Agreement without a shareholder vote).
16. Miscellaneous .
(a) Governing Law and Venue . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas without giving effect to any conflict of laws provisions thereof.
(b) Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement.
(c) No Implied Waiver . Either party’s failure to insist in any one or more instances upon strict performance by the other party of the terms of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any continuing or subsequent failure to perform or delay in performance of any term hereof.
(d) Entire Agreement . This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding between the parties and supersedes any and all prior or contemporaneous understandings and agreements, whether oral or written, between the parties, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
(e) Headings . Headings used in this Agreement are provided for convenience only and shall not be used to construe meaning or intent.
(f) Notices . Any notices required to be given hereunder may be delivered by hand, facsimile, deposited with a nationally recognized overnight carrier, or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, in each case, to the address of the other party listed below (or such other address as may be furnished by a party in accordance with this paragraph). All such notices or communications shall be deemed to have been given and received (a) in the case of personal delivery or facsimile, on the date of such delivery, (b) in the case of delivery by a nationally recognized overnight carrier, the earlier of (i) the date of receipt or (ii) the third business day following dispatch and (c) in the case of mailing, on the seventh business day following such mailing. All such notices shall be delivered to:
A. | If to the Manager: | |
American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | ||
220 East Las Colinas Blvd. | ||
Suite 1200 | ||
Irving, Texas 75039 | ||
Attention: Chief Investment Officer | ||
with a copy to General Counsel at the same address. | ||
Facsimile: 817-391-6131 |
B. | If to the Adviser: | |
Crescent Capital Group LP | ||
11100 Santa Monica Boulevard, Ste. 2000 | ||
Los Angeles, CA 90025 | ||
Attention: Chief Operating Officer with a copy to General Counsel at the same address | ||
Facsimile: (310) 861-1473 |
17. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Fund, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Fund. The Adviser further agrees that it shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Fund, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Crescent Capital Group LP | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | ||||
By: | /s/Jonathan R. Insull | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Name: | Jonathan R. Insull | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |||
Title: | Managing Director | Chief Operating Officer | |||
By: | /s/ George Hawley | ||||
George Hawley | |||||
General Counsel | |||||
American Beacon Funds | |||||
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||||
Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |||||
President |
Schedule A
To the
Investment Advisory Agreement
Among
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Crescent Capital Group LP
The American Beacon Crescent Short Duration High Income Fund (“the Fund”), a series of American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Crescent Capital Group LP (“Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the Fund the following fee for all Fund assets under Adviser’s management.
Assets | Fee | |||
Up to $250 million | 0.40 | % | ||
$250 million - $1 billion | 0.35 | % | ||
Over $1 billion | 0.30 | % |
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
Crescent Capital Group LP | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | ||||
By: | /s/ Jonathan R. Insull | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Name: | Jonathan R. Insull | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |||
Title: | Managing Director | Chief Operating Officer | |||
By: | /s/ George Hawley | ||||
George Hawley | |||||
General Counsel | |||||
American Beacon Funds | |||||
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||||
Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |||||
President |
Exhibit (d)(2)(GG)
AMERICAN BEACON CAYMAN MANAGED FUTURES STRATEGY FUND, LTD.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this 30th day of April, 2015. by and among American Beacon Cayman Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Ltd. (the “Company”), an exempted company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands, American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the “Manager”), and AHL Partners LLP , an England and Wales limited liability partnership (the “Adviser”);
WHEREAS, the Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Beacon AHL Managed Futures Strategy Fund (“Fund”), a series of the American Beacon Funds (“Trust”), an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“Investment Company Act”); and
WHEREAS, the Company has retained the Manager to provide the Company with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Company Board”) and the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Trust Board”); and
WHEREAS, the Company’s agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Adviser is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority of the United Kingdom (“FCA”), is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Advisers Act”), is registered as a commodity trading advisor (“CTA”) with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a member of the National Futures Association (“NFA”);
WHEREAS, the Manager and the Company desire to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Company as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
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1. | (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager and the Company appoint the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Company’s assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Company, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the assets to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Company with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Company is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Company’s officers and Company Board concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities (1) in conformity with all applicable securities law, including but not limited to the Investment Company Act, the Advisers Act, the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”), and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), (2) subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and Company Board and in compliance with such policies as the Company Board may from time to time establish, (3) in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for the Company set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations, and (4) in compliance with such other investment guidelines or restrictions established from time to time by the Manager or the Company and agreed to by the Adviser which shall be communicated in writing by the Manager to Adviser in advance. The Adviser accepts such appointment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. With respect to any of the Company assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to any residual cash in the Company. The Manager agrees to provide this service. The Adviser has categorized the Company as a professional client (as defined in the rules, guidance, principles and codes comprised in the Handbook of Rules and Guidance issued by the FCA (the “FCA Rules”)) and the Adviser will provide its services hereunder on that basis. The Company has the right to request that the Adviser categorize it as a retail client (as defined in the FCA Rules) either generally or in specific circumstances. However, it is the Adviser’s policy not to agree to such requests from its clients. The Manager will instruct the Company’s custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Company’s assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Company and its custodian(s), but generally refers to a writing by the representatives of the Adviser who have been authorized by the Company’s Board from time to time to provide instructions to the Company’s custodian. For the purpose of clarification, “Proper Instructions” can be instructions in any format, including without limitation, electronic instructions that are agreed upon in writing by the Adviser and the Company’s custodian.) |
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The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Company, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) negotiate the terms of any documents including without limitation, futures and options transactions, brokerage agreements, clearing agreements, account documentation, futures and option agreements, swap agreements, and other investment related agreements required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Company. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein. The Adviser is authorized on behalf of Manager to make all elections required in such agreements, instruments and documentation and make and to receive all related notices from brokers or other counterparties. Manager also authorizes Adviser as agent and attorney-in-fact to make transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts on margin, for the Company, and authorizes each broker with whom Adviser makes such transactions to follow its instructions with respect to such transactions. Manager understands and agrees that Adviser will determine that such transactions are permitted before instructing a broker to enter into such transactions and that any broker receiving an order for any such transaction will have no independent obligation to ensure that the transactions are consistent with the Trust’s registration statement or the Company’s investment guidelines; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are consistent with the Company’s investment policies and other governing documents with respect to the investment policies and governing documents applicable to the investments managed by the Adviser; (b) with the reasonable assistance of the Manager, the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by the Company under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall promptly notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default that in the Adviser’s sole discretion is likely to occur or termination event affecting a the Company under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for property delivered for the Company, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Company ; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Company with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit of margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Company by its custodian subject to control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Company to deliver property or pay cash to the Adviser. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Company Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all investments made by the Adviser and owned by the Company, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the investments owned by the Company for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser, to the extent that it becomes aware of potentially significant events that could affect the values of the investments owned by the Company, will notify the Manager when, in the Adviser’s opinion, such event has occurred and may not be reflected in the market values of such investments. The Adviser will maintain adequate records with respect to valuation information provided hereunder, and shall provide such information to Manager upon request.
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(c) Compliance and Other Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, shall provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall:
(i) | continue to be a duly formed legal entity, validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of formation, fully authorized to enter into this Agreement and carry out its duties and obligations hereunder; |
(ii) | be registered as an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") under the Advisers Act, and be registered or licensed as an investment adviser under the laws of all jurisdictions in which its activities require to be so registered or licensed, except where the failure to be so licensed would not have an adverse effect on the Adviser, Manager or Company. The Adviser shall maintain such registration or license in effect and in good standing at all times during the term of this Agreement; |
(iii) | be registered with the CFTC as a commodity trading advisor and be a member of the NFA. The Adviser shall maintain such registrations and memberships in effect and in good standing at all times during the term of this Agreement. |
(iv) | at all times provide its best judgment and effort to the Manager and the Company in carrying out its obligations hereunder; |
(v) | use the same care and skill in providing such services as it uses in providing services to other similar accounts for which it has investment management responsibilities; |
(vi) | (a) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Company’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Company, the Trust and the Manager; (b) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Company, the Trust and the Manager; (c) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (d) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Company, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the CFTC (provided, however, that, upon request by the Manager, the Adviser shall provide such records to the Manager within three business days in order for the Manager and the Company to be in compliance with CFTC Regulation 45.2(e)(2)) and comparable rules of the SEC (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”); |
(vii) | maintain a written Code of Ethics complying with the requirements of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act and provide the Manager with a current copy of the Code of Ethics. Within (20) twenty days of the end of each calendar quarter certify to the Manager that the Adviser has complied with the requirements of Rule 204A-1 during the previous calendar quarter and that there have been no material violations of the Code of Ethics or, if a violation has occurred, that appropriate action has been taken in response to such violation. Upon written request of the Manager, the Adviser shall permit representatives of the Manager to examine the reports (or summaries of the reports) required to be made under the Code of Ethics and other records evidencing enforcement of the Code of Ethics; |
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(viii) | assist the Company’s and the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) in complying with Rule 38a-1 under the Investment Company Act. Specifically, the Adviser represents that it shall maintain a compliance program in accordance with the requirements of Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act, as amended, and shall provide the CCO with reasonable access to information regarding the Adviser’s compliance program, which access shall include on-site visits with the Adviser as may be reasonably requested from time to time. In connection with the periodic review and annual report required to be prepared by the CCO pursuant to Rule 38a-1, the Adviser agrees to provide certifications as may be reasonably requested by the CCO related to the design and implementation of the Adviser’s compliance program; |
(ix) | comply with the Company and Trust’s policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings as described in the Trusts’ current registration statement, and upon request from the Manager, provide a certification to the Manager with respect to compliance with the Company and Trust’s selective disclosure policy; |
(x) | treat confidentially and as proprietary all records and other information relating to the Funds, and not use records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Manager or when so requested by the Manager or required by law or regulation; |
(xi) | promptly notify the Manager and the Company of any material change to the trading model, portfolio management, the roles and responsibilities of any personnel of the Advisor named in the Trust’s prospectus or statement of additional information (“SAI”) or any other material matter that may require disclosure to the Company Board, the Trust Board and/or shareholders of the Company or the Fund; |
(xii) | provide the Manager with a current and complete copy of the Adviser’s Form ADV, and any material supplements or amendments thereto; |
(xiii) | provide the Manager with a current list of persons the Adviser wishes to have authorized to give instructions to the Company’s custodian regarding assets of the Company; |
(xiv) | be responsible for the filing of Schedule 13D/13G and Form 13F, and any non-U.S. securities filing equivalents of these filings, including the Fund’s holdings over which the Adviser and its affiliates have investment and/or voting discretion; |
(xv) | provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Company or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held within the Company managed by the Adviser; |
(xvi) | not permit any employee of the Adviser to have any material connection with the handling of the Company if such employee has been permanently or temporarily enjoined by reason of any misconduct, by order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, from acting as an investment adviser or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity or in connection with the purchase or sale of any security; |
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(xvii) | regularly report to the Manager on the investment program for the Company and the issuers and investments represented in the Company’s investment portfolio, and furnish the Manager, with respect to the Company’s investment portfolio, such periodic and special reports as the Manager may reasonably request, including, but not limited to, reports concerning transactions and performance of the Company, reports regarding compliance with the Company’s and Trust’s procedures pursuant to Rules 17e-1, 17a-7, 10f-3 and 12d3-1 under the Investment Company Act, Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act, compliance with investment guidelines and restrictions, trade errors (for the avoidance of doubt, trade errors shall not include system events), liquidity determinations, and compliance with the Adviser’s Code of Ethics, and such other procedures or requirements that the Manager may reasonably request from time to time; |
(xviii) | promptly review the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Fund, and any amendments or supplements thereto, which relate to the Adviser and approve the disclosure respecting or relating to the Adviser, including any performance information the Adviser provides that is included in or serves as the basis for information included in the prospectus or statement of additional information, confirm such prospectus or statement of additional information contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager promptly of any material fact known to the Adviser respecting or relating to the Adviser that is not contained in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or of any statement respecting or relating to the Adviser contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect. With respect to the disclosure respecting the Fund and the Company, the Adviser represents and agrees that the description in the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information regarding investment objectives and strategies of the Company is consistent with the manner in which the Adviser intends to manage the Company, and the description of risks is consistent with risks known to the Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Adviser intends to manage the Company. The Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager promptly in the event that the Adviser becomes aware that the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Fund is inconsistent in any material respect with the manner in which the Adviser is managing the Company, and in the event that the principal risks description is inconsistent in any material respect with the risks known to the Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Adviser is managing the Company. In addition, the Adviser agrees to comply with the Manager’s reasonable request for information regarding the personnel of the Adviser who are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Company’s assets as may be required to be disclosed in the Fund’s prospectus or statement of additional information; |
(xix) | upon request, provide certifications to the principal executive and financial officers of the Trust (the “certifying officers”) that support the certifications required to be made by the certifying officers in connection with the preparation and/or filing of the Trust’s Form N-CSRs, N-Qs, N-SARs, shareholder reports, financial statements, and other disclosure documents or regulatory filings, in such form and content as the Manager shall reasonably request or in accordance with procedures adopted by the Company; |
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(xx) | upon request, provide the Manager with a certificate regarding the Adviser’s compliance with its bunched orders policy; and |
(xxi) | provide the Manager with such other compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be reasonably necessary. |
(d) Acknowledgements of the Company and the Manager . For the avoidance of doubt, save as set out in the prospectus and SAI and such other investment guidelines or restrictions as may be established from time to time, the Company and the Manager confirm that there are not: (i) any limits or restrictions on the length of time for which it wishes to hold any particular investment; (ii) any preferences regarding risk taking; (iii) any particular risk profile; or (d) any particular purpose for its investment. Except as provided by or pursuant to this Agreement, the prospectus, the Investment Company Act, or the investment guidelines, there will be no restrictions on the extent of the Adviser’s investment discretion. Further, the Company and the Manager acknowledge the risks set forth in the prospectus regarding the Adviser’s investment program.
2. Company Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers and futures commission merchants (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Company guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio assets for the Company and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Company may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and Company Board such information relating to Company transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Company’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Company established by the Manager or set forth in the Trust’s registration statement.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Company in the best interest of Company shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
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The Manager reserves the right to exercise voting rights on any assets held in the Company on an individual security or ongoing basis.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . The Adviser, in recognition of the value of the compensation paid to it for services provided to the Fund, will receive no compensation for the services to be rendered by the Adviser hereunder.
The Adviser shall bear all expenses incurred by it and its staff with respect to all activities in connection with the performance of the Adviser’s services under this Agreement, including but not limited to salaries, benefits, overhead, travel, and preparation of reports. Upon request by the Manager, Adviser agrees to reimburse the Manager for costs associated with certain supplements to the Fund’s disclosure documents (“Supplements”). Such Supplements are those generated due to changes by Adviser requiring prompt disclosure in the Trust’s prospectus, statement of additional information, and/or information statement and for which, at the time of notification by Adviser to Manager of such changes, the Trust is not already generating a supplement for other purposes or for which the Manager may not be able to reasonably add such changes to a pending supplement. Such changes by Adviser include, but are not limited to, changes to its structure, to key investment personnel, to investment style or management. Adviser shall reimburse the Manager or the Trust, as applicable, for all of the costs associated with generating such Supplements, and/or any required Company or Trust Board and/or proxy expenses related to approving a change in control of the Adviser. Reimbursable costs may include, but are not limited to, costs of preparation, filing, printing, postage, and/or distribution of such Supplements to all existing Fund shareholders.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Company or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Company office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Company or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Company or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Company) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current Trust prospectuses, statements of additional information, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Company are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Company are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Company in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Manager or the Company.
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8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act, CFTC Regulations 4.23 and 4.33 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Company are the property of the Manager or the Company and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or the Company on request, provided that the Adviser shall be entitled to retain a copy of such records if it is legally required to do so. Adviser authorizes Manager’s use of the Adviser’s service marks and/or trademarks in connection with the marketing of the Fund, including but not limited to, the Fund’s registration statements and fact sheets. In addition, the Manager acknowledges and agrees that it has no rights in or to the Adviser’s name beyond the limited use rights granted herein.
9. Liability . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Company, its shareholders, the Manager or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless, the Manager, any affiliated person within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Manager, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Manager or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities or commodities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of the Adviser’s responsibilities to the Company which may be based upon any willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of, the Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement, relating to its trading activities or information provided to the Manager regarding the Adviser, by the Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Adviser. The U.S. federal and state securities laws impose liabilities on persons who act in good faith, and therefore, nothing in this Agreement is intended to limit the obligations of the Adviser under such laws.
Neither the Manager nor the Company shall have any liability to the Adviser or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Manager and the Company agree to indemnify and hold harmless, the Adviser against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Adviser may become subject under the securities or commodities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of the Manager’s or the Company’s responsibilities to the Adviser which may be based upon any willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of, the Manager’s or the Company’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by either of the Manager or the Company or by any of their directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of either.
The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, directors, agents, and shareholders of the Company are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Company as directors, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Company as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
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11. Representations and warrants of the Manager and Company . The Manager and the Company hereby represent and warrant as follows:
(i) | Each has all requisite authority to enter into, execute, deliver and perform its respective obligations under this Agreement; |
(ii) | The performance of its respective obligations under this Agreement does not conflict with any law, regulation or order to which it is subject; and |
(iii) | The Manager and the Company have received the Adviser’s Privacy Policy and Part 2 of Form ADV of the Adviser at least 48 hours prior to the date of the execution of this Agreement. |
(iv) | The Manager is a member of the NFA and is registered under the CEA as a commodity pool operator; |
(v) | The Manager is registered as a commodity pool operator under the CEA, is a member of NFA in such capacity and is operating the Fund pursuant to CFTC Regulation 4.7(b); and |
(vi) | The Company (as defined in Schedule A hereto) is a “qualified eligible person” (“QEP”) as defined in Regulation 4.7 under the CEA and consents to being treated as an exempt account under CFTC Regulation 4.7(c). |
12. Anti-Money Laundering Representation and Warranties . The Manager and/or the Company represents, warrants and agrees that:
(i) | the Trust has implemented anti-money laundering policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to comply with the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 and any other applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations, and, where appropriate, the Company may reasonably rely on broker-dealers and other intermediaries to implement anti-money laundering policies and procedures; |
(ii) | the Manager (or any person controlling or controlled by the Manager; any person having a beneficial interest in the Manager; or any person for whom the Manager is acting as agent or nominee in connection with the assets of the Company) is not (i) an individual or entity named on any available lists of known or suspected terrorists, terrorist organizations or of other sanctioned persons issued by the United States government and the government(s) of any jurisdiction(s) in which the Manager is doing business, including the list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) as such list may be amended from time to time (commonly known as the “SDN List” administered by OFAC, as such list may be amended from time to time; (ii) an individual or entity otherwise prohibited by the OFAC sanctions programs; or (iii) a current or former senior foreign political figure (“SFPF”) 1 or politically exposed person (“PEP”), 2 or an immediate family member or close associate of such an individual; |
1 A “senior foreign political figure” is defined as (a) a current or former senior official in the executive, legislative, administrative, military or judicial branches of a non-U.S. government (whether elected or not), a current or former senior official of a major non-U.S. political party, or a current or former senior executive of a non-U.S. government-owned commercial enterprise; (b) a corporation, business, or other entity that has been formed by, or for the benefit of, any such individual; (c) an immediate family member of any such individual; and (d) a person who is widely and publicly known (or is actually known) to be a close associate of such individual. For purposes of this definition, a "senior official" or "senior executive" means an individual with substantial authority over policy, operations, or the use of government-owned resources; and "immediate family member" means a spouse, parents, siblings, children and spouse's parents or siblings.
2 A "politically exposed person" ("PEP") is a term used for individuals who are or have been entrusted with prominent public functions in a foreign country, for example, Heads of State or of government, senior politicians, senior government, judicial or military officials, senior executives of state owned corporations, important political party officials. Business relationships with family members or close associates of PEPs involve reputational risks similar to those with PEPs themselves.
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(iii) | it has conducted enhanced scrutiny with respect to current or former SFPFs or PEPs from whom it receives funds reasonably designed to ensure that such funds are not directly or indirectly derived from official corruption or any other illegal activity; |
(iv) | it is not a prohibited foreign shell bank, 3 nor does it receive deposits from, make payments on behalf of, or handle other financial transactions related to prohibited foreign shell banks; and |
(v) | it will notify the Adviser promptly in writing should the Manager become aware of any change in the information set forth in these representations; and upon reasonable request by the Adviser, it will provide such information as the Adviser may need to satisfy applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations. |
13. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to the Company and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) by the vote of a majority of the Trust Board and the Company Board 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 agreed by the Adviser, or (b) by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Company; provided, however, that, if the shareholders of the Company fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, (a) by the Manager upon not less than (30) thirty days nor more than (60) sixty days prior notice to the Adviser, (b) by vote of a majority of the Company Board or the Trust Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Company Fund on not less than (30) thirty days nor more than (60) sixty days written notice to the Adviser, or (c) by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on sixty (60) days written notice to the Company. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment.
A notice period provided in this Section may be waived by the party required to be notified, in their absolute discretion.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
3 A "prohibited foreign shell bank" is a foreign bank that does not have a physical presence in any country, and is not a “regulated affiliate,” i.e. , an affiliate of a depository institution, credit union, or foreign bank that (i) maintains a physical presence in the U.S. or a foreign country, and (ii) is subject to banking supervision in the country regulating the affiliated depository institution, credit union, or foreign bank.
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14. Severability . If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, statute, rule or otherwise, such provision will be modified, rewritten or interpreted to include as much of its nature and scope as will render it enforceable. If it cannot be so modified, rewritten or interpreted to be valid and enforceable in any respect, it will not be given effect, and the remainder of the Agreement will be enforced as if such provision had never been included.
15. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual written consent, subject to approval by the Company Board, the Trust Board and the Company’s shareholders to the extent required by the Investment Company Act.
16. Miscellaneous .
(a) Governing Law and Venue . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas without giving effect to any conflict of laws provisions thereof.
(b) Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement.
(c) No Implied Waiver . Either party’s failure to insist in any one or more instances upon strict performance by the other party of the terms of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any continuing or subsequent failure to perform or delay in performance of any term hereof.
(d) Entire Agreement . This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding between the parties and supersedes any and all prior or contemporaneous understandings and agreements, whether oral or written, between the parties, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
(e) Headings . Headings used in this Agreement are provided for convenience only and shall not be used to construe meaning or intent.
(f) Electronic Delivery . The Manager and Company hereby agree and provide their consent to have the Adviser electronically deliver Account Communications. “Account Communications” means all current and future account statements; privacy statements; audited financial information; this Agreement (including all supplements and amendments hereto); the Adviser’s Form ADV and updates thereto; notices and other information, documents, data and records regarding the Fund assets. Electronic communications include e-mail delivery as well as electronically making available to the Manager Account Communications on the Adviser’s Internet site, if applicable. By signing this Agreement, the Manager and the Company consent to electronic delivery as described in the preceding three sentences. It is the Manager’s affirmative obligation to notify the Adviser in writing if the Manager’s e-mail address changes. The Manager may revoke or restrict its consent to electronic delivery of Account Communications at any time by notifying the Adviser, in writing, of the Manager’s intention to do so.
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Neither the Adviser nor its affiliates will be liable for any interception of Account Communications. The Manager should note that no additional charge for electronic delivery will be assessed, but the Manager may incur charges from its Internet service provider or other Internet access provider. In addition, there are risks, such as systems outages, that are associated with electronic delivery.
(g) Notices . Any notices required to be given hereunder may be delivered by hand, facsimile, deposited with a nationally recognized overnight carrier, or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, in each case, to the address of the other party listed below (or such other address as may be furnished by a party in accordance with this paragraph). All such notices or communications shall be deemed to have been given and received (a) in the case of personal delivery or facsimile, on the date of such delivery, (b) in the case of delivery by a nationally recognized overnight carrier, the earlier of (i) the date of receipt or (ii) the third business day following dispatch and (c) in the case of mailing, on the seventh business day following such mailing. All such notices shall be delivered to:
A. | If to the Manager: |
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
220 East Las Colinas Blvd.
Suite 1200
Irving, Texas 75039
Attention: Chief Investment Officer
with a copy to General Counsel at the same address.
Facsimile: 817-391-6131
Email: wyatt.crumpler@ambeacon.com
With cc to: rosemary.behan@ambeacon.com
B. | If to the Adviser: |
AHL Partners LLP
c/o Man Investments
452 5th Avenue, 27th Floor
New York, NY 10018
Attention: Chief Operating Officer of the Americas
With a copy to Head of US Legal at the same address.
Facsimile: 212- 224-7210
Email: legalUS@maninvestments.com
C. | If to the Company: |
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
220 East Las Colinas Blvd.
Suite 1200
Irving, Texas 75039
Attention: Jeffrey Ringdahl
With a copy to General Counsel at the same address
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18. CFTC Legend . PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION IN CONNECTION WITH POOLS WHOSE PARTICIPANTS ARE LIMITED TO QUALIFIED ELIGIBLE PERSONS, AN OFFERING MEMORANDUM FOR THIS POOL IS NOT REQUIRED TO BE, AND HAS NOT BEEN, FILED WITH THE COMMISSION. THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION DOES NOT PASS UPON THE MERITS OF PARTICIPATING IN A POOL OR UPON THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF AN OFFERING MEMORANDUM. CONSEQUENTLY, THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION HAS NOT REVIEWED OR APPROVED THIS OFFERING OR ANY OFFERING MEMORANDUM FOR THIS POOL.
19. CFTC Legend . PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION IN CONNECTION WITH ACCOUNTS OF QUALIFIED ELIGIBLE PERSONS, THIS BROCHURE OR ACCOUNT DOCUMENT IS NOT REQUIRED TO BE, AND HAS NOT BEEN, FILED WITH THE COMMISSION. THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION DOES NOT PASS UPON THE MERITS OF PARTICIPATING IN A TRADING PROGRAM OR UPON THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF COMMODITY TRADING ADVISOR DISCLOSURE. CONSEQUENTLY, THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION HAS NOT REVIEWED OR APPROVED THIS TRADING PROGRAM OR THIS BROCHURE OR ACCOUNT DOCUMENT.
[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Man Investments Limited, as managing member of AHL Partners LLP:
By: | /s/Jonathan Eliot | |
Authorized Signatory | ||
Name: | Jonathan Eliot | |
Title: | Director | |
American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | ||
By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Chief Operating Officer | ||
American Beacon Cayman Managed Futures Strategy Fund Ltd. | ||
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President |
Exhibit (d)(2)(HH)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this 30th day of April, 2015. by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (“Trust”), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and Hillcrest Asset Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“Investment Company Act”), consisting of several series funds of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”); and
WHEREAS, the Trust’s agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Advisers Act”);
WHEREAS, the Manager and the Trust desire to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its funds and such other funds as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Funds") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. | (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager and the Trust appoint the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion (the “Portfolio”) , if any, of the Funds' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Funds, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities (1) in conformity with all applicable securities law, including but not limited to the Investment Company Act, the Advisers Act, the Commodity Exchange Act, the Securities Act of 1933 (“Securities Act”), and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”), (2) subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Board may from time to time establish which shall be communicated in writing by the Manager to Adviser in advance , (3) in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Fund set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time , which shall be communicated in writing by the Manager to Adviser in advance, and applicable laws and regulations, and (4) in compliance with such other investment guidelines or restrictions established from time to time by the Manager or the Trust which shall be communicated in writing by the Manager to Adviser in advance. The Adviser accepts such appointment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Fund assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Funds' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s), but generally refers to a writing by the representatives of the Adviser who have been authorized by the Trust’s Board from time to time to provide instructions to the Trust’s custodian. For the purpose of clarification, “Proper Instructions” can be instructions in any format, including without limitation, electronic instructions that are agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust’s custodian.) |
The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Funds, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents including without limitation, futures and options transactions, brokerage agreements, clearing agreements, account documentation, futures and option agreements, swap agreements, and other investment related agreements required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Funds. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein. Adviser is authorized on behalf of Manager to make all elections required in such agreements, instruments and documentation and make and to receive all related notices from brokers or other counterparties. Manager also authorizes Adviser as agent and attorney-in-fact to make transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts on margin, for the Portfolio, and authorizes each broker with whom Adviser makes such transactions to follow its’ instructions with respect to such transactions. Manager understands and agrees that Adviser will determine that such transactions are permitted before instructing a broker to enter into such transactions and that any broker receiving an order for any such transaction will have no independent obligation to ensure that the transactions are consistent with the Trust’s registration statement or the Fund’s investment guidelines; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are consistent with the relevant Fund’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) to the extent that the Advisor is lawfully able to do so, the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Fund under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager upon becoming aware of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Fund under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Funds, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Funds; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Funds with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit of margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Funds by its custodian subject to control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments in the Portfolio, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments in the Portfolio for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments in the Portfolio for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities. The Adviser will maintain adequate records with respect to securities valuation information provided hereunder, and shall provide such information to Manager upon request.
(c) Compliance and Other Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, shall provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall:
(i) | continue to be a duly formed legal entity, validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of formation, fully authorized to enter into this Agreement and carry out its duties and obligations hereunder; |
(ii) | be registered as an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") under the Advisers Act, and be registered or licensed as an investment adviser under the laws of all jurisdictions in which its activities require to be so registered or licensed, except where the failure to be so licensed would not have an adverse effect on the Adviser, Manager or Trust. The Adviser shall maintain such registration or license in effect and in good standing at all times during the term of this Agreement; |
(iii) | Maintain any necessary registrations, licenses, or exemptions, to the extent required, with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and/or National Futures Association. |
(iv) | at all times provide its best judgment and effort to the Manager and the Trust in carrying out its obligations hereunder; |
(v) | use the same care and skill in providing such services as it uses in providing services to other accounts for which it has investment management responsibilities; |
(vi) | cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Funds, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Funds, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Funds, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the CFTC and comparable rules of the SEC (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”); |
(vii) | maintain a written Code of Ethics complying with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act and provide the Manager with a current copy of the Code of Ethics. Within (20) twenty days of the end of each calendar quarter certify to the Manager that the Adviser has complied with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 during the previous calendar quarter and that there have been no violations of the Code of Ethics or, if a violation has occurred, that appropriate action has been taken in response to such violation. Upon written request of the Manager, the Adviser shall permit representatives of the Manager to examine the reports (or summaries of the reports) required to be made under the Code of Ethics and other records evidencing enforcement of the Code of Ethics; |
(viii) | assist the Trust and the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) in complying with Rule 38a-1 under the Investment Company Act. Specifically, the Adviser represents that it shall maintain a compliance program in accordance with the requirements of Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act, as amended, and shall provide the CCO with reasonable access to information regarding the Adviser’s compliance program, which access shall include on-site visits with the Adviser as may be reasonably requested from time to time. In connection with the periodic review and annual report required to be prepared by the CCO pursuant to Rule 38a-1, the Adviser agrees to provide certifications as may be reasonably requested by the CCO related to the design and implementation of the Adviser’s compliance program; |
(ix) | comply with the Trusts’ policy on selective disclosure of Portfolio holdings of the Funds as described in the Trusts’ current registration statement, and upon request from the Manager, provide a certification to the Manager with respect to compliance with the Funds’ selective disclosure policy; |
(x) | treat confidentially and as proprietary all records and other information relating to the Funds, and not use records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except to the Adviser’s lawyers and accountants, the Trust’s or a Fund’s auditors, after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Manager, when requested by the Manager , when required by law or regulation or when requested by the SEC or another regulatory agency ; |
(xi) | promptly notify the Manager of any impending change of a portfolio manager, portfolio management or any other material matter that may require disclosure to the Board and/or shareholders of the Funds; |
(xii) | provide the Manager with a current and complete copy of the Adviser’s Form ADV, and any supplements or amendments thereto; |
(xiii) | provide the Manager with a current list of persons the Adviser wishes to have authorized to give instructions to the Trust’s custodian regarding assets of the Funds; |
(xiv) | be responsible for the filing of Schedule 13D/13G and Form 13F, and any non-U.S. securities filing equivalents of these filings, on behalf of the Trust reflecting holdings over which the Adviser and its affiliates have investment and/or voting discretion; |
(xv) | provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held within the Portfolio ; |
(xvi) | not permit any employee of the Adviser to have any material connection with the handling of the Funds if such employee has been permanently or temporarily enjoined by reason of any misconduct, by order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, from acting as an investment adviser or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity or in connection with the purchase or sale of any security; |
(xvii) | regularly report to the Manager on the investment program for the Portfolio and the issuers and securities represented in the Portfolio , and furnish the Manager, with respect to the Portfolio , such periodic and special reports as the Manager may reasonably request, including, but not limited to, reports concerning transactions and performance of each Fund, reports regarding compliance with the Trust’s procedures pursuant to Rules 17e-1, 17a-7, 10f-3 and 12d3-1 under the Investment Company Act, Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act, compliance with investment guidelines and restrictions, trade errors, liquidity determinations, and compliance with the Adviser’s Code of Ethics, and such other procedures or requirements that the Manager may reasonably request from time to time; |
(xviii) | promptly review the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Portfolio , and any amendments or supplements thereto, which relate to the Adviser or the Portfolio and confirm that, with respect to the disclosure respecting or relating to the Adviser, including any performance information the Adviser provides that is included in or serves as the basis for information included in the prospectus or statement of additional information, such prospectus or statement of additional information contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager promptly of any material fact known to the Adviser respecting or relating to the Adviser that is not contained , but required to be contained, in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto provided to the Adviser , or of any statement respecting or relating to the Adviser contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect. With respect to the disclosure respecting each Fund, the Adviser represents and agrees that the description in the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information regarding investment objectives and strategies for the Portfolio is consistent with the manner in which the Adviser intends to manage the Funds, and the description of risks is consistent with risks known to the Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Adviser intends to manage the Portfolio . The Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager immediately in the event that the Adviser becomes aware that the prospectus or statement of additional information for a Fund is inconsistent in any material respect with the manner in which the Adviser is managing the Portfolio , and in the event that the principal risks description is inconsistent in any material respect with the risks known to the Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Adviser is managing the Portfolio. In addition, the Adviser agrees to comply with the Manager’s reasonable request for information regarding the personnel of the Adviser who are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Trust’s assets as may be required to be disclosed in the prospectus or statement of additional information; |
(xix) | Upon request, provide certifications to the principal executive and financial officers of the Trust (the “certifying officers”) that support the certifications required to be made by the certifying officers in connection with the preparation and/or filing of the Trust’s Form N-CSRs, N-Qs, N-SARs, shareholder reports, financial statements, and other disclosure documents or regulatory filings, in such form and content as the Trust shall reasonably request or in accordance with procedures adopted by the Trust; and |
(xx) | provide the Manager with such other compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be reasonably necessary. |
2. Portfolio Transactions. The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of Portfolio securities for the Funds and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to Portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager, and communicated in writing in advance to the Adviser, or set forth in the Trust’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights. Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Funds in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
The Manager reserves the right, after prior notice to the Adviser, to exercise voting rights on any assets held in the Funds on an individual security or ongoing basis.
4. Compensation of the Adviser. For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1, 2, and 3 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be accrued daily and paid to the Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Funds during the relevant month. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
The Adviser agrees: (1) that the blended fee rate in basis points contracted hereunder with respect to the American Beacon Small Cap Value Fund will not exceed the blended asset based fee rate (i.e., not a performance fee arrangement) in basis points contracted with any discretionary small cap. value account of the same or smaller size (including other accounts managed for the same client); and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any other client for any discretionary small cap value account of the same or larger size for whom the Adviser provides investment advisory services under an asset based fee arrangement (i.e., not a performance fee arrangement) will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid hereunder. In the event that the fee charged hereunder exceeds the fee charged to an account described in (1) or (2) above, the Adviser shall promptly notify the Manager and the fee charged hereunder shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other account from the time such fee is charged to such other account.
The Adviser shall bear all expenses incurred by it and its staff with respect to all activities in connection with the performance of the Adviser’s services under this Agreement, including but not limited to salaries, benefits, overhead, travel, and preparation of reports. Upon request by the Manager, Adviser agrees to reimburse the Manager for costs associated with certain supplements to the Fund’s disclosure documents (“Supplements”). Such Supplements are those generated due to changes by Adviser requiring prompt disclosure in the Trust’s prospectus, statement of additional information, and/or information statement and for which, at the time of notification by Adviser to Manager of such changes, the Trust is not already generating a supplement for other purposes or for which the Manager may not be able to reasonably add such changes to a pending supplement. Such changes by Adviser include, but are not limited to, material changes to its ownership structure, to key investment personnel, to investment style or management. Adviser shall reimburse the Manager or the Trust, as applicable, for all of the costs associated with generating such Supplements, and/or any required Board and/or proxy expenses related to approving a change in control of the Adviser. Reimbursable costs may include, but are not limited to, costs of preparation, filing, printing, postage, and/or distribution of such Supplements to all existing Fund shareholders.
5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, statements of additional information, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager of the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request, provided that the Adviser shall be entitled to retain a copy of such records if it is legally required to do so. Adviser authorizes Manager’s use of the Adviser’s service marks and/or trademarks in connection with the marketing of the Fund(s), including but not limited to, the Fund(s)’ registration statements and fact sheets , provided that the Manager and the Adviser shall have agreed in advance as to the basis of use of the Adviser’s service marks and/or trademarks . In addition, the Manager acknowledges and agrees that it has no rights in or to the Adviser’s name beyond the limited use rights granted herein.
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless, the Manager, any affiliated person within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Manager, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Manager or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of the Adviser’s responsibilities to the Trust which may be based upon any willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of, the Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Adviser. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Fund and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Fund; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Fund fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager upon not less than (30) thirty days nor more than (60) sixty days prior notice to the Adviser, by vote of a majority of the Board of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund on not less than (30) thirty days nor more than (60) sixty days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on sixty (60) days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment.
A notice period provided in this Section may be waived by the party required to be notified, in their absolute discretion.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
12. Severability . If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, statute, rule or otherwise, such provision will be modified, rewritten or interpreted to include as much of its nature and scope as will render it enforceable. If it cannot be so modified, rewritten or interpreted to be valid and enforceable in any respect, it will not be given effect, and the remainder of the Agreement will be enforced as if such provision had never been included.
13. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual written consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Fund’s shareholders to the extent required by the Investment Company Act.
14. Miscellaneous .
(a) | Governing Law and Venue . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas without giving effect to any conflict of laws provisions thereof. |
(b) Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement.
(c) No Implied Waiver . Either party’s failure to insist in any one or more instances upon strict performance by the other party of the terms of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any continuing or subsequent failure to perform or delay in performance of any term hereof.
(d) Entire Agreement . This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding between the parties and supersedes any and all prior or contemporaneous understandings and agreements, whether oral or written, between the parties, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
(e) Headings . Headings used in this Agreement are provided for convenience only and shall not be used to construe meaning or intent.
(f) Notices . Any notices required to be given hereunder may be delivered by hand, facsimile, deposited with a nationally recognized overnight carrier, or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, in each case, to the address of the other party listed below (or such other address as may be furnished by a party in accordance with this paragraph). All such notices or communications shall be deemed to have been given and received (a) in the case of personal delivery or facsimile, on the date of such delivery, (b) in the case of delivery by a nationally recognized overnight carrier, the earlier of (i) the date of receipt or (ii) the third business day following dispatch and (c) in the case of mailing, on the seventh business day following such mailing. All such notices shall be delivered to:
A. | If to the Manager: |
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
220 East Las Colinas Blvd.
Suite 1200
Irving, Texas 75039
Attention: Chief Investment Officer
with a copy to General Counsel at the same address.
Facsimile: 817-391-6131
B. | If to the Adviser: |
Hillcrest Asset Management, LLC
14180 N. Dallas Pkwy, Suite 650
Dallas, TX 75254
Attention: Brian Bruce, CEO
15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Fund, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Fund. The Adviser further agrees that it shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Fund, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Hillcrest Asset Management, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Brian Bruce | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Brian Bruce | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | CEO | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||
President |
Schedule A
To the
Investment Advisory Agreement
Between
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Hillcrest Asset Management, LLC
The American Beacon Small Cap Value Fund (“the Fund”), a series of American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Hillcrest Asset Management, LLC (“Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the Fund the following fee for all Fund assets under Adviser’s management.
0.45% on the first $100 million
0.40% on the next $100 million
0.35% on the next $100 million
0.30% thereafter
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
Hillcrest Asset Management, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Brian Bruce | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | Brian Bruce | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | CEO | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||
President |
Exhibit (d)(2)(KK)
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this 30th day of April, 2015. by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (“Trust”), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the "Manager"), and WEDGE Capital Management L.L.P., a North Carolina Limited Liability Partnership (the "Adviser");
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“Investment Company Act”), consisting of several series funds of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”); and
WHEREAS, the Trust’s agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Advisers Act”);
WHEREAS, the Manager and the Trust desire to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its funds and such other funds as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the "Funds") and as described in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. | (a) Duties of the Adviser . The Manager and the Trust appoint the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Funds' assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Funds, to determine in the Adviser's discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities (1) in conformity with all applicable securities law, including but not limited to the Investment Company Act, the Advisers Act, the Commodity Exchange Act, the Securities Act of 1933 (“Securities Act”), and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”), (2) subject to the Manager's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Board may from time to time establish, (3) in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Fund set forth in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations, and (4) in compliance with such other investment guidelines or restrictions established from time to time by the Manager or the Trust which shall be communicated in writing by the Manager to Adviser in advance. The Adviser accepts such appointment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. (With respect to any of the Fund assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust's custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Funds' assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s), but generally refers to a writing by the representatives of the Adviser who have been authorized by the Trust’s Board from time to time to provide instructions to the Trust’s custodian. For the purpose of clarification, “Proper Instructions” can be instructions in any format, including without limitation, electronic instructions that are agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust’s custodian.) |
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The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Funds, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents including without limitation, futures and options transactions, brokerage agreements, clearing agreements, account documentation, futures and option agreements, swap agreements, and other investment related agreements required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Funds. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein. Adviser is authorized on behalf of Manager to make all elections required in such agreements, instruments and documentation and make and to receive all related notices from brokers or other counterparties. Manager also authorizes Adviser as agent and attorney-in-fact to make transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts on margin, for the Portfolio, and authorizes each broker with whom Adviser makes such transactions to follow its’ instructions with respect to such transactions. Manager understands and agrees that Adviser will determine that such transactions are permitted before instructing a broker to enter into such transactions and that any broker receiving an order for any such transaction will have no independent obligation to ensure that the transactions are consistent with the Trust’s registration statement or the Fund’s investment guidelines; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations consistent with the relevant Fund’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Fund under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Fund under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Funds, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Funds; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Funds with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit of margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Funds by its custodian subject to control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
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(b) Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Funds, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Funds for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Funds for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities. The Adviser will maintain adequate records with respect to securities valuation information provided hereunder, and shall provide such information to Manager upon request.
(c) Compliance and Other Matters . The Adviser, at its expense, shall provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall:
(i) | continue to be a duly formed legal entity, validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of formation, fully authorized to enter into this Agreement and carry out its duties and obligations hereunder; |
(ii) | be registered as an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") under the Advisers Act, and be registered or licensed as an investment adviser under the laws of all jurisdictions in which its activities require to be so registered or licensed, except where the failure to be so licensed would not have an adverse effect on the Adviser, Manager or Trust. The Adviser shall maintain such registration or license in effect and in good standing at all times during the term of this Agreement; |
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(iii) | Maintain any necessary registrations, licenses, or exemptions, to the extent required, with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and/or National Futures Association. |
(iv) | at all times provide its best judgment and effort to the Manager and the Trust in carrying out its obligations hereunder; |
(v) | use the same care and skill in providing such services as it uses in providing services to other accounts for which it has investment management responsibilities; |
(vi) | cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Funds, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Funds, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Funds, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the CFTC and comparable rules of the SEC (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”); |
(vii) | maintain a written Code of Ethics complying with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act and provide the Manager with a current copy of the Code of Ethics. Within (20) twenty days of the end of each calendar quarter certify to the Manager that the Adviser has complied with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 during the previous calendar quarter and that there have been no violations of the Code of Ethics or, if a violation has occurred, that appropriate action has been taken in response to such violation. Upon written request of the Manager, the Adviser shall permit representatives of the Manager to examine the reports (or summaries of the reports) required to be made under the Code of Ethics and other records evidencing enforcement of the Code of Ethics; |
(viii) | assist the Trust and the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) in complying with Rule 38a-1 under the Investment Company Act. Specifically, the Adviser represents that it shall maintain a compliance program in accordance with the requirements of Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act, as amended, and shall provide the CCO with reasonable access to information regarding the Adviser’s compliance program, which access shall include on-site visits with the Adviser as may be reasonably requested from time to time. In connection with the periodic review and annual report required to be prepared by the CCO pursuant to Rule 38a-1, the Adviser agrees to provide certifications as may be reasonably requested by the CCO related to the design and implementation of the Adviser’s compliance program; |
(ix) | comply with the Trusts’ policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Funds as described in the Trusts’ current registration statement, and upon request from the Manager, provide a certification to the Manager with respect to compliance with the Funds’ selective disclosure policy; |
(x) | treat confidentially and as proprietary all records and other information relating to the Funds, and not use records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Manager or when so requested by the Manager or required by law or regulation; |
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(xi) | promptly notify the Manager of any impending change of a portfolio manager, portfolio management or any other material matter that may require disclosure to the Board and/or shareholders of the Funds, including a change in the membership of the Adviser’s partnership within a reasonable time after such change; |
(xii) | provide the Manager with a current and complete copy of the Adviser’s Form ADV, and any supplements or amendments thereto; |
(xiii) | provide the Manager with a current list of persons the Adviser wishes to have authorized to give instructions to the Trust’s custodian regarding assets of the Funds; |
(xiv) | be responsible for the filing of Schedule 13D/13G and Form 13F, and any non-U.S. securities filing equivalents of these filings, on behalf of the Trust reflecting holdings over which the Adviser and its affiliates have investment and/or voting discretion; |
(xv) | provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held within the Funds managed by the Adviser; |
(xvi) | not permit any employee of the Adviser to have any material connection with the handling of the Funds if such employee has been permanently or temporarily enjoined by reason of any misconduct, by order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, from acting as an investment adviser or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity or in connection with the purchase or sale of any security; |
(xvii) | regularly report to the Manager on the investment program for the Funds and the issuers and securities represented in the Funds, and furnish the Manager, with respect to the Funds, such periodic and special reports as the Manager may reasonably request, including, but not limited to, reports concerning transactions and performance of each Fund, reports regarding compliance with the Trust’s procedures pursuant to Rules 17e-1, 17a-7, 10f-3 and 12d3-1 under the Investment Company Act, Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act, compliance with investment guidelines and restrictions, trade errors, liquidity determinations, and compliance with the Adviser’s Code of Ethics, and such other procedures or requirements that the Manager may reasonably request from time to time; |
(xviii) | promptly review the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Funds, and any amendments or supplements thereto, which relate to the Adviser or the Funds and confirm that, with respect to the disclosure respecting or relating to the Adviser, including any performance information the Adviser provides that is included in or serves as the basis for information included in the prospectus or statement of additional information, such prospectus or statement of additional information contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager immediately of any material fact known to the Adviser respecting or relating to the Adviser that is not contained in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or of any statement respecting or relating to the Adviser contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect. With respect to the disclosure respecting each Fund, the Adviser represents and agrees that the description in the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information regarding investment objectives and strategies is consistent with the manner in which the Adviser intends to manage the Funds, and the description of risks is consistent with risks known to the Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Adviser intends to manage the Funds. The Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager immediately in the event that the Adviser becomes aware that the prospectus or statement of additional information for a Fund is inconsistent in any material respect with the manner in which the Adviser is managing the Fund, and in the event that the principal risks description is inconsistent in any material respect with the risks known to the Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Adviser is managing the Fund. In addition, the Adviser agrees to comply with the Manager’s reasonable request for information regarding the personnel of the Adviser who are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Trust’s assets as may be required to be disclosed in the prospectus or statement of additional information; |
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(xix) | Upon request, provide certifications to the principal executive and financial officers of the Trust (the “certifying officers”) that support the certifications required to be made by the certifying officers in connection with the preparation and/or filing of the Trust’s Form N-CSRs, N-Qs, N-SARs, shareholder reports, financial statements, and other disclosure documents or regulatory filings, in such form and content as the Trust shall reasonably request or in accordance with procedures adopted by the Trust; and |
(xx) | provide the Manager with such other compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be reasonably necessary. |
2. Portfolio Transactions . The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Funds and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights . Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Funds in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
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The Manager reserves the right to exercise voting rights on any assets held in the Funds on an individual security or ongoing basis.
4. Compensation of the Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1, 2, and 3 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be accrued daily paid to the Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Funds during the relevant month. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
The Adviser agrees: (1) that the blended fee rate in basis points contracted hereunder with respect to the American Beacon Mid Cap Value Fund will not exceed the blended fee rate in basis points contracted with an account of the same or smaller size (including other accounts managed for the same client); and (2) that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any other client of the same or larger size for whom the Adviser provides investment advisory services under an asset based fee arrangement (i.e., not a performance fee arrangement) will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid hereunder. In the event that the fee charged hereunder exceeds the fee charged to an account described in (1) or (2) above, the Adviser shall promptly notify the Manager and the fee charged hereunder shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other account from the time such fee is charged to such other account.
The Adviser shall bear all expenses incurred by it and its staff with respect to all activities in connection with the performance of the Adviser’s services under this Agreement, including but not limited to salaries, benefits, overhead, travel, and preparation of reports. Upon request by the Manager, Adviser agrees to reimburse the Manager for costs associated with certain supplements to the Fund’s disclosure documents (“Supplements”). Such Supplements are those generated due to changes by Adviser requiring prompt disclosure in the Trust’s prospectus, statement of additional information, and/or information statement and for which, at the time of notification by Adviser to Manager of such changes, the Trust is not already generating a supplement for other purposes or for which the Manager may not be able to reasonably add such changes to a pending supplement. Such changes by Adviser include, but are not limited to, changes to its structure, to key investment personnel, to investment style or management. Adviser shall reimburse the Manager or the Trust, as applicable, for all of the costs associated with generating such Supplements, and/or any required Board and/or proxy expenses related to approving a change in control of the Adviser. Reimbursable costs may include, but are not limited to, costs of preparation, filing, printing, postage, and/or distribution of such Supplements to all existing Fund shareholders.
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5. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, statements of additional information, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
7. Status of Adviser . The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Adviser 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager of the Trust.
8. Certain Records . Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request, provided that the Adviser shall be entitled to retain a copy of such records if it is legally required to do so. Adviser authorizes Manager’s use of the Adviser’s service marks and/or trademarks in connection with the marketing of the Fund(s), including but not limited to, the Fund(s)’ registration statements and fact sheets. In addition, the Manager acknowledges and agrees that it has no rights in or to the Adviser’s name beyond the limited use rights granted herein.
9. Liability of Adviser . The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless, the Manager, any affiliated person within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Manager, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Manager or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of the Adviser’s responsibilities to the Trust which may be based upon any willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of, the Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Adviser. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
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10. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
11. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Fund and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Fund; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Fund fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager upon not less than (30) thirty days nor more than (60) sixty days prior notice to the Adviser, by vote of a majority of the Board of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund on not less than (30) thirty days nor more than (60) sixty days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on sixty (60) days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment.
A notice period provided in this Section may be waived by the party required to be notified, in their absolute discretion.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
12. Severability . If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, statute, rule or otherwise, such provision will be modified, rewritten or interpreted to include as much of its nature and scope as will render it enforceable. If it cannot be so modified, rewritten or interpreted to be valid and enforceable in any respect, it will not be given effect, and the remainder of the Agreement will be enforced as if such provision had never been included.
13. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual written consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Fund’s shareholders to the extent required by the Investment Company Act.
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14. Miscellaneous .
(a) | Governing Law and Venue . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas without giving effect to any conflict of laws provisions thereof. |
(b) Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement.
(c) No Implied Waiver . Either party’s failure to insist in any one or more instances upon strict performance by the other party of the terms of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any continuing or subsequent failure to perform or delay in performance of any term hereof.
(d) Entire Agreement . This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding between the parties and supersedes any and all prior or contemporaneous understandings and agreements, whether oral or written, between the parties, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
(e) Headings . Headings used in this Agreement are provided for convenience only and shall not be used to construe meaning or intent.
(f) Notices . Any notices required to be given hereunder may be delivered by hand, facsimile, deposited with a nationally recognized overnight carrier, or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, in each case, to the address of the other party listed below (or such other address as may be furnished by a party in accordance with this paragraph). All such notices or communications shall be deemed to have been given and received (a) in the case of personal delivery or facsimile, on the date of such delivery, (b) in the case of delivery by a nationally recognized overnight carrier, the earlier of (i) the date of receipt or (ii) the third business day following dispatch and (c) in the case of mailing, on the seventh business day following such mailing. All such notices shall be delivered to:
A. | If to the Manager: |
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
220 East Las Colinas Blvd.
Suite 1200
Irving, TX 75039
Attention: Chief Investment Officer
with a copy to General Counsel at the same address.
Facsimile: 817-391-6131
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B. | If to the Adviser: |
WEDGE Capital Management
301 South College Street, Suite 2920
Charlotte, NC 28202-6002
Attention: John M. Carr, Executive Vice President
Facsimile: 704-334-3542
15. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Fund, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Fund. The Adviser further agrees that it shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Fund, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
WEDGE Capital Management L.L.P. | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ John G. Norman | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | John G. Norman | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | General Partner | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||
President |
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Schedule A
To the
Investment Advisory Agreement
Between
American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
WEDGE Capital Management
The American Beacon Mid Cap Value Fund (“the Fund”), a series of American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to WEDGE Capital Management L.L.P. (“Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the Fund the following fee for all Fund assets under Adviser’s management.
0.75% per year on first $ 10 million;
0.65% per year on next $ 15 million;
0.50% per year on next $ 75 million;
0.40% per year on next $ 50 million; and
0.30% per year on all assets over $150 million
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of April 30, 2015
WEDGE Capital Management L.L.P. |
American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ John G. Norman | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |
Name: | John G. Norman | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||
Title: | General Partner | Chief Operating Officer |
American Beacon Funds
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Gene L. Needles, Jr. | ||
President |
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Exhibit (d)(2)(LL)
Execution Copy
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
LEAD INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
This Lead Investment Advisory Agreement (“Agreement”) is made as of September ___, 2015, between American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (“Manager”), and Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. (“Lead Adviser”).
WHEREAS, American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (“Trust”), is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“Investment Company Act”), as an open-end management investment company consisting of several series of shares, each having its own assets and investment objective(s), policies and restrictions; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and general asset management services, including investment of the assets of the Trust’s series of shares listed on Schedule A hereto (“Funds”) subject to the oversight of the Trust’s Board of Trustees (“Board”); and
WHEREAS, the Trust’s agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its responsibilities thereunder; and
WHEREAS, the Lead Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Advisers Act”); and
WHEREAS, the Manager wishes to retain the Lead Adviser to provide services to the Funds pursuant to the terms and provisions of this Agreement, and the Lead Adviser is willing to furnish such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and mutual covenants herein contained, it is agreed between the parties hereto as follows:
1. Appointment . The Manager hereby appoints the Lead Adviser to serve as the lead investment subadviser for each Fund for the period and on the terms set forth in this Agreement. The Lead Adviser accepts such appointment and agrees to render the services herein set forth for compensation as set forth on Schedule A. In the performance of its duties, the Lead Adviser will act in the best interests of each Fund and will perform its duties hereunder for each Fund in conformity with (a) all applicable securities laws, including but not limited to, the Investment Company Act, the Advisers Act, and the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (“CEA”), the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”), and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations under each such act, (b) the terms of this Agreement, (c) the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of each applicable Fund as stated in the Trust’s currently effective registration statement, as amended from time to time and made available to the Lead Adviser by the Manager, under the Securities Act and the Investment Company Act, (d) the Trust’s Declaration of Trust and Bylaws as made available to the Lead Adviser by the Manager, (e) such other guidelines as the Board reasonably may establish or approve and as provided or made available in advance to the Lead Adviser by the Manager, and (f) such other investment guidelines or restrictions established from time to time by the Manager or the Trust, which shall be communicated in writing by the Manager to Lead Adviser in advance.
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The Lead Adviser will be an independent contractor and will have no authority to act for or represent a Fund in any way or otherwise be deemed to be an agent of the Manager or a Fund unless expressly authorized in this Agreement or in another appropriate written format.
2. Duties of the Lead Adviser .
The following duties are delegated to the Lead Adviser, subject to review, oversight and/or approval by the Manager and the Trust’s Board of Trustees, as appropriate:
(a) Investment Program . Subject to oversight by the Board and in consultation with the Manager, the Lead Adviser will provide a continuous investment program for each Fund which shall include: (i) conducting due diligence on and recommending the selection and termination of investment managers to manage all or a portion of Fund assets (“Underlying Advisers”), subject to the Manager’s authority to decline to retain any Underlying Adviser recommended by the Lead Adviser, (ii) structuring investment mandates to be pursued (including establishing guidelines) by each Underlying Adviser subject to the then existing guidelines of the Fund, (iii) determining, subject to the Manager’s authority to alter any allocation or reallocation decisions of the Lead Adviser, the portion of the Fund’s assets to allocate to each Underlying Adviser, (iv) analyzing, proposing and implementing changes to the allocation of assets between Underlying Advisers, (v) monitoring the performance of each Underlying Adviser, and (vi) for the portion of the Fund’s assets not allocated to an Underlying Adviser, directing the investment of such assets in index futures (long or short) and/or cash management instruments.
Except as set forth in this Agreement, the Lead Adviser shall not be responsible for aspects of the Funds’ investment program other than providing services in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
(b) Securities Selection . Subject to oversight by the Board and in consultation with the Manager, and further subject to any delegation of authority made pursuant to Paragraph 2(e) below, the Lead Adviser shall determine what securities, commodity interests and other investments will be purchased, retained, sold or loaned by each Fund and what portion of such assets will be invested or held uninvested as cash. The Lead Adviser will exercise full discretion and act for each Fund in the same manner and with the same force and effect as such Fund itself might or could do with respect to purchases, sales, or other transactions, as well as with respect to all other things necessary or incidental to the furtherance or conduct of such purchases, sales or other transactions. The Lead Adviser will be responsible for preserving the confidentiality of information concerning the holdings, transactions, and business activities of each Fund in conformity with the requirements of the Investment Company Act, other applicable laws and regulations, and any policies that are approved by the Board.
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(c) Execution of Transactions and Selection of Broker Dealers . The Lead Adviser shall be responsible for effecting transactions for each Fund and selecting brokers, dealers or futures commission merchants to execute such transactions for each Fund. In the selection of brokers or dealers (which may include brokers or dealers affiliated with the Lead Adviser) and the placement of orders for the purchase and sale of portfolio investments for each Fund, the Lead Adviser shall use its best efforts to obtain for each Fund the best execution as described in the Fund’s current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Lead Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Lead Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Funds may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Lead Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Lead Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Board such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Lead Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause a Fund to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Fund established by the Manager or set forth in the Fund’s registration statement. The Manager hereby agrees that any entity or person associated with the Lead Adviser which is a member of a national securities exchange is authorized to effect any transaction on such exchange for the account of a Fund which is permitted by Section 11(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Manager hereby consents to the retention of compensation for such transactions.
(d) Reports to the Board . Upon request, the Lead Adviser shall provide to the Manager and the Board such analyses and reports as may be required by law or otherwise reasonably required to fulfill its responsibilities under this Agreement.
(e) Delegation to Underlying Advisers . The Lead Adviser may evaluate, select and recommend one or more Underlying Subadvisers to perform the duties set forth in Paragraphs 2(b) and (c) above, subject to approval by the Manager, the Board and, to the extent required by the Investment Company Act, the shareholders of the applicable Fund. Each Underlying Adviser shall perform the duties set forth in an Investment Advisory Agreement by and among the Underlying Adviser, the Manager and the Lead Adviser in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit B, as such form may be amended or modified by the Manager in consultation with Lead Adviser and subject to approval by the Board and, to the extent required by the Investment Company Act, the shareholders of the applicable Fund. The retention of one or more Underlying Advisers pursuant to this Paragraph 2(e) shall in no way reduce the obligations of the Lead Adviser under this Agreement. However, the Lead Adviser shall not be responsible for the willful misfeasance or gross negligence of an Underlying Subadviser. In connection with the delegation of responsibilities to a Subadviser, and subject to monitoring and evaluation by the Manager of the performance by the Lead Adviser of its duties hereunder, the Lead Adviser shall:
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(i) Subject to the Manager’s authority to determine otherwise, allocate and, when appropriate, reallocate the Fund’s assets among the Underlying Advisers, provided, however, that the Lead Adviser shall not: (a) transfer specific securities between or among portions of the Funds’ assets allocated to the Underlying Advisers; (b) execute trades in individual securities in a portion of the Funds’ assets allocated to any Underlying Adviser; (c) pre-approve trading decisions with respect to a portion of the Funds’ assets allocated to any Underlying Adviser; or (d) except to the extent reasonably necessary to prevent a violation of law or a Fund’s investment policies, communicate information regarding the trading decisions or portfolio positions of one Underlying Adviser that may affect the trading or investment decisions of another Underlying Adviser;
(ii) Monitor and evaluate the performance of functions by each Underlying Adviser and furnish the Manager and the Board with periodic reports concerning the performance of responsibilities by the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Advisers;
(iii) If appropriate, recommend one or more alternative Underlying Advisers or the addition or removal of one or more Underlying Advisers, subject to approval by the Manager and the Board and the necessary approvals under the Investment Company Act;
(iv) Implement procedures reasonably designed to ensure that the Lead Adviser and all Underlying Advisers comply with the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of each applicable Fund as stated in the Trust’s currently effective registration statement, as amended from time to time; and
(v) Be solely responsible for the compensation of each Underlying Adviser.
(f) CPO Registration . The Lead Adviser is registered with the CFTC as a commodity pool operator (“CPO”) and is a member of the National Futures Association (“NFA”). The Lead Adviser shall maintain any necessary registrations, licenses, or exemptions in good standing at all times during the term of this Agreement to the extent required for the Lead Adviser to perform its duties hereunder. The Lead Adviser acknowledges that the Manager intends to rely on an exclusion from registration as a CPO with respect to the Funds pursuant to Regulation 4.5 adopted by the CFTC under the CEA (the “Regulation 4.5 Exclusion”) and agrees to notify the Manager of any intent to engage in activities on behalf of the Funds that would prevent the Manager from relying on the Regulation 4.5 Exclusion in advance of actually engaging in such activities.
3. Compliance and Other Matters . The Lead Adviser, at its expense, shall provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time . The Lead Adviser also shall:
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(a) continue to be a duly formed legal entity, validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of formation, fully authorized to enter into this Agreement and carry out its duties and obligations hereunder;
(b) be registered as an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Advisers Act, and be registered or licensed as an investment adviser under the laws of all jurisdictions in which its activities require it to be so registered or licensed, except where the failure to be so licensed would not have an adverse effect on the Lead Adviser, the Manager, or the Trust. The Lead Adviser shall maintain such registration or license in effect and in good standing at all times during the term of this Agreement;
(c) at all times provide its best professional judgment and effort to the Manager and the Trust in carrying out its obligations hereunder;
(d) use the same care and skill in providing such services as it uses in providing services to other non-ERISA accounts for which it has investment management responsibilities;
(e) (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Funds, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably request and deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Funds, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information;
(f) maintain a written Code of Ethics complying with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act and provide the Manager with a current copy of the Code of Ethics. The Lead Adviser shall periodically certify to the Manager that the Lead Adviser has complied with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 and that there have been no violations of the Code of Ethics or, if a violation has occurred, that appropriate action has been taken in response to such violation. Upon written request of the Manager, the Lead Adviser shall permit representatives of the Manager to examine the reports (or summaries of the reports) required to be made under the Code of Ethics and other records evidencing enforcement of the Code of Ethics;
(g) assist the Trust and the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) in complying with Rule 38a-1 under the Investment Company Act. Specifically, the Lead Adviser represents that it shall maintain a compliance program in accordance with the requirements of Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act, and shall provide the CCO with reasonable access to information regarding the Lead Adviser’s compliance program, which access shall include on-site visits with the Lead Adviser as may be reasonably requested from time to time. In connection with the periodic review and annual report required to be prepared by the CCO pursuant to Rule 38a-1, the Lead Adviser agrees to provide certifications as may be reasonably requested by the CCO related to the design and implementation of the Lead Adviser’s compliance program;
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(h) comply with the Trust’s policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Funds as described in the Trust’s current registration statement, and upon request from the Manager, provide a certification to the Manager with respect to compliance with the Fund’s selective disclosure policy;
(i) with the exception of the Fund’s track record, treat confidentially and as proprietary all non-public records and other information relating to the Funds, and not use records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Manager or when so requested by the Manager or required by law or regulation;
(j) promptly notify the Manager of any impending change of a portfolio manager, portfolio management strategy or any other material matter that may require disclosure to the Board and/or shareholders of the Funds;
(k) provide the Manager with a current and complete copy of the Lead Adviser’s Form ADV, and any supplements or amendments thereto;
(l) provide the Manager with a current list of persons the Lead Adviser wishes to have authorized to give instructions to the Trust’s custodian regarding assets of the Funds;
(m) provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held within the Funds;
(n) ensure that neither the Lead Adviser nor any “affiliated person,” as defined in Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, of the Lead Adviser is or has been permanently or temporarily enjoined by reason of any misconduct, by order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction or regulatory authority, from acting as an investment adviser or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity or in connection with the purchase or sale of any security, as set forth in Section 9 of the Investment Company Act;
(o) regularly report to the Manager on the investment program for the Funds and the issuers and securities represented in the Funds, and furnish the Manager, with respect to the Funds, such periodic and special reports as the Manager may reasonably request, including, but not limited to, reports concerning transactions and performance of each Fund, reports regarding compliance with the Trust’s procedures pursuant to Rules 17e-1, 17a-7, 10f-3 and 12d3-1 under the Investment Company Act, Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act, compliance with investment guidelines and restrictions, trade errors, liquidity determinations, and compliance with the Lead Adviser’s Code of Ethics, and such other procedures or requirements that the Manager may reasonably request from time to time ;
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(p) promptly review the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Funds, and any amendments or supplements thereto, provided to the Lead Adviser by the Manager which relate to the Lead Adviser or the Funds and confirm that, with respect to the disclosure respecting or relating to the Lead Adviser or the Funds, including any performance information the Lead Adviser provides that is included in or serves as the basis for information included in the prospectus or statement of additional information, to the Lead Adviser’s knowledge such prospectus or statement of additional information contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Lead Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager immediately of any material fact known to the Lead Adviser respecting or relating to the Lead Adviser that is not contained in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or of any statement respecting or relating to the Lead Adviser contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect. With respect to the disclosure respecting each Fund, the Lead Adviser represents and agrees that the description in the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information regarding investment objectives and strategies is consistent with the manner in which the Lead Adviser and any Underlying Adviser intends to manage the Funds, and the description of risks is consistent with risks known to the Lead Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Lead Adviser and any Underlying Adviser intends to manage the Funds. The Lead Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager immediately in the event that the Lead Adviser becomes aware that the prospectus or statement of additional information for a Fund is inconsistent in any material respect with the manner in which the Lead Adviser or any Underlying Adviser is managing the Fund, and in the event that the principal risks description is inconsistent in any material respect with the risks known to the Lead Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Lead Adviser or any Underlying Adviser is managing the Fund. In addition, the Lead Adviser agrees to comply with the Manager’s reasonable request for information regarding the personnel of the Lead Adviser who are responsible for allocation and reallocation of a Fund’s assets among the Underlying Advisers as may be required to be disclosed in the prospectus or statement of additional information;
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(q) upon request, provide certifications to the principal executive and financial officers of the Trust (the “certifying officers”) that support the certifications required to be made by the certifying officers in connection with the preparation and/or filing of the Trust’s Form N-CSRs, N-Qs, shareholder reports, financial statements, and other disclosure documents or regulatory filings, in such form and content as the Trust shall reasonably request or in accordance with procedures adopted by the Trust in accordance with applicable law or regulation; and
(r) provide the Manager with such other compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be reasonably necessary.
4. Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Lead Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Funds and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Lead Adviser, including the Underlying Advisers, with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Funds for which market prices are not readily available.
5. Compensation of the Lead Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Lead Adviser as provided in Sections 1, 2, 3 and 4 of this Agreement, the Manager shall pay to the Lead Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule A attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be accrued daily and paid to the Lead Adviser monthly in arrears within fifteen (15) business days of the end of the month, and the Manager shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule A to the average daily net assets of the specified Funds during the relevant month. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule A, there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule A. The Manager is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Lead Adviser. If the Agreement is terminated prior to the end of any month, the accrued compensation shall be paid through the date of termination.
The Lead Adviser agrees that the Compensation of the Lead Adviser will be the lowest fee schedule in basis points, inclusive of fees paid to Underlying Advisers, offered by the Lead Adviser to any Similar Fund (as defined below). A “Similar Fund” shall include any open-end investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of the same or smaller size than the Funds that (i) has investment objectives and strategies that are substantially similar to those of the Funds; (ii) would reasonably be expected to be placed in the same Morningstar investment strategy (i.e., Long/Short Equity) as the Funds; and (iii) employs (i) two or more Underlying Advisers employed by the Funds if five or fewer Underlying Advisers manage assets of the Funds or (ii) three or more Underlying Advisers employed by the Funds if six or more Underlying Advisors manage assets of the Funds. A “Similar Fund” shall not include: (i) customized institutional accounts managed by the Lead Adviser; (ii) closed-end investment companies; or (iii) investment companies that are used exclusively in variable insurance products.
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The Lead Adviser shall bear all expenses incurred by it and its staff with respect to all activities in connection with the performance of the Lead Adviser’s services under this Agreement, including but not limited to personnel, salaries, benefits, overhead, travel, preparation of reports office space, furnishings and equipment. Upon request by the Manager, the Lead Adviser agrees to reimburse the Manager for reasonable costs associated with certain supplements to the Fund’s disclosure documents (“Supplements”). Such Supplements are those generated due to changes with respect to the Lead Adviser requiring prompt disclosure in the Trust’s prospectus, statement of additional information, and/or information statement and for which, at the time of notification by the Lead Adviser to the Manager of such changes, the Trust is not already generating a supplement for other purposes or for which the Manager may not be able to reasonably add such changes to a pending supplement. Such changes with respect to the Lead Adviser include, but are not limited to, changes to its structure, to key investment personnel, to investment style or management. Such changes with respect to the Lead Adviser do not include changes associated with its recommendations concerning Underlying Advisers pursuant to Paragraph 2(d). The Lead Adviser shall reimburse the Manager or the Trust, as applicable, for all of the reasonable costs associated with generating such Supplements, and/or any required Board meeting other than a regularly scheduled Board meeting and/or reasonable proxy expenses related to approving a change in control of the Lead Adviser. Reimbursable costs may include, but are not limited to, reasonable costs of preparation, filing, printing, postage, and/or distribution of such Supplements to all existing Fund shareholders. Such reimbursement shall only be required when the costs incurred in preparing the Supplement relate to changes requiring prompt disclosure that arise directly and exclusively from actions taken by the Lead Adviser independently of any request, direction or instruction by the Manager or the Board or any change in applicable law or regulation.
6. Other Services . At the request of the Manager, the Lead Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Lead Adviser and billed to the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Lead Adviser and the Manager.
7. Reports . The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the Lead Adviser (but only to the extent such information is applicable to Lead Adviser) agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, statements of additional information, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, financial statements (only in a mutually agreeable manner), and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request. The receiving party acknowledges that these reports may include confidential information and agrees not to share such information with a third-party without the consent of the party providing the report unless otherwise required by law, rule or regulation. Notwithstanding the above, financial statements will, under normal conditions, be furnished only during the contract renewal process and as otherwise reasonably requested by the Board or as agreed to from time to time.
8. Status of Lead Adviser . Except as otherwise agreed to by the parties, the services of the Lead Adviser to the Funds are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Lead Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as the Lead Adviser duly performs all obligations to the Funds under this Agreement without impairment.
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9. Certain Records . The Lead Adviser will maintain all accounts, books and records pertaining to its advisory services hereunder as are required pursuant to the Investment Company Act, the Advisers Act, the CEA and the rules and regulations under each such Act. Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company that are prepared or maintained by the Lead Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager on request, provided that the Lead Adviser shall be entitled to retain a copy of such records if it is legally required to do so.
10. Liability of the Lead Adviser . In the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations or duties hereunder on the part of the Lead Adviser, the Lead Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, the Funds or to any shareholder of the Funds or any third party for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any investment by a Fund.
11 . Indemnification
A. | The Lead Adviser shall indemnify and hold harmless the Trust, the Manager, any affiliated person of the Manager within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Manager or Trust, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses) (collectively, “Claims”), to which the Manager or Trust or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of the Lead Adviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of its duties under this Agreement in the performance of its obligations under this Agreement provided, however, that the Lead Adviser’s obligation under this Section 11A shall be reduced to the extent that such Claim is caused by or is otherwise directly related to (i) any material breach by the Manager of its representations or warranties made herein, (ii) any willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the Manager, its affiliated person or controlling person in the performance of any of its or their duties or obligations hereunder, or (iii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the registration statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the omission to state therein a material fact known to the Manager that was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, unless such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished to the Manager or the Trust by the Lead Adviser. The indemnification in this Section 11A shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
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B. | The Manager shall indemnify and hold harmless the Lead Adviser, any affiliated person of the Lead Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Lead Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses) (collectively, “Claims”), to which the Lead Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of the Manager’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of its duties under this Agreement in the performance of its obligations under this Agreement provided, however, that the Manager’s obligation under this Section 11B shall be reduced to the extent that such Claim is caused by or is otherwise directly related to (i) any material breach by the Lead Adviser of its representations or warranties made herein, (ii) any willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the Lead Adviser, its affiliated person or controlling person in the performance of any of its or their duties or obligations hereunder, or (iii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the registration statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the omission to state therein a material fact known to the Lead Adviser that was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, unless such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished to the Lead Adviser by the Manager. The indemnification in this Section 11B shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
C. | A party seeking indemnification hereunder (the “Indemnified Party”) will (i) provide prompt notice to the other of any Claim for which it intends to seek indemnification, (ii) grant control of the defense and/or settlement of the Claim to the other party, and (iii) cooperate with the other party in the defense thereof. The Indemnified Party will have the right at its own expense to participate in the defense of any Claim, but will not have the right to control the defense, consent to judgment or agree to the settlement of any Claim without the written consent of the other party. The party providing the indemnification will not consent to the entry of any judgment or enter any settlement which (i) does not include, as an unconditional term, the release by the claimant of all liabilities for Claims against the Indemnified Party or (ii) which otherwise adversely affects the rights of the Indemnified Party. |
D. | No party will be liable to another party for consequential damages under any provision of this Agreement. |
12. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Lead Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Lead Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Lead Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed in the Trust’s registration statement as required by law.
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13. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its execution as to each Fund and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Fund; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Fund fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Lead Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be “specifically approved at least annually” shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager upon not less than 30 days nor more than (60) sixty days prior notice to the Lead Adviser, by vote of the Board of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund upon not less than 30 days nor more than (60) sixty days written notice to the Lead Adviser, or by the Lead Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on sixty (60) days written notice to the Manager. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment.
A notice period provided in this Section may be waived by the party required to be notified, in their absolute discretion.
As used in this Section 13, the terms “assignment”, “interested persons”, and a “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
14. Severability . If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, statute, rule or otherwise, such provision will be modified, rewritten or interpreted to include as much of its nature and scope as will render it enforceable. If it cannot be so modified, rewritten or interpreted to be valid and enforceable in any respect, it will not be given effect, and the remainder of the Agreement will be enforced as if such provision had never been included.
15. Amendments . No provision of this Agreement may be changed, waived, discharged or terminated orally, but only by an instrument in writing signed by the party against which enforcement of the change, waiver, discharge or termination is sought, and no material amendment of this Agreement as to a given Fund shall be effective until approved by the Board and such Fund’s shareholders to the extent required by the Investment Company Act.
16. Miscellaneous
(a) | Governing Law . This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas, without giving effect to the conflicts of laws principles thereof, and in accordance with the Investment Company Act. To the extent that the applicable laws of the State of Texas conflict with the applicable provisions of the Investment Company Act, the latter shall control. |
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(b) | Use of Name . Lead Adviser authorizes the Manager’s use of the Lead Adviser’s service marks and/or trademarks in connection with the marketing of the Fund(s), including but not limited to, the Fund(s)’ registration statements and fact sheets. In addition, the Manager acknowledges and agrees that it has no rights in or to the Lead Adviser’s name beyond the limited use rights granted herein. |
(c) | Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts (including executed counterparts delivered and exchanged by facsimile or electronic transmission), each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement. For all purposes, signatures delivered and exchanged by facsimile or electronic transmission shall be binding and effective to the same extent as original signatures. |
(d) | No Implied Waiver . Either party’s failure to insist in any one or more instances upon strict performance by the other party of the terms of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any continuing or subsequent failure to perform or delay in performance of any term hereof. |
(e) | Headings . Headings used in this Agreement are provided for convenience only and shall not be used to construe meaning or intent. |
(f) | Notices . Any notices required to be given hereunder may be delivered by hand, facsimile, deposited with a nationally recognized overnight carrier, or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, in each case, to the address of the other party listed below (or such other address as may be furnished by a party in accordance with this paragraph). All such notices or communications shall be deemed to have been given and received (a) in the case of personal delivery or email, on the date of such delivery, (b) in the case of delivery by a nationally recognized overnight carrier, the earlier of (i) the date of receipt or (ii) the third business day following dispatch and (c) in the case of mailing, on the seventh business day following such mailing. All such notices shall be delivered to: |
A. | If to the Manager: |
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
220 East Las Colinas Blvd.
Suite 1200
Irving, TX 75039
Attention: Chief Investment Officer
Facsimile: (817) 391-6131
with a copy to General Counsel at the same address.
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B. | If to the Lead Adviser |
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P.
900 North Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
Attention; General Counsel with a copy to Client Services at the same address
Email: legal@gcmlp.com; client.services@gcmlp.com
16. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Lead Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Fund, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Fund. The Lead Adviser further agrees that it shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Fund, nor from the Board or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this instrument to be executed by their officers designated below as of the day and year first above written.
AMERICAN BEACON ADVISORS, INC. | ||||
By: | ||||
Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | ||||
Chief Operating Officer | ||||
GROSVENOR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, L.P. | ||||
By: | ||||
Paul Meister | ||||
Vice Chairman |
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SCHEDULE A
TO
LEAD INVESTMEnT ADVISORY Agreement
I. Funds
American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund
II. Lead Advisory Fees
As compensation pursuant to Paragraph 5 of the Lead Investment Advisory Agreement for services rendered pursuant to such Agreement the Manager shall pay the Lead Adviser a fee, computed daily and paid monthly, at the annual rate of [ ]% of each applicable Fund’s average daily net assets.
Dated: September ___ , 2015 |
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Exhibit (d)(2)(MM)
Execution Copy
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this _____ day of ______________, 2015, by and among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the “Manager”), Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., an Illinois Limited Partnership (the “Lead Adviser”) and Basswood Capital Management, L.L.C., a Delaware Limited Liability Company (the “Underlying Adviser”);
WHEREAS, the American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the “Trust”), is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“Investment Company Act”), consisting of several series of shares, each having its own assets and investment objective(s), policies and restrictions; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the oversight of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”); and
WHEREAS, the Trust’s agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its responsibilities thereunder; and
WHEREAS, the Manager has retained the Lead Adviser to provide services to one or more series of shares of the Trust, subject to the oversight of the Board; and
WHEREAS, the Manager’s agreement with the Lead Adviser provides that the Lead Adviser may recommend Underlying Advisers to the Manager and the Board to manage all or a portion of the assets of a series of shares of the Trust; and
WHEREAS, the Underlying Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Advisers Act”); and
WHEREAS, the Manager and the Lead Adviser desire to retain the Underlying Adviser to render investment management services with respect to certain of the Trust’s series of shares as the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the “Funds”) and as described in the Trust’s registration statement (“Registration Statement”) on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Underlying Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Appointment and Duties of the Underlying Adviser . Subject to the overall policies, direction and review of the Board, the Manager and the Lead Adviser hereby appoint the Underlying Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Funds’ assets as is designated by the Lead Adviser from time to time (the “Allocated Portion”), and, with respect to such Allocated Portion, to continuously review and administer the investment program of the Funds, to determine in the Underlying Adviser’s discretion the securities, commodity interests and other investments to be purchased, retained or sold, to provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser and the Trust with records concerning the Underlying Adviser’s activities with respect to the Funds which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports, as described herein, to the Manager, the Lead Adviser and to the Trust’s officers and Trustees concerning the Underlying Adviser’s discharge of the foregoing responsibilities.
2. Acceptance of Appointment; Standard of Performance . The Underlying Adviser accepts such appointment and agrees to discharge its responsibilities as a discretionary adviser of the Allocated Portion of the Funds and agrees to act in the best interests of each Fund and will perform its duties hereunder for each Fund in conformity with (a) all applicable securities laws, including but not limited to, the Investment Company Act, the Advisers Act, and the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (“CEA”), the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”), and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations under each such act, and (b) the terms of this Agreement.
3. Services of Underlying Adviser . In providing discretionary management services to the Allocated Portion of the Funds, the Underlying Adviser shall be subject to the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of the Trust as they apply to the Funds and as set forth in the Trust’s then current prospectus and statement of additional information filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as part of the Trust’s Registration Statement, as may be periodically amended and made available in advance to the Underlying Adviser by the Manager, and to the investment restrictions set forth in the Investment Company Act and the Rules thereunder, and subject to the Manager’s oversight, the Lead Adviser’s direction and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Board may from time to time establish, and to investment guidelines, investment policies and investment restrictions (as amended from time to time, the “Investment Guidelines”) communicated in writing by the Lead Adviser to the Underlying Adviser. The Underlying Adviser shall not, without the Manager’s and Lead Adviser’s prior written approval, effect any transactions that would cause the Allocated Portion of the Funds at the time of the transaction to be out of compliance with any of such restrictions or policies or the Investment Guidelines applicable to the Allocated Portion. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, the Underlying Adviser may rely solely on the Lead Adviser’s prior written approval to effect transactions that would cause the Allocated Portion of the Funds at the time of the transaction to be out of compliance with investment guidelines, investment policies and investment restrictions not established or approved by the Board or otherwise required by the Trust’s Registration Statement. Furthermore, the Underlying Adviser shall ensure compliance with all such restrictions or policies or the Investment Guidelines applicable to the Allocated Portion on a daily basis. Except as expressly set forth in this Agreement, the Underlying Adviser shall not be responsible for aspects of the Fund’s investment program other than managing the Allocated Portion in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
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4. Transaction Procedures .
A. | All transactions for the Allocated Portion of the Funds shall be consummated by payment to, or delivery by, the custodian(s) from time to time designated by the Trust (the “Custodian”), or such depositories or agents as may be designated by the Custodian in writing, of all cash and/or securities and other property due to or from the Funds. The Underlying Adviser shall not have possession or custody of such cash and/or securities or other property or any responsibility or liability with respect to such custody. The Underlying Adviser shall advise the Custodian of all investment orders for the Allocated Portion of the Funds placed by it with brokers and dealers at the time and in the manner set forth, as amended from time to time, by the custodian and made available to the Underlying Adviser. Except to the extent the Fund incurs an overdraft fee or other penalty as a result of the Underlying Adviser’s act or omission or breach of this agreement, the Trust, or its designee, shall be responsible for all custodial arrangements and the payment of all custodial charges and fees, and, upon giving proper instructions to the Custodian, the Underlying Adviser shall have no responsibility or liability with respect to custodial arrangements or the act, omissions or other conduct of the Custodian. |
B. | With respect to any of the Allocated Portion of a Fund’s assets, the Lead Adviser will monitor daily cash inflows and outflows, and select the appropriate cash management investment vehicles and the Manager will administer the Fund’s interfund credit facility. The Lead Adviser will instruct the Custodian to hold and/or transfer the Funds’ assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Lead Adviser. (For this purpose, the term “Proper Instructions” shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its Custodian, but generally refers to a writing by the representatives of the Lead Adviser (or Underlying Adviser as applicable) who have been authorized by the Trust’s Board from time to time to provide instructions to the Trust’s custodian. For the purpose of clarification, “Proper Instructions” can be instructions in any format, including without limitation, electronic instructions that are agreed upon by the Lead Adviser and the Custodian.) |
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C. | The Underlying Adviser may, with prior notice to the Funds, the Manager and the Lead Adviser, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Underlying Adviser herein: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents including without limitation, futures and options transactions, brokerage agreements, clearing agreements, account documentation, futures and option agreements, swap agreements, and other investment related agreements required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Funds. Such documentation includes, but may not be limited to, any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein. The Underlying Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Manager and the Lead Adviser to make all elections required in such agreements, instruments and documentation and make and receive all related notices from brokers or other counterparties. The Manager and the Lead Adviser also authorize the Underlying Adviser as agent and attorney-in-fact to make transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts on margin, for the Funds, and authorize each broker with whom the Underlying Adviser makes such transactions to follow its instructions with respect to such transactions. The Manager understands and the Lead Adviser understands and agrees that the Underlying Adviser will (i) determine that such transactions are permitted before instructing a broker to enter into such transactions and that any broker receiving an order for any such transaction will have no independent obligation to ensure that the transactions are consistent with the Trust’s registration statement or the Funds’ investment guidelines; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Underlying Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are consistent with the relevant Fund’s Investment Guidelines; (b) the Underlying Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Fund under such documentation; and (c) the Underlying Adviser shall monitor the counterparty risk associated with each such counterparty and immediately notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser of any counterparty risk event or event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Fund under documentation with such counterparty. The Underlying Adviser further shall have the authority to provide Proper Instructions to the Custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Funds, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Funds; and (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Funds with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit of margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer to or segregation within an account maintained for a Fund by its Custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Underlying Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Underlying Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Underlying Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement. |
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5. Allocation of Brokerage . The Underlying Adviser shall have authority and discretion to select brokers and dealers to execute transactions for the Allocated Portion of the Funds initiated by the Underlying Adviser, and to select the markets on or in which the transactions will be executed in accordance with its brokerage polices as set forth in the Underlying Adviser’s Form ADV, policies, procedures and the Investment Guidelines, as appropriate, and as provided to the Manager and/or Lead Adviser upon request (together the “Allocation Procedures and Guidelines”).
A. | In placing orders for the sale and purchase of securities for the Allocated Portion of the Funds, the Underlying Adviser’s primary responsibility shall be to seek the “best execution” of orders as defined in the Registration Statement, as amended from time to time. Except as otherwise provided for in this Agreement, the Underlying Adviser agrees that, in placing any orders with selected brokers and dealers, the Underlying Adviser will act in accordance with the Underlying Adviser’s “best execution” practices and policies as set as set forth in its Allocation Procedures and Guidelines. However, this responsibility shall not obligate the Underlying Adviser to solicit competitive bids for each transaction or to seek the lowest available commission cost to the Allocated Portion of the Funds, as long as the Underlying Adviser reasonably believes that the broker or dealer selected by it can be expected to obtain a “best execution” market price on the particular transaction and determines in good faith that the commission cost is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services (as defined in Section 28(e)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) provided by such broker or dealer to the Underlying Adviser, viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or of the Underlying Adviser’s overall responsibilities with respect to its clients, including the Allocated Portion of the Funds, as to which the Underlying Adviser exercises investment discretion, notwithstanding that the Allocated Portion of the Funds may not be the direct or exclusive beneficiary of any such services or that another broker may be willing to charge the Allocated Portion of the Funds a lower commission on the particular transaction. |
B. | Pursuant to the terms of the Underlying Adviser’s allocation policies as set forth in the Underlying Adviser’s Allocation Procedures and Guidelines, (i) the Underlying Adviser may manage other portfolios and expects that the Allocated Portion of the Funds and other portfolios the Underlying Adviser manages will, from time to time, purchase or sell the same securities. The Underlying Adviser may aggregate orders for the purchase or sale of securities on behalf of the Allocated Portion of the Funds with orders on behalf of other portfolios the Underlying Adviser manages and (ii) securities purchased or proceeds of securities sold through aggregated orders, as well as expenses incurred in the transaction, shall be allocated to the account of each portfolio managed by the Underlying Adviser that bought or sold such securities in a manner considered by the Underlying Adviser to be equitable and consistent with the Underlying Adviser’s fiduciary obligations in respect of the Allocated Portion of the Funds and to such other accounts. The Manager acknowledges that while the Trust and other accounts may invest in the same type of securities, the Underlying Adviser may give advice or exercise investment responsibility and take such other action with respect to such other accounts which may differ from advice given or the timing or nature of action taken with respect to the Allocated Portion based on, among other factors, the respective investment guidelines and objectives, cash inflows/outflows or applicable tax or regulatory considerations. |
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C. | The Underlying Adviser shall not execute any transactions for the Allocated Portion of the Funds with a broker or dealer that is an “affiliated person” (as defined in the Investment Company Act) of (i) the Funds; (ii) another Fund of the Trust; (iii) the Manager; (iv) the Underlying Adviser or any other Underlying Adviser (including the Lead Adviser) to the Funds; (v) a principal underwriter of the Trust’s shares; or (vi) any other affiliated person of the Funds, in each case, unless such transactions are permitted by applicable law or regulation and carried out in compliance with any applicable policies and procedures of the Trust. The Trust, or its designee, shall provide the Underlying Adviser with a list of brokers and dealers that are “affiliated persons” of the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the principal underwriter, and applicable policies and procedures. Upon the request of the Manager, the Underlying Adviser shall promptly, and in any event within three business days of a request, indicate whether any entity identified by the Manager in such request is an “affiliated person,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act, of (i) the Underlying Adviser or (ii) any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser, subject in each case to any confidentiality requirements applicable to the Underlying Adviser and/or its affiliates. Further, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Manager with a list of (x) each broker-dealer entity that is an “affiliated person,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act, of the Underlying Adviser and (y) each affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser that has outstanding publicly-issued debt or equity. Each of the Manager and the Underlying Adviser agrees promptly to update such list(s) whenever the Manager or the Underlying Adviser becomes aware of any changes that should be added to or deleted from such list of affiliated persons; provided, however, that the Underlying Adviser shall not be bound by any update, modification or amendment of such list(s) unless and until the Underlying Adviser has been provided with an amended list(s). |
D. | Consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Trust in respect of the Allocated Portion of the Funds and the requirements set forth herein, the Underlying Adviser may, under certain circumstances, arrange to have purchase and sale transactions effected between the Allocated Portion of the Funds and another account managed by the Underlying Adviser (“cross transactions”), provided that such transactions are carried out in accordance with applicable law or regulation and any applicable policies and procedures of the Trust. The Trust, or its designee, has provided the Underlying Adviser with such applicable policies and procedures. |
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6. Valuation . In accordance with procedures established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, with respect to the Allocated Portion of the Funds’ assets, the Underlying Adviser will (i) provide reasonable assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Funds, and (ii) use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Underlying Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Funds for which market prices are not readily available, and (iii) monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Funds for significant events that could potentially affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities. The Underlying Adviser will maintain adequate records with respect to securities valuation information provided hereunder, and shall provide such information to the Lead Adviser or the Manager upon request.
7. Compliance and Other Matters . The Underlying Adviser, at its expense, shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Underlying Adviser also represents, warrants and covenants that:
A. | It is duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, and is qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which failure to be so qualified would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect upon it, and it will continue to be so organized and in good standing for so long as this Agreement remains in effect. |
B. | It (i) is registered as an “investment adviser” with the SEC under the Advisers Act and will continue to be so registered or licensed for so long as this Agreement remains in effect; (ii) is not prohibited by the Investment Company Act or the Advisers Act from performing the services contemplated by this Agreement; (iii) has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act; (iv) has adopted written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Advisers Act from occurring, and correct promptly any violations that have occurred, and will provide notice promptly to the Manager of any material violations relating to the Trust; (v) has materially met and will seek to continue to meet for so long as this Agreement remains in effect, any other applicable federal or state requirements, or the applicable requirements of any regulatory or industry self-regulatory agency. |
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C. | It is registered as a commodity trading advisor with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a member in good standing of the U.S. National Futures Association (the “NFA”) or duly exempt from such registration and it will maintain such registration or exemption continuously during the term of this Agreement or, alternatively, will become a commodity trading advisor duly registered with the CFTC and will be a member in good standing with the NFA. |
D. | The Underlying Adviser will immediately notify the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser of the occurrence of any event which would disqualify the Underlying Adviser from serving as an investment adviser of an investment company pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Company Act or otherwise. The Underlying Adviser will also notify the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if it is served or otherwise receives notice of any action lawsuit, formal regulatory proceeding, investigation involving an actual or alleged violation of applicable law, rule or regulation, at law or in equity, before or by any court, public board or body, including but not limited to the SEC and the CFTC, involving the affairs of the Fund. |
E. | To the best of its knowledge, there are no material pending, threatened, or contemplated actions, lawsuits, formal proceedings, or formal investigations before or by any court, governmental, administrative or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel to which the Underlying Adviser or any of its directors, officers, employees, partners, shareholders, members or principals, or any of its affiliates is a party or to which it or its affiliates or any of its or its affiliates’ assets are subject, nor has the Underlying Adviser or any of its affiliates received any notice of a formal investigation by any court, governmental, administrative, or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel regarding any of its or their activities, which might reasonably be expected to result in (i) a material adverse effect on the Trust or (ii) a material adverse change in the Underlying Adviser’s condition (financial or otherwise) or business, or which might reasonably be expected to materially impair the Underlying Adviser’s ability to discharge its obligations under this Agreement. The Underlying Adviser will also notify the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if the representation in this subsection E is no longer accurate. |
F. | It will, at all times, provide its best judgment and effort to the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Trust in carrying out its obligations hereunder. |
G. | It will use the same care and skill in providing such services as it uses in providing services to other non-ERISA accounts for which it has investment management responsibilities; |
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H. | It will (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Lead Adviser, the Trust’s administrator, Custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Funds, the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Funds, the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Underlying Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Underlying Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Funds, including without limitation, compliance with all applicable recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the CFTC and comparable rules of the SEC (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”); |
I. | It shall maintain a written code of ethics (“Code of Ethics”) complying with the requirements of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act and shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current copy of the Code of Ethics and evidence of its adoption. The Underlying Adviser shall institute procedures reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons (as defined in Rule 17j-1), from violating its Code of Ethics. Each calendar quarter while this Agreement is in effect, a duly authorized compliance officer of the Underlying Adviser shall certify to the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser that the Underlying Adviser has complied with the requirements of Rules 204A-1 and 17j-1 during the previous calendar quarter and that there has been no material violation of its Code of Ethics, or of Rule 17j-1(b), or that, to the best of its knowledge, any persons covered under its Code of Ethics has divulged or acted upon any material, non-public information, as such term is defined under relevant securities laws, and if such a violation of its Code of Ethics has occurred, that appropriate action was taken in response to such violation. Except as prohibited by applicable law, the Underlying Adviser shall notify the Manager and Lead Adviser as soon as is reasonably practicable of any material violation of the Code of Ethics involving the Trust. Upon written request of the Manager or the Lead Adviser, the Underlying Adviser shall permit the Manager and/or Lead Adviser, during normal business hours, to examine the reports required to be made by the Adviser under Rules 204A-1(b) and 17j-1(d)(1) and the Code of Ethics and other records evidencing enforcement of the Code of Ethics. Further, the Underlying Adviser represents that it has policies and procedures regarding the detection and prevention of the misuse of material, nonpublic information by the Underlying Adviser and its employees. Annually, the Underlying Adviser shall furnish to the Trust and the Manager a written report which complies with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 concerning the Underlying Adviser’s Code of Ethics. |
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J. | It has adopted and implemented, and throughout the term of this Agreement shall maintain in effect and implement, policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent, detect and correct violations by the Underlying Adviser and its supervised persons of “federal securities laws” (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the Act) with respect to the services to be provided by the Underlying Adviser pursuant to this Agreement, and that the Underlying Adviser has provided the Trust with true and complete copies of its policies and procedures (or summaries thereof) and related information reasonably requested by the Trust and/or the Manager or Lead Adviser. The Underlying Adviser agrees, upon reasonable request, to cooperate with periodic reviews by the Trust’s and/or the Manager’s compliance personnel of the Underlying Adviser’s policies and procedures, their operation and implementation and other compliance matters and to provide to the Trust and/or the Manager from time to time such additional information and certifications in respect of the Underlying Adviser’s policies and procedures, compliance by the Underlying Adviser with federal securities laws and related matters, with respect to the services to be provided by the Underlying Adviser pursuant to this Agreement, as the Trust’s and/or the Manager’s compliance personnel may reasonably request. The Underlying Adviser agrees to promptly notify the Manager of any compliance violations which affect the Allocated Portion of the Funds. |
K. | It shall comply with the Trust’s policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Funds as described in the Trust’s current Registration Statement, and upon request from the Manager or the Lead Adviser, provide a certification to the Manager or the Lead Adviser with respect to compliance with the Fund’s selective disclosure policy; |
L. | It shall treat confidentially and as proprietary all records and other information relating to the Funds, and not use records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Manager and the Lead Adviser or when so requested by the Manager or the Lead Adviser or required by law or regulation, or requested or required by any applicable government, regulatory or self-regulatory authority; notwithstanding the foregoing, the Underlying Adviser may disclose the total return earned by the Allocated Portion of the Funds and may include such total return in the calculation of Underlying Adviser’s composite performance information. Furthermore, Underlying Adviser may not consult with any other Underlying Adviser of a Fund concerning transactions in securities or other assets for any Fund of the Trust, including the Fund managed by the Underlying Adviser, except that such consultations are permitted between the current Underlying Adviser and successor Underlying Adviser of a Fund in order to effect an orderly transition of sub-advisory duties so long as such consultations are not concerning transactions prohibited by Section 17(a) of the Investment Company Act. |
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M. | It shall promptly notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser of any impending change of a portfolio manager, portfolio management strategy or any other material development which the Underlying Adviser is reasonably required to disclose to the Funds under applicable securities law, rules or regulation or that may require disclosure to the Board and/or shareholders of the Funds; |
N. | It shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current and complete copy of the Underlying Adviser’s Form ADV, and any supplements or amendments thereto and, if required by the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936, as amended, or the rules and regulations thereunder promulgated by the CFTC, the Underlying Adviser shall provide Lead Adviser and the Trust with a copy of its most recent CFTC disclosure document as from time to time required thereby or a written explanation of the reason why it is not required to deliver such a disclosure document; |
O. | It shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current list of persons the Underlying Adviser wishes to have authorized to give instructions to the Trust’s Custodian regarding assets of the Funds; |
P. | It shall be responsible for the filing of Schedule 13D/13G and Form 13F, and any non-U.S. securities filing equivalents of these filings, with regard to holdings of the Allocated Portion over which the Adviser and its affiliates have investment and/or voting discretion; |
Q. | It shall provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Lead Adviser, the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held within the Funds managed by the Underlying Adviser; |
R. | It shall promptly notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser if the Underlying Adviser or any “affiliated person,” as defined in Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, of the Underlying Adviser is or has been permanently or temporarily enjoined by reason of any misconduct, by order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction or regulatory authority, from acting as an investment adviser or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity or in connection with the purchase or sale of any security, as set forth in Section 9 of the Investment Company Act; |
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S. | It shall regularly report to the Manager and the Lead Adviser on the investment program for the Funds and the issuers and securities represented in the Funds, and furnish the Manager and the Lead Adviser, with respect to the Funds, such periodic and special reports as the Manager and the Lead Adviser may reasonably request, including, but not limited to, reports concerning transactions and performance of each Fund, reports regarding compliance with the Trust’s procedures pursuant to Rules 17e-1, 17a-7, 10f-3 and 12d3-1 under the Investment Company Act, Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act, compliance with Investment Guidelines and restrictions, trade errors, liquidity determinations, and compliance with the Underlying Adviser’s Code of Ethics, and such other procedures or requirements that the Manager and the Lead Adviser may reasonably request from time to time; |
T. | It shall promptly review the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Funds, and any amendments or supplements thereto, provided to the Underlying Adviser by the Manager or the Lead Adviser which relate to the Underlying Adviser or the Funds and confirm that, with respect to the disclosure respecting or relating to the Underlying Adviser or the Funds, including any performance information the Underlying Adviser provides that is included in or serves as the basis for information included in the prospectus or statement of additional information, such prospectus or statement of additional information contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Underlying Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser immediately of any material fact known to the Underlying Adviser respecting or relating to the Underlying Adviser that is not contained in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, and is reasonably required to be contained therein by applicable securities law, and the omission of which from the prospectus or statement of additional information renders such document materially misleading, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or of any statement respecting or relating to the Underlying Adviser contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect. With respect to the disclosure respecting each Fund, the Underlying Adviser represents and agrees that the description in the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information regarding investment objectives and strategies is consistent with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser intends to manage the Funds, and the description of risks is consistent with risks known to the Underlying Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser intends to manage the Funds. The Underlying Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser immediately in the event that the Underlying Adviser becomes aware that the prospectus or statement of additional information for a Fund is inconsistent in any material respect with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser is managing the Fund, and in the event that the principal risks description is inconsistent in any material respect with the risks known to the Underlying Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser is managing the Fund. In addition, the Underlying Adviser agrees to comply with the Manager and the Lead Adviser’s reasonable request for information regarding the personnel of the Underlying Adviser who are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Trust’s assets as may be required to be disclosed in the prospectus or statement of additional information; |
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U. | Upon request, provide certifications to the principal executive and financial officers of the Trust (the “certifying officers”) that support the certifications required to be made by the certifying officers in connection with the preparation and/or filing of the Trust’s Form N-CSRs, N-Qs, shareholder reports, financial statements, and other disclosure documents or regulatory filings, in such form and content as the Trust shall reasonably request or in accordance with procedures adopted by the Trust; and |
V. | It shall timely provide to the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Trust, all information and documentation they may reasonably request as necessary or appropriate in order for the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Board to oversee the activities of the Underlying Adviser and in connection with the compliance by any of them with the requirements of this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the policies and procedures referenced herein, and any applicable law, including, without limitation, (i) information and commentary relating to the Underlying Adviser or the Allocated Portion of the Funds for the Trust’s annual and semi-annual reports (for the avoidance of doubt, such commentary shall only be required in respect of the Trust’s annual report), in a format reasonably approved by the Manager, together with (A) a certification that such information and commentary discuss all of the factors that materially affected the performance of the Funds with respect to the Allocated Portion, including the relevant market conditions and the investment techniques and strategies used and (B) additional certifications related to the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Trust in order to support the Trust’s filings on Form N-CSR, Form N-Q and other applicable forms, and the Trust’s Principal Executive Officer’s and Principal Financial Officer’s certifications under Rule 30a-2 under the Investment Company Act, thereon; (ii) within 20 calendar days of a quarter-end, a quarterly certification with respect to compliance and operational matters related to the Underlying Adviser and the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds (including, without limitation, compliance with the applicable procedures), in a format reasonably requested by the Manager, as it may be amended from time to time; and (iii) an annual certification from the Underlying Adviser’s Chief Compliance Officer, appointed under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act with respect to the design and operation of the Underlying Adviser’s compliance program, in a format reasonably requested by the Manager or the Trust; |
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W. | It shall promptly notify Lead Adviser and the Manager of the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) the departure, replacement, unavailability (other than short-term unavailability) or addition of a chief financial officer or controller, chief operating officer, chief compliance officer, chief risk officer (or such other persons the responsibilities for which would reasonably be performed by a person holding one of the foregoing titles, howsoever described by Underlying Adviser) or any Key Portfolio Manager(s) responsible for the Allocated Portion of the Funds as identified from time to time, in writing and provided to the Manager and Lead Adviser, by the Underlying Adviser (each, a “Key Portfolio Manager”), (ii) any actual or expected change of a portfolio management strategy as described within the then current Prospectus or Statement of Additional Information, (iii) any actual or expected change in control or management of the Underlying Adviser or (iv) any other material development which the Underlying Adviser is required to disclose to the Funds under applicable securities law, rules or regulation or that may require disclosure to the Board and/or shareholders of the Funds ; and |
X. | It shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with such other compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be reasonably necessary. |
8. Proxies and Other Shareholder Actions .
A. | Unless otherwise directed in writing by the Manager or the Lead Adviser, the Underlying Adviser shall receive and exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Funds in the best interest of Fund shareholders and in accordance with the Underlying Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager and the Lead Adviser. The Underlying Adviser shall report to the Manager and the Lead Adviser in a timely manner, at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager or the Lead Adviser, a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Underlying Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Underlying Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager and the Lead Adviser, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations. The Manager and the Lead Adviser reserve the right to exercise voting rights on any assets held in the Funds on an individual security or ongoing basis. |
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B. | The Underlying Adviser is authorized to deal with reorganizations, exchange offers and other voluntary corporate actions with respect to securities held in the Allocated Portion of the Funds in such manner as the Underlying Adviser deems advisable, unless the Trust or the Manager otherwise specifically directs in writing. It is acknowledged and agreed that the Underlying Adviser shall not be responsible for the filing of claims (or otherwise causing the Trust to participate) in class action settlements or similar proceedings in which shareholders may participate related to securities currently or previously associated with the Allocated Portion of the Funds, however it shall provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held or previously held within the Funds managed by the Underlying Adviser. With the Manager’s approval, on a case-by-case basis the Underlying Adviser may obtain the authority and take on the responsibility to: (i) identify, evaluate and pursue legal claims, including commencing or defending suits, affecting the securities held at any time in the Allocated Portion of the Funds, including claims in bankruptcy, class action securities litigation and other litigation; (ii) participate in such litigation or related proceedings with respect to such securities as the Underlying Adviser deems appropriate to preserve or enhance the value of the Allocated Portion of the Funds, including filing proofs of claim and related documents and serving as “lead plaintiff” in class action lawsuits; (iii) exercise generally any of the powers of an owner with respect to the supervision and management of such rights or claims, including the settlement, compromise or submission to arbitration of any claims, the exercise of which the Underlying Adviser deems to be in the best interest of the Allocated Portion of the Funds or required by applicable law, including ERISA, and (iv) employ suitable agents, including legal counsel, and to pay their reasonable fees, expenses and related costs from the Allocated Portion of the Funds. |
9. Compensation of the Underlying Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Underlying Adviser as provided in Sections 1, 2, and 3 of this Agreement, the Lead Adviser shall pay to the Underlying Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule B attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be accrued daily and paid to the Underlying Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Lead Adviser shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule B to the average daily net assets of the Allocated Portion of the specified Funds during the relevant month. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule B, there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule B. The Lead Adviser is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Underlying Adviser from the fees the Lead Adviser receives from the Manager.
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The Underlying Adviser shall bear all expenses incurred by it and its staff with respect to all activities in connection with the performance of the Underlying Adviser’s services under this Agreement, including but not limited to personnel, salaries, benefits, overhead, travel, preparation of reports, office space, furnishings and equipment. Upon request by the Manager, the Underlying Adviser agrees to reimburse the Manager for costs associated with certain supplements to the Fund’s disclosure documents (“Supplements”). Such Supplements are those generated due to changes with respect to the Underlying Adviser requiring prompt disclosure in the Trust’s prospectus, statement of additional information, and/or information statement and for which, at the time of notification by the Underlying Adviser to the Manager and the Lead Adviser of such changes, the Trust is not already generating a supplement for other purposes or for which the Manager may not be able to reasonably add such changes to a pending supplement. Such changes with respect to the Underlying Adviser include, but are not limited to, changes to its structure, to key investment personnel, to investment style or management. The Underlying Adviser shall reimburse the Manager or the Trust, as applicable, for all reasonable costs associated with generating such Supplements, and/or any required Board meeting and/or proxy expenses related to approving a change in control of the Underlying Adviser. Reimbursable costs may include, but are not limited to, costs of preparation, filing, printing, postage, and/or distribution of such Supplements to all existing Fund shareholders.
10. Representations, warranties and covenants of the Manager . The Manager represents, warrants and covenants that:
A. | It is duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, and is qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which failure to be so qualified would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect upon it, and it will continue to be so organized and in good standing for so long as this Agreement remains in effect. |
B. | It (i) is registered as an “investment adviser” with the SEC under the Advisers Act and will continue to be so registered or licensed for so long as this Agreement remains in effect; (ii) is not prohibited by the Investment Company Act or the Advisers Act from performing the services contemplated by this Agreement; (iii) has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act; (iv) has adopted written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Advisers Act from occurring, and correct promptly any violations that have occurred; (v) has materially met and will seek to continue to meet for so long as this Agreement remains in effect, any other applicable federal or state requirements, or the applicable requirements of any regulatory or industry self-regulatory agency. |
C. | Although it is registered as a commodity pool operator, it is relying on the exclusion in CFTC Regulation 4.5 with respect to each Fund, has timely filed the required notice under CFTC Regulation 4.5, and will reaffirm it annually as required. |
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D. | The Manager will promptly notify the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser of the occurrence of any event which would disqualify the Manager from serving as an investment adviser of an investment company pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Company Act or otherwise. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Manager will also notify the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if it is served or otherwise receives notice of any action, suit, proceeding, or investigation, at law or in equity, before or by any court, public board or body, including but not limited to the SEC and the CFTC, involving the affairs of a Fund. |
E. | To the best of its knowledge, there are no material pending actions, suits, proceedings, or investigations before or by any court, governmental, administrative or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel to which the Manager or any of its directors, officers, employees, partners, shareholders, members or principals, or any of its affiliates is a party or to which it or its affiliates or any of its or its affiliates’ assets are subject, nor has the Manager or any of its affiliates received any notice of an investigation by any court, governmental, administrative, or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel regarding any of its or their activities, which might reasonably be expected to result in (i) a material adverse effect on the Trust or (ii) a material adverse change in the Manager’s condition (financial or otherwise) or business, which might reasonably be expected to materially impair the Manager’s ability to discharge its obligations under this Agreement. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Manager will also notify the Underlying Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if the representation in this subsection is no longer accurate. |
F. | It shall maintain a written Code of Ethics complying with the requirements of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act. The Manager shall institute procedures reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons (as defined in Rule 17j-1), from violating its Code of Ethics. Further, the Manager represents that it has policies and procedures regarding the detection and prevention of the misuse of material, nonpublic information by the Manager and its employees. |
G. | It has adopted and implemented, and throughout the term of this Agreement shall maintain in effect and implement, policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent, detect and correct violations of the Advisers Act and rules promulgated thereunder by the Manager and its supervised persons, and, to the extent the activities of the Manager in respect of the Trust could affect the Trust, by the Trust, of “federal securities laws” (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the Act) with respect to the services to be provided by the Manager pursuant to this Agreement. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Manager agrees to promptly notify the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser of any compliance violations which materially affect the Allocated Portion of the Funds. |
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H. | It shall comply with the Trust’s policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Funds as described in the Trust’s current Registration Statement. |
I. | It shall treat confidentially and as proprietary all non-public, proprietary or confidential records and other information relating to the Underlying Adviser, and shall not use such records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder or under the Investment management agreement among the Manager and the Trust or the agreement among the Lead Adviser, the Manager and the Trust, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Underlying Adviser or when so requested by the Underlying Adviser or required or requested (as advised by counsel) by law, regulation, regulation of any self-regulatory organization, court order or other judicial process. The confidentiality restrictions of this paragraph shall not apply to any records or other information that (i) is or becomes publicly available other than as a result of a disclosure by the Manager or its representatives in violation of this paragraph; (ii) is or becomes available to the Manager or its representatives from a source other than another party to this Agreement, which source, to the knowledge of the Manager or its representatives, does not have an obligation of confidentiality to another party to this Agreement with respect to such information; (iii) was already in the Manager’s possession or the possession of its representatives prior to receiving such information from another party to this Agreement; or (iv) is developed independently by the Manager or its representatives without use of such information or records. |
J. | It has reviewed the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Funds, and any amendments or supplements thereto, and confirms that the information included in such prospectus and statement of additional information, as it relates to the Funds and the Manager, contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Manager further agrees to notify the Underlying Adviser promptly of any material fact known to the Manager respecting or relating to the Funds that is not contained in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto, but which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading, or of any statement respecting or relating to the Funds contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect. |
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K. | It has procedures in place which comply with all relevant anti-money laundering and privacy principles applicable to it, and any solicitations and other activities by the Manager in connection with the Trust have been and will be conducted in accordance with applicable laws, rules and regulations. |
L. | This Agreement has been properly approved according to applicable laws, rules and regulations. |
M. | The Trust is registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act and will maintain such registration for so long as this Agreement and the Investment Management Agreement with respect to a Fund remain in effect. |
11. Representations, warranties and covenants of the Lead Adviser . The Lead Adviser represents, warrants and covenants that:
A. | It is duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, and is qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which failure to be so qualified would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect upon it, and it will continue to be so organized and in good standing for so long as this Agreement remains in effect. |
B. | This Agreement is enforceable against the Lead Adviser in accordance with its terms, subject as to enforcement to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, arrangement, moratorium, and other similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles. |
C. | It (i) is registered as an “investment adviser” with the SEC under the Advisers Act and will continue to be so registered or licensed for so long as this Agreement remains in effect; (ii) is not prohibited by the Investment Company Act or the Advisers Act from performing the services contemplated by this Agreement and the Lead Adviser Management Agreement; (iii) has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act; (iv) has adopted written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Advisers Act from occurring, and correct promptly any violations that have occurred; (v) has materially met and will seek to continue to meet for so long as this Agreement remains in effect, any other applicable federal or state requirements, or the applicable requirements of any regulatory or industry self-regulatory agency. |
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D. | It is registered as a commodity trading advisor with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a member in good standing of the U.S. National Futures Association (the “NFA”) or duly exempt from such registration and it will maintain such registration or exemptions continuously during the term of this Agreement or, alternatively, will become a commodity trading advisor duly registered with the CFTC and will be a member in good standing with the NFA. |
E. | The Lead Adviser will promptly notify the Underlying Adviser of the occurrence of any event which would disqualify the Lead Adviser from serving as an investment adviser of an investment company pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Company Act or otherwise. |
F. | To the best of its knowledge, there are no material pending actions, suits, proceedings, or investigations before or by any court, governmental, administrative or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel to which the Lead Adviser or any of its directors, officers, employees, supervised persons, partners, shareholders, members or principals, or any of its affiliates is a party or to which it or its affiliates or any of its or its affiliates’ assets are subject, nor has the Lead Adviser or any of its affiliates received any notice of an investigation by any court, governmental, administrative, or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel regarding any of its or their activities, which might reasonably be expected to result in (i) a material adverse effect on the Trust or (ii) a material adverse change in the Lead Adviser’s condition (financial or otherwise) or business, which might reasonably be expected to materially impair the Lead Adviser’s ability to discharge its obligations under this Agreement or the Lead Adviser Management Agreement. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Lead Adviser will also notify the Underlying Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if the representation in this subsection is no longer accurate. |
G. | It shall maintain a written Code of Ethics complying with the requirements of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act. The Lead Adviser shall institute procedures reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons (as defined in Rule 17j-1), from violating its Code of Ethics. Further, the Lead Adviser represents that it has policies and procedures regarding the detection and prevention of the misuse of material, nonpublic information by the Lead Adviser and its employees. |
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H. | It has adopted and implemented, and throughout the term of this Agreement shall maintain in effect and implement, policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent, detect and correct violations of the Advisers Act and rules promulgated thereunder by the Lead Adviser and its supervised persons, and, to the extent the activities of the Lead Adviser in respect of the Trust could affect the Trust, by the Trust, of “federal securities laws” (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the Act) with respect to the services to be provided by the Lead Adviser pursuant to the Lead Adviser Management Agreement. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Lead Adviser agrees to promptly notify the Underlying Adviser of any compliance violations which materially affect the Allocated Portion of the Funds. |
I. | It shall comply with the Trust’s policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Funds as described in the Trust’s current Registration Statement. |
J. | It shall treat confidentially and as proprietary all non-public, proprietary or confidential records and other information relating to the Underlying Adviser disclosed hereunder, and shall not use such records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder or under the Lead Adviser Management Agreement, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Underlying Adviser or when so requested by the Underlying Adviser or required or requested (as advised by counsel) by law, regulation, regulation of any self-regulatory organization, court order or other judicial process. The confidentiality restrictions of this paragraph shall not apply to any records or other information that (i) is or becomes publicly available other than as a result of a disclosure by the Lead Adviser or its representatives in violation of this paragraph; (ii) is or becomes available to the Lead Adviser or its representatives from a source other than another party to this Agreement, which source, to the knowledge of the Lead Adviser or its representatives, does not have an obligation of confidentiality to another party to this Agreement with respect to such information; (iii) was already in the Lead Adviser’s possession or the possession of its representatives prior to receiving such information from another party to this Agreement; (iv) is developed independently by the Lead Adviser or its representatives without use of such information or records; (v) is disclosed by the Lead Adviser for the purposes of validating performance of the Fund as a whole and the Lead Adviser’s track record; or (vi) is disclosed by the Lead Adviser to clients, prospective clients, consultants and their professional advisers, provided such persons are bound by a written confidentiality obligation. The Lead Adviser agrees that it will not use the information provided by the Underlying Adviser to trade for its own account or for the account of any other person or to try to “reverse engineer” the investment and trading methodologies and strategies of the Underlying Adviser. |
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K. | It has reviewed the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Funds, and any amendments or supplements thereto, and confirms that, to its knowledge, the information contained in such prospectus and statement of additional information, and any amendments or supplements thereto, that was furnished by the Lead Adviser or consists of statements made in reliance upon information furnished by the Lead Adviser contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Lead Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager promptly of any material fact known to the Manager respecting or relating to the Funds that is not contained in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto, but which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading, or of any statement respecting or relating to the Funds contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect |
12. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Underlying Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Underlying Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Underlying Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
13. Information and Reports .
A. | The Underlying Adviser shall keep the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser informed of developments relating to its duties as Underlying Adviser of which the Underlying Adviser has, or should have, knowledge that would materially affect the Funds. In this regard, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser and their respective officers with such periodic reports concerning the obligations the Underlying Adviser has assumed under this Agreement as the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser may from time to time reasonably request. In addition, prior to each meeting of the Board, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Board with reports regarding the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds during the most recently completed quarter, which reports: (i) shall include the Underlying Adviser’s representation that its performance of its investment management duties hereunder is in compliance with the Funds’ investment objectives and practices, the Investment Company Act and applicable rules and regulations under the Investment Company Act, and applicable Investment Guidelines provided to the Underlying Adviser by the Lead Adviser, and the diversification and minimum “good income” requirements of Subchapter M under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and (ii) otherwise shall be in such form as may be mutually agreed upon by the Underlying Adviser and the Manager and Lead Adviser. |
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B. | Each of the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser shall provide the other party with a list, to the best of their respective knowledge, of each affiliated person (and any affiliated person of such an affiliated person) of the Manager, Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser, as the case may be, and each of the Manager, Lead Adviser and Underlying Adviser agrees promptly to update and deliver such list whenever the Manager, Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser becomes aware of any changes that should be added to or deleted from the list of affiliated persons. |
C. | The Underlying Adviser shall also provide the Trust, the Manager and Lead Adviser with any information reasonably requested by the Manager or Lead Adviser regarding its management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds required for any shareholder report, amended Registration Statement, or prospectus supplement to be filed by the Trust with the SEC, and such other information with regard to its affairs as the others may reasonably request. |
D. | The Manager shall make available to the Underlying Adviser copies of the Trust prospectus, statement of additional information, and shareholder reports, and also provide the Certificate of Trust, Agreement and Declaration of Trust, Bylaws, Compliance Policies and Procedures of the Trust, and any amendments thereto. The Underlying Adviser will be provided the opportunity to review any description of the Underlying Adviser set forth in the Trust prospectus, statement of additional information and shareholder reports which will be clearly marked to indicate that they are documents of the Trust and/or the Fund rather than of the Underlying Adviser. If the Underlying Adviser ceases to furnish services to the Trust, the Trust at its expense shall, as promptly as practicable, take all necessary action to cause the Trust prospectus, statement of additional information and shareholder reports to be amended to accomplish a change of name to eliminate any reference to the Underlying Adviser, and within 60 days after such date, shall cease to use in any other manner, including use in any sales literature or promotional material, the Underlying Adviser’s name (except as necessary or reasonably desirable to identify historical service providers). |
14. Status of Underlying Adviser . The subadvisory services of the Underlying Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, although the Underlying Adviser acknowledges its fiduciary duty to the Funds, and the Underlying Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Underlying Adviser 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 Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust or any Fund in any way, and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as making the Trust, a Fund, the Manager or the Lead Adviser a partner or co-venturer with the Underlying Adviser or any of the Underlying Adviser’s affiliates. It is acknowledged and agreed that the Lead Adviser may appoint from time to time other Underlying Advisers in addition to the Underlying Adviser to manage the assets of the Funds that do not constitute the Allocated Portion and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed or interpreted to grant the Underlying Adviser an exclusive arrangement to act as the sole Underlying Adviser to the Funds. It is further acknowledged and agreed that the Manager and Lead Adviser make no commitment to designate any portion of the Funds’ assets to the Underlying Adviser as the Allocated Portion.
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15. Certain Records . The Underlying Adviser shall maintain all records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules, including without limitation those set forth in Schedule A to this Agreement, and any of such records that are prepared or maintained by the Underlying Adviser in connection with its services hereunder or otherwise on behalf of the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust are the property of the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager, the Lead Underlying Adviser or Trust on request, provided that the Underlying Adviser shall be entitled to retain a copy of such records if it is legally required to do so.
16. Liability and Indemnification by Parties
A. The Underlying Adviser shall have no liability to the Manager, Lead Adviser, the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Underlying Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser, any affiliated person of the Manager or the Lead Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Trust, the Manager or the Lead Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Underlying Adviser’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Underlying Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Underlying Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Underlying Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Underlying Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished to the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trust by the Underlying Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Underlying Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
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B. The Lead Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Lead Adviser’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Lead Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Lead Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Lead Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Lead Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished by the Lead Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Lead Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
C. The Manager agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Manager’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Underlying Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Manager or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Manager or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Manager or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was not made in reliance upon information furnished to the Manager by the Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of the Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
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D. A party seeking indemnification hereunder (the “Indemnified Party”) will (i) provide prompt notice to the other of any Claim for which it intends to seek indemnification, (ii) grant control of the defense and/or settlement of the Claim to the other party, and (iii) cooperate with the other party in the defense thereof. The Indemnified Party will have the right at its own expense to participate in the defense of any Claim, but will not have the right to control the defense, consent to judgment or agree to the settlement of any Claim without the written consent of the other party. The party providing the indemnification will not consent to the entry of any judgment or enter any settlement which (i) does not include, as an unconditional term, the release by the claimant of all liabilities for Claims against the Indemnified Party or (ii) which otherwise adversely affects the rights of the Indemnified Party.
E. No party will be liable to another party for consequential, special or punitive damages under any provision of this Agreement.
17. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Underlying Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwis e; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Underlying Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Underlying Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed in the Trust’s registration statement as required by law.
18. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its execution as to each Fund and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Fund; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Fund fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Underlying Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be “specifically approved at least annually” shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager or the Lead Adviser upon not less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days prior notice to the other parties hereto, by vote of a majority of the Board of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund on not less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days written notice to the Underlying Adviser, or by the Underlying Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on sixty (60) days written notice to the Manager and the Lead Adviser. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. For the avoidance of doubt, the Lead Adviser may from time to time, and at any time, decrease the Allocated Portion.
A notice period provided in this Section may be waived by the party(ies) required to be notified, in their absolute discretion.
As used in this Section 18, the terms “assignment”, “interested persons”, and a “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
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This Agreement may also be terminated without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, Lead Adviser or the Trust immediately by written notice to the Underlying Adviser upon: (i) a material breach by the Underlying Adviser of this Agreement which is not promptly cured (to the extent that such breach is curable); (ii) the Key Portfolio Manager(s) ceasing to be employed by the Underlying Adviser or continuing to oversee the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Funds’ assets; or (iii) the Underlying Adviser or any officer, director or Key Portfolio Manager of the Underlying Adviser being accused in any regulatory, self-regulatory or judicial proceeding as having violated the federal securities laws or engaged in criminal conduct. This Agreement may also be terminated, without the payment of any penalty, by the Underlying Adviser immediately by written notice to the Lead Adviser upon: (i) a material breach by the Manager or the Lead Adviser of this Agreement which is not promptly cured (to the extent that such breach is curable); or (ii) the Manager or the Lead Adviser or any officer or director of the Manager or the Lead Adviser having been found ineligible to serve in their respective capacity under Section 9 of the Investment Company Act.
19. Severability . If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, statute, rule or otherwise, such provision will be modified, rewritten or interpreted to include as much of its nature and scope as will render it enforceable. If it cannot be so modified, rewritten or interpreted to be valid and enforceable in any respect, it will not be given effect, and the remainder of the Agreement will be enforced as if such provision had never been included.
20. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual written consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Fund’s shareholders to the extent required by the Investment Company Act, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
21. Most Favored Nation .
A. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that, as of the date of this Agreement, neither the Underlying Adviser nor any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser provides or is obligated to provide any investment management, investment advisory, or investment sub-advisory services for any fund registered under the Investment Company Act, managed account or other client of any type whatsoever with a daily liquidity mandate and with an investment strategy substantially similar to the Funds with a fee schedule in basis points less than that set forth in Schedule B to this Agreement. |
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B. | At any time after the date of this Agreement, should the Underlying Adviser or any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser provide or obligate itself to provide any investment management, investment advisory, or investment sub-advisory services for any fund registered under the Investment Company Act, managed account or other client of any type whatsoever with a daily liquidity mandate (where the assets under management by the Underlying Adviser or its affiliate are the same or smaller size than the Allocated Portion) and with an investment strategy substantially similar to the Funds with a fee schedule in basis points less than that set forth in Schedule B to this Agreement, (i) the Underlying Adviser shall promptly notify the Lead Adviser in writing thereof and (ii) the fee schedule set forth in Schedule B to this Agreement shall, effective as of the date of such provision or obligation, be automatically decreased to equal such other fee schedule unless the Lead Adviser otherwise notifies the Underlying Adviser in writing that the Lead Adviser elects not to so decrease the fee schedule set forth in Schedule B to this Agreement. |
22. Due Diligence
A. | The Underlying Adviser will use its reasonable best efforts to respond to annual due diligence questionnaires provided to the Underlying Adviser by or on behalf of the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trustees of the Funds within two (2) weeks from the Underlying Adviser’s receipt of any such questionnaire. |
B. | The Underlying Adviser agrees to make available to the Lead Adviser at reasonable times and upon the Lead Adviser’s reasonable request, certain senior members of the Underlying Adviser’s investment and back-office teams for purposes of discussing the Underlying Adviser’s business and operations and the performance of the Fund. |
C. | The Underlying Adviser agrees to allow the Trust’s chief compliance officer and/or the Lead Adviser and its representatives, from time to time upon reasonable request, to inspect records pertaining to the Underlying Adviser’s internal control and compliance procedures. |
23. Miscellaneous .
A. | Third-Party Beneficiary . The Trust is an intended third-party beneficiary under this Agreement and is entitled to enforce this Agreement as if it were a party thereto. Except for the Trust which shall have full rights and entitlement to enforce this Agreement, no person other than the Manager, the Lead Adviser, and the Underlying Adviser is a party to this Agreement or shall be entitled to any right or benefit arising under or in respect of this Agreement. There are no third-party beneficiaries of this Agreement, other than the Trust. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, nothing in this Agreement is intended to, or shall be read to, (i) create in any direct, indirect, derivative, or other rights against the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser, or (ii) create or give rise to any duty or obligation on the part of the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser (including without limitation any fiduciary duty) to any third-party other than the Trust. |
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B. | Governing Law and Venue . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas without giving effect to any conflict of laws provisions thereof. Exclusive jurisdiction over any action, suit, or proceeding under, arising out of, or relating to this Agreement shall in lie in the federal and state courts within the State of Texas, and each party hereby waives any objection it may have at any time to the laying of venue of any such proceedings brought in any such courts, waives any claim that such proceedings have been brought in an inconvenient forum, and further waivers the right to object, with respect to such proceedings, that such court does not have jurisdiction over that party. |
C. | Use of Name . The Underlying Adviser authorizes the Manager and the Lead Adviser’s use of the Underlying Adviser’s service marks and/or trademarks in connection with the marketing of the Fund(s), including but not limited to, the Fund(s)’ registration statements and fact sheets. In addition, the Manager and the Lead Adviser each acknowledges and agrees that it has no rights in or to the Underlying Adviser’s name beyond the limited use rights granted herein. |
D. | Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts (including executed counterparts delivered and exchanged by facsimile transmission), each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement. For all purposes, signatures delivered and exchanged by facsimile transmission shall be binding and effective to the same extent as original signatures. |
E. | No Implied Waiver . Either party’s failure to insist in any one or more instances upon strict performance by the other party of the terms of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any continuing or subsequent failure to perform or delay in performance of any term hereof. |
F. | Entire Agreement . This Agreement, together with the Schedules attached thereto, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the parties and supersedes any and all prior or contemporaneous understandings and agreements, whether oral or written, between the parties, with respect to the subject matter hereof. |
G. | Headings . Headings used in this Agreement are provided for convenience only and shall not be used to construe meaning or intent. |
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H. | Notices . Any notices required to be given hereunder may be delivered by hand, facsimile, deposited with a nationally recognized overnight carrier, or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, in each case, to the address of the other party listed below (or such other address as may be furnished by a party in accordance with this paragraph). All such notices or communications shall be deemed to have been given and received (a) in the case of personal delivery, email or facsimile, on the date of such delivery, (b) in the case of delivery by a nationally recognized overnight carrier, the earlier of (i) the date of receipt or (ii) the third business day following dispatch and (c) in the case of mailing, on the seventh business day following such mailing. All such notices shall be delivered to: |
If to the Manager:
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
220 East Las Colinas Blvd., Suite 1200
Irving, TX 75039
Attention: Chief Investment Officer
Facsimile: 817-391-6131
with a copy to General Counsel at the same address.
If to the Lead Adviser:
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P.
900 North Michigan Ave., Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60611
Attention: General Counsel with a copy to Client Services at the same address.
Email: legal@gcmlp.com ; client.services@gcmlp.com
If to the Underlying Adviser:
Basswood Capital Management, LLC
645 Madison Avenue, 10 th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Attention: Marc Samit
Facsimile: 212-521-9503
Email: marc@basswoodpartners.com
24. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Underlying Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Fund, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Fund. The Underlying Adviser further agrees that it shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Fund, nor from the Board or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
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A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Basswood Capital Management, L.L.C. | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | By: | |||
Name: | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |||
Title: | Chief Operating Officer |
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P.
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
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SCHEDULE A
RECORDS TO BE MAINTAINED BY THE UNDERLYING ADVISER
1. (Rule 31a-1(b)(5) and (6)) A record of each brokerage order, and all other series purchases and sales, given by the Underlying Adviser on behalf of the Trust for, or in connection with, the purchase or sale of securities, whether executed or unexecuted. Such records shall include:
A. | The name of the broker; |
B. | The terms and conditions of the order and of any modifications or cancellations thereof; |
C. | The time of entry or cancellation; |
D. | The price at which executed; |
E. | The time of receipt of a report of execution; and |
F. | The name of the person who placed the order on behalf of the Trust. |
2. (Rule 31a-1(b)(9)) A record for each fiscal quarter, completed within ten (10) days after the end of the quarter, showing specifically the basis or bases upon which the allocation of orders for the purchase and sale of series securities to named brokers or dealers was effected, and the division of brokerage commissions or other compensation on such purchase and sale orders. Such record:
A. | Shall include the consideration given to: |
(i) The sale of shares of the Trust by brokers or dealers.
(ii) The supplying of services or benefits by brokers or dealers to:
(a) The Trust,
(b) The Manager,
(c) The Underlying Adviser, and
(d) Any person affiliated with the foregoing.
(iii) Any other consideration other than the technical qualifications of the brokers and dealers as such.
B. | Shall show the nature of the services or benefits made available. |
C. | Shall describe in detail the application of any general or specific formula or other determinant used in arriving at such allocation of purchase and sale orders and such division of brokerage commissions or other compensation. |
D. | Shall show the name of the person responsible for making the determination of such allocation and such division of brokerage commissions or other compensation. |
3. (Rule 31a-1(b)(10)) Any memorandum, recommendation or instruction supporting or authorizing the person or persons, committees or groups authorized by the Underlying Adviser to purchase or sell portfolio securities on behalf of the Trust. W here a committee or group makes an authorization, a record shall be kept of the names of its members who participate in the authorization.
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4. (Rule 31a-1(f)) Such accounts, books and other documents as are required to be maintained by registered investment advisers by rule adopted under Section 204 of the Advisers Act to the extent such records are necessary or appropriate to record the Underlying Adviser’s transactions for the Trust.
5. Such other records as are necessary under Board- approved policies and procedures of the Trust applying to tasks carried out by the Underlying Adviser, including without limitation those related to valuation determinations.
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Schedule B
Compensation
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. (the “Lead Adviser”) shall pay out of the fees it receives from the Manager to the Underlying Adviser pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., the Lead Adviser, and the Underlying Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the Fund the following fee for all Fund assets under Underlying Adviser’s management.
I. Funds
American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund
II. Fee Rate
[ ]%
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated as of ________________, 2015
Basswood Capital Management, L.L.C. | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | By: | |||
Name: | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |||
Title: | Chief Operating Officer |
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P.
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
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Exhibit (d)(2)(NN)
Execution Copy
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this _____ day of________________, 2015, by and among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the “Manager”), Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., an Illinois Limited Partnership (the “Lead Adviser”) and Impala Asset Management LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability Company (the “Underlying Adviser”);
WHEREAS, the American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the “Trust”), is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“Investment Company Act”), consisting of several series of shares, each having its own assets and investment objective(s), policies and restrictions; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the oversight of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”); and
WHEREAS, the Trust’s agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its responsibilities thereunder; and
WHEREAS, the Manager has retained the Lead Adviser to provide services to one or more series of shares of the Trust, subject to the oversight of the Board; and
WHEREAS, the Manager’s agreement with the Lead Adviser provides that the Lead Adviser may recommend Underlying Advisers to the Manager and the Board to manage all or a portion of the assets of a series of shares of the Trust; and
WHEREAS, the Underlying Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Advisers Act”); and
WHEREAS, the Manager and the Lead Adviser desire to retain the Underlying Adviser to render investment management services with respect to certain of the Trust’s series of shares as the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the “Funds”) and as described in the Trust’s registration statement (“Registration Statement”) on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Appointment and Duties of the Underlying Adviser . Subject to the overall policies, direction and review of the Board, the Manager and the Lead Adviser hereby appoint the Underlying Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Funds’ assets as is designated by the Lead Adviser from time to time (the “Allocated Portion”), and, with respect to such Allocated Portion, to continuously review and administer the investment program of the Funds, to determine in the Underlying Adviser’s discretion the securities, commodity interests and other investments to be purchased, retained or sold, to provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser and the Trust with records concerning the Underlying Adviser’s activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager, the Lead Adviser and to the Trust’s officers and Trustees concerning the Underlying Adviser’s discharge of the foregoing responsibilities.
2. Acceptance of Appointment; Standard of Performance . The Underlying Adviser accepts such appointment and agrees to discharge its responsibilities as a discretionary adviser of the Allocated Portion of the Funds and agrees to act in the best interests of each Fund and will perform its duties hereunder for each Fund in conformity with (a) all applicable securities laws, including but not limited to, the Investment Company Act, the Advisers Act, and the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (“CEA”) , the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”), and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations under each such act, and (b) the terms of this Agreement.
3. Services of Underlying Adviser . In providing discretionary management services to the Allocated Portion of the Funds, the Underlying Adviser shall be subject to the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of the Trust as they apply to the Funds and as set forth in the Trust’s then current prospectus and statement of additional information filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as part of the Trust’s Registration Statement, as may be periodically amended and made available in advance to the Underlying Adviser by the Manager, and to the investment restrictions set forth in the Investment Company Act and the Rules thereunder, and subject to the Manager’s oversight, the Lead Adviser’s direction and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Board may from time to time establish, and to investment guidelines, investment policies and investment restrictions (as amended from time to time, the “Investment Guidelines”) communicated in writing by the Lead Adviser to the Underlying Adviser. The Underlying Adviser shall not, without the Manager’s and Lead Adviser’s prior written approval, effect any transactions that would cause the Allocated Portion of the Funds at the time of the transaction to be out of compliance with any of such restrictions or policies or the Investment Guidelines applicable to the Allocated Portion. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, the Underlying Adviser may rely solely on the Lead Adviser’s prior written approval to effect transactions that would cause the Allocated Portion of the Funds at the time of the transaction to be out of compliance with investment guidelines, investment policies and investment restrictions not established or approved by the Board or otherwise required by the Trust’s Registration Statement. Furthermore, the Underlying Adviser shall ensure compliance with all such restrictions or policies or the Investment Guidelines applicable to the Allocated Portion on a daily basis. Except as expressly set forth in this Agreement, the Underlying Adviser shall not be responsible for aspects of the Fund’s investment program other than managing the Allocated Portion in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
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4. Transaction Procedures .
A. All transactions for the Allocated Portion of the Funds shall be consummated by payment to, or delivery by, the custodian(s) from time to time designated by the Trust (the “Custodian”), or such depositories or agents as may be designated by the Custodian in writing, of all cash and/or securities and other property due to or from the Funds. The Underlying Adviser shall not have possession or custody of such cash and/or securities or other property or any responsibility or liability with respect to such custody. The Underlying Adviser shall advise the Custodian of all investment orders for the Allocated Portion of the Funds placed by it with brokers and dealers at the time and in the manner set forth, as amended from time to time, by the custodian and made available to the Underlying Adviser. Subject to the standards of care set forth in Section [14], to the extent the Fund incurs an overdraft fee or other penalty as a result of the Underlying Adviser’s act or omission or breach of this agreement, the Trust, or its designee, shall be responsible for all custodial arrangements and the payment of all custodial charges and fees, and, upon giving proper instructions to the Custodian, the Underlying Adviser shall have no responsibility or liability with respect to custodial arrangements or the act, omissions or other conduct of the Custodian.
B. With respect to any of the Allocated Portion of a Fund’s assets, the Lead Adviser will monitor daily cash inflows and outflows, and select the appropriate cash management investment vehicles and the Manager will administer the Fund’s interfund credit facility. The Lead Adviser will instruct the Custodian to hold and/or transfer the Funds’ assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Lead Adviser. (For this purpose, the term “Proper Instructions” shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its Custodian, but generally refers to a writing by the representatives of the Lead Adviser (or Underlying Adviser as applicable) who have been authorized by the Trust’s Board from time to time to provide instructions to the Trust’s custodian. For the purpose of clarification, “Proper Instructions” can be instructions in any format, including without limitation, electronic instructions that are agreed upon by the Lead Adviser and the Custodian.
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C. The Underlying Adviser may, with prior notice to the Funds, the Manager and the Lead Adviser, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Underlying Adviser herein: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents including without limitation, futures and options transactions, brokerage agreements, clearing agreements, account documentation, futures and option agreements, swap agreements, and other investment related agreements required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Funds. Such documentation includes, but may not be limited to, any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein. The Underlying Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Manager and the Lead Adviser to make all elections required in such agreements, instruments and documentation and make and receive all related notices from brokers or other counterparties. The Manager and the Lead Adviser also authorize the Underlying Adviser as agent and attorney-in-fact to make transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts on margin, for the Funds, and authorize each broker with whom the Underlying Adviser makes such transactions to follow its instructions with respect to such transactions. The Manager understands and the Lead Adviser understands and agrees that the Underlying Adviser will (i) determine that such transactions are permitted before instructing a broker to enter into such transactions and that any broker receiving an order for any such transaction will have no independent obligation to ensure that the transactions are consistent with the Trust’s registration statement or the Funds’ investment guidelines; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Underlying Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are consistent with the relevant Fund’s Investment Guidelines; (b) the Underlying Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Fund under such documentation; and (c) the Underlying Adviser shall monitor the counterparty risk associated with each such counterparty and immediately notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser of any counterparty risk event or event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Fund under documentation with such counterparty. The Underlying Adviser further shall have the authority to provide Proper Instructions to the Custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Funds, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Funds; and (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Funds with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit of margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer to or segregation within an account maintained for a Fund by its Custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Underlying Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Underlying Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Underlying Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
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5. Allocation of Brokerage . The Underlying Adviser shall have authority and discretion to select brokers and dealers to execute transactions for the Allocated Portion of the Funds initiated by the Underlying Adviser, and to select the markets on or in which the transactions will be executed in accordance with its brokerage polices as set forth in the Underlying Adviser’s Form ADV, policies, procedures and the Investment Guidelines, as appropriate, and as provided to the Manager and/or Lead Adviser upon request (together the “Allocation Procedures and Guidelines”).
A. In placing orders for the sale and purchase of securities for the Allocated Portion of the Funds, the Underlying Adviser’s primary responsibility shall be to seek the “best execution” of orders as defined in the Registration Statement, as amended from time to time. Except as otherwise provided for in this Agreement, the Underlying Adviser agrees that, in placing any orders with selected brokers and dealers, the Underlying Adviser will act in accordance with the Underlying Adviser’s “best execution” practices and policies as set as set forth in its Allocation Procedures and Guidelines. However, this responsibility shall not obligate the Underlying Adviser to solicit competitive bids for each transaction or to seek the lowest available commission cost to the Allocated Portion of the Funds, as long as the Underlying Adviser reasonably believes that the broker or dealer selected by it can be expected to obtain a “best execution” market price on the particular transaction and determines in good faith that the commission cost is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services (as defined in Section 28(e)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) provided by such broker or dealer to the Underlying Adviser, viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or of the Underlying Adviser’s overall responsibilities with respect to its clients, including the Allocated Portion of the Funds, as to which the Underlying Adviser exercises investment discretion, notwithstanding that the Allocated Portion of the Funds may not be the direct or exclusive beneficiary of any such services or that another broker may be willing to charge the Allocated Portion of the Funds a lower commission on the particular transaction.
B. Pursuant to the terms of the Underlying Adviser’s allocation policies as set forth in the Underlying Adviser’s Allocation Procedures and Guidelines, (i) the Underlying Adviser may manage other portfolios and expects that the Allocated Portion of the Funds and other portfolios the Underlying Adviser manages will, from time to time, purchase or sell the same securities. The Underlying Adviser may aggregate orders for the purchase or sale of securities on behalf of the Allocated Portion of the Funds with orders on behalf of other portfolios the Underlying Adviser manages and (ii) securities purchased or proceeds of securities sold through aggregated orders, as well as expenses incurred in the transaction, shall be allocated to the account of each portfolio managed by the Underlying Adviser that bought or sold such securities in a manner considered by the Underlying Adviser to be equitable and consistent with the Underlying Adviser’s fiduciary obligations in respect of the Allocated Portion of the Funds and to such other accounts. The Manager acknowledges that while the Trust and other accounts may invest in the same type of securities, the Underlying Adviser may give advice or exercise investment responsibility and take such other action with respect to such other accounts which may differ from advice given or the timing or nature of action taken with respect to the Allocated Portion based on, among other factors, the respective investment guidelines and objectives, cash inflows/outflows or applicable tax or regulatory considerations.
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C. The Underlying Adviser shall not execute any transactions for the Allocated Portion of the Funds with a broker or dealer that is an “affiliated person” (as defined in the Investment Company Act) of (i) the Funds; (ii) another Fund of the Trust; (iii) the Manager; (iv) the Underlying Adviser or any other Underlying Adviser (including the Lead Adviser) to the Funds; (v) a principal underwriter of the Trust’s shares; or (vi) any other affiliated person of the Funds, in each case, unless such transactions are permitted by applicable law or regulation and carried out in compliance with any applicable policies and procedures of the Trust. The Trust, or its designee, shall provide the Underlying Adviser with a list of brokers and dealers that are “affiliated persons” of the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the principal underwriter, and applicable policies and procedures. Upon the request of the Manager, the Underlying Adviser shall promptly, and in any event within three business days of a request, indicate whether any entity identified by the Manager in such request is an “affiliated person,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act, of (i) the Underlying Adviser or (ii) any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser, subject in each case to any confidentiality requirements applicable to the Underlying Adviser and/or its affiliates. Further, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Manager with a list of (x) each broker-dealer entity that is an “affiliated person,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act, of the Underlying Adviser and (y) each affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser that has outstanding publicly-issued debt or equity. Each of the Manager and the Underlying Adviser agrees promptly to update such list(s) whenever the Manager or the Underlying Adviser becomes aware of any changes that should be added to or deleted from such list of affiliated persons; provided, however, that the Underlying Adviser shall not be bound by any update, modification or amendment of such list(s) unless and until the Underlying Adviser has been provided with an amended list(s).
D. Consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Trust in respect of the Allocated Portion of the Funds and the requirements set forth herein, the Underlying Adviser may, under certain circumstances, arrange to have purchase and sale transactions effected between the Allocated Portion of the Funds and another account managed by the Underlying Adviser (“cross transactions”), provided that such transactions are carried out in accordance with applicable law or regulation and any applicable policies and procedures of the Trust. The Trust, or its designee, has provided the Underlying Adviser with such applicable policies and procedures.
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6. Valuation . In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, with respect to the Allocated Portion of the Funds’ assets, the Underlying Adviser will (i) provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Funds, (ii) use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Underlying Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Funds for which market prices are not readily available, and (iii) monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Funds for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities. The Underlying Adviser will maintain adequate records with respect to securities valuation information provided hereunder, and shall provide such information to the Lead Adviser or the Manager upon request.
7. Compliance and Other Matters . The Underlying Adviser, at its expense, shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Underlying Adviser also represents, warrants and covenants that:
A. It is duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, and is qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which failure to be so qualified would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect upon it, and it will continue to be so organized and in good standing for so long as this Agreement remains in effect.
B. It (i) is registered as an “investment adviser” with the SEC under the Advisers Act and will continue to be so registered or licensed for so long as this Agreement remains in effect; (ii) is not prohibited by the Investment Company Act or the Advisers Act from performing the services contemplated by this Agreement; (iii) has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act; (iv) has adopted written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Advisers Act from occurring, and correct promptly any violations that have occurred, and will provide notice promptly to the Manager of any material violations relating to the Trust; (v) has materially met and will seek to continue to meet for so long as this Agreement remains in effect, any other applicable federal or state requirements, or the applicable requirements of any regulatory or industry self-regulatory agency.
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C. It is registered as a commodity trading advisor with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a member in good standing of the U.S. National Futures Association (the “NFA”) or duly exempt from such registration and it will maintain such registration or exemption continuously during the term of this Agreement or, alternatively, will become a commodity trading advisor duly registered with the CFTC and will be a member in good standing with the NFA.
D. The Underlying Adviser will immediately notify the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser of the occurrence of any event which would disqualify the Underlying Adviser from serving as an investment adviser of an investment company pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Company Act or otherwise. The Underlying Adviser will also notify the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser, promptly, if it is served or otherwise receives notice of any action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation, at law or in equity, before or by any court, public board or body, including but not limited to the SEC and the CFTC, involving the affairs of the Fund.
E. To the best of its knowledge, there are no material pending, threatened, or contemplated actions, suits, proceedings, or investigations before or by any court, governmental, administrative or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel to which the Underlying Adviser or any of its directors, officers, employees, partners, shareholders, members or principals, or any of its affiliates is a party or to which it or its affiliates or any of its or its affiliates’ assets are subject, nor has the Underlying Adviser or any of its affiliates received any notice of an investigation, inquiry, or dispute by any court, governmental, administrative, or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel regarding any of its or their activities, which might reasonably be expected to result in (i) a material adverse effect on the Trust or (ii) a material adverse change in the Underlying Adviser’s condition (financial or otherwise) or business, or which might reasonably be expected to materially impair the Underlying Adviser’s ability to discharge its obligations under this Agreement. The Underlying Adviser will also notify the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser, promptly, if the representation in this subsection E is no longer accurate.
F. It will, at all times, provide its best judgment and effort to the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Trust in carrying out its obligations hereunder.
G. It will use the same care and skill in providing such services as it uses in providing services to other non-ERISA accounts for which it has investment management responsibilities;
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H. It will (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Lead Adviser, the Trust’s administrator, Custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Funds, the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Funds, the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Underlying Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Underlying Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Funds, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the CFTC and comparable rules of the SEC (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”);
I. It shall maintain a written code of ethics (“Code of Ethics”) complying with the requirements of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act and shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current copy of the Code of Ethics and evidence of its adoption. The Underlying Adviser shall institute procedures reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons (as defined in Rule 17j-1), from violating its Code of Ethics. Each calendar quarter while this Agreement is in effect, a duly authorized compliance officer of the Underlying Adviser shall certify to the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser that the Underlying Adviser has complied with the requirements of Rules 204A-1 and 17j-1 during the previous calendar quarter and that there has been no material violation of its Code of Ethics, or of Rule 17j-1(b), or that any persons covered under its Code of Ethics has divulged or acted upon any material, non-public information, as such term is defined under relevant securities laws, and if such a violation of its Code of Ethics has occurred, that appropriate action was taken in response to such violation. Except as prohibited by applicable law, the Underlying Adviser shall notify the Manager and Lead Adviser promptly of any material violation of the Code of Ethics involving the Trust. Upon written request of the Manager or the Lead Adviser, the Underlying Adviser shall permit the Manager and/or Lead Adviser, during normal business hours, to examine the reports required to be made by the Adviser under Rules 204A-1(b) and 17j-1(d)(1) and the Code of Ethics and other records evidencing enforcement of the Code of Ethics. Further, the Underlying Adviser represents that it has policies and procedures regarding the detection and prevention of the misuse of material, nonpublic information by the Underlying Adviser and its employees. Annually, the Underlying Adviser shall furnish to the Trust and the Underlying Adviser a written report which complies with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 concerning the Underlying Adviser’s Code of Ethics.
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J. It has adopted and implemented, and throughout the term of this Agreement shall maintain in effect and implement, policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent, detect and correct violations by the Underlying Adviser and its supervised persons, and, to the extent the activities of the Underlying Adviser in respect of the Trust could affect the Trust, by the Trust, of “federal securities laws” (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the Act) with respect to the services to be provided by the Underlying Adviser pursuant to this Agreement, and that the Underlying Adviser has provided the Trust with true and complete copies of its policies and procedures (or summaries thereof) and related information reasonably requested by the Trust and/or the Manager or Lead Adviser. The Underlying Adviser agrees to cooperate with periodic reviews by the Trust’s and/or the Manager’s compliance personnel of the Underlying Adviser’s policies and procedures, their operation and implementation and other compliance matters and to provide to the Trust and/or the Manager from time to time such additional information and certifications in respect of the Underlying Adviser’s policies and procedures, compliance by the Underlying Adviser with federal securities laws and related matters as the Trust’s and/or the Manager’s compliance personnel may reasonably request. The Underlying Adviser agrees to promptly notify the Manager of any compliance violations which affect the Allocated Portion of the Funds.
K. It shall comply with the Trust’s policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Funds as described in the Trust’s current Registration Statement, and upon request from the Manager or the Lead Adviser, provide a certification to the Manager or the Lead Adviser with respect to compliance with the Fund’s selective disclosure policy;
L. It shall treat confidentially and as proprietary all records and other information relating to the Funds, and not use records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Manager and the Lead Adviser or when so requested by the Manager or the Lead Adviser or required by law or regulation; notwithstanding the foregoing, the Underlying Adviser may disclose the total return earned by the Allocated Portion of the Funds and may include such total return in the calculation of Underlying Adviser’s composite performance information. Furthermore, Underlying Adviser may not consult with any other Underlying Adviser of a Fund concerning transactions in securities or other assets for any Fund of the Trust, including the Fund managed by the Underlying Adviser, except that such consultations are permitted between the current Underlying Adviser and successor Underlying Adviser of a Fund in order to effect an orderly transition of sub-advisory duties so long as such consultations are not concerning transactions prohibited by Section 17(a) of the Investment Company Act.
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M. | It shall promptly notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser of any impending change of a portfolio manager, portfolio management strategy or any other material matter that may require disclosure to the Board and/or shareholders of the Funds; |
N. It shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current and complete copy of the Underlying Adviser’s Form ADV, and any supplements or amendments thereto and, if required by the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936, as amended, or the rules and regulations thereunder promulgated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), the Underlying Adviser shall provide Lead Adviser and the Trust with a copy of its most recent CFTC disclosure document as from time to time required thereby or a written explanation of the reason why it is not required to deliver such a disclosure document;
O. It shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current list of persons the Underlying Adviser wishes to have authorized to give instructions to the Trust’s Custodian regarding assets of the Funds;
P. It shall be responsible for the filing of Schedule 13D/13G and Form 13F, and any non-U.S. securities filing equivalents of these filings, on behalf of the Trust reflecting holdings over which the Adviser and its affiliates have investment and/or voting discretion;
Q. It shall provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Lead Adviser, the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held within the Funds managed by the Underlying Adviser;
R. It shall ensure that neither the Underlying Adviser nor any “affiliated person,” as defined in Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, of the Adviser is or has been permanently or temporarily enjoined by reason of any misconduct, by order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction or regulatory authority, from acting as an investment adviser or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity or in connection with the purchase or sale of any security, as set forth in Section 9 of the Investment Company Act;
S. It shall regularly report to the Manager and the Lead Adviser on the investment program for the Funds and the issuers and securities represented in the Funds, and furnish the Manager and the Lead Adviser, with respect to the Funds, such periodic and special reports as the Manager and the Lead Adviser may reasonably request, including, but not limited to, reports concerning transactions and performance of each Fund, reports regarding compliance with the Trust’s procedures pursuant to Rules 17e-1, 17a-7, 10f-3 and 12d3-1 under the Investment Company Act, Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act, compliance with Investment Guidelines and restrictions, trade errors, liquidity determinations, and compliance with the Underlying Adviser’s Code of Ethics, and such other procedures or requirements that the Manager and the Lead Adviser may reasonably request from time to time;
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T. It shall promptly review the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Funds, and any amendments or supplements thereto, provided to the Underlying Adviser by the Manager or the Lead Adviser which relate to the Underlying Adviser or the Funds and confirm that, with respect to the disclosure respecting or relating to the Underlying Adviser or the Funds, including any performance information the Underlying Adviser provides that is included in or serves as the basis for information included in the prospectus or statement of additional information, such prospectus or statement of additional information contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Underlying Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser immediately of any material fact known to the Underlying Adviser respecting or relating to the Underlying Adviser that is not contained in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or of any statement respecting or relating to the Underlying Adviser contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect. With respect to the disclosure respecting each Fund, the Underlying Adviser represents and agrees that the description in the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information regarding investment objectives and strategies is consistent with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser intends to manage the Funds, and the description of risks is consistent with risks known to the Underlying Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser intends to manage the Funds. The Underlying Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser immediately in the event that the Underlying Adviser becomes aware that the prospectus or statement of additional information for a Fund is inconsistent in any material respect with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser is managing the Fund, and in the event that the principal risks description is inconsistent in any material respect with the risks known to the Underlying Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser is managing the Fund. In addition, the Underlying Adviser agrees to comply with the Manager and the Lead Adviser’s reasonable request for information regarding the personnel of the Underlying Adviser who are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Trust’s assets as may be required to be disclosed in the prospectus or statement of additional information;
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U. Upon request, provide certifications to the principal executive and financial officers of the Trust (the “certifying officers”) that support the certifications required to be made by the certifying officers in connection with the preparation and/or filing of the Trust’s Form N-CSRs, N-Qs, shareholder reports, financial statements, and other disclosure documents or regulatory filings, in such form and content as the Trust shall reasonably request or in accordance with procedures adopted by the Trust;
V. | It shall timely provide to the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Trust, all information and documentation they may reasonably request as necessary or appropriate in order for the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Board to oversee the activities of the Underlying Adviser and in connection with the compliance by any of them with the requirements of this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the policies and procedures referenced herein, and any applicable law, including, without limitation, (i) information and commentary relating to the Underlying Adviser or the Allocated Portion of the Funds for the Trust’s annual and semi-annual reports (for the avoidance of doubt, such commentary shall only be required in respect of the Trust’s annual report), in a format reasonably approved by the Manager, together with (A) a certification that such information and commentary discuss all of the factors that materially affected the performance of the Funds with respect to the Allocated Portion, including the relevant market conditions and the investment techniques and strategies used and (B) additional certifications related to the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Trust in order to support the Trust’s filings on Form N-CSR, Form N-Q and other applicable forms, and the Trust’s Principal Executive Officer’s and Principal Financial Officer’s certifications under Rule 30a-2 under the Investment Company Act, thereon; (ii) within 20 calendar days of a quarter end, a quarterly certification with respect to compliance and operational matters related to the Underlying Adviser and the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds (including, without limitation, compliance with the applicable procedures), in a format reasonably requested by the Manager, as it may be amended from time to time; and (iii) an annual certification from the Underlying Adviser’s Chief Compliance Officer, appointed under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act with respect to the design and operation of the Underlying Adviser’s compliance program, in a format mutually agreed upon by the Underlying Adviser, the Manager, and/or the Trust; |
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W. | It shall promptly notify Lead Adviser and the Manager of the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) the departure, replacement, unavailability (other than short-term unavailability) or addition of a chief financial officer, chief operating officer, chief compliance officer, chief risk officer (or such other persons the responsibilities for which would reasonably be performed by a person holding one of the foregoing titles, howsoever described by Underlying Adviser) or any Key Portfolio Manager(s) responsible for the Allocated Portion of the Funds as identified from time to time, in writing and provided to the Manager and Lead Adviser, by the Underlying Adviser (each, a “Key Portfolio Manager”), (ii) any actual or expected change of a portfolio management strategy, (iii) any actual or expected change in control or management of the Underlying Adviser or (iv) any other material matter that may require disclosure to the Board and/or shareholders of the Funds; and |
X. It shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with such other compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as the parties agree may be reasonably necessary.
8. Proxies and Other Shareholder Actions .
A. Unless otherwise directed in writing by the Manager or the Lead Adviser, the Underlying Adviser shall receive and exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Funds in the best interest of Fund shareholders and in accordance with the Underlying Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager and the Lead Adviser. The Underlying Adviser shall report to the Manager and the Lead Adviser in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Underlying Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Underlying Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager and the Lead Adviser, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations. The Manager and the Lead Adviser reserve the right to exercise voting rights on any assets held in the Funds on an individual security or ongoing basis.
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B. The Underlying Adviser is authorized to deal with reorganizations, exchange offers and other voluntary corporate actions with respect to securities held in the Allocated Portion of the Funds in such manner as the Underlying Adviser deems advisable, unless the Trust or the Manager otherwise specifically directs in writing. It is acknowledged and agreed that the Underlying Adviser shall not be responsible for the filing of claims (or otherwise causing the Trust to participate) in class action settlements or similar proceedings in which shareholders may participate related to securities currently or previously associated with the Allocated Portion of the Funds, however it shall provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held or previously held within the Funds managed by the Underlying Adviser. With the Manager’s approval, on a case-by-case basis the Underlying Adviser may obtain the authority and take on the responsibility to: (i) identify, evaluate and pursue legal claims, including commencing or defending suits, affecting the securities held at any time in the Allocated Portion of the Funds, including claims in bankruptcy, class action securities litigation and other litigation; (ii) participate in such litigation or related proceedings with respect to such securities as the Underlying Adviser deems appropriate to preserve or enhance the value of the Allocated Portion of the Funds, including filing proofs of claim and related documents and serving as “lead plaintiff” in class action lawsuits; (iii) exercise generally any of the powers of an owner with respect to the supervision and management of such rights or claims, including the settlement, compromise or submission to arbitration of any claims, the exercise of which the Underlying Adviser deems to be in the best interest of the Allocated Portion of the Funds or required by applicable law, including ERISA, and (iv) employ suitable agents, including legal counsel, and to pay their reasonable fees, expenses and related costs from the Allocated Portion of the Funds.
9. Compensation of the Underlying Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Underlying Adviser as provided in Sections 1, 2, and 3 of this Agreement, the Lead Adviser shall pay to the Underlying Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule B attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be accrued daily and paid to the Underlying Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Lead Adviser shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule B to the average daily net assets of the Allocated Portion of the specified Funds during the relevant month. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule B, there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule B. The Lead Adviser is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Underlying Adviser from the fees the Lead Adviser receives from the Manager.
The Underlying Adviser shall bear all expenses incurred by it and its staff with respect to all activities in connection with the performance of the Underlying Adviser’s services under this Agreement, including but not limited to personnel, salaries, benefits, overhead, travel, preparation of reports, office space, furnishings and equipment. Upon request by the Manager, the Underlying Adviser agrees to reimburse the Manager for costs associated with certain supplements to the Fund’s disclosure documents (“Supplements”). Such Supplements are those generated due to changes with respect to the Underlying Adviser requiring prompt disclosure in the Trust’s prospectus, statement of additional information, and/or information statement and for which, at the time of notification by the Underlying Adviser to the Manager and the Lead Adviser of such changes, the Trust is not already generating a supplement for other purposes or for which the Manager may not be able to reasonably add such changes to a pending supplement. Such changes with respect to the Underlying Adviser include, but are not limited to, changes to its structure, to key investment personnel, to investment style or management. The Underlying Adviser shall reimburse the Manager or the Trust, as applicable, for all of the costs associated with generating such Supplements, and/or any required Board meeting and/or proxy expenses related to approving a change in control of the Underlying Adviser. Reimbursable costs may include, but are not limited to, costs of preparation, filing, printing, postage, and/or distribution of such Supplements to all existing Fund shareholders.
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10. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Underlying Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Underlying Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Underlying Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
11. Information and Reports .
A. The Underlying Adviser shall keep the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser informed of developments relating to its duties as Underlying Adviser of which the Underlying Adviser has, or should have, knowledge that would materially affect the Funds. In this regard, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser and their respective officers with such periodic reports concerning the obligations the Underlying Adviser has assumed under this Agreement as the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser may from time to time reasonably request. In addition, prior to each meeting of the Board, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Board with reports regarding the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds during the most recently completed quarter, which reports: (i) shall include the Underlying Adviser’s representation that its performance of its investment management duties hereunder is in compliance with the Funds’ investment objectives and practices, the Investment Company Act and applicable rules and regulations under the Investment Company Act, and applicable Investment Guidelines provided to the Underlying Adviser by the Lead Adviser, and the diversification and minimum “good income” requirements of Subchapter M under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and (ii) otherwise shall be in such form as may be mutually agreed upon by the Underlying Adviser and the Manager and Lead Adviser.
B. Each of the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser shall provide the other party with a list, to the best of their respective knowledge, of each affiliated person (and any affiliated person of such an affiliated person) of the Manager, Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser, as the case may be, and each of the Manager, Lead Adviser and Underlying Adviser agrees promptly to update and deliver such list whenever the Manager, Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser becomes aware of any changes that should be added to or deleted from the list of affiliated persons.
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C. The Underlying Adviser shall also provide the Trust, the Manager and Lead Adviser with any information reasonably requested by the Manager or Lead Adviser regarding its management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds required for any shareholder report, amended Registration Statement, or prospectus supplement to be filed by the Trust with the SEC, and such other information with regard to its affairs as the others may reasonably request.
D. The Manager shall make available to the Underlying Adviser copies of the Trust prospectus, statement of additional information, and shareholder reports, and also provide the Certificate of Trust, Agreement and Declaration of Trust, Bylaws, Compliance Policies and Procedures of the Trust, and any amendments thereto. The Underlying Adviser will be provided the opportunity to review any description of the Underlying Adviser set forth in the Trust prospectus, statement of additional information and shareholder reports which will be clearly marked to indicate that they are documents of the Trust and/or the Fund rather than of the Underlying Adviser. If the Underlying Adviser ceases to furnish services to the Trust, the Trust at its expense shall, as promptly as practicable, take all necessary action to cause the Trust prospectus, statement of additional information and shareholder reports to be amended to accomplish a change of name to eliminate any reference to the Underlying Adviser, and within 60 days after such date, shall cease to use in any other manner, including use in any sales literature or promotional material, the Underlying Adviser’s name (except as necessary or reasonably desirable to identify historical service providers).
12. Status of Underlying Adviser . The subadvisory services of the Underlying Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, although the Underlying Adviser acknowledges its fiduciary duty to the Funds, and the Underlying Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Underlying Adviser 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 Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust or any Fund in any way, and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as making the Trust, a Fund, the Manager or the Lead Adviser a partner or co-venturer with the Underlying Adviser or any of the Underlying Adviser’s affiliates. It is acknowledged and agreed that the Lead Adviser may appoint from time to time other Underlying Advisers in addition to the Underlying Adviser to manage the assets of the Funds that do not constitute the Allocated Portion and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed or interpreted to grant the Underlying Adviser an exclusive arrangement to act as the sole Underlying Adviser to the Funds. It is further acknowledged and agreed that the Manager and Lead Adviser make no commitment to designate any portion of the Funds’ assets to the Underlying Adviser as the Allocated Portion.
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13. Certain Records . The Underlying Adviser shall maintain all records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules, including without limitation those set forth in Schedule A to this Agreement, and any of such records that are prepared or maintained by the Underlying Adviser in connection with its services hereunder or otherwise on behalf of the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust are the property of the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager, the Lead Underlying Adviser or Trust on request, provided that the Underlying Adviser shall be entitled to retain a copy of such records if it is legally required to do so.
14. Liability and Indemnification by Parties
A. The Underlying Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Underlying Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser, any affiliated person of the Manager or the Lead Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Trust, the Manager or the Lead Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Underlying Adviser’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Underlying Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Underlying Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Underlying Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Underlying Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished to the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trust by the Underlying Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Underlying Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
B. The Lead Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Lead Adviser’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Lead Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Lead Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Lead Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Lead Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished by the Lead Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Lead Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
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C. The Manager agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Manager’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Underlying Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Manager or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Manager or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Manager or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was not made in reliance upon information furnished to the Manager by the Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of the Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
D. A party seeking indemnification hereunder (the “Indemnified Party”) will (i) provide prompt notice to the other of any Claim for which it intends to seek indemnification, (ii) grant control of the defense and/or settlement of the Claim to the other party, and (iii) cooperate with the other party in the defense thereof. The Indemnified Party will have the right at its own expense to participate in the defense of any Claim, but will not have the right to control the defense, consent to judgment or agree to the settlement of any Claim without the written consent of the other party. The party providing the indemnification will not consent to the entry of any judgment or enter any settlement which (i) does not include, as an unconditional term, the release by the claimant of all liabilities for Claims against the Indemnified Party or (ii) which otherwise adversely affects the rights of the Indemnified P arty.
E. No party will be liable to another party for consequential damages under any provision of this Agreement.
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15. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Underlying Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Underlying Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Underlying Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed in the Trust’s registration statement as required by law.
16. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its execution as to each Fund and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Fund; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Fund fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Underlying Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be “specifically approved at least annually” shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager or the Lead Adviser upon not less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days prior notice to the other parties hereto, by vote of a majority of the Board of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund on not less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days written notice to the Underlying Adviser, or by the Underlying Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on sixty (60) days written notice to the Manager and the Lead Adviser. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. For the avoidance of doubt, the Lead Adviser may from time to time, and at any time, decrease the Allocated Portion.
A notice period provided in this Section may be waived by the party(ies) required to be notified, in their absolute discretion.
As used in this Section 16, the terms “assignment”, “interested persons”, and a “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
This Agreement may also be terminated without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, Lead Adviser or the Trust immediately by written notice to the Underlying Adviser upon: (i) a material breach by the Underlying Adviser of this Agreement which is not promptly cured (to the extent that such breach is curable); (ii) the Key Portfolio Manager(s) ceasing to be employed by the Underlying Adviser or continuing to oversee the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Funds’ assets; or (iii) the Underlying Adviser or any officer, director or Key Portfolio Manager of the Underlying Adviser being accused in any regulatory, self-regulatory or judicial proceeding as having violated the federal securities laws or engaged in criminal conduct. This Agreement may also be terminated, without the payment of any penalty, by the Underlying Adviser immediately by written notice to the Lead Adviser upon: (i) a material breach by the Manager or the Lead Adviser of this Agreement which is not promptly cured (to the extent that such breach is curable); or (ii) the Manager or the Lead Adviser or any officer or director of the Manager or the Lead Adviser having been found ineligible to serve in their respective capacity under Section 9 of the Investment Company Act.
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17. Severability . If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, statute, rule or otherwise, such provision will be modified, rewritten or interpreted to include as much of its nature and scope as will render it enforceable. If it cannot be so modified, rewritten or interpreted to be valid and enforceable in any respect, it will not be given effect, and the remainder of the Agreement will be enforced as if such provision had never been included.
18. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual written consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Fund’s shareholders to the extent required by the Investment Company Act, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
19. Due Diligence
A. The Underlying Adviser will use its reasonable best efforts to respond to annual due diligence questionnaires provided to the Underlying Adviser by or on behalf of the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trustees of the Funds within two (2) weeks from the Underlying Adviser’s receipt of any such questionnaire.
B. The Underlying Adviser agrees to make available to the Lead Adviser, from time to time at its request, certain senior members of the Underlying Adviser’s investment and back-office teams for purposes of discussing the Underlying Adviser’s business and operations and the performance of the Fund.
C. The Underlying Adviser agrees to allow the Trust’s chief compliance officer and/or the Lead Adviser and its representatives, from time to time at its request, to review records pertaining to the Underlying Adviser’s internal control and compliance procedures with respect to its obligations hereunder and as mutually agreed.
20. Miscellaneous .
A. Third-Party Beneficiary . The Trust is an intended third-party beneficiary under this Agreement and is entitled to enforce this Agreement as if it were a party thereto.
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B. Governing Law and Venue . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas without giving effect to any conflict of laws provisions thereof. Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Letter Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby shall be instituted in the federal courts of the United States of America or the courts of the State of Texas and each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. The parties irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection agree not to plead or claim in any such court that any such suit, action or proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.
C. Use of Name . The Underlying Adviser authorizes the Manager and the Lead Adviser’s use of the Underlying Adviser’s service marks and/or trademarks in connection with the marketing of the Fund(s), including but not limited to, the Fund(s)’ registration statements and fact sheets. In addition, the Manager and the Lead Adviser each acknowledges and agrees that it has no rights in or to the Underlying Adviser’s name beyond the limited use rights granted herein.
D. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts (including executed counterparts delivered and exchanged by facsimile transmission), each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement. For all purposes, signatures delivered and exchanged by facsimile transmission shall be binding and effective to the same extent as original signatures.
E. No Implied Waiver . Either party’s failure to insist in any one or more instances upon strict performance by the other party of the terms of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any continuing or subsequent failure to perform or delay in performance of any term hereof.
F. Entire Agreement . This Agreement, together with the Schedules attached thereto, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the parties and supersedes any and all prior or contemporaneous understandings and agreements, whether oral or written, between the parties, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
G. Headings . Headings used in this Agreement are provided for convenience only and shall not be used to construe meaning or intent.
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H. Notices . Any notices required to be given hereunder may be delivered by hand, facsimile, deposited with a nationally recognized overnight carrier, or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, in each case, to the address of the other party listed below (or such other address as may be furnished by a party in accordance with this paragraph). All such notices or communications shall be deemed to have been given and received (a) in the case of personal delivery, email or facsimile, on the date of such delivery, (b) in the case of delivery by a nationally recognized overnight carrier, the earlier of (i) the date of receipt or (ii) the third business day following dispatch and (c) in the case of mailing, on the seventh business day following such mailing. All such notices shall be delivered to:
If to the Manager:
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
220 East Las Colinas Blvd., Suite 1200
Irving, TX 75039
Attention: Chief Investment Officer
Facsimile: 817-391-6131
with a copy to General Counsel at the same address.
If to the Lead Adviser:
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P.
900 North Michigan Ave., Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60611
Attention: General Counsel with a copy to Client Services at the same address.
Email: legal@gcmlp.com ; client.services@gcmlp.com
If to the Underlying Adviser:
Impala Asset Management LLC
107 Cherry Street
New Canaan, CT 06840
203 972-4144 / fax 203 972-4145
21. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Underlying Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Fund, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Fund. The Underlying Adviser further agrees that it shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Fund, nor from the Board or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Impala Asset Management LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | By: | |||
Name: | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |||
Title: | Chief Operating Officer | |||
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P.
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
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SCHEDULE A
RECORDS TO BE MAINTAINED BY THE UNDERLYING ADVISER
1. (Rule 31a-1(b)(5) and (6)) A record of each brokerage order, and all other series purchases and sales, given by the Underlying Adviser on behalf of the Trust for, or in connection with, the purchase or sale of securities, whether executed or unexecuted. Such records shall include:
A. The name of the broker;
B. The terms and conditions of the order and of any modifications or cancellations thereof;
C. The time of entry or cancellation;
D. The price at which executed;
E. The time of receipt of a report of execution; and
F. The name of the person who placed the order on behalf of the Trust.
2. (Rule 31a-1(b)(9)) A record for each fiscal quarter, completed within ten (10) days after the end of the quarter, showing specifically the basis or bases upon which the allocation of orders for the purchase and sale of series securities to named brokers or dealers was effected, and the division of brokerage commissions or other compensation on such purchase and sale orders. Such record:
A. Shall include the consideration given to:
(i) The sale of shares of the Trust by brokers or dealers.
(ii) The supplying of services or benefits by brokers or dealers to:
(a) The Trust,
(b) The Manager,
(c) The Underlying Adviser, and
(d) Any person affiliated with the foregoing.
(iii) Any other consideration other than the technical qualifications of the brokers and dealers as such.
B. Shall show the nature of the services or benefits made available.
C. Shall describe in detail the application of any general or specific formula or other determinant used in arriving at such allocation of purchase and sale orders and such division of brokerage commissions or other compensation.
D. Shall show the name of the person responsible for making the determination of such allocation and such division of brokerage commissions or other compensation.
3. (Rule 31a-1(b)(10)) Any memorandum, recommendation or instruction supporting or authorizing the person or persons, committees or groups authorized by the Underlying Adviser to purchase or sell portfolio securities on behalf of the Trust. Where a committee or group makes an authorization, a record shall be kept of the names of its members who participate in the authorization.
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4. (Rule 31a-1(f)) Such accounts, books and other documents as are required to be maintained by registered investment advisers by rule adopted under Section 204 of the Advisers Act to the extent such records are necessary or appropriate to record the Underlying Adviser’s transactions for the Trust.
5. Such other records as are necessary under Board- approved policies and procedures of the Trust applying to tasks carried out by the Underlying Adviser, including without limitation those related to valuation determinations.
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Schedule B
Compensation
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. (the “Lead Adviser”) shall pay out of the fees it receives from the Manager to the Underlying Adviser pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., the Lead Adviser, and the Underlying Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the Fund the following fee for all Fund assets under Underlying Adviser’s management.
I. Funds
American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund
II. Fee Rate
[ ]% per annum of the net assets of the Allocated Portion.
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated as of ________________, 2015
Impala Asset Management LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: |
By: |
|||
Name: | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |||
Title: | Chief Operating Officer |
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P.
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
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Exhibit (d)(2)(OO)
Execution Copy
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this day of_____________, 2015, by and among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the “Manager”), Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., an Illinois Limited Partnership (the “Lead Adviser”) and Incline Global Management, LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability Company (the “Underlying Adviser”);
WHEREAS, the American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the “Trust”), is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“Investment Company Act”), consisting of several series of shares, each having its own assets and investment objective(s), policies and restrictions; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the oversight of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”); and
WHEREAS, the Trust’s agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its responsibilities thereunder; and
WHEREAS, the Manager has retained the Lead Adviser to provide services to one or more series of shares of the Trust, subject to the oversight of the Board; and
WHEREAS, the Manager’s agreement with the Lead Adviser provides that the Lead Adviser may recommend other subadvisers to the Manager and the Board to manage all or a portion of the assets of a series of shares of the Trust; and
WHEREAS, the Underlying Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Advisers Act”); and
WHEREAS, the Manager and the Lead Adviser desire to retain the Underlying Adviser to render investment management services with respect to certain of the Trust’s series of shares as the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the “Funds”) and as described in the Trust’s registration statement (“Registration Statement”) on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Appointment and Duties of the Underlying Adviser . Subject to the overall policies, direction and review of the Board, the Manager and the Lead Adviser hereby appoint the Underlying Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Funds’ assets as is designated by the Lead Adviser from time to time (the “Allocated Portion”), and, with respect to such Allocated Portion, to continuously review and administer the investment program of the Funds, to determine in the Underlying Adviser’s discretion the securities, commodity interests and other investments to be purchased, retained or sold, to provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser and the Trust with records concerning the Underlying Adviser’s activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager, the Lead Adviser and to the Trust’s officers and Trustees concerning the Underlying Adviser’s discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Underlying Adviser acknowledges that the Allocated Portion may be adjusted on a daily basis in connection with the purchase and sale of shares of the Funds, and that notice of corresponding increases and decreases in the Allocated Portion are expected to be provided on the same day on which such increase or decrease is effective. In the event that the Lead Adviser intends to increase or decrease the Allocated Portion in a material amount other than as described in the preceding sentence, the Lead Adviser shall provide the Underlying Adviser as much advanced notice as is practicable. In no event shall the Underlying Adviser be responsible to perform any investment management services for the Funds’ investment program other than the implementation of the investment strategy services for the Allocated Portion.
2. Acceptance of Appointment; Standard of Performance . The Underlying Adviser accepts such appointment and agrees to discharge its responsibilities as a discretionary adviser of the Allocated Portion of the Funds and agrees to act in the best interests of each Fund and will perform its duties hereunder for each Fund in conformity with (a) all applicable securities laws, including but not limited to, the Investment Company Act, the Advisers Act, and the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (“CEA”), the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”), and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations under each such act, and (b) the terms of this Agreement.
3. Services of Underlying Adviser . In providing discretionary management services to the Allocated Portion of the Funds, the Underlying Adviser shall be subject to the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of the Trust as they apply to the Funds and as set forth in the Trust’s then current prospectus and statement of additional information filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as part of the Trust’s Registration Statement, as may be periodically amended and made available in advance to the Underlying Adviser by the Manager, and to the investment restrictions set forth in the Investment Company Act and the Rules thereunder, and subject to the Manager’s oversight, the Lead Adviser’s direction and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Board may from time to time establish, and to investment guidelines, investment policies and investment restrictions communicated in writing by the Lead Adviser to the Underlying Adviser (as amended from time to time, the “Investment Guidelines”). The Underlying Adviser shall not, without the Manager’s and Lead Adviser’s prior written approval, effect any transactions that would cause the Allocated Portion of the Funds at the time of the transaction to be out of compliance with any Investment Guidelines applicable to the Allocated Portion, provided that such Investment Guidelines shall have been provided to the Underlying Adviser in advance. The Lead Adviser shall provide reasonably sufficient time to allow personnel of the Underlying Adviser to review and process any amendments, supplements and other changes made to the Investment Guidelines (“Amendments”) prior to effecting any transactions required to comply with such Amendments. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, the Underlying Adviser may rely solely on the Lead Adviser’s prior written approval to effect transactions that would cause the Allocated Portion of the Funds at the time of the transaction to be out of compliance with investment guidelines, investment policies and investment restrictions not established or approved by the Board or otherwise required by the Trust’s Registration Statement. Furthermore, upon timely receipt of such Amendments in advance of the effectiveness of such Amendments, the Underlying Adviser shall ensure compliance with all such restrictions or policies or the Investment Guidelines applicable to the Allocated Portion on a daily basis. Except as expressly set forth in this Agreement the Underlying Adviser shall not be responsible for aspects of the Fund’s investment program other than managing the Allocated Portion in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
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4. Transaction Procedures .
A. All
transactions for the Allocated Portion of the Funds shall be consummated by payment to, or delivery by, the custodian(s) from
time to time designated by the Trust (the “Custodian”), or such depositories or agents as may be designated by the
Custodian in writing, of all cash and/or securities and other property due to or from the Funds. The Underlying Adviser shall
not have possession or custody of such cash and/or securities or other property or any responsibility or liability with respect
to such custody. The Underlying Adviser shall advise the Custodian of all investment orders for the Allocated Portion of the Funds
placed by it with brokers and dealers at the time and in the manner set forth, as amended from time to time, by the custodian
and made available to the Underlying Adviser. Subject to the standards of care set forth in Section [14] of this Agreement, to
the extent the Fund incurs an overdraft fee or other penalty as a result of the Underlying Adviser’s act or omission or
breach of this Trust
,
(
or its designee
,
)
shall at all times be responsible for
all custodial arrangements and the payment of all custodial charges and fees, and, upon giving proper instructions to the Custodian,
the Underlying Adviser shall have no responsibility or liability with respect to custodial arrangements or the act, omissions
or other conduct of the Custodian.
B. With respect to any of the Allocated Portion of a Fund’s assets, the Lead Adviser will monitor daily cash inflows and outflows, and select the appropriate cash management investment vehicles and the Manager will administer such Fund’s interfund credit facility, if any, for which in each instance, the Underlying Adviser shall have no responsibility whatsoever hereunder. The Lead Adviser will instruct the Custodian to hold and/or transfer the Funds’ assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Lead Adviser. (For this purpose, the term “Proper Instructions” shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its Custodian, but generally refers to a writing by the representatives of the Lead Adviser (or Underlying Adviser as applicable) who have been authorized by the Trust’s Board from time to time to provide instructions to the Trust’s custodian. For the purpose of clarification, “Proper Instructions” can be instructions in any format, including without limitation, electronic instructions that are agreed upon by the Lead Adviser and the Custodian).
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C. The Underlying Adviser may, with prior notice to the Funds, the Manager and the Lead Adviser, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Underlying Adviser herein: comply with such agreements negotiated by the Lead Adviser, the Manager and/or Funds, as the case may be, with various parties (“Counterparties”) and execute any documents including without limitation, futures and options transactions, brokerage agreements, clearing agreements, account documentation, futures and option agreements, swap agreements, and other investment related agreements required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Funds. Such documentation includes, but may not be limited to, any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein. The Underlying Adviser may recommend such Counterparties to be used with respect to the Allocated Portion, but those Counterparties shall be approved by the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Fund, except with respect to executing brokers pursuant to Section 5 hereof. The Underlying Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Manager and the Lead Adviser to make all elections required in such agreements, instruments and documentation and make and receive all related notices from brokers or other counterparties. The Manager and the Lead Adviser also authorize the Underlying Adviser as agent and attorney-in-fact to make transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts on margin, for the Funds, and authorize each broker with whom the Underlying Adviser makes such transactions to follow its instructions with respect to such transactions. The Manager understands and the Lead Adviser understands and agrees that the Underlying Adviser will (i) determine that such transactions are permitted before instructing a broker to enter into such transactions and that any broker receiving an order for any such transaction will have no independent obligation to ensure that the transactions are consistent with the Trust’s Registration Statement or the Fund’s Investment Guidelines then in effect (provided, however, that Underlying Adviser has been given the reasonable opportunity to review such documents in advance of such transaction; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Underlying Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are consistent with the relevant Fund’s Investment Guidelines; and (b) the Underlying Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Fund under such documentation; and the Underlying Adviser shall be responsible to monitor the counterparty risk associated with each such counterparty and immediately notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser of any counterparty risk event or event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Fund under documentation with such counterparty. The Underlying Adviser shall have the authority to provide Proper Instructions to the Custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Funds, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Funds; and (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Funds with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit of margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer to or segregation within an account maintained for a Fund by its Custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Underlying Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Underlying Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Underlying Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
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5. Allocation of Brokerage . The Underlying Adviser shall have authority and discretion to select brokers and dealers to execute transactions for the Allocated Portion of the Funds initiated by the Underlying Adviser, and to select the markets on or in which the transactions will be executed in accordance with its brokerage polices as set forth in the Underlying Adviser’s Form ADV, policies, procedures and the Investment Guidelines, as appropriate, and as provided to the Manager and/or Lead Adviser upon request (together the “Allocation Procedures and Guidelines”).
A. In placing orders for the sale and purchase of securities for the Allocated Portion of the Funds, the Underlying Adviser’s primary responsibility shall be to seek the “best execution” of orders as defined in the Registration Statement, as amended from time to time. Except as otherwise provided for in this Agreement, the Underlying Adviser agrees that, in placing any orders with selected brokers and dealers, the Underlying Adviser will act in accordance with the Underlying Adviser’s “best execution” practices and policies as set as set forth in its Allocation Procedures and Guidelines. However, this responsibility shall not obligate the Underlying Adviser to solicit competitive bids for each transaction or to seek the lowest available commission cost to the Allocated Portion of the Funds, as long as the Underlying Adviser reasonably believes that the broker or dealer selected by it can be expected to obtain a “best execution” market price on the particular transaction and determines in good faith that the commission cost is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services (as defined in Section 28(e)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) provided by such broker or dealer to the Underlying Adviser, viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or of the Underlying Adviser’s overall responsibilities with respect to its clients, including the Allocated Portion of the Funds, as to which the Underlying Adviser exercises investment discretion, notwithstanding that the Allocated Portion of the Funds may not be the direct or exclusive beneficiary of any such services or that another broker may be willing to charge the Allocated Portion of the Funds a lower commission on the particular transaction. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, nothing in this Agreement shall restrict the Underlying Adviser’s selection of broker dealers used to execute trades for the Funds which provide investment research to the Underlying Adviser.
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B. Pursuant to the terms of the Underlying Adviser’s allocation policies as set forth in the Underlying Adviser’s Allocation Procedures and Guidelines, (i) the Underlying Adviser may manage other portfolios and expects that the Allocated Portion of the Funds and other portfolios the Underlying Adviser manages will, from time to time, purchase or sell the same securities. The Underlying Adviser may aggregate orders for the purchase or sale of securities on behalf of the Allocated Portion of the Funds with orders on behalf of other portfolios the Underlying Adviser manages and (ii) securities purchased or proceeds of securities sold through aggregated orders, as well as expenses incurred in the transaction, shall be allocated to the account of each portfolio managed by the Underlying Adviser that bought or sold such securities in a manner considered by the Underlying Adviser to be equitable and consistent with the Underlying Adviser’s fiduciary obligations in respect of the Allocated Portion of the Funds and to such other accounts. The Manager acknowledges that while the Trust and other accounts may invest in the same type of securities, the Underlying Adviser may give advice or exercise investment responsibility and take such other action with respect to such other accounts which may differ from advice given or the timing or nature of action taken with respect to the Allocated Portion based on, among other factors, the respective investment guidelines and objectives, cash inflows/outflows or applicable tax or regulatory considerations.
C. The Underlying Adviser shall not execute any transactions for the Allocated Portion of the Funds with a broker or dealer that is an “affiliated person” (as defined in the Investment Company Act) of (i) the Funds; (ii) another Fund of the Trust; (iii) the Manager; (iv) the Underlying Adviser or any other Underlying Adviser (including the Lead Adviser) to the Funds; (v) a principal underwriter of the Trust’s shares; or (vi) any other affiliated person of the Funds, in each case, unless such transactions are permitted by applicable law or regulation and carried out in compliance with any applicable policies and procedures of the Trust. The Trust, or its designee, shall provide the Underlying Adviser with a list of brokers and dealers that are “affiliated persons” of the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the principal underwriter, and applicable policies and procedures. Upon the request of the Manager, the Underlying Adviser shall promptly, and in any event within three business days of a request, indicate whether any entity identified by the Manager in such request is an “affiliated person,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act, of (i) the Underlying Adviser or (ii) any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser, subject in each case to any confidentiality requirements applicable to the Underlying Adviser and/or its affiliates. Further, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Manager with a list of (x) each broker-dealer entity that is an “affiliated person,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act, of the Underlying Adviser and (y) each affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser that has outstanding publicly-issued debt or equity. Each of the Manager and the Underlying Adviser agrees promptly to update such list(s) whenever the Manager or the Underlying Adviser becomes aware of any changes that should be added to or deleted from such list of affiliated persons; provided, however, that the Underlying Adviser shall not be bound by any update, modification or amendment of such list(s) unless and until the Underlying Adviser has been provided with an amended list(s).
6
D. Consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Trust in respect of the Allocated Portion of the Funds and the requirements set forth herein, the Underlying Adviser may, under certain circumstances, arrange to have purchase and sale transactions effected between the Allocated Portion of the Funds and another account managed by the Underlying Adviser (“cross transactions”), provided that such transactions are carried out in accordance with applicable law or regulation and any applicable policies and procedures of the Trust. The Trust, or its designee, has provided the Underlying Adviser with such applicable policies and procedures.
6. Valuation . In accordance with procedures established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, with respect to the Allocated Portion of the Funds’ assets, the Underlying Adviser will (i) provide reasonable assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments comprising the Allocated Portion of the Funds, (ii) provide reasonable assistance to the Funds’ administrator (“Administrator”) and other applicable parties designated by the Administrator in determining the fair value of such assets comprising the Allocated Portion for which the Manager, Lead Adviser, Administrator and the Board have determined to fair value and have notified the Underlying Adviser of such need to fair value an asset or other investments owned by the Funds for which market prices are not readily available, and (iii) monitor the securities and other investments with respect to the Allocated Portion of the Funds’ assets for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities. The Underlying Adviser will maintain adequate records with respect to securities valuation information provided hereunder, and shall provide such information to the Lead Adviser or the Manager upon request. For the avoidance of doubt, it is acknowledged and agreed by the parties hereto that the Underlying Adviser is not responsible for the ultimate determination of the price of any of the assets held in the Allocated Portion.
7
7. Compliance and Other Matters . The Underlying Adviser, at its expense, shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Underlying Adviser also represents, warrants and covenants that:
A. It is duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, and is qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which failure to be so qualified would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect upon it, and it will continue to be so organized and in good standing for so long as this Agreement remains in effect.
B. It (i) is registered as an “investment adviser” with the SEC under the Advisers Act and will continue to be so registered or licensed for so long as this Agreement remains in effect; (ii) is not prohibited by the Investment Company Act or the Advisers Act from performing the services contemplated by this Agreement; (iii) has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act; (iv) has adopted written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Advisers Act from occurring, and correct promptly any violations that have occurred, and will provide notice promptly to the Manager of any material compliance violations that relate to the services provided by the Underlying Adviser to the Funds; (v) has materially met and will seek to continue to meet for so long as this Agreement remains in effect, any other applicable (A) federal or state securities law requirements necessary to be met in order to perform the services contemplated by this Agreement, or (B) requirements of any regulatory or industry self-regulatory agency necessary to be met in order to perform the services contemplated by this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the parties agree and understand that the Underlying Adviser does not have access to all of the books and records of the Funds necessary to perform certain compliance testing and, therefore, shall not be responsible for any of the Funds being in violation of any applicable law or regulation or investment policy or restriction applicable to such Fund as a whole or for a Fund’s failure to qualify as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”) if the Allocated Portion would not be in violation or failing to so qualify if the Allocated Portion were deemed to be a separate regulated investment company under the Code.
8
C. It is registered as a commodity trading advisor with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a member in good standing of the U.S. National Futures Association (the “NFA”) or duly exempt from such registration and it will maintain such registration or exemption continuously during the term of this Agreement or, alternatively, will become a commodity trading advisor duly registered with the CFTC and will be a member in good standing with the NFA.
D. The Underlying Adviser will immediately notify the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser of the occurrence of any event about which it becomes aware which would disqualify the Underlying Adviser from serving as an investment adviser of an investment company pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Company Act or otherwise. The Underlying Adviser will also notify the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if it is served or otherwise receives notice of any material action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation, at law or in equity, before or by any court, public board or body, including but not limited to the SEC and the CFTC, involving the affairs of the Fund, provided, however, that a routine examination of the Underlying Advisor by the SEC or the CFTC, solely, shall not trigger any notification requirement for the Underlying Advisor under this Section 7D
E. To the best of its knowledge, there are no material pending, threatened, or contemplated actions, suits, proceedings, or investigations before or by any court, governmental, administrative or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel to which the Underlying Adviser or any of its directors, officers, employees, partners, shareholders, members or principals, or any of its affiliates is a party or to which it or its affiliates or any of its or its affiliates’ assets are subject, nor has the Underlying Adviser or any of its affiliates received any notice of an investigation, inquiry, or dispute by any court, governmental, administrative, or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel regarding any of its or their activities, which might reasonably be expected to result in (i) a material adverse effect on the Trust or (ii) a material adverse change in the Underlying Adviser’s condition (financial or otherwise) or business, or which might reasonably be expected to materially impair the Underlying Adviser’s ability to discharge its obligations under this Agreement. The Underlying Adviser will also notify the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if the representation in this subsection E is no longer accurate.
F. It will, at all times, provide its best judgment and effort to the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Trust in carrying out its obligations hereunder.
G. It will use the same care and skill in providing such services as it uses in providing services to other similarly situated accounts for which it has investment management responsibilities.
9
H. It will (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Lead Adviser, the Trust’s administrator, Custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Funds, the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Funds, the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Underlying Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Underlying Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Funds, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the CFTC and comparable rules of the SEC (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”);
I. It shall maintain a written code of ethics (“Code of Ethics”) complying with the requirements of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act and shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current copy of the Code of Ethics and evidence of its adoption. The Underlying Adviser shall institute procedures reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons (as defined in Rule 17j-1), from violating its Code of Ethics. Each calendar quarter while this Agreement is in effect, a duly authorized compliance officer of the Underlying Adviser shall certify to the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser that the Underlying Adviser has complied with the requirements of Rules 204A-1 and 17j-1 during the previous calendar quarter and that there has been no material violation of its Code of Ethics, or of Rule 17j-1(b), or that any persons covered under its Code of Ethics has divulged or acted upon any material, non-public information, as such term is defined under relevant securities laws, and if such a violation of its Code of Ethics has occurred, that appropriate action was taken in response to such violation. Except as prohibited by applicable law, the Underlying Adviser shall notify the Manager and Lead Adviser as soon as is reasonably practicable of any material violation of the Code of Ethics involving the Trust. Upon written request of the Manager or the Lead Adviser, the Underlying Adviser shall permit the Manager and/or Lead Adviser, during normal business hours, to examine the reports required to be made by the Adviser under Rules 204A-1(b) and 17j-1(d)(1) and the Code of Ethics and other records evidencing enforcement of the Code of Ethics. Further, the Underlying Adviser represents that it has policies and procedures regarding the detection and prevention of the misuse of material, nonpublic information by the Underlying Adviser and its employees. Annually, the Underlying Adviser shall furnish to the Trust and the Underlying Adviser a written report which complies with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 concerning the Underlying Adviser’s Code of Ethics.
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J. It has adopted and implemented, and throughout the term of this Agreement shall maintain in effect and implement, policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent, detect and correct violations by the Underlying Adviser and its supervised persons, and, to the extent the activities of the Underlying Adviser in respect of the Trust could affect the Trust, by the Trust, of “federal securities laws” (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the Act) with respect to the services to be provided by the Underlying Adviser pursuant to this Agreement, and that the Underlying Adviser has provided the Trust with true and complete copies of its policies and procedures (or summaries thereof) and related information reasonably requested by the Trust and/or the Manager or Lead Adviser. Upon reasonable notice to and reasonable request of the Underlying Adviser, the Underlying Adviser agrees to cooperate with periodic reviews by the Trust’s and/or the Manager’s compliance personnel of the Underlying Adviser’s policies and procedures, their operation and implementation and other compliance matters and to provide to the Trust and/or the Manager from time to time such additional information and certifications in respect of the Underlying Adviser’s policies and procedures, compliance by the Underlying Adviser with federal securities laws and related matters as the Trust’s and/or the Manager’s compliance personnel may reasonably request. The Underlying Adviser agrees to promptly notify the Manager of any compliance violations which affect the Allocated Portion of the Funds.
K. It shall comply with the Trust’s policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Funds as described in the Trust’s current Registration Statement, and upon request from the Manager or the Lead Adviser, provide a certification to the Manager or the Lead Adviser with respect to compliance with the Fund’s selective disclosure policy;
L. It shall treat confidentially and as proprietary all records and other information relating to the Funds, and not use records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Manager and the Lead Adviser or when so requested by the Manager or the Lead Adviser or required by law or regulation; notwithstanding the foregoing, the Underlying Adviser may disclose the total return earned by the Allocated Portion of the Funds and may include such total return in the calculation of Underlying Adviser’s composite performance information. Furthermore, Underlying Adviser may not consult with any other Underlying Adviser of a Fund concerning transactions in securities or other assets for any Fund of the Trust, including the Fund managed by the Underlying Adviser, except that such consultations are permitted between the current Underlying Adviser and successor Underlying Adviser of a Fund in order to effect an orderly transition of sub-advisory duties so long as such consultations are not concerning transactions prohibited by Section 17(a) of the Investment Company Act.
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M. It shall promptly notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser of any impending change of a portfolio manager, portfolio management strategy or any other material matter that may reasonably require disclosure to the Board and/or shareholders of the Funds under the Investment Guidelines or securities laws;
N. It shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current and complete copy of the Underlying Adviser’s Form ADV, and any supplements or amendments thereto and, if required by the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936, as amended, or the rules and regulations thereunder promulgated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), the Underlying Adviser shall provide Lead Adviser and the Trust with a copy of its most recent CFTC disclosure document as from time to time required thereby or a written explanation of the reason why it is not required to deliver such a disclosure document;
O. It shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current list of persons the Underlying Adviser wishes to have authorized to give instructions to the Trust’s Custodian regarding assets of the Funds ;
P. It shall be responsible for the filing of Schedule 13D/13G and Form 13F, and any non-U.S. securities filing equivalents of these filings, on behalf of the Allocated Portion of the Funds reflecting holdings over which the Underlying Adviser has investment and/or voting discretion;
Q. It shall provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Lead Adviser the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held within the Funds managed by the Underlying Adviser;
R. It shall ensure that neither the Underlying Adviser nor any “affiliated person,” as defined in Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, of the Adviser is or has been permanently or temporarily enjoined by reason of any misconduct, by order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction or regulatory authority, from acting as an investment adviser or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity or in connection with the purchase or sale of any security, as set forth in Section 9 of the Investment Company Act;
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S. It shall regularly report to the Manager and the Lead Adviser on the investment program for the Funds and the issuers and securities represented in the Funds, and furnish the Manager and the Lead Adviser, with respect to the Funds, such periodic and special reports as the Manager and the Lead Adviser may reasonably request, including, but not limited to, reports concerning transactions and performance of each Fund, reports regarding compliance with the Trust’s procedures pursuant to Rules 17e-1, 17a-7, 10f-3 and 12d3-1 under the Investment Company Act, Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act, compliance with Investment Guidelines and restrictions, trade errors, liquidity determinations, and compliance with the Underlying Adviser’s Code of Ethics, and such other procedures or requirements that the Manager and the Lead Adviser may reasonably request from time to time;
T. It
shall promptly review the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Funds and
relating to the Underlying Adviser and/or investment strategy related to the Allocated Portion, and any amendments or
supplements thereto, provided to the Underlying Adviser by the Manager or the Lead Adviser which relate to the Underlying Adviser
or the Allocated Portion of the Funds and confirm that, with respect to the disclosure respecting or relating to the Underlying
Adviser or investment strategy related to the Allocated Portion, including any performance information the Underlying Adviser
provides that is included in or serves as the basis for information included in the prospectus or statement of additional information,
such prospectus or statement of additional information contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any
statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading.
The Underlying Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser immediately of any material fact known to the
Underlying Adviser respecting or relating to the Underlying Adviser that is not contained in the prospectus or statement of additional
information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or of any statement respecting or relating to the Underlying
Adviser contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect. With respect to the disclosure respecting each Fund, the
Underlying Adviser represents and agrees that the description in the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information
regarding investment objectives and strategies is consistent with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser intends to manage
the Allocated Portion, and the description of risks is consistent with risks known to the Underlying Adviser that arise in connection
with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser intends to manage the Allocated Portion. The Underlying Adviser further agrees
to notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser immediately in the event that the Underlying Adviser becomes aware that the prospectus
or statement of additional information for a Fund is inconsistent in any material respect with the manner in which the Underlying
Adviser is managing the Allocated Portion, and in the event that the principal risks description is inconsistent in any material
respect with the risks known to the Underlying Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser
is managing the Allocated Portion. In addition, the Underlying Adviser agrees to comply with the Manager and the Lead Adviser’s
reasonable request for information regarding the personnel of the Underlying Adviser who are responsible for the day-to-day management
of the Trust’s assets as may be required to be disclosed in the prospectus or statement of additional information;
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U. Upon request, provide certifications to the principal executive and financial officers of the Trust (the “certifying officers”) that support the certifications required to be made by the certifying officers in connection with the preparation and/or filing of the Trust’s Form N-CSRs, N-Qs, shareholder reports, financial statements, and other disclosure documents or regulatory filings, in such form and content as the Trust shall reasonably request or in accordance with procedures adopted by the Trust; and
V. It shall timely provide to the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Trust, all information and documentation they may reasonably request as necessary or appropriate in order for the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Board to oversee the activities of the Underlying Adviser and in connection with the compliance by any of them with the requirements of this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the policies and procedures referenced herein, and any applicable law, including, without limitation, (i) information and commentary relating to the Underlying Adviser or the Allocated Portion of the Funds for the Trust’s annual and semi-annual reports (for the avoidance of doubt, such commentary shall only be required in respect of the Trust’s annual report), in a format reasonably approved by the Manager, together with (A) a certification that such information and commentary discuss all of the factors that materially affected the performance of the Funds with respect to the Allocated Portion, including the relevant market conditions and the investment techniques and strategies used and (B) additional certifications related to the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Trust in order to support the Trust’s filings on Form N-CSR, Form N-Q and other applicable forms, and the Trust’s Principal Executive Officer’s and Principal Financial Officer’s certifications under Rule 30a-2 under the Investment Company Act, thereon; (ii) within 20 calendar days following a calendar quarter-end, a quarterly certification with respect to compliance and operational matters related to the Underlying Adviser and the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds (including, without limitation, compliance with the applicable procedures), in a format reasonably requested by the Manager, as it may be amended from time to time; and (iii) an annual certification from the Underlying Adviser’s Chief Compliance Officer, appointed under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act with respect to the design and operation of the Underlying Adviser’s compliance program, in a format reasonably requested by the Manager or the Trust;
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W. It shall promptly notify Lead Adviser and the Manager of the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) the departure, replacement, unavailability (other than short-term unavailability) or addition of a chief financial officer or controller, chief operating officer, chief compliance officer (or other such persons the responsibilities which would reasonably be performed by a person holding one of the foregoing titles, howsoever described by the Underlying Adviser or any Key Portfolio Manager(s) responsible for the Allocated Portion of the Funds as identified from time to time, in writing and provided to the Manager and Lead Adviser, by the Underlying Adviser (each, a “Key Portfolio Manager”), (ii) any actual or expected change of a portfolio management strategy, (iii) any actual or expected change in control or management of the Underlying Adviser or (iv) any other material matter that may require disclosure to the Board and/or shareholders of the Funds under the Investment Company Act; and
X. It shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with such other compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be reasonably necessary.
8. Proxies and Other Shareholder Actions .
A. Unless otherwise directed in writing by the Manager or the Lead Adviser, the Underlying Adviser shall receive and exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Funds in a manner it believes to be in the best interest of Fund shareholders and in accordance with the Underlying Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager and the Lead Adviser With respect to those proxy solicitation materials that the Underlying Adviser does not receive directly, the Underlying Adviser’s obligations in the previous sentence are contingent upon its timely receipt of such proxy solicitation materials, which the Manager and Lead Adviser shall cause to be forwarded to the Underlying Adviser. The Underlying Adviser shall report to the Manager and the Lead Adviser in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Underlying Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Underlying Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager and the Lead Adviser, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations. The Manager and the Lead Adviser reserve the right to exercise voting rights on any assets held in the Funds on an individual security or ongoing basis.
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B. The Underlying Adviser is authorized to deal with reorganizations, exchange offers and other voluntary corporate actions with respect to securities held in the Allocated Portion of the Funds in such manner as the Underlying Adviser deems advisable, unless the Trust or the Manager otherwise specifically directs in writing. It is acknowledged and agreed that the Underlying Adviser shall not be responsible for the filing of claims (or otherwise causing the Trust to participate) in class action settlements or similar proceedings in which shareholders may participate related to securities currently or previously associated with the Allocated Portion of the Funds, however it shall provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held or previously held within the Funds managed by the Underlying Adviser. With the Manager’s approval, on a case-by-case basis the Underlying Adviser may obtain the authority and take on the responsibility to: (i) identify, evaluate and pursue legal claims, including commencing or defending suits, affecting the securities held at any time in the Allocated Portion of the Funds, including claims in bankruptcy, class action securities litigation and other litigation; (ii) participate in such litigation or related proceedings with respect to such securities as the Underlying Adviser deems appropriate to preserve or enhance the value of the Allocated Portion of the Funds, including filing proofs of claim and related documents and serving as “lead plaintiff” in class action lawsuits; (iii) exercise generally any of the powers of an owner with respect to the supervision and management of such rights or claims, including the settlement, compromise or submission to arbitration of any claims, the exercise of which the Underlying Adviser deems to be in the best interest of the Allocated Portion of the Funds or required by applicable law, including ERISA, and (iv) employ suitable agents, including legal counsel, and to pay their reasonable fees, expenses and related costs from the Allocated Portion of the Funds.
9. Compensation of the Underlying Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Underlying Adviser as provided in Sections 1, 2, and 3 of this Agreement, the Lead Adviser shall pay to the Underlying Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule B attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be accrued daily and paid to the Underlying Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Lead Adviser shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule B to the average daily net assets of the Allocated Portion of the specified Funds during the relevant month. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule B, there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule B. The Lead Adviser is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Underlying Adviser from the fees the Lead Adviser receives from the Manager.
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The Underlying Adviser shall bear all expenses incurred by it and its staff with respect to all activities in connection with the performance of the Underlying Adviser’s services under this Agreement, including but not limited to personnel, salaries, benefits, overhead, travel, preparation of reports, office space, furnishings and equipment. Upon request by the Manager, the Underlying Adviser agrees to reimburse the Manager for costs associated with certain supplements to the Fund’s disclosure documents (“Supplements”). Such Supplements are those generated due to changes with respect to the Underlying Adviser requiring prompt disclosure in the Trust’s prospectus, statement of additional information, and/or information statement and for which, at the time of notification by the Underlying Adviser to the Manager and the Lead Adviser of such changes, the Trust is not already generating a supplement for other purposes or for which the Manager may not be able to reasonably add such changes to a pending supplement. Such changes with respect to the Underlying Adviser include, but are not limited to, changes to its structure, to key investment personnel, to investment style or management. The Underlying Adviser shall reimburse the Manager or the Trust, as applicable, for all of the costs associated with generating such Supplements, and/or any required Board meeting and/or proxy expenses related to approving a change in control of the Underlying Adviser. Reimbursable costs may include, but are not limited to, costs of preparation, filing, printing, postage, and/or distribution of such Supplements to all existing Fund shareholders.
10. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Underlying Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Underlying Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Underlying Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
11. Information and Reports .
A. The Underlying Adviser shall keep the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser informed of material developments relating to its duties as Underlying Adviser of which the Underlying Adviser has, or should have, knowledge that would materially affect the Funds. In this regard, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser and their respective officers with such periodic reports concerning the obligations the Underlying Adviser has assumed under this Agreement as the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser may from time to time reasonably request. In addition, prior to each meeting of the Board, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Board with reports regarding the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds during the most recently completed quarter, which reports: (i) shall include the Underlying Adviser’s representation that its performance of its investment management duties hereunder is in compliance with the Funds’ investment objectives and practices, the Investment Company Act and applicable rules and regulations under the Investment Company Act, and applicable Investment Guidelines provided to the Underlying Adviser by the Lead Adviser, and the diversification and minimum “good income” requirements of Subchapter M under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and (ii) otherwise shall be in such form as may be mutually agreed upon by the Underlying Adviser and the Manager and Lead Adviser.
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B. Each of the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser shall provide the other party with a list, to the best of their respective knowledge, of each affiliated person (and any affiliated person of such an affiliated person) of the Manager, Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser, as the case may be, and each of the Manager, Lead Adviser and Underlying Adviser agrees promptly to update and deliver such list whenever the Manager, Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser becomes aware of any changes that should be added to or deleted from the list of affiliated persons.
C. The Underlying Adviser shall also provide the Trust, the Manager and Lead Adviser with any information reasonably requested by the Manager or Lead Adviser regarding its management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds required for any shareholder report, amended Registration Statement, or prospectus supplement to be filed by the Trust with the SEC, and such other information with regard to its affairs as the others may reasonably request.
D. The Manager shall make available to the Underlying Adviser copies of the Trust prospectus, statement of additional information, and shareholder reports, and also provide the Certificate of Trust, Agreement and Declaration of Trust, Bylaws, Compliance Policies and Procedures of the Trust, and any amendments thereto. The Underlying Adviser will be provided the opportunity to review any description of the Underlying Adviser set forth in the Trust prospectus, statement of additional information and shareholder reports which will be clearly marked to indicate that they are documents of the Trust and/or the Fund rather than of the Underlying Adviser. If the Underlying Adviser ceases to furnish services to the Trust, the Trust at its expense shall, as promptly as practicable, take all necessary action to cause the Trust prospectus, statement of additional information and shareholder reports to be amended to accomplish a change of name to eliminate any reference to the Underlying Adviser, and within 60 days after such date, shall cease to use in any other manner, including use in any sales literature or promotional material, the Underlying Adviser’s name (except as necessary or reasonably desirable to identify historical service providers).
12. Status of Underlying Adviser . The subadvisory services of the Underlying Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, although the Underlying Adviser acknowledges its fiduciary duty to the Funds, and the Underlying Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Underlying Adviser 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 Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust or any Fund in any way, and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as making the Trust, a Fund, the Manager or the Lead Adviser a partner or co-venturer with the Underlying Adviser or any of the Underlying Adviser’s affiliates. It is acknowledged and agreed that the Lead Adviser may appoint from time to time other subadvisers in addition to the Underlying Adviser to manage the assets of the Funds that do not constitute the Allocated Portion and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed or interpreted to grant the Underlying Adviser an exclusive arrangement to act as the sole Underlying Adviser to the Funds. It is further acknowledged and agreed that the Manager and Lead Adviser make no commitment to designate any portion of the Funds’ assets to the Underlying Adviser as the Allocated Portion.
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13. Certain Records . The Underlying Adviser shall maintain all records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules, including without limitation those set forth in Schedule A to this Agreement, and any of such records that are prepared or maintained by the Underlying Adviser in connection with its services hereunder or otherwise on behalf of the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust are the property of the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust, as applicable, and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager, the Lead Underlying Adviser or Trust, as applicable, on request, provided that the Underlying Adviser shall be entitled to retain a copy of such records if it is legally required to do so.
14. Liability and Indemnification by Parties
A. The Underlying Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Underlying Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser, any affiliated person of the Manager or the Lead Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Trust, the Manager or the Lead Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Underlying Adviser’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Underlying Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Underlying Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Underlying Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Underlying Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished to the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trust by the Underlying Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Underlying Adviser for use therein (and not superseded by revisions provided to Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trust prior to the publication of the relevant document or communication). The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
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B. The Lead Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Lead Adviser’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Lead Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Lead Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Lead Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Lead Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished by the Lead Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Lead Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
C. The Manager agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Manager’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Underlying Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Manager or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Manager or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Manager or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was not made in reliance upon information furnished to the Manager by the Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of the Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
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D. A party seeking indemnification hereunder (the “Indemnified Party”) will (i) provide prompt notice to the other of any Claim for which it intends to seek indemnification, (ii) grant control of the defense and/or settlement of the Claim to the other party, and (iii) cooperate with the other party in the defense thereof. The Indemnified Party will have the right at its own expense to participate in the defense of any Claim, but will not have the right to control the defense, consent to judgment or agree to the settlement of any Claim without the written consent of the other party. The party providing the indemnification will not consent to the entry of any judgment or enter any settlement which (i) does not include, as an unconditional term, the release by the claimant of all liabilities for Claims against the Indemnified Party or (ii) which otherwise adversely affects the rights of the Indemnified Party.
E. No party will be liable to another party for consequential damages under any provision of this Agreement.
15. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Underlying Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Underlying Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Underlying Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed in the Trust’s registration statement as required by law.
16. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its execution as to each Fund and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Fund; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Fund fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Underlying Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be “specifically approved at least annually” shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager or the Lead Adviser upon not less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days prior notice to the other parties hereto, by vote of a majority of the Board of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund on not less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days written notice to the Underlying Adviser, or by the Underlying Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on sixty (60) days written notice to the Manager and the Lead Adviser. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. For the avoidance of doubt, the Lead Adviser may from time to time, and at any time, decrease the Allocated Portion.
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A notice period provided in this Section may be waived by the party(ies) required to be notified, in their absolute discretion.
As used in this Section 16, the terms “assignment”, “interested persons”, and a “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
This Agreement may also be terminated without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, Lead Adviser or the Trust immediately by written notice to the Underlying Adviser upon: (i) a material breach by the Underlying Adviser of this Agreement which is not promptly cured (to the extent that such breach is curable); (ii) the Key Portfolio Manager(s) ceasing to be employed by the Underlying Adviser or continuing to oversee the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Funds’ assets; or (iii) the Underlying Adviser or any officer, director or Key Portfolio Manager of the Underlying Adviser being accused in any regulatory, self-regulatory or judicial proceeding as having violated the federal securities laws or engaged in criminal conduct. This Agreement may also be terminated, without the payment of any penalty, by the Underlying Adviser immediately by written notice to the Lead Adviser upon: (i) a material breach by the Manager or the Lead Adviser of this Agreement which is not promptly cured (to the extent that such breach is curable); or (ii) the Manager or the Lead Adviser or any officer or director of the Manager or the Lead Adviser having been found ineligible to serve in their respective capacity under Section 9 of the Investment Company Act.
17. Severability . If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, statute, rule or otherwise, such provision will be modified, rewritten or interpreted to include as much of its nature and scope as will render it enforceable. If it cannot be so modified, rewritten or interpreted to be valid and enforceable in any respect, it will not be given effect, and the remainder of the Agreement will be enforced as if such provision had never been included.
18. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual written consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Fund’s shareholders to the extent required by the Investment Company Act, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
19. Most Favored Nation .
A. The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that, as of the date of this Agreement, neither the Underlying Adviser nor any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser provides or is obligated to provide any investment management, investment advisory, or investment sub-advisory services for any fund registered under the Investment Company Act, managed account or other client of any type whatsoever with a daily liquidity mandate and an investment strategy similar to the Funds with a fee schedule in basis points less than that set forth in Schedule B to this Agreement.
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B. At any time after the date of this Agreement, should the Underlying Adviser or any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser provide or obligate itself to provide any investment management, investment advisory, or investment sub-advisory services for any fund registered under the Investment Company Act, managed account or other client of any type whatsoever with a daily liquidity mandate (where the assets under management by the Underlying Adviser or its affiliate are the same or smaller size than the Allocated Portion) and with an investment strategy similar to the Funds with a fee schedule in basis points less than that set forth in Schedule B to this Agreement, (i) the Underlying Adviser shall promptly notify the Lead Adviser in writing thereof and (ii) the fee schedule set forth in Schedule B to this Agreement shall, effective as of the date of such provision or obligation, be automatically decreased to equal such other fee schedule unless the Lead Adviser otherwise notifies the Underlying Adviser in writing that the Lead Adviser elects not to so decrease the fee schedule set forth in Schedule B to this Agreement.
20. Due Diligence
A. The Underlying Adviser will use its reasonable best efforts to respond to annual due diligence questionnaires relating to its business provided to the Underlying Adviser by or on behalf of the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trustees of the Funds within two (2) weeks from the Underlying Adviser’s receipt of any such questionnaire.
B. The Underlying Adviser agrees to make available to the Lead Adviser, from time to time at its reasonable request and reasonable advance notice, certain senior members of the Underlying Adviser’s investment and back-office teams at the principal place of business of the Underlying Adviser or another mutually agreed upon location, or by telephone, for purposes of discussing the Underlying Adviser’s business and operations and the performance of the Fund.
C. The Underlying Adviser agrees to allow the Trust’s chief compliance officer and/or the Lead Adviser and its representatives, from time to time at its reasonable request and reasonable advance notice, to inspect records pertaining to the Underlying Adviser’s internal control and compliance procedures.
21. Miscellaneous .
A. Third-Party Beneficiary . The Trust is an intended third-party beneficiary under this Agreement and is entitled to enforce this Agreement as if it were a party thereto.
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B. Governing Law and Venue . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas without giving effect to any conflict of laws provisions thereof.
C. Use of Name . The Underlying Adviser authorizes the Manager and the Lead Adviser’s use of the Underlying Adviser’s service marks and/or trademarks in connection with the marketing of the Fund(s), including but not limited to, the Fund(s)’ registration statements and fact sheets. In addition, the Manager and the Lead Adviser each acknowledges and agrees that it has no rights in or to the Underlying Adviser’s name beyond the limited use rights granted herein. The Underlying Adviser shall have no rights relating to the Manager’s and Lead Adviser’s service marks and /or trademarks in connection with the marketing of the Fund(s); provided that notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement, the Underlying Adviser shall be entitled to use the Manager’s, the Lead Adviser’s and each Fund’s name and any related logos, royalty-free, in any document required to be filed with any governmental agency or self-regulatory organization and in marketing materials used solely for the purpose of indicating that the Underlying Adviser is a subadviser to the Funds. The authorizations granted herein are subject to the Underlying Adviser having provided the materials to the Manager for review and approval, in writing, prior to their use.
D. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts (including executed counterparts delivered and exchanged by facsimile transmission), each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement. For all purposes, signatures delivered and exchanged by facsimile transmission shall be binding and effective to the same extent as original signatures.
E. No Implied Waiver . Either party’s failure to insist in any one or more instances upon strict performance by the other party of the terms of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any continuing or subsequent failure to perform or delay in performance of any term hereof.
F. Entire Agreement . This Agreement, together with the Schedules attached thereto, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the parties and supersedes any and all prior or contemporaneous understandings and agreements, whether oral or written, between the parties, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
G. Headings . Headings used in this Agreement are provided for convenience only and shall not be used to construe meaning or intent.
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H. Notices . Any notices required to be given hereunder may be delivered by hand, facsimile, deposited with a nationally recognized overnight carrier, or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, in each case, to the address of the other party listed below (or such other address as may be furnished by a party in accordance with this paragraph). All such notices or communications shall be deemed to have been given and received (a) in the case of personal delivery, email or facsimile, on the date of such delivery, (b) in the case of delivery by a nationally recognized overnight carrier, the earlier of (i) the date of receipt or (ii) the third business day following dispatch and (c) in the case of mailing, on the seventh business day following such mailing. All such notices shall be delivered to:
If to the Manager:
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
220 East Las Colinas Blvd., Suite 1200
Irving, TX 75039
Attention: Chief Investment Officer
Facsimile: 817-391-6131
with a copy to General Counsel at the same address.
If to the Lead Adviser:
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P.
900 North Michigan Ave., Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60611
Attention: General Counsel with a copy to Client Services at the same address.
Email: legal@gcmlp.com; client.services@gcmlp.com
If to the Underlying Adviser:
Incline Global Management, LLC
40 West 57 th Street, Suite 1430
New York, NY 10019
Attention: Julian Stein
Facsimile: 212 488 2912
Email: julian@inclineglobal.com
22. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Underlying Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Fund, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Fund. The Underlying Adviser further agrees that it shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Fund, nor from the Board or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
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A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
23. Confidentiality Obligations of Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser. Each of Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser agree to hold any and all non-public, confidential or proprietary information pertaining to the other party(ies) (collectively, the “Confidential Information”) in strict confidence and not to disclose any such information without the prior written consent of the other party(ies) except as required by law. If so required by law, the affected party shall, to the extent feasible, be promptly notified in writing in advance by the party required to make the disclosure, and the party required to make such disclosure shall seek to obtain reasonable assurance that any information disclosed in accordance with this paragraph will receive confidential treatment. Confidential Information shall not include information a party to this Agreement can clearly establish was (a) known to such party prior to disclosure to such party by the other party or its representatives and not otherwise subject to a separate confidentiality obligation, (b) rightfully acquired by the party from third parties whom the disclosing party reasonably believes after due inquiry are not under an obligation of confidentiality to the other party to this Agreement, (c) placed in the public domain without fault of the party or its affiliates, or (d) independently developed by the party without reference or reliance upon the Confidential Information. None of the parties shall use the information provided by the other parties to trade for its own account or for the account of any other.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Incline Global Management LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
By: | By: | |||
Name: | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |||
Title: | Chief Operating Officer |
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. | ||||
By: | ||||
Name: | ||||
Title: |
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SCHEDULE A
RECORDS TO BE MAINTAINED BY THE UNDERLYING ADVISER
1. (Rule 31a-1(b)(5) and (6)) A record of each brokerage order, and all other series purchases and sales, given by the Underlying Adviser on behalf of the Trust for, or in connection with, the purchase or sale of securities, whether executed or unexecuted. Such records shall include:
A. The name of the broker;
B. The terms and conditions of the order and of any modifications or cancellations thereof;
C. The time of entry or cancellation;
D. The price at which executed;
E. The time of receipt of a report of execution; and
F. The name of the person who placed the order on behalf of the Trust.
2. (Rule 31a-1(b)(9)) A record for each fiscal quarter, completed within ten (10) days after the end of the quarter, showing specifically the basis or bases upon which the allocation of orders for the purchase and sale of series securities to named brokers or dealers was effected, and the division of brokerage commissions or other compensation on such purchase and sale orders. Such record:
A. Shall include the consideration given to:
(i) The sale of shares of the Trust by brokers or dealers.
(ii) The supplying of services or benefits by brokers or dealers to:
(a) The Trust,
(b) The Manager,
(c) The Underlying Adviser, and
(d) Any person affiliated with the foregoing.
(iii) Any other consideration other than the technical qualifications of the brokers and dealers as such.
B. Shall show the nature of the services or benefits made available.
C. Shall describe in detail the application of any general or specific formula or other determinant used in arriving at such allocation of purchase and sale orders and such division of brokerage commissions or other compensation.
D. Shall show the name of the person responsible for making the determination of such allocation and such division of brokerage commissions or other compensation.
3. (Rule 31a-1(b)(10)) Any memorandum, recommendation or instruction supporting or authorizing the person or persons, committees or groups authorized by the Underlying Adviser to purchase or sell portfolio securities on behalf of the Trust. Where a committee or group makes an authorization, a record shall be kept of the names of its members who participate in the authorization.
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4. (Rule 31a-1(f)) Such accounts, books and other documents as are required to be maintained by registered investment advisers by rule adopted under Section 204 of the Advisers Act to the extent such records are necessary or appropriate to record the Underlying Adviser’s transactions for the Trust.
5. Such other records as are necessary under Board- approved policies and procedures of the Trust applying to tasks carried out by the Underlying Adviser, including without limitation those related to valuation determinations.
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Schedule B
Compensation
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. (the “Lead Adviser”) shall pay out of the fees it receives from the Manager to the Underlying Adviser pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., the Lead Adviser, and the Underlying Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the Fund the following fee for all Fund assets under Underlying Adviser’s management.
I. Funds
American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund
II. Fee Rate
[ ]%
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated as of ________________, 2015
Incline Global Management LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
By: | By: | |||
Name: | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |||
Title: | Chief Operating Officer |
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
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Exhibit (d)(2)(PP)
Execution Copy
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this _____ day of _______________, 2015, by and among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the “Manager”), Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., an Illinois Limited Partnership (the “Lead Adviser”) and Passport Capital, LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability Company (the “Underlying Adviser”);
WHEREAS, the American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the “Trust”), is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“Investment Company Act”), consisting of several series of shares, each having its own assets and investment objective(s), policies and restrictions; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the oversight of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”); and
WHEREAS, the Trust’s agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its responsibilities thereunder; and
WHEREAS, the Manager has retained the Lead Adviser to provide services to one or more series of shares of the Trust, subject to the oversight of the Board; and
WHEREAS, the Manager’s agreement with the Lead Adviser provides that the Lead Adviser may recommend Underlying Advisers to the Manager and the Board to manage all or a portion of the assets of a series of shares of the Trust; and
WHEREAS, the Underlying Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Advisers Act”); and
WHEREAS, the Manager and the Lead Adviser desire to retain the Underlying Adviser to render investment management services with respect to certain of the Trust’s series of shares as the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the “Funds”) and as described in the Trust’s registration statement (“Registration Statement”) on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Underlying Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Appointment and Duties of the Underlying Adviser . Subject to the overall policies, direction and review of the Board, the Manager and the Lead Adviser hereby appoint the Underlying Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Funds’ assets as is designated by the Lead Adviser from time to time (the “Allocated Portion”), and, with respect to such Allocated Portion, to continuously review and administer the investment program of the Funds, to determine in the Underlying Adviser’s discretion the securities, commodity interests and other investments to be purchased, retained or sold, to provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser and the Trust with records concerning the Underlying Adviser’s activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and as reasonably requested to render regular reports to the Manager, the Lead Adviser and to the Trust’s officers and Trustees concerning the Underlying Adviser’s discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. To the extent the Underlying Adviser is appointed to manage the assets of more than one Fund, the term “Allocated Portion” shall refer to the respective Allocated Portion of each Fund individually and not collectively.
2. Acceptance of Appointment; Standard of Performance . The Underlying Adviser accepts such appointment and agrees to discharge its responsibilities as a discretionary adviser of the Allocated Portion of the Funds and agrees to act in the best interests of each Fund and will perform its duties hereunder for each Fund in conformity with (a) all applicable securities laws, including but not limited to, the Investment Company Act, the Advisers Act, and the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (“CEA”), the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”), and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations under each such act, and (b) the terms of this Agreement.
3. Services of Underlying Adviser . In providing discretionary management services to the Allocated Portion of the Funds, the Underlying Adviser shall be subject to the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of the Trust as they apply to the Funds and as set forth in the Trust’s then current prospectus and statement of additional information filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as part of the Trust’s Registration Statement, as may be periodically amended and made available in advance to the Underlying Adviser by the Manager, and to the investment restrictions set forth in the Investment Company Act and the Rules thereunder, and subject to the Manager’s oversight, the Lead Adviser’s direction and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Board may from time to time establish, and to investment guidelines, investment policies and investment restrictions (as amended from time to time, the “Investment Guidelines”) communicated in writing by the Lead Adviser to the Underlying Adviser. The Underlying Adviser shall not , without the Manager’s and Lead Adviser’s prior written approval, effect any transactions that would cause the Allocated Portion of the Funds at the time of the transaction to be out of compliance with any of such restrictions or policies or the Investment Guidelines applicable to the Allocated Portion. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, the Underlying Adviser may rely solely on the Lead Adviser’s prior written approval to effect transactions that would cause the Allocated Portion of the Funds at the time of the transaction to be out of compliance with investment guidelines, investment policies and investment restrictions not established or approved by the Board or otherwise required by the Trust’s Registration Statement. Furthermore, the Underlying Adviser shall ensure compliance with all such restrictions or policies or the Investment Guidelines applicable to the Allocated Portion on a daily basis. Except as expressly set forth in this Agreement, the Underlying Adviser shall not be responsible for aspects of the Fund’s investment program other than managing the Allocated Portion in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Manager will provide, upon request, or make available to, Underlying Adviser such information with respect to the Funds such that Underlying Adviser will be able to maintain compliance with applicable regulations, laws, policies, and restrictions with respect to the Allocated Portion (including a list of all affiliates and other persons that are restricted in their ability to deal with the Funds under Section 17 of the Investment Company Act). Underlying Adviser will be given prompt notice of any material change to any policy and/or procedures of the Funds that relate to the Allocated Portion. Underlying Adviser will not be responsible for complying with any such changes of which it has not received notice. Underlying Adviser shall have no responsibility or liability for the actions or omissions of the Funds, the Manager, Lead Adviser, other subadvisor, or agent to the extent the Funds, the Manager, Lead Adviser, other subadvisor, or agent is not acting under the direction of the Underlying Adviser,
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4. | Transaction Procedures . |
A. | All transactions for the Allocated Portion of the Funds shall be consummated by payment to, or delivery by, the custodian(s) from time to time designated by the Trust (the “Custodian”), or such depositories or agents as may be designated by the Custodian in writing, of all cash and/or securities and other property due to or from the Funds. The Underlying Adviser shall not have possession or custody of such cash and/or securities or other property or any responsibility or liability with respect to such custody. The Underlying Adviser shall advise the Custodian of all investment orders for the Allocated Portion of the Funds placed by it with brokers and dealers at the time and in the manner set forth, as amended from time to time, by the custodian and made available, with reasonable notice, to the Underlying Adviser. Subject to the standards of care set forth in Section 17 of this Agreement, to the extent the Fund incurs an overdraft fee or other penalty as a result of the Underlying Adviser’s act or omission or breach of this Agreement ’ the Trust, or its designee, shall be responsible for all custodial arrangements and the payment of all custodial charges and fees, and, upon giving proper instructions to the Custodian, the Underlying Adviser shall have no responsibility or liability with respect to custodial arrangements or the act, omissions or other conduct of the Custodian. |
B. | With respect to any of the Allocated Portion of a Fund’s assets, the Lead Adviser will monitor daily cash inflows and outflows, and select the appropriate cash management investment vehicles and the Manager will administer the Fund’s interfund credit facility. The Lead Adviser will instruct the Custodian to hold and/or transfer the Funds’ assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Lead Adviser. (For this purpose, the term “Proper Instructions” shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its Custodian, but generally refers to a writing by the representatives of the Lead Adviser (or Underlying Adviser as applicable) who have been authorized by the Trust’s Board from time to time to provide instructions to the Trust’s custodian. For the purpose of clarification, “Proper Instructions” can be instructions in any format, including without limitation, electronic instructions that are agreed upon by the Lead Adviser and the Custodian.) |
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C. | The Underlying Adviser may, with prior notice to the Funds, the Manager and the Lead Adviser, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Underlying Adviser herein: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents including without limitation, futures and options transactions, brokerage agreements, clearing agreements, account documentation, futures and option agreements, swap agreements, and other investment related agreements required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Funds and subject to the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of the Trust as they apply to the Fund. Such documentation includes, but is not limited to, any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein. The Underlying Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Manager and the Lead Adviser and the Funds to make all elections required in such agreements, instruments and documentation and make and receive all related notices from brokers or other counterparties. The Manager and the Lead Adviser also authorize the Underlying Adviser as agent and attorney-in-fact to make transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts on margin, for the Funds, and authorize each broker with whom the Underlying Adviser makes such transactions to follow its instructions with respect to such transactions. The Manager understands and the Lead Adviser understands and agrees that the Underlying Adviser will (i) determine that such transactions are permitted before instructing a broker to enter into such transactions and that any broker receiving an order for any such transaction will have no independent obligation to ensure that the transactions are consistent with the Trust’s registration statement or the Funds’ investment guidelines; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Underlying Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that the use of any such broker or such representations are consistent with the relevant Fund’s Investment Guidelines; (b) the Underlying Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Fund under such documentation; and (c) the Underlying Adviser shall monitor the counterparty risk associated with each such counterparty and promptly notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser of any material counterparty risk event or potential event of default or termination event, or any event of default or termination event affecting a Fund under documentation with such counterparty. The Underlying Adviser further shall have the authority to provide Proper Instructions to the Custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Funds, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Funds; and (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Funds with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit of margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer to or segregation within an account maintained for a Fund by its Custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Underlying Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Underlying Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Underlying Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement. |
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5. Allocation of Brokerage . The Underlying Adviser shall have authority and discretion to select brokers and dealers to execute transactions for the Allocated Portion of the Funds initiated by the Underlying Adviser, and to select the markets on or in which the transactions will be executed in accordance with its brokerage polices as set forth in the Underlying Adviser’s Form ADV, policies, and procedures and the Investment Guidelines, as appropriate, and as provided to the Manager and/or Lead Adviser upon request (together the “Allocation Procedures and Guidelines”).
A. | In placing orders for the sale and purchase of securities for the Allocated Portion of the Funds, the Underlying Adviser’s primary responsibility shall be to seek the “best execution” of orders as defined in the Registration Statement, as amended from time to time. . Except as otherwise provided for in this Agreement, the Underlying Adviser agrees that, in placing any orders with selected brokers and dealers, the Underlying Adviser will act in accordance with the Underlying Adviser’s “best execution” practices and policies as set forth in its Allocation Procedures and Guidelines. However, this responsibility shall not obligate the Underlying Adviser to solicit competitive bids for each transaction or to seek the lowest available commission cost to the Allocated Portion of the Funds, as long as the Underlying Adviser reasonably believes that the broker or dealer selected by it can be expected to obtain a “best execution” market price on the particular transaction and determines in good faith that the commission cost is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services (as defined in Section 28(e)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) provided by such broker or dealer to the Underlying Adviser, viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or of the Underlying Adviser’s overall responsibilities with respect to its clients, including the Allocated Portion of the Funds, as to which the Underlying Adviser exercises investment discretion, notwithstanding that the Allocated Portion of the Funds may not be the direct or exclusive beneficiary of any such services or that another broker may be willing to charge the Allocated Portion of the Funds a lower commission on the particular transaction. |
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B. | Pursuant to the terms of the Underlying Adviser’s allocation policies as set forth in the Underlying Adviser’s Allocation Procedures and Guidelines, the Underlying Adviser may manage other portfolios and expects that the Allocated Portion of the Funds and other portfolios the Underlying Adviser manages will, from time to time, purchase or sell the same securities. The Underlying Adviser may (but shall not be required to) aggregate orders for the purchase or sale of securities on behalf of the Allocated Portion of the Funds with orders on behalf of other portfolios the Underlying Adviser manages and securities purchased or proceeds of securities sold through aggregated orders, as well as expenses incurred in the transaction, shall be allocated to the account of each portfolio managed by the Underlying Adviser that bought or sold such securities in a manner considered by the Underlying Adviser to be equitable and consistent with the Underlying Adviser’s fiduciary obligations in respect of the Allocated Portion of the Funds and to such other accounts. The Manager and Lead Adviser acknowledge that while the Trust and other accounts may invest in the same type of securities, the Underlying Adviser may give advice or exercise investment responsibility and take such other action with respect to such other accounts which may differ from advice given or the timing or nature of action taken with respect to the Allocated Portion based on, among other factors, the respective investment guidelines and objectives, cash inflows/outflows or applicable tax or regulatory considerations. |
C. | The Underlying Adviser shall not execute any transactions for the Allocated Portion of the Funds with a broker or dealer that is an “affiliated person” (as defined in the Investment Company Act) of (i) the Funds; (ii) another Fund of the Trust; (iii) the Manager; (iv) the Underlying Adviser or any other underlying adviser (including the Lead Adviser) to the Funds; (v) a principal underwriter of the Trust’s shares; or (vi) any other affiliated person of the Funds, in each case, unless such transactions are permitted by applicable law or regulation and carried out in compliance with any applicable policies and procedures of the Trust. The Trust, or its designee, shall provide the Underlying Adviser with a list of brokers and dealers that are “affiliated persons” of the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the principal underwriter, and applicable policies and procedures. Upon the request of the Manager, the Underlying Adviser shall promptly, and in any event within three business days of a request, indicate whether, to its knowledge upon reasonable inquiry, any entity identified by the Manager in such request is an “affiliated person,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act, of (i) the Underlying Adviser or (ii) any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser, subject in each case to any confidentiality requirements applicable to the Underlying Adviser and/or its affiliates. Further, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Manager with a list of (x) each broker-dealer entity that is an “affiliated person,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act, of the Underlying Adviser and (y) each affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser that has outstanding publicly-issued debt or equity. Each of the Manager and the Underlying Adviser agrees promptly to update such list(s) whenever the Manager or the Underlying Adviser becomes aware of any changes that should be added to or deleted from such list of affiliated persons; provided, however, that the Underlying Adviser shall not be bound by any update, modification or amendment of such list(s) unless and until the Underlying Adviser has been provided with an amended list(s) with reasonable notice. |
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D. | Consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Trust in respect of the Allocated Portion of the Funds and the requirements set forth herein, the Underlying Adviser may, under certain circumstances, arrange to have purchase and sale transactions effected between the Allocated Portion of the Funds and another account managed by the Underlying Adviser (“cross transactions”), provided that such transactions are carried out in accordance with applicable law or regulation and any applicable policies and procedures of the Trust. The Trust, or its designee, has provided the Underlying Adviser with such applicable policies and procedures. |
6. Valuation . In accordance with procedures established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, with respect to the Allocated Portion of the Funds’ assets, the Underlying Adviser will (i) provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Funds, (ii) use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Underlying Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Funds for which market prices are not readily available, and (iii) monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Funds for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities. The Underlying Adviser will maintain adequate records with respect to securities valuation information provided hereunder, and shall provide such information to the Lead Adviser or the Manager upon reasonable request.
7. Compliance and Other Matters . The Underlying Adviser, at its expense, shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Underlying Adviser also represents, warrants and covenants that:
A. | It is duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, and is qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which failure to be so qualified would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect upon it, and it will continue to be so organized and in good standing for so long as this Agreement remains in effect. |
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B. | It is registered as an “investment adviser” with the SEC under the Advisers Act and will continue to be so registered or licensed for so long as this Agreement remains in effect; (ii) is not prohibited by the Investment Company Act or the Advisers Act from performing the services contemplated by this Agreement; (iii) has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act; (iv) has adopted written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Advisers Act from occurring, and correct promptly any violations that have occurred, and will provide notice promptly to the Manager of any material violations relating to the Trust during the term of this Agreement; (v) has materially met and will seek to continue to meet for so long as this Agreement remains in effect, any other applicable federal or state requirements, or the applicable requirements of any regulatory or industry self-regulatory agency. |
C. | It is registered as a commodity trading advisor with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a member in good standing of the U.S. National Futures Association (the “NFA”) or duly exempt from such registration and it will maintain such registration or exemption continuously during the term of this Agreement or, alternatively, will become a commodity trading advisor duly registered with the CFTC and will be a member in good standing with the NFA. |
D. | The Underlying Adviser will promptly notify the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser of the occurrence of any event which would disqualify the Underlying Adviser from serving as an investment adviser of an investment company pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Company Act or otherwise. The Underlying Adviser will also notify the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if it is served or otherwise receives notice of any action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation, at law or in equity, before or by any court, public board or body, including but not limited to the SEC and the CFTC, involving the affairs of the Fund. |
E. | To the best of its knowledge, that (i) there are no material pending, threatened, or contemplated actions, suits, proceedings, or investigations before or by any court, governmental, administrative or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel to which the Underlying Adviser or any of its directors, officers, employees, partners, shareholders, members or principals, or any of its affiliates is a party or to which it or its affiliates or any of its or its affiliates’ assets are subject, (ii) neither it nor any of its affiliates has received any notice of an investigation or dispute by any court, governmental, administrative, or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel regarding any of its or their activities, which might reasonably be expected to result in (a) a material adverse effect on the Trust or (b) a material adverse change in its condition (financial or otherwise) or business, or which would reasonably be expected to materially impair its ability to discharge its obligations under this Agreement. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Underlying Adviser will also notify the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if the representation in this subsection E is no longer accurate. |
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F. | It will, at all times, provide its best judgment and effort in carrying out its obligations hereunder. |
G. | It will use the same care and skill in providing such services as it uses in providing services to other non-ERISA accounts for which it has investment management responsibilities; |
H. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that it will (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Lead Adviser, the Trust’s administrator, Custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Funds, the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser; and (ii) keep the Manager and the Lead Adviser reasonably informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Funds; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv)maintain any appropriate interfaces with each, as may be reasonably requested, so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Underlying Adviser shall seek to comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Underlying Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Funds, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements applicable to such transactions pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the CFTC and comparable rules of the SEC (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”); |
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I. | It shall maintain a written code of ethics (“Code of Ethics”) complying with the requirements of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act and shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current copy of the Code of Ethics and evidence of its adoption. The Underlying Adviser shall institute procedures reasonably necessary to prevent its Access Persons (as defined in Rule 17j-1), from violating its Code of Ethics. Each calendar quarter while this Agreement is in effect, a duly authorized compliance officer of the Underlying Adviser shall certify to the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser that the Underlying Adviser has complied with the requirements of Rules 204A-1 and 17j-1 during the previous calendar quarter and, to its knowledge after reasonable inquiry, that there has been no material violation of its Code of Ethics, or of Rule 17j-1(b), or that any persons covered under its Code of Ethics has divulged or acted upon any material, non-public information, as such term is defined under relevant securities laws, in each case relating to the Allocated Portion, and if such a violation of its Code of Ethics has occurred, that appropriate action was taken in response to such violation. Except as prohibited by applicable law, the Underlying Adviser shall notify the Manager and Lead Adviser as soon as is reasonably practicable of any material violation of the Code of Ethics involving the Trust. Upon written request of the Manager or the Lead Adviser, the Underlying Adviser shall permit the Manager and/or Lead Adviser, during normal business hours, to examine the form of reports required to be made by the Adviser under Rules 204A-1(b) and 17j-1(d)(1) and the Code of Ethics. Further, the Underlying Adviser represents that it has policies and procedures regarding the detection and prevention of the misuse of material, nonpublic information by the Underlying Adviser and its employees. Annually, the Underlying Adviser shall furnish to the Trust and the Underlying Adviser a written summary which complies with the requirements of Rule 17j-(c)(2)1 concerning the Underlying Adviser’s Code of Ethics. |
J. | It has adopted and implemented, and throughout the term of this Agreement shall maintain in effect and implement, policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violations by the Underlying Adviser and its supervised persons, and, to the extent the activities of the Underlying Adviser in respect of the Trust could affect the Trust, by the Trust, of “federal securities laws” (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the Act) with respect to the services to be provided by the Underlying Adviser pursuant to this Agreement, and that the Underlying Adviser has provided the Trust with true and complete copies of its policies and procedures (or summaries thereof) and related information reasonably requested by the Trust and/or the Manager or Lead Adviser. The Underlying Adviser agrees to cooperate with reasonable periodic reviews by the Trust’s and/or the Manager’s compliance personnel of the Underlying Adviser’s policies and procedures, their operation and implementation and other compliance matters and to provide to the Trust and/or the Manager from time to time such additional information and certifications in respect of the Underlying Adviser’s policies and procedures, compliance by the Underlying Adviser with federal securities laws and related matters as the Trust’s and/or the Manager’s compliance personnel may reasonably request. The Underlying Adviser agrees to promptly notify the Manager of any compliance violations which materially affect the Allocated Portion of the Funds. |
K. | It shall comply with the Trust’s policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Funds as described in the Trust’s current Registration Statement, and upon reasonable request from the Manager or the Lead Adviser, provide a certification to the Manager or the Lead Adviser with respect to compliance with the Fund’s selective disclosure policy; |
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L. | (1) It shall treat confidentially and as proprietary all non-public records and other information relating to the Funds, and not use records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Manager and the Lead Adviser or when so requested by the Manager or the Lead Adviser or required by law or regulation, or when requested by a regulatory authority; notwithstanding the foregoing, the Underlying Adviser may disclose the names of the Funds and that they are clients of the Underlying Adviser and the total return earned by the Allocated Portion of the Funds and may include such total return in the calculation of Underlying Adviser’s composite performance information. Furthermore, Underlying Adviser may not consult with any other underlying adviser of a Fund concerning transactions in securities or other assets for any Fund of the Trust, including the Fund managed by the Underlying Adviser, except that such consultations are permitted between the current Underlying Adviser and successor underlying adviser of a Fund in order to effect an orderly transition of sub-advisory duties so long as such consultations are not concerning transactions prohibited by Section 17(a) of the Investment Company Act. |
(2) Notwithstanding anything else to the contrary herein, the Underlying Adviser shall retain a right to use the investment performance and track record of the Allocated Portion (including in marketing) in compliance with applicable law. The Underlying Adviser shall be entitled to use the name of the Trust, Fund and/or Manager for this purpose. Further, for the avoidance of doubt, the Underlying Adviser shall be entitled to retain and use copies of records of each of its transactions and other records pertaining to the Allocated Portion, the Trust, the Fund and the Manager as are necessary to support any such uses of the investment performance and track record.
M. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that it shall promptly notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser of any change, of a portfolio manager, portfolio management strategy or any other material matter relating to the Allocated Portion that may require disclosure to the Board and/or shareholders of the Funds no later than at our about the time other similarly situated managers or clients are informed; |
N. | Upon request, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current and complete copy of the it’s Form ADV, and any supplements or amendments thereto and, represents that it is not, and will not be, required by the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936, as amended, or the rules and regulations thereunder promulgated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) to register and is not, and will not be, required to deliver a copy of a CFTC disclosure document; |
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O. | It shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current list of persons the Underlying Adviser wishes to have authorized to give instructions to the Trust’s Custodian regarding assets of the Funds; |
P. | It shall be responsible for the filing of Schedule 13D/13G and Form 13F, and any non-U.S. securities filing equivalents of these filings, on behalf of the Trust reflecting holdings of the Allocated Portion over which the Underlying Adviser and its affiliates have investment and/or voting discretion; |
Q. | It shall provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Lead Adviser, the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held within the Allocated Portion; |
R. | It shall ensure that neither it nor any of its “affiliated persons,” as defined in Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, is or has been permanently or temporarily enjoined by reason of any misconduct, by order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction or regulatory authority, from acting as an investment adviser or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity or in connection with the purchase or sale of any security, as set forth in Section 9 of the Investment Company Act; |
S. | It shall regularly report to the Manager and the Lead Adviser on the investment program for the Allocated Portion of the Funds and the issuers and securities represented in the Allocated Portion of the Funds, and furnish the Manager and the Lead Adviser, with respect to the Funds, such periodic and special reports as the Manager and the Lead Adviser may reasonably request, including, but not limited to, reports concerning transactions and performance of the Allocated Portion of each Fund, reports regarding compliance with the Trust’s procedures pursuant to Rules 17e-1, 17a-7, 10f-3 and 12d3-1 under the Investment Company Act, Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act, compliance with Investment Guidelines and restrictions, trade errors, liquidity determinations, and compliance with the Underlying Adviser’s Code of Ethics, and such other procedures or requirements that the Manager and the Lead Adviser may reasonably request from time to time; |
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T. | It shall promptly review the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Funds, and any amendments or supplements thereto, provided to the Underlying Adviser by the Manager or the Lead Adviser which relate to the Underlying Adviser or the Funds and confirm that, to its knowledge, with respect to the disclosure respecting or relating to the Underlying Adviser or the Funds, and furnished or reviewed by the Underlying Adviser, such prospectus or statement of additional information contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Underlying Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser promptly of any material fact known to the Underlying Adviser respecting or relating to the Underlying Adviser that to the knowledge of the Underlying Adviser is not, but is required to be, contained in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or of any statement respecting or relating to the Underlying Adviser contained therein that to the knowledge of the Underlying Adviser becomes untrue in any material respect. With respect to the disclosure respecting each Fund, the Underlying Adviser represents and agrees that as of the date hereof the description in the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information regarding investment objectives and strategies is consistent with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser intends to manage the Funds, and the description of risks is consistent with risks known to the Underlying Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser intends to manage the Funds. The Underlying Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser promptly in the event that the Underlying Adviser becomes aware that the prospectus or statement of additional information for a Fund is inconsistent in any material respect with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser is managing the Fund, and in the event that the principal risks description is inconsistent in any material respect with the risks known to the Underlying Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser is managing the Fund. In addition, the Underlying Adviser agrees to comply with the Manager and the Lead Adviser’s reasonable request for information regarding the personnel of the Underlying Adviser who are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Trust’s assets as may be required to be disclosed in the prospectus or statement of additional information; |
U. | Upon request, provide certifications to the principal executive and financial officers of the Trust (the “certifying officers”) that support the certifications required to be made by the certifying officers in connection with the preparation and/or filing of the Trust’s Form N-CSRs, N-Qs, shareholder reports, financial statements, and other disclosure documents or regulatory filings, in such form and content as the Trust shall reasonably request or in accordance with procedures adopted by the Trust; and |
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V. | It shall timely provide to the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Trust, all information and documentation that is in its possession or should reasonably be in its possession they may reasonably request as necessary or appropriate in order for the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Board to oversee the activities of the Underlying Adviser and in connection with the compliance by any of them with the requirements of this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the policies and procedures referenced herein, and any applicable law, including, without limitation, (i) information and commentary relating to the Underlying Adviser or the Allocated Portion of the Funds for the Trust’s annual and semi-annual reports (for the avoidance of doubt, such commentary shall only be required in respect of the Trust’s annual report), in a format reasonably approved by the Manager, together with (A) a certification that such information and commentary discuss all of the factors that materially affected the performance of the Funds with respect to the Allocated Portion, including the relevant market conditions and the investment techniques and strategies used and (B) additional reasonable certifications related to the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Trust in order to support the Trust’s filings on Form N-CSR, Form N-Q and other applicable forms, and the Trust’s Principal Executive Officer’s and Principal Financial Officer’s certifications under Rule 30a-2 under the Investment Company Act, thereon; (ii) within 20 calendar days of a quarter-end, a quarterly certification with respect to compliance and operational matters related to the Underlying Adviser and the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds (including, without limitation, compliance with the applicable procedures), in a format reasonably requested by the Manager, as it may be amended from time to time; and (iii) an annual certification from the Underlying Adviser’s Chief Compliance Officer, appointed under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act with respect to the design and operation of the Underlying Adviser’s compliance program, in a format reasonably requested by the Manager or the Trust; |
W. | It shall promptly notify Lead Adviser and the Manager of the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) the departure, replacement, unavailability (other than short-term unavailability) or addition of a chief financial officer or controller, chief operating officer, chief compliance officer, chief risk officer (or such other persons the responsibilities for which would reasonably be performed by a person holding one of the foregoing titles, howsoever described by Underlying Adviser) or any Key Portfolio Manager(s) responsible for the Allocated Portion of the Funds as identified from time to time, in writing and provided to the Manager and Lead Adviser, by the Underlying Adviser (each, a “Key Portfolio Manager”), (ii) any actual or expected change of a portfolio management strategy, (iii) any actual or expected change in control, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Investment Company Act, of the Underlying Adviser or (iv) any other material matter relating to its management of the Allocated Portion that may require disclosure to the Board and/or shareholders of the Funds; and |
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X. | It shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with such other compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be reasonably necessary for the Funds to comply with applicable law, rule regulation, Investment Guideline, policy or similar restriction. |
8. Representations, warranties and covenants of the Lead Adviser . The Lead Adviser represents, warrants and covenants that:
A. | It is duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, and is qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which failure to be so qualified would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect upon it, and it will continue to be so organized and in good standing for so long as this Agreement remains in effect. |
B. | This Agreement is enforceable against the Lead Adviser in accordance with its terms, subject as to enforcement to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, arrangement, moratorium, and other similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles. |
C. | It (i) is registered as an “investment adviser” with the SEC under the Advisers Act and will continue to be so registered or licensed for so long as this Agreement remains in effect; (ii) is not prohibited by the Investment Company Act or the Advisers Act from performing the services contemplated by this Agreement and the Lead Adviser Management Agreement; (iii) has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act; (iv) has adopted written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Advisers Act from occurring, and correct promptly any violations that have occurred; (v) has materially met and will seek to continue to meet for so long as this Agreement remains in effect, any other applicable federal or state requirements, or the applicable requirements of any regulatory or industry self-regulatory agency. |
D. | It is registered as a commodity trading advisor with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a member in good standing of the U.S. National Futures Association (the “NFA”) or duly exempt from such registration and it will maintain such registration or exemptions continuously during the term of this Agreement or, alternatively, will become a commodity trading advisor duly registered with the CFTC and will be a member in good standing with the NFA. |
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E. | The Lead Adviser will promptly notify the Underlying Adviser of the occurrence of any event which would disqualify the Lead Adviser from serving as an investment adviser of an investment company pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Company Act or otherwise. |
F. | It will use the same care and skill in providing such services as it uses in providing services to other non-ERISA accounts for which it has investment management responsibilities; |
G. | To the best of its knowledge, there are no material, threatened or contemplated pending actions, suits, proceedings, or investigations before or by any court, governmental, administrative or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel to which the Lead Adviser or any of its directors, officers, employees, supervised persons, partners, shareholders, members or principals, or any of its affiliates is a party or to which it or its affiliates or any of its or its affiliates’ assets are subject, nor has the Lead Adviser or any of its affiliates received any notice of an investigation or dispute by any court, governmental, administrative, or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel regarding any of its or their activities, which might reasonably be expected to result in (i) a material adverse effect on the Trust or (ii) a material adverse change in the Lead Adviser’s condition (financial or otherwise) or business, which might reasonably be expected to materially impair the Lead Adviser’s ability to discharge its obligations under this Agreement or the Lead Adviser Management Agreement. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Lead Adviser will also notify the Underlying Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if the representation in this subsection is no longer accurate. |
H. | It shall maintain a written Code of Ethics complying with the requirements of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act. The Lead Adviser shall institute procedures reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons (as defined in Rule 17j-1), from violating its Code of Ethics. Further, the Lead Adviser represents that it has policies and procedures regarding the detection and prevention of the misuse of material, nonpublic information by the Lead Adviser and its employees. |
I. | It has adopted and implemented, and throughout the term of this Agreement shall maintain in effect and implement, policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent, violations of the Advisers Act and rules promulgated thereunder by the Lead Adviser and its supervised persons, and, to the extent the activities of the Lead Adviser in respect of the Trust could affect the Trust, by the Trust, of “federal securities laws” (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the Act) with respect to the services to be provided by the Lead Adviser pursuant to the Lead Adviser Management Agreement. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Lead Adviser agrees to promptly notify the Underlying Adviser of any compliance violations which materially affect the Allocated Portion of the Funds. |
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J. | It shall comply with the Trust’s policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Funds as described in the Trust’s current Registration Statement. |
K. | It shall treat confidentially and as proprietary all non-public, proprietary or confidential records and other information relating to the Underlying Adviser disclosed hereunder, or in the context of providing services hereunder and shall not use such records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder or under the Lead Adviser Management Agreement, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Underlying Adviser or when so requested by the Underlying Adviser or required or requested (as advised by counsel) by law, regulation, regulation of any self-regulatory organization, court order or other judicial process. The confidentiality restrictions of this paragraph shall not apply to any records or other information that (i) is or becomes publicly available other than as a result of a disclosure by the Lead Adviser or its representatives in violation of this paragraph; (ii) is or becomes available to the Lead Adviser or its representatives from a source other than another party to this Agreement, which source, to the knowledge of the Lead Adviser or its representatives, after reasonable inquiry, does not have an obligation of confidentiality to another party to this Agreement with respect to such information; (iii is developed independently by the Lead Adviser or its representatives without use of such information or records; (iv) is developed independently by the Lead Adviser or its representatives without use of such information or records; or (v) is disclosed by the Lead Adviser for the purposes of validating performance of the Fund as a whole and the Lead Adviser’s track record. The Lead Adviser agrees that it will not use the information provided by the Underlying Adviser to trade for its own account or for the account of any other person or to try to “reverse engineer” the investment and trading methodologies and strategies of the Underlying Adviser. |
L. | It has reviewed the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Funds, and any amendments or supplements thereto, and confirms that, to its knowledge, the information contained in such prospectus and statement of additional information, and any amendments or supplements thereto, that was furnished by the Lead Adviser or consists of statements made in reliance upon information furnished by the Lead Adviser contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Lead Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager promptly of any material fact known to the Manager respecting or relating to the Funds that is not contained in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto, but which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading, or of any statement respecting or relating to the Funds contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect |
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M. | It shall ensure that neither it nor any of its “affiliated persons,” as defined in Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, is or has been permanently or temporarily enjoined by reason of any misconduct, by order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction or regulatory authority, from acting as an investment adviser or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity or in connection with the purchase or sale of any security, as set forth in Section 9 of the Investment Company Act; |
N. | It will use the same care and skill in providing such services as it uses in providing services to other non-ERISA accounts for which it has investment management responsibilities; |
9. Representations, warranties and covenants of the Manager . The Manager represents, warrants and covenants that:
A. | It is duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, and is qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which failure to be so qualified would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect upon it, and it will continue to be so organized and in good standing for so long as this Agreement remains in effect. |
B. | It (i) is registered as an “investment adviser” with the SEC under the Advisers Act and will continue to be so registered or licensed for so long as this Agreement remains in effect; (ii) is not prohibited by the Investment Company Act or the Advisers Act from performing the services contemplated by this Agreement; (iii) has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act; (iv) has adopted written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Advisers Act from occurring, and correct promptly any violations that have occurred; (v) has materially met and will seek to continue to meet for so long as this Agreement remains in effect, any other applicable federal or state requirements, or the applicable requirements of any regulatory or industry self-regulatory agency. |
C. | Although it is registered as a commodity pool operator, it is relying on the exclusion in CFTC Regulation 4.5 with respect to each Fund, has timely filed the required notice under CFTC Regulation 4.5, and will reaffirm it annually as required. |
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D. | The Manager will promptly notify the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser of the occurrence of any event which would disqualify the Manager from serving as an investment adviser of an investment company pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Company Act or otherwise. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Manager will also notify the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if it is served or otherwise receives notice of any action, suit, proceeding, or investigation, at law or in equity, before or by any court, public board or body, including but not limited to the SEC and the CFTC, involving the affairs of a Fund. |
E. | To the best of its knowledge, there are no material pending, threatened or contemplated actions, suits, proceedings, or investigations before or by any court, governmental, administrative or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel to which the Manager or any of its directors, officers, employees, partners, shareholders, members or principals, or any of its affiliates is a party or to which it or its affiliates or any of its or its affiliates’ assets are subject, nor has the Manager or any of its affiliates received any notice of an investigation or dispute by any court, governmental, administrative, or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel regarding any of its or their activities, which might reasonably be expected to result in (i) a material adverse effect on the Trust or (ii) a material adverse change in the Manager’s condition (financial or otherwise) or business, which might reasonably be expected to materially impair the Manager’s ability to discharge its obligations under this Agreement. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Manager will also notify the Underlying Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if the representation in this subsection is no longer accurate. |
F. | It shall maintain a written Code of Ethics complying with the requirements of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act. The Manager shall institute procedures reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons (as defined in Rule 17j-1), from violating its Code of Ethics. Further, the Manager represents that it has policies and procedures regarding the detection and prevention of the misuse of material, nonpublic information by the Manager and its employees. |
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G. | It has adopted and implemented, and throughout the term of this Agreement shall maintain in effect and implement, policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent, violations of the Advisers Act and rules promulgated thereunder by the Manager and its supervised persons, and, to the extent the activities of the Manager in respect of the Trust could affect the Trust, by the Trust, of “federal securities laws” (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the Act) with respect to the services to be provided by the Manager pursuant to this Agreement. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Manager agrees to promptly notify the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser of any compliance violations which materially affect the Allocated Portion of the Funds. |
H. | It shall comply with the Trust’s policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Funds as described in the Trust’s current Registration Statement. |
I. | It shall treat confidentially and as proprietary all non-public, proprietary or confidential records and other information relating to the Underlying Adviser, and shall not use such records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder or under the Investment management agreement among the Manager and the Trust or the agreement among the Lead Adviser, the Manager and the Trust, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Underlying Adviser or when so requested by the Underlying Adviser or required or requested (as advised by counsel) by law, regulation, regulation of any self-regulatory organization, court order or other judicial process. The confidentiality restrictions of this paragraph shall not apply to any records or other information that (i) is or becomes publicly available other than as a result of a disclosure by the Manager or its representatives in violation of this paragraph; (ii) is or becomes available to the Manager or its representatives from a source other than another party to this Agreement, which source, to the knowledge of the Manager or its representatives, after reasonable inquiry, does not have an obligation of confidentiality to another party to this Agreement with respect to such information; or (iii) is developed independently by the Manager or its representatives without use of such information or records. |
J. | It has reviewed the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Funds, and any amendments or supplements thereto, and confirms that the information included in such prospectus and statement of additional information, as it relates to the Funds and the Manager, contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Manager further agrees to notify the Underlying Adviser promptly of any material fact known to the Manager respecting or relating to the Funds that is not contained in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto, but which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading, or of any statement respecting or relating to the Funds contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect. |
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K. | It has procedures in place which comply with all relevant anti-money laundering and privacy principles applicable to it, and any solicitations and other activities by the Manager in connection with the Trust have been and will be conducted in accordance with applicable laws, rules and regulations. |
L. | This Agreement has been properly approved according to applicable laws, rules and regulations. |
M. | The Trust is registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act and will maintain such registration for so long as this Agreement and the Investment Management Agreement with respect to a Fund remain in effect. |
N. | It shall ensure that neither it nor any of its “affiliated persons,” as defined in Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, is or has been permanently or temporarily enjoined by reason of any misconduct, by order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction or regulatory authority, from acting as an investment adviser or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity or in connection with the purchase or sale of any security, as set forth in Section 9 of the Investment Company Act; |
O. | It will use the same care and skill in providing such services as it uses in providing services to other non-ERISA accounts for which it has investment management responsibilities; |
10. Confidential Information. “confidential information,” as used in this Agreement, shall include trade secrets, technical, business or confidential information or material, including without limitation financial information, proposed new products, business or marketing strategies, plans, or techniques, new communication or electronic fund transfer methods, sales or volume reports, shareholder or customer lists, intermediary lists, or prospective investor lists pertaining to or owned by another party. Confidential Information shall not include items that: (a) are in the public domain, (b) are independently developed or obtained by a party, or (c) are obtained rightfully by a party from third parties without a breach by such third parties of any obligation of confidentiality The parties shall keep confidential any Confidential Information concerning the other parties.
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11. | Proxies and Other Shareholder Actions . |
A. | Unless otherwise directed in writing by the Manager or the Lead Adviser, the Underlying Adviser shall receive and exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Allocated Portion in the best interest of Fund shareholders and in accordance with the Underlying Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy as of the date hereof of which has been provided to the Manager and the Lead Adviser. Upon reasonable request the Underlying Adviser shall report to the Manager and the Lead Adviser in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Underlying Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Underlying Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager and the Lead Adviser, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations. The Manager and the Lead Adviser reserve the right to exercise voting rights on any assets held in the Funds on an individual security or ongoing basis. |
B. | The Underlying Adviser is authorized to deal with reorganizations, exchange offers and other voluntary corporate actions with respect to securities held in the Allocated Portion of the Funds in such manner as the Underlying Adviser deems advisable, unless the Trust or the Manager otherwise specifically directs in writing. It is acknowledged and agreed that the Underlying Adviser shall not be responsible for the filing of claims (or otherwise causing the Trust to participate or not to participate) in class action settlements or similar proceedings in which shareholders may participate related to securities currently or previously associated with the Allocated Portion of the Funds, however it shall provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held or previously held within the Funds managed by the Underlying Adviser. With the Manager’s approval, on a case-by-case basis the Underlying Adviser may obtain the authority and take on the responsibility to: (i) identify, evaluate and pursue legal claims, including commencing or defending suits, affecting the securities held at any time in the Allocated Portion of the Funds, including claims in bankruptcy, class action securities litigation and other litigation; (ii) participate in such litigation or related proceedings with respect to such securities as the Underlying Adviser deems appropriate to preserve or enhance the value of the Allocated Portion of the Funds, including filing proofs of claim and related documents and serving as “lead plaintiff” in class action lawsuits; (iii) exercise generally any of the powers of an owner with respect to the supervision and management of such rights or claims, including the settlement, compromise or submission to arbitration of any claims, the exercise of which the Underlying Adviser deems to be in the best interest of the Allocated Portion of the Funds or required by applicable law, including ERISA, and (iv) employ suitable agents, including legal counsel, and to pay their reasonable fees, expenses and related costs from the Allocated Portion of the Funds; provided that the Underlying Adviser shall be under no obligation to take any of the actions contemplated by this sentence and expressly disclaims any responsibility in that regard. |
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12. Compensation of the Underlying Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Underlying Adviser as provided in Sections 1, 2, and 3 of this Agreement, the Lead Adviser shall pay to the Underlying Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule B attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be accrued daily and paid to the Underlying Adviser monthly in arrears within 20 business days of the month end, and the Lead Adviser shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule B to the average daily net assets of the Allocated Portion of the specified Funds during the relevant month. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule B, there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule B. The Lead Adviser is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Underlying Adviser.
The Underlying Adviser shall bear all expenses incurred by it and its staff with respect to all activities in connection with the performance of the Underlying Adviser’s services under this Agreement, including but not limited to personnel, salaries, benefits, overhead, travel, preparation of reports, office space, furnishings and equipment. Upon request by the Manager, the Underlying Adviser agrees to reimburse the Manager for costs associated with certain supplements to the Fund’s disclosure documents (“Supplements”). Such Supplements are those generated due to changes with respect to the Underlying Adviser requiring prompt disclosure in the Trust’s prospectus, statement of additional information, and/or information statement and for which, at the time of notification by the Underlying Adviser to the Manager and the Lead Adviser of such changes, the Trust is not already generating a supplement for other purposes or for which the Manager may not be able to reasonably add such changes to a pending supplement. Such changes with respect to the Underlying Adviser include, but are not limited to, changes to its structure, to key investment personnel, to investment style or management. The Underlying Adviser shall reimburse the Manager or the Trust, as applicable, for all of the reasonable costs associated with generating such Supplements, and/or any required Board meeting and/or reasonable proxy expenses related to approving a change in control of the Underlying Adviser. Reimbursable costs may include, but are not limited to, reasonable costs of preparation, filing, printing, postage, and/or distribution of such Supplements to all existing Fund shareholders.
13. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Underlying Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Underlying Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Underlying Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
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14. | Information and Reports . |
A. | The Underlying Adviser shall keep the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser informed of developments relating to its duties as Underlying Adviser of which the Underlying Adviser has, or should have, knowledge that would materially affect the Funds. In this regard, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser and their respective officers with such periodic reports concerning the obligations the Underlying Adviser has assumed under this Agreement as the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser may from time to time reasonably request. In addition, prior to each meeting of the Board, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Board, as they may reasonably request with reports regarding the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds during the most recently completed quarter, which reports: (i) shall include the Underlying Adviser’s representation that its performance of its investment management duties hereunder is in compliance with the Funds’ investment objectives and practices, the Investment Company Act and applicable rules and regulations under the Investment Company Act, and applicable Investment Guidelines provided to the Underlying Adviser by the Lead Adviser, and the diversification and minimum “good income” requirements of Subchapter M under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and (ii) otherwise shall be in such form as may be mutually agreed upon by the Underlying Adviser and the Manager and Lead Adviser. |
B. | Each of the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser shall provide the other party with a list, to the best of their respective knowledge, of each affiliated person (and any affiliated person of such an affiliated person) of the Manager, Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser, as the case may be, and each of the Manager, Lead Adviser and Underlying Adviser agrees promptly to update and deliver such list whenever the Manager, Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser becomes aware of any changes that should be added to or deleted from the list of affiliated persons. |
C. | The Underlying Adviser shall also provide the Trust, the Manager and Lead Adviser with any information reasonably requested by the Manager or Lead Adviser regarding its management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds required for any shareholder report, amended Registration Statement, or prospectus supplement to be filed by the Trust with the SEC, and such other information with regard to its affairs as the others may reasonably request. |
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D. | The Manager shall make available to the Underlying Adviser copies of the Trust prospectus, statement of additional information, and shareholder reports, and also provide the Certificate of Trust, Agreement and Declaration of Trust, Bylaws, Compliance Policies and Procedures of the Trust, and any amendments thereto. The Underlying Adviser will be provided the opportunity to review any description of the Underlying Adviser set forth in the Trust prospectus, statement of additional information and shareholder reports which will be clearly marked to indicate that they are documents of the Trust and/or the Fund rather than of the Underlying Adviser. If the Underlying Adviser ceases to furnish services to the Trust, the Trust at its expense shall, as promptly as practicable, take all necessary action to cause the Trust prospectus, statement of additional information and shareholder reports to be amended to accomplish a change of name to eliminate any reference to the Underlying Adviser, and within 60 days after such date, shall cease to use in any other manner, including use in any sales literature or promotional material, the Underlying Adviser’s name (except as necessary or reasonably desirable to identify historical service providers). |
15. Status of Underlying Adviser . The subadvisory services of the Underlying Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, although the Underlying Adviser acknowledges its fiduciary duty to the Funds. The Underlying Adviser 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 Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust or any Fund in any way, and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as making the Trust, a Fund, the Manager or the Lead Adviser a partner or co-venturer with the Underlying Adviser or any of the Underlying Adviser’s affiliates. It is acknowledged and agreed that the Lead Adviser may appoint from time to time other underlying advisers in addition to the Underlying Adviser to manage the assets of the Funds that do not constitute the Allocated Portion and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed or interpreted to grant the Underlying Adviser an exclusive arrangement to act as the sole underlying adviser to the Funds. It is further acknowledged and agreed that the Manager and Lead Adviser make no commitment to designate any portion of the Funds’ assets to the Underlying Adviser as the Allocated Portion.
16. Certain Records . The Underlying Adviser shall maintain all records relating to its duties under this Agreement and required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules, including without limitation those set forth in Schedule A to this Agreement, for the periods prescribed by Rule 31a-1 or Rule 31a-2 under the Investment Company Act or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules. The Underlying Adviser agrees that such records that are prepared or maintained by the Underlying Adviser in connection with its services hereunder or otherwise on behalf of the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust with respect to the Allocated Portion are the property of the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager, the Lead Underlying Adviser or Trust on request, provided that the Underlying Adviser shall be entitled to retain a copy of such records.
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17. | Liability and Indemnification by Parties |
A. | Except as otherwise provided within this Agreement, in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of Underlying Adviser’s obligations and duties hereunder (“Disabling Conduct”) on the part of Underlying Adviser, none of Underlying Adviser, its affiliated persons within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, officers, directors, members, agents, employees or controlling persons shall be subject to liability to the Manager, the Lead Adviser, the Trust or any third party, including shareholders, for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security by the Funds. |
B. | The Underlying Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser, any affiliated person of the Manager or the Lead Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, their officers, directors, members, agents, employees and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Trust, the Manager or the Lead Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Disabling Conduct of the Underlying Adviser or its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Underlying Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Underlying Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact pertaining thereto which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished in writing to the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trust by the Underlying Adviser for use therein. The Underlying Adviser shall have no liability or responsibility with respect to other disclosures or statements or omissions. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
C. | The Lead Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, its officers, directors, members, agents, employees and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Disabling Conduct of the Lead Adviser or any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Lead Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Lead Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished by the Lead Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Lead Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
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D. | The Manager agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, its officers, directors, members, agents, employees and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Investment Company Act, controls the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of this agreement, except to the extent such claims are determined by a non-appealable final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction to result from the Underlying Adviser’s Disabling Conduct or the matters described in Section 17(B). The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
E. | A party seeking indemnification hereunder (the “Indemnified Party”) will (i) provide prompt notice to the other of any Claim for which it intends to seek indemnification, (ii) grant control of the defense and/or settlement of the Claim to the other party, and (iii) cooperate with the other party in the defense thereof. The Indemnified Party will have the right at its own expense to participate in the defense of any Claim, but will not have the right to control the defense, consent to judgment or agree to the settlement of any Claim without the written consent of the other party. The party providing the indemnification will not consent to the entry of any judgment or enter any settlement which (i) does not include, as an unconditional term, the release by the claimant of all liabilities for Claims against the Indemnified Party or (ii) which otherwise adversely affects the rights or reputation of the Indemnified Party. |
F. | No party will be liable to another party for consequential damages under any provision of this Agreement. |
18. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Underlying Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Underlying Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Underlying Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed in the Trust’s registration statement as required by law.
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19. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its execution as to each Fund and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Fund; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Fund fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Underlying Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be “specifically approved at least annually” shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager or the Lead Adviser upon not less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days prior notice to the other parties hereto, by vote of a majority of the Board of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund on not less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days written notice to the Underlying Adviser, or by the Underlying Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on thirty (30) days written notice to the Manager and the Lead Adviser. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. For the avoidance of doubt, the Lead Adviser may from time to time, and at any time, decrease the Allocated Portion.
A notice period provided in this Section may be waived by the party(ies) required to be notified, in their absolute discretion.
As used in this Section 16, the terms “assignment”, “interested persons”, and a “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
This Agreement may also be terminated without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, Lead Adviser or the Trust immediately by written notice to the Underlying Adviser upon: (i) a material breach by the Underlying Adviser of this Agreement which is not promptly cured (to the extent that such breach is curable); (ii) the Key Portfolio Manager(s) ceasing to be employed by the Underlying Adviser or continuing to oversee the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Funds’ assets; or (iii) the Underlying Adviser or any officer, director or Key Portfolio Manager of the Underlying Adviser being accused in any regulatory, self-regulatory or judicial proceeding as having violated the federal securities laws or engaged in criminal conduct. This Agreement may also be terminated, without the payment of any penalty, by the Underlying Adviser immediately by written notice to the Lead Adviser upon: (i) a material breach by the Manager or the Lead Adviser of this Agreement which is not promptly cured (to the extent that such breach is curable); or (ii) the Manager or the Lead Adviser or any officer or director of the Manager or the Lead Adviser having been found ineligible to serve in their respective capacity under Section 9 of the Investment Company Act.
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20. Severability . If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, statute, rule or otherwise, such provision will be modified, rewritten or interpreted to include as much of its nature and scope as will render it enforceable. If it cannot be so modified, rewritten or interpreted to be valid and enforceable in any respect, it will not be given effect, and the remainder of the Agreement will be enforced as if such provision had never been included.
21. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual written consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Fund’s shareholders to the extent required by the Investment Company Act, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
22. | Due Diligence |
A. | The Underlying Adviser will use its commercially reasonable efforts to respond to reasonable annual due diligence questionnaires provided to the Underlying Adviser by or on behalf of the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trustees of the Funds within two (2) weeks from the Underlying Adviser’s receipt of any such questionnaire. |
B. | The Underlying Adviser agrees to make available to the Lead Adviser, from time to time at its reasonable request, certain senior members of the Underlying Adviser’s investment and back-office teams for purposes of discussing the Underlying Adviser’s business and operations and the performance of the Fund. |
C. | The Underlying Adviser agrees to allow the Trust’s chief compliance officer and/or the Lead Adviser and its representatives, from time to time at its reasonable request, to inspect records pertaining to the Underlying Adviser’s internal control and compliance procedures. |
23. | Miscellaneous . |
A. | Third-Party Beneficiary . The Trust is an intended third-party beneficiary under this Agreement and is entitled to enforce this Agreement as if it were a party thereto. |
B. | Governing Law and Venue . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas without giving effect to any conflict of laws provisions thereof. |
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C. | Use of Name . The Underlying Adviser authorizes, during the term of this Agreement, the Manager and the Lead Adviser’s use of the Underlying Adviser’s service marks and/or trademarks in connection with the marketing of the Fund(s), including but not limited to, the Fund(s)’ registration statements and fact sheets; provided that the Manager and the Lead Adviser use reasonable efforts to allow Underlying Adviser to review such materials prior to their first use. In addition, the Manager and the Lead Adviser each acknowledges and agrees that it has no rights in or to the Underlying Adviser’s name beyond the limited use rights granted herein. |
D. | Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts (including executed counterparts delivered and exchanged by facsimile transmission), each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement. For all purposes, signatures delivered and exchanged by facsimile transmission shall be binding and effective to the same extent as original signatures. |
E. | No Implied Waiver . Either party’s failure to insist in any one or more instances upon strict performance by the other party of the terms of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any continuing or subsequent failure to perform or delay in performance of any term hereof. |
F. | Entire Agreement . This Agreement, together with the Schedules attached thereto, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the parties and supersedes any and all prior or contemporaneous understandings and agreements, whether oral or written, between the parties, with respect to the subject matter hereof. |
G. | Headings . Headings used in this Agreement are provided for convenience only and shall not be used to construe meaning or intent. |
H. | Survival . Sections 7.L, 8.K, 9.I, 12 (to the extent of any fees accrued at the time of termination), 23.H, 23.I, and 24 shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
I. | Notices . Any notices required to be given hereunder may be delivered by hand, facsimile, deposited with a nationally recognized overnight carrier, or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, in each case, to the address of the other party listed below (or such other address as may be furnished by a party in accordance with this paragraph). All such notices or communications shall be deemed to have been given and received (a) in the case of personal delivery, email or facsimile, on the date of such delivery, (b) in the case of delivery by a nationally recognized overnight carrier, the earlier of (i) the date of receipt or (ii) the third business day following dispatch and (c) in the case of mailing, on the seventh business day following such mailing. All such notices shall be delivered to: |
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If to the Manager:
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
220 East Las Colinas Blvd., Suite 1200
Irving, TX 75039
Attention: Chief Investment Officer
Facsimile: 817-391-6131
with a copy to General Counsel at the same address.
If to the Lead Adviser:
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P.
900 North Michigan Ave., Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60611
Attention: General Counsel with a copy to Client Services at the same address.
Email: legal@gcmlp.com; client.services@gcmlp.com
If to the Underlying Adviser:
Passport Capital LLC
One Market Street, Steuart Tower, Suite 2200
San Francisco, CA 94105
Attention: Julie Kim
Facsimile: (415) 321-4620
Email: jkim@passportcapital.com
24. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Underlying Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Fund, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Fund. The Underlying Adviser further agrees that it shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Fund, nor from the Board or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Passport Capital, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
By: | By: | |||
Name: | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |||
Title: | Chief Operating Officer | |||
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. | ||||
By: | ||||
Name: | ||||
Title: |
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SCHEDULE A
RECORDS TO BE MAINTAINED BY THE UNDERLYING ADVISER
1. (Rule 31a-1(b)(5) and (6)) A record of each brokerage order, and all other series purchases and sales, given by the Underlying Adviser on behalf of the Trust for, or in connection with, the purchase or sale of securities, whether executed or unexecuted. Such records shall include:
A. | The name of the broker; |
B. | The terms and conditions of the order and of any modifications or cancellations thereof; |
C. | The time of entry or cancellation; |
D. | The price at which executed; |
E. | The time of receipt of a report of execution; and |
F. | The name of the person who placed the order on behalf of the Trust. |
2. (Rule 31a-1(b)(9)) A record for each fiscal quarter, completed within ten (10) days after the end of the quarter, showing specifically the basis or bases upon which the allocation of orders for the purchase and sale of series securities to named brokers or dealers was effected, and the division of brokerage commissions or other compensation on such purchase and sale orders. Such record:
A. | Shall include the consideration given to: |
(i) | The sale of shares of the Trust by brokers or dealers. |
(ii) | The supplying of services or benefits by brokers or dealers to: |
(a) | The Trust, |
(b) | The Manager, |
(c) | The Underlying Adviser, and |
(d) | Any person affiliated with the foregoing. |
(iii) | Any other consideration other than the technical qualifications of the brokers and dealers as such. |
B. | Shall show the nature of the services or benefits made available. |
C. | Shall describe in detail the application of any general or specific formula or other determinant used in arriving at such allocation of purchase and sale orders and such division of brokerage commissions or other compensation. |
D. Shall show the name of the person responsible for making the determination of such allocation and such division of brokerage commissions or other compensation.
3. (Rule 31a-1(b)(10)) Any memorandum, recommendation or instruction supporting or authorizing the person or persons, committees or groups authorized by the Underlying Adviser to purchase or sell portfolio securities on behalf of the Trust. Where a committee or group makes an authorization, a record shall be kept of the names of its members who participate in the authorization.
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4. (Rule 31a-1(f)) Such accounts, books and other documents as are required to be maintained by registered investment advisers by rule adopted under Section 204 of the Advisers Act to the extent such records are necessary or appropriate to record the Underlying Adviser’s transactions for the Trust.
5. Such other records as are necessary under Board- approved policies and procedures of the Trust applying to tasks carried out by the Underlying Adviser, including without limitation those related to valuation determinations.
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Schedule B
Compensation
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. (the “Lead Adviser”) shall pay to the Underlying Adviser pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., the Lead Adviser, and the Underlying Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the Fund the following annual fee for all Fund assets under Underlying Adviser’s management.
I. | Funds |
American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund
II. | Fee Schedule |
[ ]%
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated as of ____________________, 2015
Passport Capital, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
By: | By: | |||
Name: | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |||
Title: | Chief Operating Officer | |||
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. | ||||
By: | ||||
Name: | ||||
Title: |
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Exhibit (d)(2)(QQ)
Execution Copy
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this _____ day of _______________, 2015, by and among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the “Manager”), Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., an Illinois Limited Partnership (the “Lead Adviser”) and Pine River Capital Management L.P., a Delaware Limited Partnership (the “Underlying Adviser”);
WHEREAS, the American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the “Trust”), is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“Investment Company Act”), consisting of several series of shares, each having its own assets and investment objective(s), policies and restrictions; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to an investment management agreement dated __________, (the “Investment Management Agreement”) the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the oversight of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”); and
WHEREAS, the Trust’s agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its responsibilities thereunder; and
WHEREAS, the Manager has retained the Lead Adviser to provide services to one or more series of shares of the Trust, subject to the oversight of the Board; and
WHEREAS, the Manager’s agreement with the Lead Adviser dated ________ (the “Lead Adviser Management Agreement”) provides that the Lead Adviser may recommend Underlying Advisers to the Manager and the Board to manage all or a portion of the assets of a series of shares of the Trust; and
WHEREAS, the Underlying Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Advisers Act”); and
WHEREAS, the Manager and the Lead Adviser desire to retain the Underlying Adviser to render investment management services with respect to certain of the Trust’s series of shares as the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (each a “Fund” and collectively the “Funds”) and as described in the Trust’s registration statement (“Registration Statement”) on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Underlying Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Appointment and Duties of the Underlying Adviser . Subject to the overall policies, direction and review of the Board, the Manager and the Lead Adviser hereby appoint the Underlying Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Funds’ assets as is designated by the Lead Adviser from time to time (the “Allocated Portion”), and, with respect to such Allocated Portion, to continuously review and administer the investment program of the Funds, to determine in the Underlying Adviser’s discretion the securities, commodity interests and other investments to be purchased, retained, sold, sold short, exchanged, converted, borrowed or lent to provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser and the Trust with records concerning the Underlying Adviser’s activities which the Trust is required to maintain (as described below), and to render regular reports (as described below) to the Manager, the Lead Adviser and to the Trust’s officers and Trustees concerning the Underlying Adviser’s discharge of the foregoing responsibilities.
2. Acceptance of Appointment; Standard of Performance . The Underlying Adviser accepts such appointment and agrees to discharge its responsibilities as a discretionary adviser of the Allocated Portion of the Funds and will perform its duties hereunder for each Fund in conformity with (a) all applicable securities laws, including but not limited to, the Investment Company Act, the Advisers Act, and the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (“CEA”), the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”), and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations under each such act, and (b) the terms of this Agreement.
3. Services of Underlying Adviser . In providing discretionary management services to the Allocated Portion of the Funds, the Underlying Adviser shall be subject to the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of the Trust as they apply to the Funds and as set forth in the Trust’s then current prospectus and statement of additional information filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as part of the Trust’s Registration Statement, as may be periodically amended and made available in advance to the Underlying Adviser by the Manager, and to the investment restrictions set forth in the Investment Company Act and the Rules thereunder, and subject to the Manager’s oversight, the Lead Adviser’s direction and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Board may from time to time establish and make available in advance in writing to the Underlying Adviser, and to investment guidelines, investment policies and investment restrictions (as amended from time to time, the “Investment Guidelines”) communicated in writing by the Lead Adviser to the Underlying Adviser and acknowledged in advance by the Underlying Adviser. The Underlying Adviser shall not, without the Manager’s and Lead Adviser’s prior written approval, effect any transactions that would cause the Allocated Portion of the Funds at the time of the transaction to be out of compliance with any of such restrictions or policies or the Investment Guidelines applicable to the Allocated Portion; provided, however, that, notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Underlying Adviser shall not be bound by, or liable for failure to comply with, any policies or Investment Guidelines or any update, modification or amendment to the foregoing unless and until the Underlying Advisor has been provided a copy of such item and a reasonable opportunity to comply therewith. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, the Underlying Adviser may rely solely on the Lead Adviser’s prior written approval to effect transactions that would cause the Allocated Portion of the Funds at the time of the transaction to be out of compliance with Investment Guidelines not established or approved by the Board or otherwise required by the Trust’s Registration Statement. Furthermore, the Underlying Adviser shall comply with all such restrictions or policies or the Investment Guidelines applicable to the Allocated Portion on a daily basis. Except as expressly set forth in this Agreement, the Underlying Adviser shall not be responsible for aspects of the Fund’s investment program other than managing the Allocated Portion in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
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4. | Transaction Procedures . |
A. | All transactions for the Allocated Portion of the Funds shall be consummated by payment to, or delivery by, the custodian(s) from time to time designated by the Trust (the “Custodian”), or such depositories or agents as may be designated by the Custodian in writing, of all cash and/or securities and other property due to or from the Funds. The Underlying Adviser shall not have possession or custody of such cash and/or securities or other property or any responsibility or liability with respect to such custody. The Underlying Adviser shall advise the Custodian of all investment orders for the Allocated Portion of the Funds placed by it with brokers and dealers, Futures Commission Merchants (“FCMs) or other counterparties at the time and in the manner set forth, as amended from time to time, by the Custodian and made available to the Underlying Adviser. Except to the extent the Fund incurs an overdraft fee or other penalty in each case as a result of the Underlying Adviser’s breach of the standard of care set forth in Section 15A of this Agreement, the Trust, or its designee, shall be responsible for all custodial arrangements and the payment of all custodial charges and fees, and, upon giving proper instructions to the Custodian, the Underlying Adviser shall have no responsibility or liability with respect to custodial arrangements or the act, omissions or other conduct of the Custodian. |
B. | With respect to any of the Allocated Portion of a Fund’s assets, the Lead Adviser will monitor daily cash inflows and outflows, and select the appropriate cash management investment vehicles and the Manager will administer the Fund’s interfund credit facility. The Lead Adviser will instruct the Custodian to hold and/or transfer the Funds’ assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Lead Adviser. (For this purpose, the term “Proper Instructions” shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its Custodian, but generally refers to a writing by the representatives of the Lead Adviser (or Underlying Adviser as applicable) who have been authorized by the Trust’s Board from time to time to provide instructions to the Trust’s Custodian. For the purpose of clarification, “Proper Instructions” can be instructions in any format, including without limitation, electronic instructions that are agreed upon by the Lead Adviser and the Custodian.) |
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C. | The Underlying Adviser may, solely for the purposes of the activities described within this paragraph, act as each Fund’s agent and attorney-in-fact with prior notice to each applicable Fund, the Manager and the Lead Adviser, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Underlying Adviser herein: enter into agreements and execute any documents including without limitation, futures and options transactions, brokerage agreements, clearing agreements, account documentation, futures and option agreements, swap agreements, and other investment related agreements required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Funds. Such documentation includes, but may not be limited to, any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein. Notwithstanding the above the Underlying Adviser will, with regard to executing brokers, not be required to provide prior notice but will provide a list of executing brokers upon request of the Manager or the Lead Advisor. The Underlying Adviser is authorized on behalf of each Fund, the Manager and the Lead Adviser to make all elections required in such agreements, instruments and documentation and make and receive all related notices from brokers or other counterparties. The Manager and the Lead Adviser also authorize the Underlying Adviser as each Fund’s agent and attorney-in-fact to make transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts on margin, for the Funds, and authorize each broker or FCM with whom the Underlying Adviser makes such transactions to follow its instructions with respect to such transactions. The Manager understands and the Lead Adviser understands and agrees that the Underlying Adviser will (i) determine that such transactions are permitted before instructing a broker or FCM to enter into such transactions and that any broker or FCM receiving an order for any such transaction will have no independent obligation to ensure that the transactions are consistent with the Trust’s registration statement or the Funds’ Investment Guidelines; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ or FCMs’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Underlying Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are consistent with the relevant Fund’s Investment Guidelines; (b) the Underlying Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Fund under such documentation; and (c) the Underlying Adviser shall monitor the counterparty risk associated with each major counterparty (but not its executing brokers) and promptly notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser of any credit downgrade by S&P or Moodys or event of default or termination event affecting a Fund under documentation with such major counterparty. The Underlying Adviser further shall have the authority to provide Proper Instructions to the Custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Funds, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Funds; and (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Funds with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit of margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer to or segregation within an account maintained for a Fund by its Custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such Custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Underlying Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Underlying Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Underlying Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement. |
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5. Allocation of Brokerage . The Underlying Adviser shall have authority and discretion to select brokers and dealers and FCMs to execute transactions for the Allocated Portion of the Funds initiated by the Underlying Adviser, and to select the markets on or in which the transactions will be executed in accordance with its brokerage polices as set forth in the Underlying Adviser’s Form ADV, policies, procedures and the Investment Guidelines, as appropriate, and as provided to the Manager and/or Lead Adviser upon request (together the “Allocation Procedures and Guidelines”).
A. | In placing orders for the sale and purchase of securities for the Allocated Portion of the Funds, the Underlying Adviser’s primary responsibility shall be to seek to obtain the “best execution” of orders as defined in the Registration Statement, as amended from time to time. Except as otherwise provided for in this Agreement, the Underlying Adviser agrees that, in placing any orders with selected brokers and dealers, the Underlying Adviser will act in accordance with the Underlying Adviser’s “best execution” practices and policies as set as set forth in its Allocation Procedures and Guidelines. Among other considerations, the Underlying Adviser may consider all factors it deems relevant, including by way of illustration, price, the size of the transaction, the nature of the market for the security or instrument, the amount of the commission, the timing and difficulty of the transaction taking into account market prices and trends, the reputation, experience and financial stability of the broker or dealer involved, and the quality of service rendered by the broker or dealer in other transactions. The Underlying Adviser’s responsibility to seek to obtain “best execution” shall not obligate the Underlying Adviser to solicit competitive bids for each transaction or to seek the lowest available commission cost to the Allocated Portion of the Funds, as long as the Underlying Adviser reasonably believes that the broker or dealer selected by it can be expected to obtain a “best execution” market price on the particular transaction and the Underlying Adviser determines in good faith that the commission cost is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services (as defined in Section 28(e)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) provided by such broker or dealer to the Underlying Adviser, viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or of the Underlying Adviser’s overall responsibilities with respect to its clients, including the Allocated Portion of the Funds, as to which the Underlying Adviser exercises investment discretion, notwithstanding that the Allocated Portion of the Funds may not be the direct or exclusive beneficiary of any such services or that another broker may be willing to charge the Allocated Portion of the Funds a lower commission on the particular transaction. |
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B. | Pursuant to the terms of the Underlying Adviser’s allocation policies as set forth in the Underlying Adviser’s Allocation Procedures and Guidelines, (i) the Underlying Adviser may manage other portfolios and expects that the Allocated Portion of the Funds and other portfolios the Underlying Adviser manages will, from time to time, purchase or sell the same securities. The Underlying Adviser may aggregate orders for the purchase or sale of securities on behalf of the Allocated Portion of the Funds with orders on behalf of other portfolios the Underlying Adviser manages and (ii) securities purchased or proceeds of securities sold through aggregated orders, as well as expenses incurred in the transaction, shall be allocated to the account of each portfolio managed by the Underlying Adviser that bought or sold such securities in a manner considered by the Underlying Adviser to be equitable and consistent with the Underlying Adviser’s fiduciary obligations in respect of the Allocated Portion of the Funds and to such other accounts over time. The Manager acknowledges that while the Trust and other accounts may invest in the same type of securities, the Underlying Adviser may give advice or exercise investment responsibility and take such other action with respect to such other accounts which may differ from advice given or the timing or nature of action taken with respect to the Allocated Portion based on, among other factors, the respective investment guidelines and objectives, cash inflows/outflows or applicable tax or regulatory considerations. |
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C. | The Underlying Adviser shall not execute any transactions for the Allocated Portion of the Funds with a broker or dealer that is an “affiliated person” (as defined in the Investment Company Act) of (i) the Funds; (ii) another Fund of the Trust; (iii) the Manager; (iv) the Underlying Adviser or any other underlying adviser (including the Lead Adviser) to the Funds; (v) a principal underwriter of the Trust’s shares; or (vi) any other affiliated person of the Funds, in each case, unless such transactions are permitted by applicable law or regulation and carried out in compliance with any applicable policies and procedures of the Trust. The Trust, or its designee, shall provide the Underlying Adviser with a list of brokers and dealers and FCMs that are “affiliated persons” of the Trust and/or the Funds, the Manager, the Lead Adviser, the other underlying advisers or the principal underwriter, or any other “affiliated person” of a Fund or affiliated person of such affiliated person, and applicable policies and procedures. Upon the request of the Manager, the Underlying Adviser shall promptly, and in any event within three business days of a request, indicate whether any entity identified by the Manager in such request is an “affiliated person,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act, of (i) the Underlying Adviser or (ii) any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser, subject in each case to any confidentiality requirements applicable to the Underlying Adviser and/or its affiliates. Further, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Manager with a list of (x) each broker-dealer entity that is an “affiliated person,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act, of the Underlying Adviser and (y) each affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser that has outstanding publicly-issued debt or equity. Each of the Manager and the Underlying Adviser agrees promptly to update such list(s) whenever the Manager or the Underlying Adviser becomes aware of any changes that should be added to or deleted from such list of affiliated persons; provided, however, that the Underlying Adviser shall not be bound by any update, modification or amendment of such list(s) unless and until the Underlying Adviser has been provided with an amended list(s) in advance in writing. |
D. | Consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Trust in respect of the Allocated Portion of the Funds and the requirements set forth herein, the Underlying Adviser may, under certain circumstances, arrange to have purchase and sale transactions effected between the Allocated Portion of the Funds and another account managed by the Underlying Adviser (“cross transactions”), provided that such transactions are carried out in accordance with applicable law or regulation and any applicable policies and procedures of the Trust. The Trust, or its designee, has provided the Underlying Adviser with such applicable policies and procedures. |
6. Valuation . In accordance with procedures established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, with respect to the Allocated Portion of the Funds’ assets, the Underlying Adviser will, upon request by the Manager, (i) provide reasonable assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of certain securities and other investments owned in the Allocated Portion of the Funds indicated by the Manager, (ii) use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Underlying Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned in the Allocated Portion of the Funds for which market prices are not readily available, and (iii) monitor the securities and other investments owned in the Allocated Portion of the Funds for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities. The Underlying Adviser will maintain adequate records with respect to securities valuation information provided hereunder, and shall provide such information to the Lead Adviser or the Manager upon request.
7. Compliance and Other Matters . The Underlying Adviser, at its expense, shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with such reasonable compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Underlying Adviser also represents, warrants and covenants that:
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A. | It is duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, and is qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which failure to be so qualified would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect upon it, and it will continue to be so organized and in good standing for so long as this Agreement remains in effect. |
B. | It (i) is registered as an “investment adviser” with the SEC under the Advisers Act and will continue to be so registered or licensed for so long as this Agreement remains in effect; (ii) is not prohibited by the Investment Company Act or the Advisers Act from performing the services contemplated by this Agreement; (iii) has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act; (iv) has adopted written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Advisers Act from occurring, and correct promptly any violations that have occurred, and will provide notice promptly to the Manager of any material violations relating to the Trust; (v) has materially met and will seek to continue to meet for so long as this Agreement remains in effect, any other applicable federal or state requirements, or the applicable requirements of any regulatory or industry self-regulatory agency. |
C. | It is registered as a commodity trading advisor with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a member in good standing of the U.S. National Futures Association (the “NFA”) and it will maintain such registration during the term of this Agreement. |
D. | The Underlying Adviser will promptly notify the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser of the occurrence of any event which would disqualify the Underlying Adviser from serving as an investment adviser of an investment company pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Company Act or otherwise. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Underlying Adviser will also notify the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if it is served or otherwise receives notice of any action, suit, proceeding, or investigation, at law or in equity, before or by any court, public board or body, including but not limited to the SEC and the CFTC, involving the affairs of a Fund, which might in any event reasonably be expected to result in (i) a material adverse effect on the Trust or (ii) a material adverse change in the Underlying Adviser’s condition (financial or otherwise) or business, which might reasonably be expected to materially impair the Underlying Adviser’s ability to discharge its obligations under this Agreement. |
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E. | To the best of its knowledge, there are no material pending actions, suits, proceedings, or investigations before or by any court, governmental, administrative or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel to which the Underlying Adviser or any of its directors, officers, employees, supervised persons, partners, shareholders, members or principals, or any of its affiliates is a party or to which it or its affiliates or any of its or its affiliates’ assets are subject, nor has the Underlying Adviser or any of its affiliates received any notice of an investigation or dispute by any court, governmental, administrative, or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel regarding any of its or their activities, which might in any event reasonably be expected to result in (i) a material adverse effect on the Trust or (ii) a material adverse change in the Underlying Adviser’s condition (financial or otherwise) or business, which might reasonably be expected to materially impair the Underlying Adviser’s ability to discharge its obligations under this Agreement. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Underlying Adviser will also notify the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if the representation in this subsection is no longer accurate. |
F. | It will (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Lead Adviser, the Trust’s administrator, Custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Funds, the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as the Underlying Adviser reasonably deems necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Funds, the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain such communication and interfaces as the Underlying Adviser reasonably deems necessary with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Underlying Adviser, in relation to its duties to the Fund, shall comply with, or cause the Trust with respect to a Fund to comply with, all applicable statutory and regulatory requirements of the Underlying Adviser, the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Underlying Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Funds, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the CFTC and comparable rules of the SEC (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”), which SEC rules the parties acknowledge are not yet in effect as of the date hereof. |
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G. | It shall maintain a written code of ethics (“Code of Ethics”) complying with the requirements of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act and shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current copy of the Code of Ethics and evidence of its adoption. The Underlying Adviser shall institute procedures reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons (as defined in Rule 17j-1), from violating its Code of Ethics. Each calendar quarter while this Agreement is in effect, a duly authorized compliance officer of the Underlying Adviser shall certify to the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser that, to such person’s knowledge, the Underlying Adviser has complied with the requirements of Rules 204A-1 and 17j-1 during the previous calendar quarter and that there has been no material violation of its Code of Ethics, or of Rule 17j-1(b), or that any persons covered under its Code of Ethics has divulged or acted upon any material, non-public information, as such term is defined under relevant securities laws, and if such a violation of its Code of Ethics has occurred, that appropriate action was taken in response to such violation. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Underlying Adviser shall notify the Manager and Lead Adviser as soon as is reasonably practicable of any material violation of the Code of Ethics involving the Trust. Upon written request of the Manager or the Lead Adviser, the Underlying Adviser shall permit the Manager and/or Lead Adviser, during normal business hours, to examine items that show evidence of completion of the reports and form of reports required to be made by the Adviser under Rules 204A-1(b) and 17j-1(d)(1) and the Code of Ethics and other records evidencing enforcement of the Code of Ethics. Further, the Underlying Adviser represents that it has policies and procedures regarding the detection and prevention of the misuse of material, nonpublic information by the Underlying Adviser and its employees and supervised persons. Annually, the Underlying Adviser shall furnish to the Trust and the Underlying Adviser a written report which complies with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 concerning the Underlying Adviser’s Code of Ethics. |
H. | It has adopted and implemented, and throughout the term of this Agreement shall maintain in effect and implement, policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent, detect and correct violations by the Underlying Adviser and its supervised persons, and, to the extent the activities of the Underlying Adviser in respect of the Trust could affect the Trust, by the Trust, of “federal securities laws” (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the Act) with respect to the services to be provided by the Underlying Adviser pursuant to this Agreement, and that the Underlying Adviser has provided the Trust with true and complete copies of its policies and procedures (or summaries thereof) and related information reasonably requested by the Trust and/or the Manager or Lead Adviser. The Underlying Adviser agrees to cooperate with reasonable periodic reviews by the Trust’s and/or the Manager’s compliance personnel of the Underlying Adviser’s policies and procedures, their operation and implementation and other compliance matters and to provide to the Trust and/or the Manager from time to time, such additional information and certifications in respect of the Underlying Adviser’s policies and procedures, compliance by the Underlying Adviser with federal securities laws and related matters as the Trust’s and/or the Manager’s compliance personnel may reasonably request. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Underlying Adviser agrees to promptly notify the Manager of any compliance violations that the Underlying Adviser reasonably determines to have an adverse effect on the Allocated Portion of the Funds. |
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I. | It shall comply with the Trust’s policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Funds as described in the Trust’s current Registration Statement, and upon reasonable request from the Manager or the Lead Adviser, provide a certification to the Manager or the Lead Adviser with respect to compliance with the Fund’s selective disclosure policy. |
J. | It shall treat confidentially and as proprietary all non-public, proprietary or confidential records and other information relating to the Funds disclosed hereunder, and shall not use such records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Manager and the Lead Adviser or when so requested by the Manager or the Lead Adviser or required or requested (as advised by counsel) by law, regulation, regulation of any self-regulatory organization, court order or other judicial process; notwithstanding the foregoing, the Underlying Adviser may disclose the total return earned by the Allocated Portion of the Funds and may include such total return in the calculation of Underlying Adviser’s composite performance information. The confidentiality restrictions of this paragraph shall not apply to any records or other information that (i) is or becomes publicly available other than as a result of a disclosure by the Underlying Adviser or its representatives in violation of this paragraph; (ii) is or becomes available to the Underlying Adviser or its representatives from a source other than another party to this Agreement, which source, to the knowledge of the Underlying Adviser or its representatives, does not have an obligation of confidentiality to another party to this Agreement with respect to such information; (iii) was already in the Underlying Adviser’s possession or the possession of its representatives prior to receiving such information from another party to this Agreement; or (iv) is developed independently by the Underlying Adviser or its representatives without use of such information or records. Furthermore, the Underlying Adviser may not consult with any other underlying adviser of a Fund, concerning transactions in securities or other assets for any Fund of the Trust, including the Fund managed by the Underlying Adviser, except that such consultations are permitted between the current Underlying Adviser and a successor underlying adviser of a Fund in order to effect an orderly transition of sub-advisory duties so long as such consultations are not concerning transactions prohibited by Section 17(a) of the Investment Company Act. |
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K. | It shall promptly notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser of any change or impending change of a portfolio manager, portfolio management strategy or any other material matter that may require disclosure to the Board and/or shareholders of the Funds. Such notification to be deemed sufficient notice for compliance with this provision if given no later than the time other managers or clients, similarly situated to Manager, are notified. |
L. | It has or will provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current and complete copy of the Underlying Adviser’s Form ADV, and will provide each such party with the current supplements or amendments thereto annually or as otherwise required by law, rule, regulation or reasonable request of Manager and, if required by the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936, as amended, or the rules and regulations thereunder promulgated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), the Underlying Adviser shall provide Lead Adviser and the Trust with a written explanation of the reason why it is not required to deliver a disclosure document as an exempt commodity trading adviser under CFTC Rule 4.7(c) or similar CFTC rule or regulation. |
M. | It shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current list of persons the Underlying Adviser wishes to have authorized to give instructions to the Trust’s Custodian regarding assets of the Funds. |
N. | It shall be responsible for the filing of Schedule 13D/13G and Form 13F, and any non-U.S. securities filing equivalents of these filings, on behalf of the Trust reflecting holdings over which the Underlying Adviser and its affiliates have investment and/or voting discretion. |
O. | It shall provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Lead Adviser, the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held within the Allocated Portion managed by the Underlying Adviser; provided, however, that the Manager shall remain ultimately responsible for pursuing any such class action claims. |
P. | It shall promptly notify the Manager if the Underlying Adviser becomes aware that it or any of its “affiliated persons,” as defined in Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, of the Adviser is or has been permanently or temporarily enjoined by reason of any misconduct, by order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction or regulatory authority, from acting as an investment adviser or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity or in connection with the purchase or sale of any security, as set forth in Section 9 of the Investment Company Act; |
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Q. | It shall report quarterly, or upon reasonable request of the Manager, to the Manager and the Lead Adviser on the investment program for the Funds and the issuers and securities represented in the Funds, and furnish the Manager and the Lead Adviser, with respect to the Funds, such periodic and special reports as the Manager and the Lead Adviser may reasonably request, including, but not limited to, reports concerning transactions and performance of each Fund, reports regarding compliance with the Trust’s procedures pursuant to Rules 17e-1, 17a-7, 10f-3 and 12d3-1 under the Investment Company Act, Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act, compliance with respect to Investment Guidelines and restrictions, trade errors, liquidity determinations, and compliance with the Underlying Adviser’s Code of Ethics, and such other procedures or requirements that the Manager and the Lead Adviser may reasonably request from time to time. |
R. | It shall promptly review the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Funds, and any amendments or supplements thereto, provided to the Underlying Adviser by the Manager or the Lead Adviser which relate to the Underlying Adviser or the Funds and confirm, after having had the opportunity to review such materials, that, to its knowledge with respect to the disclosure respecting or relating to the Underlying Adviser or the Allocated Portion of the Funds, including any performance information the Underlying Adviser provides that is included in or serves as the basis for information included in the prospectus or statement of additional information, such prospectus or statement of additional information contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Underlying Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser promptly of any material fact known to the Underlying Adviser respecting or relating to the Underlying Adviser that is not contained in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto, but which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading, or of any statement respecting or relating to the Underlying Adviser contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect. With respect to the disclosure respecting the Allocated Portion of each Fund, the Underlying Adviser represents and agrees that the description in the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information regarding investment objectives and strategies is consistent with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser intends to manage the Allocated Portion, and the description of principal risks is consistent with principal risks known to the Underlying Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser intends to manage the Allocated Portion. The Underlying Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser immediately in the event that the Underlying Adviser becomes aware that the prospectus or statement of additional information for a Fund is inconsistent in any material respect with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser is managing the Allocated Portion, and in the event that the principal risks description is inconsistent in any material respect with the principal risks known to the Underlying Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser is managing the Allocated Portion. In addition, the Underlying Adviser agrees to comply with the Manager and the Lead Adviser’s reasonable request for information regarding the personnel of the Underlying Adviser who are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Allocated Portion as may be required to be disclosed in the prospectus or statement of additional information. |
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S. | Upon reasonable request, provide sub-certifications to the principal executive and financial officers of the Trust (the “certifying officers”) that support the certifications required to be made by the certifying officers in connection with the preparation and/or filing of the Trust’s Form N-CSRs, N-Qs, shareholder reports, financial statements, and other disclosure documents or regulatory filings, in such form and content as the Trust shall reasonably request or in accordance with procedures adopted by the Trust and disclosed to the Underlying Adviser in advance in writing. |
T. | It shall timely provide to the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Trust, all information and documentation they may reasonably request as necessary or appropriate in order for the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Board to oversee the activities of the Underlying Adviser and in connection with the compliance by any of them with the requirements of this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the policies and procedures referenced herein, and any applicable law, including, without limitation, (i) information and commentary relating to the Underlying Adviser or the Allocated Portion of the Funds for the Trust’s annual and semi-annual reports (for the avoidance of doubt, such commentary shall only be required in respect of the Trust’s annual report), in a format reasonably approved by the Manager, together with (A) a sub-certification that such information and commentary discuss all of the factors that materially affected the performance of the Funds with respect to the Allocated Portion, including the relevant market conditions and the investment techniques and strategies used and (B) additional sub-certifications related to the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Trust in order to support the Trust’s filings on Form N-CSR, Form N-Q and other applicable forms, and the Trust’s Principal Executive Officer’s and Principal Financial Officer’s certifications under Rule 30a-2 under the Investment Company Act, thereon; (ii) within 20 calendar days of a quarter-end, a quarterly certification with respect to compliance and operational matters related to the Underlying Adviser and the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds (including, without limitation, compliance with the applicable procedures), in a format reasonably requested by the Manager, as it may be amended from time to time; and (iii) an annual certification from the Underlying Adviser’s Chief Compliance Officer, appointed under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act with respect to the design and operation of the Underlying Adviser’s compliance program, in a format reasonably requested by the Manager or the Trust. |
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U. | Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, it shall promptly notify Lead Adviser and the Manager of the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) the departure, replacement, unavailability (other than short-term unavailability) or addition of a chief financial officer or controller, chief operating officer, chief compliance officer, chief risk officer (or such other persons the responsibilities for which would reasonably be performed by a person holding one of the foregoing titles, howsoever described by Underlying Adviser) or any Key Portfolio Manager(s) responsible for the Allocated Portion of the Funds as identified from time to time, in writing and provided to the Manager and Lead Adviser, by the Underlying Adviser (each, a “Key Portfolio Manager”), (ii) any actual or expected change of a portfolio management strategy, (iii) any actual or expected change in control or management, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Investment Company Act and the relevant rules thereunder, of the Underlying Adviser or (iv) any other material matter that the Underlying Adviser reasonably believes would require disclosure to the Board and/or shareholders of the Funds, such notification to be deemed sufficient notice for compliance with this provision if given no later than the time other managers or clients, similarly situated to Manager, are notified. |
V. | It shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser within a reasonable amount of time with such other compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be reasonably necessary. |
8. Representations, warranties and covenants of the Manager . The Manager represents, warrants and covenants that:
A. | It is duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, and is qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which failure to be so qualified would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect upon it, and it will continue to be so organized and in good standing for so long as this Agreement remains in effect. |
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B. | (i) is registered as an “investment adviser” with the SEC under the Advisers Act and will continue to be so registered or licensed for so long as this Agreement remains in effect; (ii) is not prohibited by the Investment Company Act or the Advisers Act from performing the services contemplated by this Agreement, the Investment Management Agreement or the Lead Adviser Management Agreement; (iii) has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act; (iv) has adopted written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Advisers Act from occurring, and correct promptly any violations that have occurred; (v) has materially met and will seek to continue to meet for so long as this Agreement remains in effect, any other applicable federal or state requirements, or the applicable requirements of any regulatory or industry self-regulatory agency. |
C. | Although it is registered as a commodity pool operator, it is relying on the exclusion in CFTC Regulation 4.5 with respect to each Fund, has timely filed the required notice under CFTC Regulation 4.5, and will reaffirm it annually as required. |
D. | Each Fund is a “qualified eligible person” as that term is defined under CFTC Rule 4.7 and the Manager consents on behalf of each Fund to such Fund being treated as an exempt account under CFTC Rule 4.7. |
E. | The Manager will promptly notify the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser of the occurrence of any event which would disqualify the Manager from serving as an investment adviser of an investment company pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Company Act or otherwise. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Manager will also notify the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if it is served or otherwise receives notice of any action, suit, proceeding, or investigation, at law or in equity, before or by any court, public board or body, including but not limited to the SEC and the CFTC, involving the affairs of a Fund. |
F. | To the best of its knowledge, there are no material pending actions, suits, proceedings, or investigations before or by any court, governmental, administrative or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel to which the Manager or any of its directors, officers, employees, partners, shareholders, members or principals, or any of its affiliates is a party or to which it or its affiliates or any of its or its affiliates’ assets are subject, nor has the Manager or any of its affiliates received any notice of an investigation or dispute by any court, governmental, administrative, or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel regarding any of its or their activities, which might reasonably be expected to result in (i) a material adverse effect on the Trust or (ii) a material adverse change in the Manager’s condition (financial or otherwise) or business, which might reasonably be expected to materially impair the Manager’s ability to discharge its obligations under this Agreement, the Investment Management Agreement or the Lead Adviser Management Agreement. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Manager will also notify the Underlying Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if the representation in this subsection is no longer accurate. |
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G. | It shall maintain a written Code of Ethics complying with the requirements of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act. The Manager shall institute procedures reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons (as defined in Rule 17j-1), from violating its Code of Ethics. Further, the Manager represents that it has policies and procedures regarding the detection and prevention of the misuse of material, nonpublic information by the Manager and its employees. |
H. | It has adopted and implemented, and throughout the term of this Agreement shall maintain in effect and implement, policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent, detect and correct violations by the Manager and its supervised persons, and, to the extent the activities of the Manager in respect of the Trust could affect the Trust, by the Trust, of “federal securities laws” (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the Act) with respect to the services to be provided by the Manager pursuant to this Agreement, the Investment Management Agreement or the Lead Adviser Management Agreement. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Manager agrees to promptly notify the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser of any compliance violations which materially affect the Allocated Portion or the Funds. |
I. | It shall comply with the Trust’s policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Funds as described in the Trust’s current Registration Statement. |
J. | It shall treat confidentially and as proprietary all non-public, proprietary or confidential records and other information relating to the Underlying Adviser, and shall not use such records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder or under the Investment Management Agreement or the Lead Adviser Management Agreement, the Manager and the Trust, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Underlying Adviser or when so requested by the Underlying Adviser or required or requested (as advised by counsel) by law, regulation, regulation of any self-regulatory organization, court order or other judicial process. The confidentiality restrictions of this paragraph shall not apply to any records or other information that (i) is or becomes publicly available other than as a result of a disclosure by the Manager or its representatives in violation of this paragraph; (ii) is or becomes available to the Manager or its representatives from a source other than another party to this Agreement, which source, to the knowledge of the Manager or its representatives, does not have an obligation of confidentiality to another party to this Agreement with respect to such information; (iii) was already in the Manager’s possession or the possession of its representatives prior to receiving such information from another party to this Agreement; or (iv) is developed independently by the Manager or its representatives without use of such information or records. Other than as anticipated or required under its duties or obligations under this Agreement, the Manager agrees that it will not use the information provided by the Underlying Adviser to trade for its own account or for the account of any other person or to try to “reverse engineer” the investment and trading methodologies and strategies of the Underlying Adviser. |
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K. | It has reviewed the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Funds, and any amendments or supplements thereto, and confirms that the information included in such prospectus and statement of additional information, as it relates to the Funds and the Manager, contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Manager further agrees to notify the Underlying Adviser promptly of any material fact known to the Manager respecting or relating to the Funds that is not contained in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto, but which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading, or of any statement respecting or relating to the Funds contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect. |
L. | It has procedures in place which comply with all relevant anti-money laundering and privacy principles applicable to it, and any solicitations and other activities by the Manager in connection with the Trust have been and will be conducted in accordance with applicable laws, rules and regulations. |
M. | This Agreement has been properly approved according to applicable laws, rules and regulations. |
N. | The Trust is registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act and will maintain such registration for so long as this Agreement and the Investment Management Agreement with respect to a Fund remain in effect. |
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9. Representations, warranties and covenants of the Lead Adviser . The Lead Adviser represents, warrants and covenants that:
A. | It is duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, and is qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which failure to be so qualified would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect upon it, and it will continue to be so organized and in good standing for so long as this Agreement remains in effect. |
B. | It (i) is registered as an “investment adviser” with the SEC under the Advisers Act and will continue to be so registered or licensed for so long as this Agreement remains in effect; (ii) is not prohibited by the Investment Company Act or the Advisers Act from performing the services contemplated by this Agreement and the Lead Adviser Management Agreement; (iii) has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act; (iv) has adopted written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Advisers Act from occurring, and correct promptly any violations that have occurred; (v) has materially met and will seek to continue to meet for so long as this Agreement remains in effect, any other applicable federal or state requirements, or the applicable requirements of any regulatory or industry self-regulatory agency. |
C. | It is registered as a commodity trading advisor with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a member in good standing of the U.S. National Futures Association (the “NFA”) or duly exempt from such registration and it will maintain such registration or exemptions continuously during the term of this Agreement or, alternatively, will become a commodity trading advisor duly registered with the CFTC and will be a member in good standing with the NFA. |
D. | Each Fund is a “qualified eligible person” as that term is defined under CFTC Rule 4.7 and the Lead Adviser consents on behalf of each Fund to such Fund being treated as an exempt account under CFTC Rule 4.7. |
E. | The Lead Adviser will promptly notify the Underlying Adviser of the occurrence of any event which would disqualify the Lead Adviser from serving as an investment adviser of an investment company pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Company Act or otherwise. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Lead Adviser will also notify the Underlying Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if it is served or otherwise receives notice of any action, suit, proceeding, or investigation, at law or in equity, before or by any court, public board or body, including but not limited to the SEC and the CFTC, involving the affairs of a Fund. |
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F. | To the best of its knowledge, there are no material pending actions, suits, proceedings, or investigations before or by any court, governmental, administrative or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel to which the Lead Adviser or any of its directors, officers, employees, supervised persons, partners, shareholders, members or principals, or any of its affiliates is a party or to which it or its affiliates or any of its or its affiliates’ assets are subject, nor has the Lead Adviser or any of its affiliates received any notice of an investigation by any court, governmental, administrative, or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel regarding any of its or their activities, which might reasonably be expected to result in (i) a material adverse effect on the Trust or (ii) a material adverse change in the Lead Adviser’s condition (financial or otherwise) or business, which might reasonably be expected to materially impair the Lead Adviser’s ability to discharge its obligations under this Agreement or the Lead Adviser Management Agreement. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Lead Adviser will also notify the Underlying Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if the representation in this subsection is no longer accurate. |
G. | It shall maintain a written Code of Ethics complying with the requirements of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act. The Lead Adviser shall institute procedures reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons (as defined in Rule 17j-1), from violating its Code of Ethics. Further, the Lead Adviser represents that it has policies and procedures regarding the detection and prevention of the misuse of material, nonpublic information by the Lead Adviser and its employees. |
H. | It has adopted and implemented, and throughout the term of this Agreement shall maintain in effect and implement, policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent, detect and correct violations by the Lead Adviser and its supervised persons, and, to the extent the activities of the Lead Adviser in respect of the Trust could affect the Trust, by the Trust, of “federal securities laws” (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the Act) with respect to the services to be provided by the Lead Adviser pursuant to the Lead Adviser Management Agreement. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Lead Adviser agrees to promptly notify the Underlying Adviser of any compliance violations which materially affect the Allocated Portion or the Funds. |
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I. | It shall comply with the Trust’s policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Funds as described in the Trust’s current Registration Statement. |
J. | It shall treat confidentially and as proprietary all non-public, proprietary or confidential records and other information relating to the Underlying Adviser disclosed hereunder, and shall not use such records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder or under the Lead Adviser Management Agreement, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Underlying Adviser or when so requested by the Underlying Adviser or required or requested (as advised by counsel) by law, regulation, regulation of any self-regulatory organization, court order or other judicial process. The confidentiality restrictions of this paragraph shall not apply to any records or other information that (i) is or becomes publicly available other than as a result of a disclosure by the Lead Adviser or its representatives in violation of this paragraph; (ii) is or becomes available to the Lead Adviser or its representatives from a source other than another party to this Agreement, which source, to the knowledge of the Lead Adviser or its representatives, does not have an obligation of confidentiality to another party to this Agreement with respect to such information; (iii) was already in the Lead Adviser’s possession or the possession of its representatives prior to receiving such information from another party to this Agreement; or (iv) is developed independently by the Lead Adviser or its representatives without use of such information or records. The Lead Adviser agrees that it will not use the information provided by the Underlying Adviser to trade for its own account or for the account of any other person or to try to “reverse engineer” the investment and trading methodologies and strategies of the Underlying Adviser. |
K. | It has reviewed the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Funds, and any amendments or supplements thereto, and confirms that, to its knowledge, the information contained in such prospectus and statement of additional information, and any amendments or supplements thereto, that was furnished by the Lead Adviser or consists of statements made in reliance upon information furnished by the Lead Adviser contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Lead Adviser further agrees to notify the Underlying Adviser and the Manager promptly of any material fact known to the Lead Adviser respecting or relating to the Funds that is not contained in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto, but which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading, or of any statement respecting or relating to the Funds contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect. |
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10. Proxies and Other Shareholder Actions .
A. | Unless otherwise directed in writing by the Manager or the Lead Adviser, the Underlying Adviser shall receive and exercise, and is hereby authorized to receive and exercise, the voting rights (or abstain from the exercise thereof) with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Allocated Portion of the Funds in the best interest of Fund shareholders and in accordance with the Underlying Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager and the Lead Adviser. The Underlying Adviser shall report to the Manager and the Lead Adviser annually or upon request a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Underlying Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Underlying Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager and the Lead Adviser, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations. The Manager and the Lead Adviser reserve the right, upon prior notice to the Underlying Adviser, to exercise voting rights on any assets held in the Allocated Portion of the Funds on an individual security or ongoing basis. |
B. | The Underlying Adviser is authorized to deal with reorganizations, exchange offers and other voluntary corporate actions with respect to securities held in the Allocated Portion of the Funds in such manner as the Underlying Adviser deems advisable, unless the Trust or the Manager otherwise specifically directs in advance in writing. It is acknowledged and agreed that the Underlying Adviser shall have no obligation or be responsible for the filing of claims (or otherwise causing the Trust to participate) in any bankruptcy proceedings or class action litigation or settlements or similar proceedings in which a Fund may participate related to securities currently or previously associated with the Allocated Portion of the Funds or to investigate, initiate, supervise or monitor such proceedings or litigation, however it shall provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held or previously held within the Allocated Portion managed by the Underlying Adviser. With the Manager’s approval, on a case-by-case basis the Underlying Adviser may, but shall not be obligated to, obtain the authority and take on the responsibility to: (i) identify, evaluate and pursue legal claims, including commencing or defending suits, affecting the securities held at any time in the Allocated Portion of the Funds, including claims in bankruptcy, class action securities litigation and other litigation; (ii) participate in such litigation or related proceedings with respect to such securities as the Underlying Adviser deems appropriate to preserve or enhance the value of the Allocated Portion of the Funds, including filing proofs of claim and related documents and serving as “lead plaintiff” in class action lawsuits; (iii) exercise generally any of the powers of an owner with respect to the supervision and management of such rights or claims, including the settlement, compromise or submission to arbitration of any claims, the exercise of which the Underlying Adviser deems to be in the best interest of the Allocated Portion of the Funds or required by applicable law and (iv) employ suitable agents, including legal counsel, and to pay their reasonable fees, expenses and related costs from the Allocated Portion of the Funds. |
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11. Compensation of the Underlying Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Underlying Adviser as provided in this Agreement, the Lead Adviser shall pay to the Underlying Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule B attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be accrued daily and paid to the Underlying Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Lead Adviser shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule B to the average daily net assets of the Allocated Portion of the specified Funds during the relevant month. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule B, there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule B. The Lead Adviser is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Underlying Adviser.
Unless otherwise agreed to in this Agreement, the Underlying Adviser shall bear all expenses incurred by it and its staff with respect to all activities in connection with the performance of the Underlying Adviser’s services under this Agreement, including but not limited to personnel, salaries, benefits, overhead, travel, preparation of reports, office space, furnishings and equipment. All other expenses to be incurred in the operation of a Fund (other than those to be borne by the Manager or the Lead Adviser as disclosed in the then current Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information) will be borne by the Fund, except to the extent specifically assumed by the Underlying Adviser. Upon request by the Manager, the Underlying Adviser agrees to reimburse the Manager for reasonable costs associated with certain supplements to the Fund’s disclosure documents (“Supplements”). Such Supplements are those generated solely due to changes with respect to the Underlying Adviser requiring prompt disclosure in the Trust’s prospectus, statement of additional information, and/or information statement and for which, at the time of notification by the Underlying Adviser to the Manager and the Lead Adviser of such changes, the Trust is not already generating a supplement for other purposes or for which the Manager may not be able to reasonably add such changes to a pending supplement. Such changes with respect to the Underlying Adviser include, but are not limited to, changes to its structure, to key investment personnel, to investment style or management. The Underlying Adviser shall reimburse the Manager or the Trust, as applicable, for the reasonable costs associated with generating such Supplements, and/or proxy expenses solely related to approving a change in control of the Underlying Adviser. Reimbursable costs may include, but are not limited to, reasonable costs of preparation, filing, printing, postage, and/or distribution of such Supplements to all existing Fund shareholders.
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12. | Information and Reports . |
A. | The Underlying Adviser shall keep the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser informed of developments relating to its duties as the Underlying Adviser of which the Underlying Adviser has, or should have, knowledge that would materially affect the Funds. In this regard, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser and their respective officers with such periodic reports concerning the obligations the Underlying Adviser has assumed under this Agreement as the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser may from time to time reasonably request. In addition, prior to each regular quarterly meeting of the Board, or as otherwise reasonably requested, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Board with reports regarding the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds during the most recently completed quarter, which reports: (i) shall include the Underlying Adviser’s representation that its performance of its investment management duties hereunder is in compliance with the Funds’ investment objectives and investment policies, the Investment Company Act and applicable rules and regulations under the Investment Company Act, and applicable Investment Guidelines provided to the Underlying Adviser by the Lead Adviser, and, solely with respect to the Allocated Portion, the diversification and minimum “good income” requirements of Subchapter M under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and (ii) otherwise shall be in such form as may be mutually agreed upon by the Underlying Adviser and the Manager and Lead Adviser. |
B. | Each of the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser shall provide the other party with a list, to the best of their respective knowledge, of each affiliated person (and any affiliated person of such an affiliated person) of the Manager, Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser, as the case may be, which list provided by the Manager shall also include each affiliated person (and any affiliated person of such an affiliated person) of each Fund, and each of the Manager, Lead Adviser and Underlying Adviser agrees promptly to update and deliver such list whenever the Manager, Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser becomes aware of any changes that should be added to or deleted from the list of affiliated persons. |
C. | The Underlying Adviser shall also provide the Trust, the Manager and Lead Adviser with any information reasonably requested by the Manager or Lead Adviser regarding its management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds required for any shareholder report, amended Registration Statement, or prospectus supplement to be filed by the Trust with the SEC, and such other information with regard to its affairs as the Manager or Lead Adviser may reasonably request. |
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D. | The Manager shall make available to the Underlying Adviser copies of the Trust prospectus, statement of additional information, and shareholder reports, and also provide the Certificate of Trust, Agreement and Declaration of Trust, Bylaws, Compliance Policies and Procedures of the Trust, and any amendments thereto. The Underlying Adviser will be provided a reasonable opportunity to review any description of the Underlying Adviser set forth in the Trust prospectus, statement of additional information and shareholder reports which will be clearly marked to indicate that they are documents of the Trust and/or the Fund rather than of the Underlying Adviser. If the Underlying Adviser ceases to furnish services to the Trust, the Trust at its expense shall, if applicable, as promptly as practicable, take all necessary action to cause the Trust prospectus, statement of additional information and shareholder reports to be amended to accomplish a change of name to eliminate any reference to the Underlying Adviser, and within 60 days after such date, shall cease to use in any other manner, including use in any sales literature or promotional material, the Underlying Adviser’s name (except as necessary or reasonably desirable to identify historical service providers). |
13. Status of Underlying Adviser . The subadvisory services of the Underlying Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, although the Underlying Adviser acknowledges its fiduciary duty to the Funds, and the Underlying Adviser and its directors, officers, partners, employees, supervised persons and affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others. Except to the extent necessary to perform its obligations hereunder, nothing herein shall be deemed to require the Underlying Adviser to devote any minimum amount of time or attention to the management of a Fund. The Underlying Adviser 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 Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust or any Fund in any way, and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as making the Trust, a Fund, the Manager or the Lead Adviser a partner or co-venturer with the Underlying Adviser or any of the Underlying Adviser’s affiliates. It is acknowledged and agreed that the Lead Adviser may appoint from time to time other Underlying Advisers in addition to the Underlying Adviser to manage the assets of the Funds that do not constitute the Allocated Portion and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed or interpreted to grant the Underlying Adviser an exclusive arrangement to act as the sole Underlying Adviser to the Funds. It is further acknowledged and agreed that the Manager and Lead Adviser make no commitment to designate any portion of the Funds’ assets to the Underlying Adviser as the Allocated Portion. The Manager and the Lead Adviser acknowledge and agree that the Underlying Adviser may give advice or take action with respect to other investment entities that it manages that differs from the advice given with respect to the Allocated Portion. The Manager and Lead Adviser acknowledge and agree that the Underlying Adviser makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, that any level of performance or investment results will be achieved by the Allocated Portion or that the Allocated Portion will perform comparably with any standard or index or on an absolute basis, including the Underlying Adviser’s other clients, whether public or private.
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14. Certain Records . The Underlying Adviser shall maintain with respect to the Allocated Portion all records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules, including without limitation those set forth in Schedule A to this Agreement, and any of such records that are prepared or maintained by the Underlying Adviser shall be made available to the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust and will be provided promptly to the Manager, the Lead Underlying Adviser or Trust on request, provided, however, that the Underlying Adviser shall be entitled to retain a copy of and use such records and is hereby given an irrevocable, perpetual worldwide license to use such records and its track record with respect to the Allocated Portion for any purpose and this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
15. | Liability and Indemnification by Parties |
A. | Neither the Underlying Adviser, nor any of its directors, officers, members, partners, employees, supervised persons, or affiliated persons (within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act), nor any person who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Underling Adviser (collectively, the “Underlying Adviser Affiliates”) shall have any liability to the Trust, its shareholders, the Manager, the Lead Adviser, any affiliated person of the Manager or the Lead Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, any person who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Trust, the Manager or the Lead Adviser or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, that the Underlying Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser, any affiliated person of the Manager or the Lead Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Trust, the Manager or the Lead Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses, the “Losses”), to which the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Underlying Adviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Underlying Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Underlying Adviser or by any of the Underlying Adviser Affiliates acting on behalf of the Underlying Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Underlying Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished to the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trust by the Underlying Adviser or any Underlying Adviser Affiliate for use therein and not superseded by revisions furnished to the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trust by the Underlying Adviser or any Underlying Adviser Affiliate prior to the publication of the relevant document or communication. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
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B. | The Lead Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser and any of the Underlying Adviser Affiliates, against any and all Losses to which the Underlying Adviser or an Underlying Adviser Affiliate may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Lead Adviser’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Lead Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement or the Lead Adviser Management Agreement by the Lead Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, partners, employees, supervised persons, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Lead Adviser; (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Lead Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished by the Lead Adviser or any of its directors, officers, partners, employees, supervised persons, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Lead Adviser for use therein; or (iii) the conduct of any other underlying adviser to a Fund. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
C. | The Manager agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser and any of the Underlying Adviser Affiliates, against any and all Losses to which the Underlying Adviser or an Underlying Adviser Affiliate may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Manager’s, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Manager’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement or the Investment Management Agreement by the Manager or by any of its directors, officers, employees, supervised persons, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Manager; (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Manager or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was not made in reliance upon information furnished to the Manager by the Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser or any director, officer, agent, supervised person or employee of the Lead Adviser or any Underlying Adviser Affiliate for use therein, or (iii) the conduct of any other underlying adviser to a Fund. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
D. | A party seeking indemnification hereunder (the “Indemnified Party”) will (i) provide prompt notice to the other of any claim for which it intends to seek indemnification, (ii) grant control of the defense and/or settlement of the claim to the other party, and (iii) cooperate with the other party in the defense thereof. The Indemnified Party will have the right at its own expense to participate in the defense of any claim, but will not have the right to control the defense, consent to judgment or agree to the settlement of any claim without the written consent of the other party. The party providing the indemnification will not consent to the entry of any judgment or enter any settlement which (i) does not include, as an unconditional term, the release by the claimant of all liabilities for claims against the Indemnified Party or (ii) which otherwise adversely affects the rights of the Indemnified Party. |
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E. | No party will be liable to another party for lost profits under any provision of this Agreement. |
16. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Underlying Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Underlying Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Underlying Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed in the Trust’s registration statement as required by law.
17. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its execution as to each Fund and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Fund; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Fund fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Underlying Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be “specifically approved at least annually” shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager or the Lead Adviser upon not less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days prior notice to the other parties hereto, by vote of a majority of the Board of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund on not less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days written notice to the Underlying Adviser, or by the Underlying Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on not less than thirty (30) days written notice to the Manager and the Lead Adviser. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. For the avoidance of doubt, the Lead Adviser may from time to time, and at any time, decrease the Allocated Portion.
A notice period provided in this Section may be waived by the party(ies) required to be notified, in their absolute discretion.
Unless otherwise described in this Agreement, the terms “affiliated person”, “assignment,” “interested persons,” and a “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
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This Agreement may also be terminated without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, Lead Adviser or the Trust immediately by written notice to the Underlying Adviser upon: (i) a material breach by the Underlying Adviser of this Agreement which is not promptly cured (to the extent that such breach is curable); or (ii) the Underlying Adviser or any officer or director of the Underlying Adviser having been found ineligible to serve in their respective capacity under Section 9 of the Investment Company Act. This Agreement may also be terminated, without the payment of any penalty, by the Underlying Adviser immediately by written notice to the Lead Adviser upon: (i) a material breach by the Manager or the Lead Adviser of this Agreement which is not promptly cured (to the extent that such breach is curable); or (ii) the Manager or the Lead Adviser or any officer or director of the Manager or the Lead Adviser having been found ineligible to serve in their respective capacity under Section 9 of the Investment Company Act.
18. Severability . If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, statute, rule or otherwise, such provision will be modified, rewritten or interpreted to include as much of its nature and scope as will render it enforceable. If it cannot be so modified, rewritten or interpreted to be valid and enforceable in any respect, it will not be given effect, and the remainder of the Agreement will be enforced as if such provision had never been included.
19. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual written consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Fund’s shareholders to the extent required by the Investment Company Act, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
20. | Due Diligence |
A. | The Underlying Adviser will use commercially reasonable efforts to respond to annual due diligence questionnaires provided to the Underlying Adviser by or on behalf of the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trustees of the Funds within two (2) weeks from the Underlying Adviser’s receipt of any such questionnaire. |
B. | The Underlying Adviser agrees to make available to the Lead Adviser, from time to time at its reasonable request, during the Underlying Adviser’s regular business hours, certain senior members of the Underlying Adviser’s investment and back-office teams for purposes of discussing the Underlying Adviser’s business and operations and the performance of the Fund. |
C. | The Underlying Adviser agrees to allow the Trust’s chief compliance officer and/or the Lead Adviser and its representatives, from time to time at its reasonable request, during the Underlying Adviser’s regular business hours, to inspect mutually agreed upon records pertaining to the Underlying Adviser’s internal control and compliance procedures relating to the Allocated Portion. |
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21. | Miscellaneous . |
A. | Third-Party Beneficiary . The Trust is an intended third-party beneficiary under this Agreement and is entitled to enforce this Agreement as if it were a party thereto. |
B. | Governing Law and Venue . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas without giving effect to any conflict of laws provisions thereof. |
C. | Use of Name . The Underlying Adviser authorizes the Manager and the Lead Adviser’s use of the Underlying Adviser’s name and logo during the term of this Agreement in connection with the marketing of the Fund(s), including but not limited to, the Fund(s)’ registration statements and fact sheets. In addition, the Manager and the Lead Adviser each acknowledges and agrees that it has no rights in or to the Underlying Adviser’s name and logo beyond the limited use rights granted herein. |
D. | Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts (including executed counterparts delivered and exchanged by facsimile transmission), each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement. For all purposes, signatures delivered and exchanged by facsimile transmission shall be binding and effective to the same extent as original signatures. |
E. | No Implied Waiver . Either party’s failure to insist in any one or more instances upon strict performance by the other party of the terms of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any continuing or subsequent failure to perform or delay in performance of any term hereof. |
F. | Entire Agreement . This Agreement, together with the Schedules attached hereto, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the parties and supersedes any and all prior or contemporaneous understandings and agreements, whether oral or written, between the parties, with respect to the subject matter hereof. |
G. | Headings . Headings used in this Agreement are provided for convenience only and shall not be used to construe meaning or intent. |
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H. | Notices . Any notices required to be given hereunder may be delivered by hand, facsimile, deposited with a nationally recognized overnight carrier, or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, in each case, to the address of the other party listed below (or such other address as may be furnished by a party in accordance with this paragraph). All such notices or communications shall be deemed to have been given and received (a) in the case of personal delivery, email or facsimile, on the date of such actual receipt by the intended recipient of the delivery, (b) in the case of delivery by a nationally recognized overnight carrier, the earlier of (i) the date of receipt or (ii) the third business day following dispatch and (c) in the case of mailing, on the seventh business day following such mailing. All such notices shall be delivered to: |
If to the Manager:
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
220 East Las Colinas Blvd., Suite 1200
Irving, TX 75039
Attention: Chief Investment Officer
Facsimile: 817-391-6131
with a copy to General Counsel at the same address.
If to the Lead Adviser:
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P.
900 North Michigan Ave., Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60611
Attention: General Counsel with a copy to Client Services at the same address.
Email: legal@gcmlp.com ; client.services@gcmlp.com
If to the Underlying Adviser:
Pine River Capital Management, L.P.
601 Carlson Parkway, Suite 330
Minnetonka, MN 55305
Attention: Legal
Email: legal@prcm.com
22. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Underlying Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Fund, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Fund. The Underlying Adviser further agrees that it shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Fund, nor from the Board or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
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A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION, IN CONNECTION WITH ACCOUNTS OF QUALIFIED ELIGIBLE PERSONS, THIS BROCHURE OR ACCOUNT DOCUMENT IS NOT REQUIRED TO BE, AND HAS NOT BEEN, FILED WITH THE COMMISSION. THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION DOES NOT PASS UPON THE MERITS OF PARTICIPATING IN A TRADING PROGRAM OR UPON THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF COMMODITY TRADING ADVISOR DISCLOSURE. CONSEQUENTLY, THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION HAS NOT REVIEWED OR APPROVED THIS TRADING PROGRAM OR THIS BROCHURE OR ACCOUNT DOCUMENT.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Pine River Capital Management L.P. | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
By: | By: | |||
Name: | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |||
Title: | Chief Operating Officer | |||
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. | ||||
By: | ||||
Name: | ||||
Title: |
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SCHEDULE A
RECORDS TO BE MAINTAINED BY THE UNDERLYING ADVISER
1. (Rule 31a-1(b)(5) and (6)) A record of each brokerage order, and all other portfolio purchases and sales, given by the Underlying Adviser on behalf of the Allocated Portion for, or in connection with, the purchase or sale of securities, whether executed or unexecuted. Such records shall include:
A. | The name of the broker; |
B. | The terms and conditions of the order and of any modifications or cancellations thereof; |
C. | The time of entry or cancellation; |
D. | The price at which executed; |
E. | The time of receipt of a report of execution; and |
F. | The name of the person who placed the order on behalf of the Trust. |
2. (Rule 31a-1(b)(9)) A record for each fiscal quarter, completed within ten (10) days after the end of the quarter, showing specifically the basis or bases upon which the allocation of orders for the purchase and sale of series securities to named brokers or dealers was effected, and the division of brokerage commissions or other compensation on such purchase and sale orders. Such record:
A. | Shall include the consideration given to: |
(i) | The sale of shares of the Trust by brokers or dealers. |
(ii) | The supplying of services or benefits by brokers or dealers to: |
(a) | The Trust, |
(b) | The Manager, |
(c) | The Underlying Adviser, and |
(d) | Any person affiliated with the foregoing. |
(iii) | Any other consideration other than the technical qualifications of the brokers and dealers as such. |
B. | Shall show the nature of the services or benefits made available. |
C. | Shall describe in detail the application of any general or specific formula or other determinant used in arriving at such allocation of purchase and sale orders and such division of brokerage commissions or other compensation. |
D. | Shall show the name of the person responsible for making the determination of such allocation and such division of brokerage commissions or other compensation. |
3. (Rule 31a-1(b)(10)) Any memorandum, recommendation or instruction supporting or authorizing the person or persons, committees or groups authorized by the Underlying Adviser to purchase or sell portfolio securities on behalf of the Trust. Where a committee or group makes an authorization, a record shall be kept of the names of its members who participate in the authorization.
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4. (Rule 31a-1(f)) Such accounts, books and other documents as are required to be maintained by registered investment advisers by rule adopted under Section 204 of the Advisers Act to the extent such records are necessary or appropriate to record the Underlying Adviser’s transactions for the Trust.
5. Such other records as are necessary under Board- approved policies and procedures of the Trust applying to tasks carried out by the Underlying Adviser, including without limitation those related to valuation determinations.
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Schedule B
Compensation
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. (the “Lead Adviser”) shall pay to the Underlying Adviser pursuant to Section ___ of the Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., the Lead Adviser, and the Underlying Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to each Fund the following fee for all Fund assets under Underlying Adviser’s management.
I. | Funds |
American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund
II. | Fee Rate |
[ %
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated as of ________________, 2015
Pine River Capital Management L.P. | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
By: | By: | |||
Name: | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |||
Title: | Chief Operating Officer | |||
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. | ||||
By: | ||||
Name: | ||||
Title: |
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Exhibit (d)(2)(RR)
Execution Copy
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this _____ day of_________________, 2015, by and among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the “Manager”), Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., an Illinois Limited Partnership (the “Lead Adviser”) and River Canyon Fund Management LLC , a Delaware Limited Liability Company (the “Underlying Adviser”);
WHEREAS, the American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the “Trust”), is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“Investment Company Act”), consisting of several series of shares, each having its own assets and investment objective(s), policies and restrictions; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the oversight of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”); and
WHEREAS, the Trust’s agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its responsibilities thereunder; and
WHEREAS, the Manager has retained the Lead Adviser to provide services to one or more series of shares of the Trust, subject to the oversight of the Board; and
WHEREAS, the Manager’s agreement with the Lead Adviser provides that the Lead Adviser may recommend Underlying Advisers to the Manager and the Board to manage all or a portion of the assets of a series of shares of the Trust; and
WHEREAS, the Underlying Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Advisers Act”); and
WHEREAS, the Manager and the Lead Adviser desire to retain the Underlying Adviser to render investment management services with respect to certain of the Trust’s series of shares as the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the “Funds”) and as described in the Trust’s registration statement (“Registration Statement”) on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Appointment and Duties of the Underlying Adviser . Subject to the overall policies, direction and review of the Board, the Manager and the Lead Adviser hereby appoint the Underlying Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Funds’ assets as is designated by the Lead Adviser from time to time (the “Allocated Portion”), and, with respect to such Allocated Portion, (i) to continuously review and administer the investment program of the Funds, (ii) to determine in the Underlying Adviser’s discretion the securities, commodity interests and other investments to be purchased, retained or sold, (iii) as provided herein, to provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser and the Trust with records concerning the Underlying Adviser’s activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and (iv) as provided herein, to render regular reports to the Manager, the Lead Adviser and to the Trust’s officers and Trustees concerning the Underlying Adviser’s discharge of the foregoing responsibilities.
2. Acceptance of Appointment; . The Underlying Adviser accepts such appointment and agrees to discharge its responsibilities as a discretionary adviser of the Allocated Portion of the Funds and will perform its duties hereunder for each Fund in conformity with its fiduciary duties under the Advisers Act and with (a) all applicable securities laws, including but not limited to, the Investment Company Act, the Advisers Act, and the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (“CEA”), the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”), and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations under each such act, and (b) the terms of this Agreement.
3. Services of Underlying Adviser . In providing discretionary management services to the Allocated Portion of the Funds, the Underlying Adviser shall discharge its responsibilities hereunder subject to the Manager’s oversight, the Lead Adviser’s direction, and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust, and in compliance with (i) the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of the Trust as they apply to the Funds and as set forth in the Trust’s then current prospectus and statement of additional information for the Funds filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as part of the Trust’s Registration Statement, as amended from time to time and made available in advance to the Underlying Adviser by the Manager, and (ii) such other investment policies, guidelines or restrictions (as amended from time to time, the “Investment Guidelines”) communicated in writing in advance by the Lead Adviser to the Underlying Adviser. The Underlying Adviser shall not, without the Manager’s and Lead Adviser’s prior written approval, effect any transactions that would cause the Allocated Portion of the Funds at the time of the transaction to be out of compliance with any of the Investment Guidelines applicable to the Allocated Portion Notwithstanding the aforementioned, the Underlying Adviser may rely solely on the Lead Adviser’s prior written approval to effect transactions that would cause the Allocated Portion of the Funds at the time of the transaction to be out of compliance with investment guidelines, investment policies and investment restrictions not established or approved by the Board or otherwise required by the Trust’s Registration Statement. Furthermore, the Underlying Adviser shall ensure compliance with all such restrictions or policies or the Investment Guidelines applicable to the Allocated Portion on a daily basis. Except as expressly set forth in this Agreement, the Underlying Adviser shall not be responsible for aspects of the Fund’s investment program other than managing the Allocated Portion in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
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4. Transaction Procedures .
A. All transactions for the Allocated Portion of the Funds shall be consummated by payment to, or delivery by, the custodian(s) from time to time designated by the Trust (the “Custodian”), or such depositories or agents as may be designated by the Custodian in writing, of all cash and/or securities and other property due to or from the Funds. The Underlying Adviser shall not have possession or custody of such cash and/or securities or other property or any responsibility or liability with respect to such custody. The Underlying Adviser shall advise the Custodian of all investment orders for the Allocated Portion of the Funds placed by it with brokers and dealers at the time and in the manner set forth, as amended from time to time, by the custodian and made available to the Underlying Adviser. Subject to the standards of care set forth in Section [14], the Trust, or its designee, shall be responsible for all custodial arrangements and the payment of all custodial charges and fees, and, so long as the Underlying Adviser gives Proper Instructions (as defined below) to the Custodian where required, the Underlying Adviser shall have no responsibility or liability with respect to the acts, omissions or other conduct of the Custodian.
B. With respect to any of the Allocated Portion of a Fund’s assets, the Lead Adviser will monitor daily cash inflows and outflows, and select the appropriate cash management investment vehicles and the Manager will administer the Fund’s interfund credit facility. The Lead Adviser will instruct the Custodian to hold and/or transfer the Funds’ assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Lead Adviser or any Underlying Adviser. (For this purpose, the term “Proper Instructions” shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its Custodian, but generally refers to a writing by the representatives of the Lead Adviser (or Underlying Adviser as applicable) who have been authorized by the Trust’s Board from time to time to provide instructions to the Trust’s custodian. For the purpose of clarification, “Proper Instructions” can be instructions in any format, including without limitation, electronic instructions that are agreed upon by the Lead Adviser and the Custodian and the Underlying Adviser and the Custodian.)
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C. The Underlying Adviser may, with prior notice to the Funds, the Manager and the Lead Adviser, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Underlying Adviser herein: (i) at the Funds’ expense, enter into agreements and execute any documents including without limitation, futures and options transactions, brokerage agreements, clearing agreements, account documentation, futures and option agreements, swap agreements, and other investment related agreements required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Funds. Such documentation includes, but may not be limited to, any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein. The Underlying Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Manager and the Lead Adviser to make all elections required in such agreements, instruments and documentation and make and receive all related notices from brokers or other counterparties. The Manager and the Lead Adviser also authorize the Underlying Adviser as agent and attorney-in-fact to make transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts on margin, for the Funds, and authorize each broker with whom the Underlying Adviser makes such transactions to follow its instructions with respect to such transactions. The Manager understands and agrees and the Lead Adviser understands and agrees that the Underlying Adviser will (i) determine that such transactions are permitted before instructing a broker to enter into such transactions and that any broker receiving an order for any such transaction will have no independent obligation to ensure that the transactions are consistent with the Trust’s registration statement or the Funds’ investment guidelines; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Underlying Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are consistent with the relevant Fund’s Investment Guidelines; (b) the Underlying Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Fund under such documentation; and (c) the Underlying Adviser shall monitor the counterparty risk associated with each such counterparty and as promptly as practical notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser of any counterparty downgrade, event of default, or termination event affecting a Fund under documentation with such counterparty. The Underlying Adviser further shall have the authority to provide Proper Instructions to the Custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Funds, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Funds; and (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Funds with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit of margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer to or segregation within an account maintained for a Fund by its Custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Underlying Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Underlying Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Underlying Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
5. Allocation of Brokerage . The Underlying Adviser shall have authority and discretion to select brokers and dealers to execute transactions for the Allocated Portion of the Funds, and to select the markets on or in which the transactions will be executed, in accordance with brokerage policies as set forth in the Underlying Adviser’s Form ADV, policies and procedures, and the Investment Guidelines, as applicable, and, as provided to the Manager and/or Lead Adviser upon request (together the “Allocation Procedures and Guidelines”).
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A. In placing orders for the sale and purchase of securities for the Allocated Portion of the Funds, the Underlying Adviser shall seek the “best execution” of orders as defined in the Registration Statement, as amended from time to time. Except as otherwise provided for in this Agreement, the Underlying Adviser agrees that, in placing any orders with selected brokers and dealers, the Underlying Adviser will act in accordance with the Underlying Adviser’s “best execution” practices and policies as set forth in its Allocation Procedures and Guidelines. However, this responsibility shall not obligate the Underlying Adviser to solicit competitive bids for each transaction or to seek the lowest available commission cost to the Allocated Portion of the Funds, as long as the Underlying Adviser determines in good faith that the commission cost is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services (as defined in Section 28(e)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) provided by such broker or dealer to the Underlying Adviser, viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or of the Underlying Adviser’s overall responsibilities with respect to its clients, including the Allocated Portion of the Funds, as to which the Underlying Adviser exercises investment discretion, even if the Allocated Portion of the Funds may not be the direct or exclusive beneficiary of any such services or that another broker may be willing to charge the Allocated Portion of the Funds a lower commission on the particular transaction.
B. Pursuant to the terms of the Underlying Adviser’s allocation policies as set forth in the Underlying Adviser’s Allocation Procedures and Guidelines, (i) the Underlying Adviser may manage other portfolios and expects that the Allocated Portion of the Funds and other portfolios the Underlying Adviser manages will, from time to time, purchase or sell the same securities. The Underlying Adviser may aggregate orders for the purchase or sale of securities on behalf of the Allocated Portion of the Funds with orders on behalf of other portfolios the Underlying Adviser manages; and (ii) securities purchased or proceeds of securities sold through aggregated orders, as well as expenses incurred in the transaction, shall be allocated to the account of each portfolio managed by the Underlying Adviser that bought or sold such securities in a manner considered by the Underlying Adviser to be equitable and consistent with the Underlying Adviser’s fiduciary obligations in respect of the Allocated Portion of the Funds and to such other accounts. The Manager acknowledges that while the Trust and other accounts may invest in the same type of securities, the Underlying Adviser may give advice or exercise investment responsibility and take such other action with respect to such other accounts which may differ from advice given or the timing or nature of action taken with respect to the Allocated Portion based on, among other factors, the respective investment guidelines and objectives, cash inflows/outflows or applicable tax or regulatory considerations or as otherwise discussed in the Allocation Policies and Procedures.
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C. The Underlying Adviser shall not execute any transactions for the Allocated Portion of the Funds with a broker or dealer that is an “affiliated person” (as defined in the Investment Company Act) of (i) the Funds; (ii) another Fund of the Trust; (iii) the Manager; (iv) the Underlying Adviser or any other Underlying Adviser (including the Lead Adviser) to the Funds; (v) a principal underwriter of the Trust’s shares; or (vi) any other affiliated person of the Funds, in each case, unless such transactions are permitted by applicable law or regulation and carried out in compliance with any applicable policies and procedures of the Trust.
D. Consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Trust in respect of the Allocated Portion of the Funds and the requirements set forth herein, the Underlying Adviser may, under certain circumstances, arrange to have purchase and sale transactions effected between the Allocated Portion of the Funds and another account managed by the Underlying Adviser (“cross transactions”), provided that such transactions are carried out in accordance with applicable law or regulation and any applicable policies and procedures of the Trust. The Trust, or its designee, has provided the Underlying Adviser with such applicable policies and procedures.
6. Valuation . In accordance with procedures established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, with respect to the Allocated Portion of the Funds’ assets, the Underlying Adviser will (i) provide reasonable assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Funds, (ii) use reasonable efforts to assist with valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Underlying Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Funds for which market prices are not readily available, and (iii) monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Funds for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities. For the avoidance of doubt, the Underlying Adviser is not required to engage pricing vendors to comply with clause (ii) above. The Underlying Adviser will maintain sufficient records with respect to securities valuation information provided hereunder to support and demonstrate the securities valuations, and shall provide such information to the Lead Adviser or the Manager upon request.
7. Compliance and Other Matters . The Underlying Adviser, at its expense, shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time and such additional information and certifications in respect of the Underlying Adviser’s policies and procedures, compliance by the Underlying Adviser with federal securities laws and related matters as the Trust’s and/or the Manager’s compliance personnel may reasonably request. The Underlying Adviser also represents, warrants and covenants that:
A. It is duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, and is qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which failure to be so qualified would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect upon it, and it will continue to be so organized and in good standing for so long as this Agreement remains in effect.
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B. It (i) is registered as an “investment adviser” with the SEC under the Advisers Act and will continue to be so registered or licensed for so long as this Agreement remains in effect; (ii) is not prohibited by the Investment Company Act or the Advisers Act from performing the services contemplated by this Agreement; (iii) has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act; (iv) has adopted written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Advisers Act from occurring, will address promptly any known violations that have occurred, and will provide notice promptly to the Manager of any material violations relating to the Funds; (v) has materially met and will seek to continue to meet for so long as this Agreement remains in effect, any other federal or state requirements or the requirements of any regulatory or industry self-regulatory agency applicable to its management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds.
C. It is registered as a commodity trading advisor with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a member in good standing of the U.S. National Futures Association (the “NFA”) or duly exempt from such registration and it will maintain such registration or exemption continuously during the term of this Agreement or, alternatively, will become a commodity trading advisor duly registered with the CFTC and will be a member in good standing with the NFA.
D. The Underlying Adviser will as promptly as practical notify the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser of the occurrence of any event which would disqualify the Underlying Adviser from serving as an investment adviser of an investment company pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Company Act or otherwise. The Underlying Adviser will also notify the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if it is served or otherwise receives notice of any action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation, at law or in equity, before or by any court, public board or body, including but not limited to the SEC and the CFTC, involving the Fund.
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E. It shall ensure that neither the Underlying Adviser nor any “affiliated person,” as defined in Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, of the Adviser is or has been permanently or temporarily enjoined by reason of any misconduct, by order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction or regulatory authority, from acting as an investment adviser or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity or in connection with the purchase or sale of any security, as set forth in Section 9 of the Investment Company Act. There is not pending, and the Underlying Adviser has no knowledge that any party has threatened, any action, suit or proceeding before or by any court or other governmental or self-regulatory authority to which the Underlying Adviser or any of its directors, officers, employees, partners, shareholders, members or principals, or any of its affiliates is a party which might reasonably be expected to result in any material adverse change in the financial condition or regulatory qualifications of the Underlying Adviser; and, subject in each case to applicable law, the Underlying Adviser shall as soon as reasonably practicable (i) notify the Trust, the Manager, and the Lead Adviser of any pending lawsuit or legal proceeding in which the Underlying Adviser is a named party or the public disclosure of the commencement of any formal investigation (other than routine investigations) of which the Underlying Adviser becomes aware by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) or any other regulatory or administrative body with authority over the Underlying Adviser which involves an allegation of a violation of law by the Underlying Adviser to the extent that such investigation relates to the affairs of the Fund or Trust and which, in any such case, if adversely determined, would be reasonably likely to materially adversely affect the Underlying Adviser’s ability to perform its obligations with respect to the Fund or Trust; (ii) notify the Trust, the Manager, and the Lead Adviser of the outcome, when resolved, of any such lawsuit, legal proceeding or investigation; (iii) provide to the Trust, the Manager, and the Lead Adviser upon request copies of any material non-confidential filings relating to a matter described in this paragraph with the SEC or with any other regulatory or administrative body with authority over the Underlying Adviser.
F. It will, with respect to the Allocated Portion, (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Lead Adviser, the Trust’s administrator, Custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the Funds, the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser; and (ii) provide such information about the management of the Allocated Portion to such persons as is reasonably necessary for the performance of their obligations to the Funds, the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons. The Underlying Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Underlying Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Funds. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Underlying Adviser shall (A) ensure that, when it enters into swaps (as defined in the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended) on behalf of any Fund, the counterparties to such swaps either (i) have a statutory or regulatory duty to report such swaps as required by Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the CFTC regulations or (ii) have contractually agreed to report such swaps on behalf of the applicable Fund as may be required by CFTC regulation and (B) otherwise cause the applicable Fund to comply with all additional applicable statutory and regulatory requirements relating to swap transactions entered into by the Underlying Adviser for or on behalf of any Fund, including without limitation, compliance with all recordkeeping requirements with respect to any such swap. The Underlying Adviser shall also take any analogous actions to the foregoing actions with respect to any security-based swaps or mixed swaps (as defined in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) entered into by the Underlying Adviser on behalf of any Fund, when the SEC has promulgated final rules in respect thereof.
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G. It shall maintain a written code of ethics (“Code of Ethics”) complying with the requirements of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act and shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current copy of the Code of Ethics and evidence of its adoption. The Underlying Adviser has adopted procedures reasonably designed to prevent Access Persons (as defined in Rule 17j-1) from violating its Code of Ethics. Each calendar quarter while this Agreement is in effect, a duly authorized compliance officer of the Underlying Adviser shall certify to the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser that the Underlying Adviser has complied with the requirements of Rules 204A-1 and 17j-1 during the previous calendar quarter and that there has been no material violation of its Code of Ethics, or of Rule 17j-1(b), or that any persons covered under its Code of Ethics has divulged or acted upon any material, non-public information, as such term is defined under relevant securities laws not previously disclosed, or if such a violation of its Code of Ethics has occurred, that appropriate action was taken in response to such violation. Except as prohibited by applicable law, the Underlying Adviser shall notify the Manager and Lead Adviser as soon as is reasonably practicable of any material violation of the Code of Ethics involving the Trust. Upon written request of the Manager or the Lead Adviser, the Underlying Adviser shall permit the Manager and/or Lead Adviser, during normal business hours, to examine the reports required to be made by the Adviser under Rules 204A-1(b) and 17j-1(d)(1) and the Code of Ethics and other records evidencing enforcement of the Code of Ethics as such records relate to the operation of the Funds. Further, the Underlying Adviser represents that it has policies and procedures regarding the detection and prevention of the misuse of material, nonpublic information by the Underlying Adviser and its employees. Annually, the Underlying Adviser shall furnish to the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser a written report which complies with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 concerning the Underlying Adviser’s Code of Ethics. The Underlying Adviser shall also provide an annual certification from the Underlying Adviser’s Chief Compliance Officer, appointed under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act with respect to the design and operation of the Underlying Adviser’s compliance program, in a format reasonably requested by the Manager or the Trust.
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H. It has adopted and implemented, and throughout the term of this Agreement shall maintain in effect and implement, policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violations by the Underlying Adviser and its supervised persons of “federal securities laws” (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the Act) with respect to the services to be provided by the Underlying Adviser pursuant to this Agreement. The Underlying Adviser has provided the Trust with true and complete copies of such policies and procedures (or summaries thereof) and related information reasonably requested by the Trust and/or the Manager or Lead Adviser.) The Underlying Adviser agrees to cooperate with periodic reviews by the Trust’s and/or the Manager’s compliance personnel of the Underlying Adviser’s policies and procedures, their operation and implementation and other compliance matters related to the services provided pursuant to this Agreement. The Underlying Adviser agrees to promptly notify the Manager of any compliance violations or other matters which are reasonably likely to have a material effect on the Allocated Portion of the Funds.
I. It shall comply with the Trust’s policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Funds as described in the Trust’s current Registration Statement, and upon request from the Manager or the Lead Adviser, provide a certification to the Manager or the Lead Adviser with respect to compliance with the Fund’s selective disclosure policy.
J. It shall not consult with any other underlying adviser of a Fund concerning transactions in securities or other assets for any Fund of the Trust, including the Fund managed by the Underlying Adviser, except that such consultations are permitted between the current Underlying Adviser and successor Underlying Adviser of a Fund in order to effect an orderly transition of sub-advisory duties so long as such consultations are not concerning transactions prohibited by Section 17(a) of the Investment Company Act.
K. It shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current and complete copy of the Underlying Adviser’s Form ADV, and any supplements or amendments thereto and, if required by the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936, as amended, or the rules and regulations thereunder promulgated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), the Underlying Adviser shall provide Lead Adviser and the Trust with a copy of its most recent CFTC disclosure document as from time to time required thereby or a written explanation of the reason why it is not required to deliver such a disclosure document.
L. It shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current list of persons the Underlying Adviser wishes to have authorized to give instructions to the Trust’s Custodian regarding assets of the Funds.
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M. | It shall be responsible for the filing of Schedule 13D/13G and Form 13F, and any non-U.S. securities filing equivalents of these filings, on behalf of the Trust reflecting holdings over which the Underlying Adviser and its affiliates have investment and/or voting discretion. |
N. It shall review the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Funds, and any amendments or supplements thereto, provided to the Underlying Adviser by the Manager or the Lead Adviser which relate to the Underlying Adviser or the Funds and confirm that, with respect to the disclosure respecting or relating to the Underlying Adviser or the Funds, including any performance information the Underlying Adviser provides that is included in or serves as the basis for information included in the prospectus or statement of additional information, such prospectus or statement of additional information contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Underlying Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser as soon as reasonably practicable of any material fact known to the Underlying Adviser respecting or relating to the Underlying Adviser that is not contained in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto, and should be reflected to make the statements contained therein not misleading, or of any statement respecting or relating to the Underlying Adviser contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect. With respect to the disclosure respecting each Fund, the Underlying Adviser represents and agrees that the description in the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information regarding investment objectives and strategies is consistent with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser intends to manage Allocated Portions of the Funds, and the description of risks is consistent with risks known to the Underlying Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser intends to manage the Allocated Portions of the Funds. The Underlying Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser as promptly as practical in the event that the Underlying Adviser becomes aware that the prospectus or statement of additional information for a Fund is inconsistent in any material respect with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser is managing the Allocated Portions of the Fund, and in the event that the principal risks description is inconsistent in any material respect with the risks known to the Underlying Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser is managing the Fund. In addition, the Underlying Adviser agrees to comply with the Manager and the Lead Adviser’s reasonable request for information regarding the personnel of the Underlying Adviser who are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Trust’s assets as may be required to be disclosed in the prospectus or statement of additional information.
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O. Upon request, provide certifications to the principal executive and financial officers of the Trust (the “certifying officers”) that support the certifications required to be made by the certifying officers in connection with the preparation and/or filing of the Trust’s Form N-CSRs, N-Qs, shareholder reports, financial statements, and other disclosure documents or regulatory filings, in such form and content as the Trust shall reasonably request or in accordance with procedures adopted by the Trust; and it shall timely provide to the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Trust with any information reasonably requested by the Manager, the Trust or Lead Adviser regarding its management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds required for any shareholder report, amended Registration Statement, or prospectus supplement to be filed by the Trust with the SEC, and such other information with regard to its affairs as the others may reasonably request or other such information and documentation related to the Underlying Adviser’s duties under this Agreement as they may reasonably request as necessary or appropriate in order for the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Board to oversee the activities of the Underlying Adviser and in connection with the compliance by any of them with the requirements of this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the policies and procedures referenced herein, and any applicable law, including, without limitation, (i) information and commentary relating to the Underlying Adviser or the Allocated Portion of the Funds for the Trust’s annual and semi-annual reports (for the avoidance of doubt, such commentary shall only be required in respect of the Trust’s annual report), in a format reasonably approved by the Manager, together with (A) a certification that such information and commentary discuss all of the factors that materially affected the performance of the Funds with respect to the Allocated Portion, including the relevant market conditions and the investment techniques and strategies used and (B) additional certifications related to the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds in order to support the Trust’s Principal Executive Officer’s and Principal Financial Officer’s certifications under Rule 30a-2 under the Investment Company Act, thereon; and (ii) within 20 calendar days of a quarter-end, a quarterly certification with respect to compliance and operational matters related to the Underlying Adviser and the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds (including, without limitation, compliance with the applicable procedures), in a format reasonably requested by the Manager, as it may be amended from time to time.
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P. It shall promptly notify Lead Adviser and the Manager of the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) the departure, replacement, unavailability (other than short-term unavailability) or addition of a chief financial officer , chief operating officer, chief compliance officer, chief risk officer (or such other persons the responsibilities for which would reasonably be performed by a person holding one of the foregoing titles, howsoever described by Underlying Adviser) or any Key Portfolio Manager(s) responsible for the Allocated Portion of the Funds as identified from time to time, in writing and provided to the Manager and Lead Adviser, by the Underlying Adviser (each, a “Key Portfolio Manager”), (ii) any actual or expected change of a portfolio management strategy, (iii) any change in actual control or management of the Underlying Adviser or (iv) any other material matter that may reasonably require disclosure to the Board and/or shareholders of the Funds.
Q. It shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with such other compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be reasonably necessary and agreed to between the Parties.
8. Representations, warranties and covenants of the Lead Adviser . The Lead Adviser represents, warrants and covenants that:
A. It is duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, and is qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which failure to be so qualified would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect upon it, and it will continue to be so organized and in good standing for so long as this Agreement remains in effect.
B. This Agreement is enforceable against the Lead Adviser in accordance with its terms, subject as to enforcement to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, arrangement, moratorium, and other similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles.
C. It (i) is registered as an “investment adviser” with the SEC under the Advisers Act and will continue to be so registered or licensed for so long as this Agreement remains in effect; (ii) is not prohibited by the Investment Company Act or the Advisers Act from performing the services contemplated by this Agreement and the Lead Adviser Management Agreement; (iii) has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act; (iv) has adopted written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Advisers Act from occurring, and correct promptly any violations that have occurred; (v) has materially met and will seek to continue to meet for so long as this Agreement remains in effect, any other applicable federal or state requirements, or the applicable requirements of any regulatory or industry self-regulatory agency.
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D. It is registered as a commodity trading advisor with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a member in good standing of the U.S. National Futures Association (the “NFA”) or duly exempt from such registration and it will maintain such registration or exemptions continuously during the term of this Agreement or, alternatively, will become a commodity trading advisor duly registered with the CFTC and will be a member in good standing with the NFA.
E. The Lead Adviser will promptly notify the Underlying Adviser of the occurrence of any event which would disqualify the Lead Adviser from serving as an investment adviser of an investment company pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Company Act or otherwise. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Lead Adviser will also notify the Manager and the Underlying Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if it is served or otherwise receives notice of any action, suit, proceeding, or investigation, at law or in equity, before or by any court, public board or body, including but not limited to the SEC and the CFTC, involving the affairs of a Fund.
F. To the best of its knowledge, there are no material pending actions, suits, proceedings, or investigations before or by any court, governmental, administrative or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel to which the Lead Adviser or any of its directors, officers, employees, supervised persons, partners, shareholders, members or principals, or any of its affiliates is a party or to which it or its affiliates or any of its or its affiliates’ assets are subject, nor has the Lead Adviser or any of its affiliates received any notice of an investigation by any court, governmental, administrative, or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel regarding any of its or their activities, which might reasonably be expected to result in (i) a material adverse effect on the Trust or (ii) a material adverse change in the Lead Adviser’s condition (financial or otherwise) or business which might reasonably be expected to materially impair the Lead Adviser’s ability to discharge its obligations under this Agreement or the Lead Adviser Management Agreement. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Lead Adviser will also notify the Underlying Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if the representation in this subsection is no longer accurate.
G. It shall maintain a written Code of Ethics complying with the requirements of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act. The Lead Adviser shall institute procedures reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons (as defined in Rule 17j-1), from violating its Code of Ethics. Further, the Lead Adviser represents that it has policies and procedures regarding the detection and prevention of the misuse of material, nonpublic information by the Lead Adviser and its employees.
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H. It has adopted and implemented, and throughout the term of this Agreement shall maintain in effect and implement, policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent, detect and correct violations of the Advisers Act and rules promulgated thereunder by the Lead Adviser and its supervised persons, and, to the extent the activities of the Lead Adviser in respect of the Trust could affect the Trust, by the Trust, of “federal securities laws” (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the Act) with respect to the services to be provided by the Lead Adviser pursuant to the Lead Adviser Management Agreement. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Lead Adviser agrees to promptly notify the Underlying Adviser of any compliance violations which materially affect the Allocated Portion of the Funds.
I. It shall comply with the Trust’s policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Funds as described in the Trust’s current Registration Statement.
J. It shall treat confidentially and as proprietary all non-public, proprietary or confidential records and other information relating to the Underlying Adviser disclosed hereunder, and shall not use such records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder or under the Lead Adviser Management Agreement, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Underlying Adviser or when so requested by the Underlying Adviser or required or requested (as advised by counsel) by law, regulation, regulation of any self-regulatory organization, court order or other judicial process. The confidentiality restrictions of this paragraph shall not apply to any records or other information that (i) is or becomes publicly available other than as a result of a disclosure by the Lead Adviser or its representatives in violation of this paragraph; (ii) is or becomes available to the Lead Adviser or its representatives from a source other than another party to this Agreement, which source, to the knowledge of the Lead Adviser or its representatives, does not have an obligation of confidentiality to another party to this Agreement with respect to such information; (iii) was already in the Lead Adviser’s possession or the possession of its representatives prior to receiving such information from another party to this Agreement; (iv) is developed independently by the Lead Adviser or its representatives without use of such information or records; (v) is disclosed by the Lead Adviser for the purposes of validating performance of the Fund as a whole and the Lead Adviser’s track record; or (vi) is disclosed by the Lead Adviser to clients, prospective clients, consultants and their professional advisers, provided such persons are bound by a written confidentiality obligation. The Lead Adviser agrees that it will not use the information provided by the Underlying Adviser to trade for its own account or for the account of any other person or to try to “reverse engineer” the investment and trading methodologies and strategies of the Underlying Adviser.
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K. It has reviewed the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Funds, and any amendments or supplements thereto, and confirms that the information contained in such prospectus and statement of additional information, and any amendments or supplements thereto, that was furnished by the Lead Adviser or consists of statements made in reliance upon information furnished by the Lead Adviser contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Lead Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager promptly of any material fact known to the Manager respecting or relating to the Funds that is not contained in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto, but which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading, or of any statement respecting or relating to the Funds contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect
9. Representations, warranties and covenants of the Manager . The Manager represents, warrants and covenants that:
A. It is duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, and is qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which failure to be so qualified would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect upon it, and it will continue to be so organized and in good standing for so long as this Agreement remains in effect.
B. It (i) is registered as an “investment adviser” with the SEC under the Advisers Act and will continue to be so registered or licensed for so long as this Agreement remains in effect; (ii) is not prohibited by the Investment Company Act or the Advisers Act from performing the services contemplated by this Agreement; (iii) has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act; (iv) has adopted written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Advisers Act from occurring, and correct promptly any violations that have occurred; (v) has materially met and will seek to continue to meet for so long as this Agreement remains in effect, any other applicable federal or state requirements, or the applicable requirements of any regulatory or industry self-regulatory agency.
C. Although it is registered as a commodity pool operator, it is relying on the exclusion in CFTC Regulation 4.5 with respect to each Fund, has timely filed the required notice under CFTC Regulation 4.5, and will reaffirm it annually as required.
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D. The Manager will promptly notify the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser of the occurrence of any event which would disqualify the Manager from serving as an investment adviser of an investment company pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Company Act or otherwise. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Manager will also notify the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if it is served or otherwise receives notice of any action, suit, proceeding, or investigation, at law or in equity, before or by any court, public board or body, including but not limited to the SEC and the CFTC, involving the affairs of a Fund.
E. To the best of its knowledge, there are no material pending actions, suits, proceedings, or investigations before or by any court, governmental, administrative or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel to which the Manager or any of its directors, officers, employees, partners, shareholders, members or principals, or any of its affiliates is a party or to which it or its affiliates or any of its or its affiliates’ assets are subject, nor has the Manager or any of its affiliates received any notice of an investigation by any court, governmental, administrative, or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel regarding any of its or their activities, which might reasonably be expected to result in (i) a material adverse effect on the Trust or (ii) a material adverse change in the Manager’s condition (financial or otherwise) or business, which might reasonably be expected to materially impair the Manager’s ability to discharge its obligations under this Agreement. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Manager will also notify the Underlying Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if the representation in this subsection is no longer accurate.
F. It shall maintain a written Code of Ethics complying with the requirements of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act. The Manager shall institute procedures reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons (as defined in Rule 17j-1), from violating its Code of Ethics. Further, the Manager represents that it has policies and procedures regarding the detection and prevention of the misuse of material, nonpublic information by the Manager and its employees.
G. It has adopted and implemented, and throughout the term of this Agreement shall maintain in effect and implement, policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent, detect and correct violations of the Advisers Act and rules promulgated thereunder by the Manager and its supervised persons, and, to the extent the activities of the Manager in respect of the Trust could affect the Trust, by the Trust, of “federal securities laws” (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the Act) with respect to the services to be provided by the Manager pursuant to this Agreement. Except as prohibited by applicable law, regulation or administrative order, the Manager agrees to promptly notify the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser of any compliance violations which materially affect the Allocated Portion of the Funds.
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H. It shall comply with the Trust’s policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Funds as described in the Trust’s current Registration Statement.
I. It shall treat confidentially and as proprietary all non-public, proprietary or confidential records and other information relating to the Underlying Adviser, and shall not use such records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder or under the Investment management agreement among the Manager and the Trust or the agreement among the Lead Adviser, the Manager and the Trust, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Underlying Adviser or when so requested by the Underlying Adviser or required or requested (as advised by counsel) by law, regulation, regulation of any self-regulatory organization, court order or other judicial process. The confidentiality restrictions of this paragraph shall not apply to any records or other information that (i) is or becomes publicly available other than as a result of a disclosure by the Manager or its representatives in violation of this paragraph; (ii) is or becomes available to the Manager or its representatives from a source other than another party to this Agreement, which source, to the knowledge of the Manager or its representatives, does not have an obligation of confidentiality to another party to this Agreement with respect to such information; (iii) was already in the Manager’s possession or the possession of its representatives prior to receiving such information from another party to this Agreement; or (iv) is developed independently by the Manager or its representatives without use of such information or records.
J. It has reviewed the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information applicable to the Funds, and any amendments or supplements thereto, and confirms that the information included in such prospectus and statement of additional information, as it relates to the Funds and the Manager, contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Manager further agrees to notify the Underlying Adviser promptly of any material fact known to the Manager respecting or relating to the Funds that is not contained in the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Trust, or any amendment or supplement thereto, but which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading, or of any statement respecting or relating to the Funds contained therein that becomes untrue in any material respect.
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K. It has procedures in place which comply with all relevant anti-money laundering and privacy principles applicable to it, and any solicitations and other activities by the Manager in connection with the Trust have been and will be conducted in accordance with applicable laws, rules and regulations.
L. This Agreement has been properly approved according to applicable laws, rules and regulations.
M. | The Trust is registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act and will maintain such registration for so long as this Agreement and the Investment Management Agreement with respect to a Fund remain in effect. |
8. Proxies and Other Shareholder Actions .
A. Unless otherwise directed in writing by the Manager or the Lead Adviser, the Underlying Adviser shall receive and exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Funds in the best interest of Fund shareholders and in accordance with the Underlying Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager and the Lead Adviser. The Underlying Adviser shall report to the Manager and the Lead Adviser in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX), including a record of all proxies not voted and/or voted inconsistently with Underlying Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. The Underlying Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager and the Lead Adviser, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations. The Manager and the Lead Adviser reserve the right to exercise voting rights on any assets held in the Funds on an individual security or ongoing basis.
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B. The Underlying Adviser is authorized to deal with reorganizations, exchange offers and other voluntary corporate actions with respect to securities held in the Allocated Portion of the Funds in such manner as the Underlying Adviser deems advisable, unless the Trust or the Manager otherwise specifically directs in writing. It is acknowledged and agreed that the Underlying Adviser shall not be responsible for the filing of claims (or otherwise causing the Trust to participate) in class action settlements or similar proceedings in which shareholders may participate related to securities currently or previously associated with the Allocated Portion of the Funds, however it shall provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held or previously held within the Funds managed by the Underlying Adviser. With the Manager’s approval, on a case-by-case basis the Underlying Adviser may obtain the authority and take on the responsibility to: (i) identify, evaluate and pursue legal claims, including commencing or defending suits, affecting the securities held at any time in the Allocated Portion of the Funds, including claims in bankruptcy, class action securities litigation and other litigation; (ii) participate in such litigation or related proceedings with respect to such securities as the Underlying Adviser deems appropriate to preserve or enhance the value of the Allocated Portion of the Funds, including filing proofs of claim and related documents and serving as “lead plaintiff” in class action lawsuits; (iii) exercise generally any of the powers of an owner with respect to the supervision and management of such rights or claims, including the settlement, compromise or submission to arbitration of any claims, the exercise of which the Underlying Adviser deems to be in the best interest of the Allocated Portion of the Funds or required by applicable law, , and (iv) employ suitable agents, including legal counsel, and to pay their reasonable fees, expenses and related costs from the Allocated Portion of the Funds.
9. Compensation of the Underlying Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Underlying Adviser as provided in Sections 1, 2, and 3 of this Agreement, the Lead Adviser shall pay to the Underlying Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule B attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be accrued daily and paid to the Underlying Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Lead Adviser shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule B to the average daily net assets of the Allocated Portion of the specified Funds during the relevant month. The Lead Adviser is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Underlying Adviser from the fees the Lead Adviser receives from the Manager.
The Underlying Adviser shall bear all expenses incurred by it and its staff with respect to all activities in connection with the performance of the Underlying Adviser’s services under this Agreement, including but not limited to personnel, salaries, benefits, overhead, travel, preparation of reports, office space, furnishings and equipment. Upon request by the Manager, the Underlying Adviser agrees to reimburse the Manager for costs associated with certain supplements to the Fund’s disclosure documents (“Supplements”). Such Supplements are those generated due to changes with respect to the Underlying Adviser requiring prompt disclosure in the Trust’s prospectus, statement of additional information, and/or information statement and for which, at the time of notification by the Underlying Adviser to the Manager and the Lead Adviser of such changes, the Trust is not already generating a supplement for other purposes or for which the Manager may not be able to reasonably add such changes to a pending supplement. Such changes with respect to the Underlying Adviser include, but are not limited to, changes to its structure, to key investment personnel, to investment style or management. The Underlying Adviser shall reimburse the Manager or the Trust, as applicable, for all of the costs associated with generating such Supplements, and/or any required Board meeting and/or proxy expenses related to approving a change in control of the Underlying Adviser. Reimbursable costs may include, but are not limited to, costs of preparation, filing, printing, postage, and/or distribution of such Supplements to all existing Fund shareholders.
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10. Information and Reports .
A. The Underlying Adviser shall keep the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser informed of developments relating to its duties as Underlying Adviser which the Underlying Adviser reasonably believes would materially affect the Funds. In this regard, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser and their respective officers with such periodic reports concerning the obligations the Underlying Adviser has assumed under this Agreement as the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser may from time to time reasonably request. In addition, prior to each meeting of the Board, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Board with such reports as are reasonably requested regarding the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds during the most recently completed quarter, which reports: (i) shall include the Underlying Adviser’s representation that its performance of its investment management duties hereunder is in compliance with the Funds’ investment objectives and practices, the Investment Company Act and applicable rules and regulations under the Investment Company Act, and applicable Investment Guidelines provided to the Underlying Adviser by the Lead Adviser, and the diversification and minimum “good income” requirements of Subchapter M under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and (ii) otherwise shall be in such form as may be mutually agreed upon by the Underlying Adviser and the Manager and Lead Adviser. Such reports shall include, but not be limited to, reports on the investment program for the Funds and the issuers and securities represented in the Funds, and reports concerning transactions and performance of each Fund, compliance with the Trust’s procedures pursuant to Rules 17e-1, 17a-7, 10f-3 and 12d3-1 under the Investment Company Act, Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act, compliance with Investment Guidelines and restrictions, trade errors, liquidity determinations, and compliance with the Underlying Adviser’s Code of Ethics, and such other procedures or requirements that the Manager and the Lead Adviser may reasonably request from time to time.
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B. Each of the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Underlying Adviser shall provide the other party with a list, to the best of their respective knowledge, of each affiliated person (and any affiliated person of such an affiliated person) of the Manager, Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser, as the case may be, and each of the Manager, Lead Adviser and Underlying Adviser agrees promptly to update and deliver such list whenever the Manager, Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser becomes aware of any changes that should be added to or deleted from the list of affiliated persons. The Trust, or its designee, shall provide the Underlying Adviser with a list of brokers and dealers that are “affiliated persons” of the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the principal underwriter, and applicable policies and procedures. Upon the request of the Manager, the Underlying Adviser shall promptly, and in any event within three business days of a request, indicate whether any entity identified by the Manager in such request is an “affiliated person,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act, of (i) the Underlying Adviser or (ii) any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser, subject in each case to any confidentiality requirements applicable to the Underlying Adviser and/or its affiliates. Further, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Manager with a list of (x) each broker-dealer entity that is an “affiliated person,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act, of the Underlying Adviser and (y) each affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser that has outstanding publicly-issued debt or equity. Each of the Manager and the Underlying Adviser agrees promptly to update such list(s) whenever the Manager or the Underlying Adviser becomes aware of any changes that should be added to or deleted from such list of affiliated persons; provided, however, that the Underlying Adviser shall not be bound by any update, modification or amendment of such list(s) unless and until the Underlying Adviser has been provided with an amended list(s).
C. The Underlying Adviser shall provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Lead Adviser, the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held within the Funds managed by the Underlying Adviser.
D. The Manager shall make available to the Underlying Adviser copies of the Trust prospectus, statement of additional information, and shareholder reports, and also provide the Certificate of Trust, Agreement and Declaration of Trust, Bylaws, Compliance Policies and Procedures of the Trust, and any amendments thereto. The Underlying Adviser will be provided the opportunity to review any description of the Underlying Adviser set forth in the Trust prospectus, statement of additional information and shareholder reports which will be clearly marked to indicate that they are documents of the Trust and/or the Fund rather than of the Underlying Adviser. If the Underlying Adviser ceases to furnish services to the Trust, the Trust at its expense shall, as promptly as practicable, take all necessary action to cause the Trust prospectus, statement of additional information and shareholder reports to be amended to accomplish a change of name to eliminate any reference to the Underlying Adviser, and within 60 days after such date, shall cease to use in any other manner, including use in any sales literature or promotional material, the Underlying Adviser’s name (except as necessary or reasonably desirable to identify historical service providers).
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13. Confidentiality. Underlying Adviser will not disclose or use any records or information obtained pursuant to this Agreement except as reasonably required to execute transactions on behalf of the Fund, and will keep confidential any non-public information obtained directly as a result of this service relationship, and the Underlying Adviser shall disclose such non-public information only if the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust have authorized such disclosure by prior written consent, or if such information is or hereafter otherwise is known by the Underlying Adviser or has been disclosed, directly or indirectly, by the Manager or the Trust to others becomes ascertainable from public or published information or trade sources, or if such disclosure is expressly required or requested by applicable federal or state regulatory authorities, or to the extent such disclosure is reasonably required by auditors or attorneys of the Underlying Adviser in connection with the performance of their professional services or as may otherwise be contemplated by this Agreement.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust and the Manager agree that Underlying Adviser may (i) disclose in marketing materials and similar communications that Underlying Adviser has been engaged to manage assets of the Allocated Portion pursuant to this Agreement, and (ii) include performance statistics regarding the Allocated Portion in such marketing materials, provided that Underlying Adviser shall not use the name of the Fund in any material and in any manner relating to Underlying Adviser without first obtaining the Manager’s prior written consent thereto, and further provided that such use complies with applicable law and regulation.
The Manager and the Lead Adviser shall not use the information provided by the Underlying Adviser to trade for their own account or for the account of any other person or try to “reverse engineer” the investment and trading methodologies and strategies of the Underlying Adviser. In addition, the Manager and the Lead Adviser will not disclose information regarding non-public portfolio holdings of the Allocated Portion to any other underlying adviser of the Fund except to the extent that such disclosure (i) is already publicly known, (ii) is expressly permitted, required or requested by applicable federal, state or other governmental regulatory authorities or any self-regulatory organizations, including the Trust’s obligations under the Investment Company Act of 1940, or (iii) is to a service provider or agent to the Trust (not including any other Underlying Adviser) that has a need to know such information in order to perform its duties to the Trust.
Except as otherwise publicly known or ascertainable from public sources or is permitted under the Trust's policies on disclosure of portfolio holdings, the Manager and the Lead Adviser will keep confidential and will not disclose to any person the specific portfolio holdings of the allocated Portion, the amount and rate of the sub-advisory fee payable with respect to each Fund’ Allocated Portion and any other non-public information regarding the Underlying Adviser and its affiliated persons, except to the extent that such disclosure is expressly required or requested by applicable federal, state or other governmental regulatory authorities or any self-regulatory organizations.
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12. Status of Underlying Adviser . The subadvisory services of the Underlying Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, although the Underlying Adviser acknowledges its fiduciary duty to the Funds. The Underlying Adviser 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 Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust or any Fund in any way, and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as making the Trust, a Fund, the Manager or the Lead Adviser a partner or co-venturer with the Underlying Adviser or any of the Underlying Adviser’s affiliates. It is acknowledged and agreed that the Lead Adviser may appoint from time to time other Underlying Advisers in addition to the Underlying Adviser to manage the assets of the Funds that do not constitute the Allocated Portion and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed or interpreted to grant the Underlying Adviser an exclusive arrangement to act as the sole Underlying Adviser to the Funds. It is further acknowledged and agreed that the Manager and Lead Adviser make no commitment to designate any portion of the Funds’ assets to the Underlying Adviser as the Allocated Portion.
13. Certain Records . The Underlying Adviser shall maintain, with respect to its duties under this Agreement, the records required to be maintained and preserved by a registered investment company pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules , including without limitation those set forth in Schedule A to this Agreement, and any of such records that are prepared or maintained by the Underlying Adviser in connection with its services hereunder or otherwise on behalf of the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust are the property of the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager, the Lead Underlying Adviser or Trust on request, provided that the Underlying Adviser shall be entitled to retain a copy of such records.
14. Liability and Indemnification by Parties
A. The Underlying Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party for any error of judgment or any loss arising out of any investment or other act or omission in the course of, connected with, or arising out of or related to this Agreement, provided however, the Underlying Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser, any affiliated person of the Manager or the Lead Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Trust, the Manager or the Lead Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Underlying Adviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Underlying Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Underlying Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Underlying Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Underlying Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, but only if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished to the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trust by the Underlying Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Underlying Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
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B. The Lead Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Lead Adviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Lead Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Lead Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Lead Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Lead Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished by the Lead Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Lead Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
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C. The Manager agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, and each person, if any, who, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, controls the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Manager’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Manager’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Manager or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Manager or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Funds or the Manager or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was not made in reliance upon information furnished to the Manager by the Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of the Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
D. A party seeking indemnification hereunder (the “Indemnified Party”) will (i) provide prompt notice to the other of any Claim for which it intends to seek indemnification, (ii) grant control of the defense and/or settlement of the Claim to the other party, and (iii) cooperate with the other party in the defense thereof. The Indemnified Party will have the right at its own expense to participate in the defense of any Claim, but will not have the right to control the defense, consent to judgment or agree to the settlement of any Claim without the written consent of the other party. The party providing the indemnification will not consent to the entry of any judgment or enter any settlement which (i) does not include, as an unconditional term, the release by the claimant of all liabilities for Claims against the Indemnified Party or (ii) which otherwise adversely affects the rights of the Indemnified Party.
E. No party will be liable to another party for consequential damages under any provision of this Agreement.
15. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Underlying Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Underlying Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Underlying Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed in the Trust’s registration statement as required by law.
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16. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its execution as to each Fund and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Fund; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Fund fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Underlying Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be “specifically approved at least annually” shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager or the Lead Adviser upon not less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days prior notice to the other parties hereto, by vote of a majority of the Board of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund on not less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days written notice to the Underlying Adviser, or by the Underlying Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on thirty (30) days written notice to the Manager and the Lead Adviser provided however that, immediately following the event of a decrease which reduces the Allocated Portion of any fund to zero, the underlying adviser may, but is not obligated, terminate this agreement as to that fund immediately upon written notice to the manager and the lead adviser. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. For the avoidance of doubt, the Lead Adviser may from time to time, and at any time, decrease the Allocated Portion.
A notice period provided in this Section may be waived by the party(ies) required to be notified, in their absolute discretion.
As used in this Section 16, the terms “assignment”, “interested persons”, and a “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
This Agreement may also be terminated without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, Lead Adviser or the Trust immediately by written notice to the Underlying Adviser upon: (i) a material breach by the Underlying Adviser of this Agreement which is not promptly cured (to the extent that such breach is curable); (ii) the Key Portfolio Manager(s) ceasing to be employed by the Underlying Adviser or continuing to oversee the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Funds’ assets; or (iii) the Underlying Adviser or any officer, director or Key Portfolio Manager of the Underlying Adviser being accused in any regulatory, self-regulatory or judicial proceeding as having violated the federal securities laws or engaging in criminal conduct. This Agreement may also be terminated, without the payment of any penalty, by the Underlying Adviser immediately by written notice to the Lead Adviser upon: (i) a material breach by the Manager or the Lead Adviser of this Agreement which is not promptly cured (to the extent that such breach is curable); or (ii) the Manager or the Lead Adviser or any officer or director of the Manager or the Lead Adviser having been found ineligible to serve in their respective capacity under Section 9 of the Investment Company Act.
17. Severability . If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, statute, rule or otherwise, such provision will be modified, rewritten or interpreted to include as much of its nature and scope as will render it enforceable. If it cannot be so modified, rewritten or interpreted to be valid and enforceable in any respect, it will not be given effect, and the remainder of the Agreement will be enforced as if such provision had never been included.
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18. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual written consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Fund’s shareholders to the extent required by the Investment Company Act, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
20. Due Diligence
A. The Underlying Adviser will use its reasonable best efforts to respond to annual due diligence questionnaires provided to the Underlying Adviser by or on behalf of the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trustees of the Funds within two (2) weeks from the Underlying Adviser’s receipt of any such questionnaire.
B. The Underlying Adviser agrees to make available to the Lead Adviser, from time to time at its reasonable request and during normal business hours, certain senior members of the Underlying Adviser’s investment and back-office teams for purposes of discussing the Underlying Adviser’s business and operations and the performance of the Fund.
C. | The Underlying Adviser agrees to allow the Trust’s chief compliance officer and/or the Lead Adviser and its representatives, from time to time at its reasonable request and during normal business hours, to inspect certain records pertaining to the Underlying Adviser’s internal control and compliance procedures related to its duties under this Agreement It is understood that as a matter of policy the Underlying Adviser maintains as confidential certain regulatory and other documents, and that with respect to any such documents requested by the Trust or Lead Adviser the Underlying Adviser will provide summaries of or otherwise communicate relevant content. |
21. Miscellaneous .
A. Third-Party Beneficiary . The Trust is an intended third-party beneficiary under this Agreement and is entitled to enforce this Agreement as if it were a party thereto.
B. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Texas without giving effect to any conflict of laws provisions thereof. Notwithstanding the above, should a dispute arise solely between the Manager and/or the Lead Adviser, on the one hand, and the Underlying Adviser, on the other hand, this Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York without giving effect to any conflict of laws provisions thereof.
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C. Use of Name . The Underlying Adviser authorizes the Manager and the Lead Adviser’s use of the Underlying Adviser’s service marks and/or trademarks (collectively the “Underlying Adviser’s Name”) in connection with the marketing of the Fund(s), including but not limited to, the Fund(s)’ registration statements and fact sheets. In addition, the Manager and the Lead Adviser each acknowledges and agrees that it has no rights in or to the Underlying Adviser’s name beyond the limited use rights granted herein. Upon termination of this Agreement, the Manager and Lead Adviser shall forthwith cease to use the Underlying Adviser’s Name (or any derivative or logo) as appropriate and to the extent that continued use is not required by applicable laws, rules and regulations; provided that use of the Underlying Adviser’s Name (or any derivative or logo) shall be permitted following termination of the Agreement where it is used for historical context.
D. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts (including executed counterparts delivered and exchanged by facsimile transmission), each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement. For all purposes, signatures delivered and exchanged by facsimile transmission shall be binding and effective to the same extent as original signatures.
E. No Implied Waiver . Either party’s failure to insist in any one or more instances upon strict performance by the other party of the terms of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any continuing or subsequent failure to perform or delay in performance of any term hereof.
F. Entire Agreement . This Agreement, together with the Schedules attached thereto, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the parties and supersedes any and all prior or contemporaneous understandings and agreements, whether oral or written, between the parties, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
G. Headings . Headings used in this Agreement are provided for convenience only and shall not be used to construe meaning or intent.
H. Notices . Any notices required to be given hereunder may be delivered by hand, facsimile, deposited with a nationally recognized overnight carrier, emailed or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, in each case, to the address of the other party listed below (or such other address as may be furnished by a party in accordance with this paragraph). All such notices or communications shall be deemed to have been given and received (a) in the case of personal delivery, email or facsimile, on the date of such delivery, (b) in the case of delivery by a nationally recognized overnight carrier, the earlier of (i) the date of receipt or (ii) the third business day following dispatch and (c) in the case of mailing, on the seventh business day following such mailing. All such notices shall be delivered to:
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If to the Manager:
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
220 East Las Colinas Blvd., Suite 1200
Irving, TX 75039
Attention: Chief Investment Officer
Facsimile: 817-391-6131
with a copy to General Counsel at the same address.
If to the Lead Adviser:
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P.
900 North Michigan Ave., Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60611
Attention: General Counsel with a copy to Client Services at the same address.
Email: legal@gcmlp.com ; client.services@gcmlp.com
If to the Underlying Adviser:
River Canyon Fund Management LLC
2000 Avenue of the Stars, 11th Floor
Los Angeles, California 90067
Attention: Jonathan Kaplan
Telephone No.: 310-272-1000
Facsimile No.: 310-272-1997
Email: jkaplan@canyonpartners.com
legal@canyonpartners.com
21. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Underlying Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Fund, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Fund. The Underlying Adviser further agrees that it shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Fund, nor from the Board or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
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A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
River Canyon Fund Management LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | By: | |||
Name: | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |||
Title: | Chief Operating Officer |
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P.
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
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SCHEDULE A
RECORDS TO BE MAINTAINED BY THE UNDERLYING ADVISER
1. (Rule 31a-1(b)(5) and (6)) A record of each brokerage order, and all other series purchases and sales, given by the Underlying Adviser on behalf of the Fund for, or in connection with, the purchase or sale of securities, whether executed or unexecuted. Such records shall include:
A. The name of the broker;
B. The terms and conditions of the order and of any modifications or cancellations thereof;
C. The time of entry or cancellation;
D. The price at which executed;
E. The time of receipt of a report of execution; and
F. The name of the person who placed the order on behalf of the Fund.
2. (Rule 31a-1(b)(9)) A record for each fiscal quarter, completed within ten (10) days after the end of the quarter, showing specifically the basis or bases upon which the orders for the purchase and sale of series securities to named brokers or dealers was effected, and the division of brokerage commissions or other compensation on such purchase and sale orders. Such record:
A. Shall include the consideration given to:
(i) The sale of shares of the Fund by brokers or dealers.
(ii) The supplying of services or benefits by brokers or dealers to:
(a) The Fund,
(b) The Manager,
(c) The Underlying Adviser, and
(d) Any person affiliated with the foregoing.
(iii) Any other consideration other than the technical qualifications of the brokers and dealers as such.
B. Shall show the nature of the services or benefits made available.
C. Shall describe in detail the application of any general or specific formula or other determinant used in arriving at such allocation of purchase and sale orders and such division of brokerage commissions or other compensation.
D. Shall show the name of the person responsible for making the determination of and such division of brokerage commissions or other compensation.
3. (Rule 31a-1(b)(10)) Any memorandum, recommendation or instruction supporting or authorizing the person or persons, committees or groups authorized by the Underlying Adviser to purchase or sell portfolio securities on behalf of the Trust. Where a committee or group makes an authorization, a record shall be kept of the names of its members who participate in the authorization.
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4. (Rule 31a-1(f)) Such accounts, books and other documents as are required to be maintained by registered investment advisers by rule adopted under Section 204 of the Advisers Act to the extent such records are necessary or appropriate to record the Underlying Adviser’s transactions for the Fund.
5. Such other records as are required by Board- approved policies and procedures of the Trust applying to tasks carried out by the Underlying Adviser, including without limitation those related to valuation determinations.
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Schedule B
Compensation
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. (the “Lead Adviser”) shall pay out of the fees it receives from the Manager to the Underlying Adviser pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., the Lead Adviser, and the Underlying Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the Fund the following fee for all Fund assets under Underlying Adviser’s management.
I. Funds
American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund
II. Fee Rate
[ ]%
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated as of ________________, 2015
River Canyon Management Fund LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | By: | |||
Name: | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |||
Title: | Chief Operating Officer |
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P.
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
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Exhibit (d)(2)(SS)
Execution Copy
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this ____ day of ______________ , 2015, by and among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the “Manager”), Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., an Illinois Limited Partnership (the “Lead Adviser”) and Tremblant Capital LP, a Delaware Limited Partnership (the “Underlying Adviser”);
WHEREAS, the American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the “Trust”), is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“Investment Company Act”), consisting of several series of shares, each having its own assets and investment objective(s), policies and restrictions; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the oversight of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”); and
WHEREAS, the Trust’s agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its responsibilities thereunder; and
WHEREAS, the Manager has retained the Lead Adviser to provide services to one or more series of shares of the Trust, subject to the oversight of the Board; and
WHEREAS, the Manager’s agreement with the Lead Adviser provides that the Lead Adviser may recommend Underlying Advisers to the Manager and the Board to manage all or a portion of the assets of a series of shares of the Trust; and
WHEREAS, the Underlying Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Advisers Act”); and
WHEREAS, the Manager and the Lead Adviser desire to retain, and are authorized to retain, the Underlying Adviser to render investment management services with respect to one or more series of the Trust identified in Schedule A hereto, as such schedule may be amended from time to time (the “Fund”) and as described in the Trust’s registration statement (“Registration Statement”) on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Underlying Adviser is willing to render such services with respect to the Fund;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Appointment and Duties of the Underlying Adviser . Subject to the overall policies, direction and review of the Board, the Manager and the Lead Adviser hereby appoint the Underlying Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Fund’s assets as is designated by the Lead Adviser from time to time (the “Allocated Portion”), and, with respect to such Allocated Portion, to continuously review and administer the investment program of the Fund, to determine in the Underlying Adviser’s discretion, the securities, commodity interests (if any) and other investments to be purchased, retained or sold, to provide the Manager, the Lead Adviser and and/or the Trust, as applicable, with records as set forth in this Agreement concerning the Underlying Adviser’s activities with respect to the Allocated Portion which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render such reports as set forth in this Agreement as the Manager, the Lead Adviser and/or the Trust’s officers and Trustees may reasonably require to fulfill their respective responsibilities and duties to the Fund concerning the Underlying Adviser’s discharge of the foregoing responsibilities.
2. Acceptance of Appointment; Standard of Performance . The Underlying Adviser accepts such appointment and agrees to discharge its responsibilities as a discretionary adviser of the Allocated Portion and agrees to act in the best interests of the Fund with respect to the Allocated portion and, in connection therewith, perform its duties hereunder in conformity with (a) all applicable securities laws, including but not limited to, the Investment Company Act, the Advisers Act, and the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (“CEA”), the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”), and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations under each such act, and (b) the terms of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the above, subject to its duties and obligations herein, the subadvisory services of the Underlying Adviser to the Fund are not to be deemed exclusive, and although the Underlying Adviser acknowledges its fiduciary duty to the Fund in connection with its services to the Allocated Portion, the Underlying Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates do render similar and/or dissimilar services to others, and as such, conflicts of interests may arise.
3. Services of Underlying Adviser . In providing discretionary management services to the Allocated Portion of the Funds, the Underlying Adviser shall be subject to the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of the Trust as they apply to the Funds and as set forth in the Trust’s then current prospectus and statement of additional information filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as part of the Trust’s Registration Statement, as may be periodically amended and made available in advance to the Underlying Adviser by the Manager, and to the investment restrictions set forth in the Investment Company Act and the Rules thereunder, and subject to the Manager’s oversight, the Lead Adviser’s direction and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Board may from time to time establish, and to investment guidelines, investment policies and investment restrictions (as amended from time to time) communicated in writing by the Lead Adviser to the Underlying Adviser (the “Investment Guidelines”). The Underlying Adviser shall not, without the Manager’s and Lead Adviser’s prior written approval, effect any transactions that would cause the Allocated Portion at the time of the transaction to be out of compliance with any of such restrictions or policies or the Investment Guidelines applicable to the Allocated Portion. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, the Underlying Adviser may rely solely on the Lead Adviser’s prior written approval to effect a transaction that, at the time of the transaction, would cause the Allocated Portion to be out of compliance with one or more Investment Guidelines, , so long as such transaction is not inconsistent with the Fund’s Prospectus or any Investment Guideline that was established or approved by the Board or otherwise required by the Trust’s Registration Statement. The Underlying Adviser shall adopt policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure continued compliance with the Investment Guidelines applicable to the Allocated Portion on a daily basis. Except as expressly set forth in this Agreement, the Underlying Adviser shall not be responsible for aspects of the Fund’s investment program other than managing the Allocated Portion in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
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4. | Transaction Procedures . |
A. | All transactions for the Allocated Portion shall be consummated by payment to, or delivery by, the custodian of the Fund (the “Custodian”), or such authorized [sub-custodians, prime brokers,] depositories or agents as may be designated by the Custodian in writing, of all cash and/or securities and other property due to or from the Fund. The Underlying Adviser shall not have possession or custody of such cash and/or securities or other property or any responsibility or liability with respect to such custody. The Underlying Adviser shall advise the Custodian of all investment orders for the Allocated Portion of the Funds placed by it with brokers and dealers at the time and in the manner set forth, as amended from time to time, by the custodian and made available to the Underlying Adviser (“proper instructions”). Except to the extent the Fund incurs an overdraft fee or other loss or penalty as a result of the Underlying Adviser’s act or omission or breach of this Agreement, the Trust, or its designee, shall be responsible for all custodial arrangements and the payment of all custodial charges and fees. Upon giving proper instructions (as described herein) to the Custodian, the Underlying Adviser shall have no responsibility or liability with respect to custodial arrangements or the act, omissions or other conduct of the Custodian. |
B. | With respect to any of the Allocated Portion, the Lead Adviser will monitor daily cash inflows and outflows, and select the appropriate cash management investment vehicles and the Manager will administer the Fund’s interfund credit facility. The Lead Adviser will instruct the Custodian to hold and/or transfer the Fund’s assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Lead Adviser. (For this purpose, the term “Proper Instructions” shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its Custodian, but generally refers to a writing by the representatives of the Lead Adviser (or Underlying Adviser as applicable) who have been authorized by the Trust’s Board from time to time to provide instructions to the Trust’s custodian. For the purpose of clarification, “Proper Instructions” can be instructions in any format, including without limitation, electronic instructions that are agreed upon by the Lead Adviser and the Custodian.) |
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C. | The Underlying Adviser may, with prior notice to the Fund and the Manager and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Underlying Adviser herein, enter into agreements and execute any documents including without limitation, futures and options transactions, prime brokerage agreements, clearing agreements, account documentation, futures and option agreements, swap agreements, and other investment related agreements required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Funds. The Underlying Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Manager and the Lead Adviser to make all elections required in such agreements, instruments and documentation and make and receive all related notices from brokers or other counterparties. The Manager and the Lead Adviser also authorize the Underlying Adviser as agent and attorney-in-fact, and in connection with the Underlying Adviser’s obligations and responsibilities hereunder, to make transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts on margin, for the Fund, and authorize each broker with whom the Underlying Adviser makes such transactions to follow its instructions with respect to such transactions. The Underlying Adviser will determine that such transactions are permitted before instructing a broker to enter into such transactions and it is understood that any broker receiving an order for any such transaction will have no independent obligation to ensure that the transactions are consistent with the Trust’s registration statement or the Fund’s investment guidelines. The Underlying Adviser shall (a) be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are consistent with the relevant Investment Guidelines; (b) be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Fund under such documentation; and (c) monitor the counterparty risk associated with each such counterparty and promptly notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser of any material counterparty risk event, any event of default, , and any termination event affecting the Fund under documentation with such counterparty immediately upon Underlying Adviser becoming aware of such event. The Underlying Adviser further shall have the authority to provide Proper Instructions to the Custodian [or any authorized sub-custodian or prime broker] to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Fund, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Fund; and (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Fund with respect to any investments made consistent with the Fund’ Prospectus, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit of margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer to or segregation within an account maintained for the Fund by the Custodian[, or another custodian subject to an agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral]. The Underlying Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Underlying Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Underlying Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement. |
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5. Allocation of Brokerage . The Underlying Adviser shall have authority and discretion to select brokers and dealers to execute transactions for the Allocated Portion of the Funds initiated by the Underlying Adviser, and to select the markets on or in which the transactions will be executed in accordance with the Underlying Adviser’s Form ADV, and trading and brokerage polices, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager and/or Lead Adviser (the “Allocation Procedures and Guidelines”).
A. | In selecting broker-dealers for the placement of sale and purchase orders for the Allocated Portion, the Underlying Adviser’s primary responsibility shall be to seek the “best execution” of orders as described in the Registration Statement, as amended from time to time. Except as otherwise provided for in this Agreement, the Underlying Adviser agrees that, in placing any orders with selected brokers and dealers, the Underlying Adviser will seek to obtain best execution and otherwise act in accordance with its Allocation Procedures and Guidelines. However, this responsibility shall not obligate the Underlying Adviser to solicit competitive bids for each transaction or to seek the lowest available commission cost to the Allocated Portion of the Funds, as long as the Underlying Adviser determines in good faith that the commission cost is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services (as defined in Section 28(e)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) provided by such broker or dealer to the Underlying Adviser, viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or of the Underlying Adviser’s overall responsibilities with respect to its clients, including the Allocated Portion, as to which the Underlying Adviser exercises investment discretion, notwithstanding that the Allocated Portion may not be a direct or exclusive beneficiary of any such services or that another broker may be willing to charge the Allocated Portion a lower commission on the particular transaction. |
B. | Subject to the Underlying Adviser’s Allocation Procedures and Guidelines, (i) the Underlying Adviser may manage other portfolios and accounts (together, the “other portfolios” or “other accounts”) and expects that the Allocated Portion and such other portfolios the Underlying Adviser manages will, from time to time, purchase or sell the same securities. The Underlying Adviser may aggregate orders for the purchase or sale of securities on behalf of the Allocated Portion with orders on behalf of the other portfolios and (ii) securities purchased or proceeds of securities sold through aggregated orders, as well as expenses incurred in the transaction, shall be allocated to the account of the Allocated Portion and each other portfolio that bought or sold such securities in a manner considered by the Underlying Adviser to be equitable and consistent with the Underlying Adviser’s fiduciary obligations in respect of the Allocated Portion and to such other accounts. The Manager acknowledges that while the Allocated Portion and the other accounts may invest in the same securities or type thereof, the Underlying Adviser may give advice or exercise investment responsibility and take such other action with respect to such other accounts which may differ from advice given or the timing or nature of action taken with respect to the Allocated Portion based on, among other factors, the respective investment guidelines and objectives, cash inflows/outflows or applicable tax or regulatory considerations. |
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C. | The Underlying Adviser shall not execute any transactions for the Allocated Portion with a broker or dealer that is an “affiliated person” (as defined in the Investment Company Act) of (i) the Fund; (ii) another series of the Trust; (iii) the Manager; (iv) the Underlying Adviser or any other underlying adviser (including the Lead Adviser) to the Fund; (v) the principal underwriter of the Trust’s shares; or (vi) any other affiliated person of the Fund, in each case, which affiliates are known or have been identified in writing to the Underlying Adviser, unless such transactions are permitted by applicable law or regulation and carried out in compliance with any applicable policies and procedures of the Trust. The Manager or the Lead Adviser, or a designee thereof, shall provide the Underlying Adviser with a (I) list (and any updates thereto) of brokers and dealers that are “affiliated persons” of the Fund, the Trust, each series of the Trust, the Manager, the Lead Adviser, any other underlying adviser and the principal underwriter (collectively, the “Manager Affiliates List”), and (II) the applicable policies and procedures referred to in this paragraph (C). Upon the request of the Manager, the Underlying Adviser shall promptly, and in any event within three business days of a request, indicate whether any entity identified by the Manager in such request is an “affiliated person,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act, of (i) the Underlying Adviser or (ii) to the knowledge of the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser, subject in each case to any confidentiality requirements applicable to the Underlying Adviser and/or its affiliates. Further, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Manager with a list of (x) each broker-dealer entity that is an “affiliated person,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act, of the Underlying Adviser and (y) each affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser that has outstanding publicly-issued debt or equity (collectively, the “Underlying Adviser Affiliates List”). The Manager agrees to promptly update the Manager Affiliates List and the Underlying Adviser agrees promptly to update the Underlying Adviser Affiliates List whenever the Manager or the Underlying Adviser, as applicable, becomes aware of any changes that should be added to or deleted from such list of affiliated persons. In no event shall the Underlying Adviser be bound by any update or modification to, or amendment of, the Manager Affiliates List unless and until the Underlying Adviser receives a written or electronic copy of the update, modification or amendment. |
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D. | Consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Fund in respect of the Allocated Portion and subject to the requirements set forth herein, the Underlying Adviser may, under certain circumstances, arrange to have purchase and sale transactions effected between the Allocated Portion and another account managed by the Underlying Adviser (“cross transactions”), provided that such transactions are carried out in accordance with applicable law or regulation and any applicable policies and procedures of the Trust as provided in writing to the Underlying Adviser. The Trust, or its designee, has provided the Underlying Adviser with such applicable policies and procedures. |
6. Valuation . In accordance with procedures established by the Board as communicated to the Underlying Adviser, which may be amended from time to time, with respect to the Allocated Portion, the Underlying Adviser will (i) provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Fund, (ii) use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Underlying Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Fund for which market prices are not readily available, and (iii) monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Fund for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities. The Underlying Adviser will maintain adequate records with respect to securities valuation information provided hereunder, and shall provide such information or copies thereof to the Lead Adviser or the Manager upon request.
7. Compliance and Other Matters of the Underlying Adviser . The Underlying Adviser, at its expense, shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and applicable federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by the parties to this Agreement from time to time. In addition:
A. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that it is duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, and is qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which failure to be so qualified would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect upon it, and it will continue to be so organized and in good standing for so long as this Agreement remains in effect; |
B. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that it (i) is registered as an “investment adviser” with the SEC under the Advisers Act and will continue to be so registered for so long as this Agreement remains in effect; (ii) is not prohibited by the Investment Company Act or the Advisers Act from performing the services contemplated by this Agreement; (iii) has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act; (iv) has adopted written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Advisers Act pursuant to Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act, and will provide notice promptly to the Manager of any material violations of such policies and procedures relating to the Trust; (v) has materially met and will seek to continue to materially meet for so long as this Agreement remains in effect, any other applicable federal or state requirements, or the applicable requirements of any regulatory or industry self-regulatory agency; |
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C. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that it is registered as a commodity trading advisor with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a member in good standing of the U.S. National Futures Association (the “NFA”) or duly exempt from such registration and it will maintain such registration or exemption continuously during the term of this Agreement or, alternatively, will become a commodity trading advisor duly registered with the CFTC and will be a member in good standing with the NFA; |
D. | The Underlying Adviser will immediately notify the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser of the occurrence of any event which would disqualify the Underlying Adviser from serving as an investment adviser of an investment company pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Company Act or otherwise. The Underlying Adviser will also notify the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if it is served or otherwise receives notice of any action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation, at law or in equity, before or by any court, public board or body, including but not limited to the SEC and the CFTC which might reasonably be expected to impact the business of the Fund; |
E. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that, to the best of its knowledge, (i) there are no material pending, threatened, or contemplated actions, suits, proceedings, or investigations before or by any court, governmental, administrative or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel to which the Underlying Adviser or any of its directors, officers, employees, partners, shareholders, members or principals, or affiliates is a party, or to its or its affiliates’ assets are subject; and (ii) neither the Underlying Adviser nor any of its affiliates has received any notice of an investigation, inquiry, or dispute by any court, governmental, administrative, or self-regulatory body, board of trade, exchange, or arbitration panel regarding any of its or their activities, which might reasonably be expected to result in (1) a material adverse effect on the Trust or (2) a material adverse change in the Underlying Adviser’s condition (financial or otherwise) or business, or which might reasonably be expected to materially impair the Underlying Adviser’s ability to discharge its obligations under this Agreement. The Underlying Adviser will also notify the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser, as soon as is reasonably practicable, if the representation in this subsection E is no longer accurate; |
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F. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that, it will, at all times, use its best judgment and effort in carrying out its obligations hereunder; |
G. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that it will use the same level of care and skill in providing such services as it uses in providing services to other non-ERISA accounts for which it has a fiduciary duty and similar investment management responsibilities; |
H. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that, it will (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance and information to the Manager, the Lead Adviser, the Trust’s administrator, Custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other authorized agents and representatives of the Fund, the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser as each may reasonably require to satisfy its obligations to the Fund with respect to the Allocated Portion; (ii) in connection therewith, seek to provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iii) maintain any appropriate and reasonable interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Underlying Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Underlying Adviser for or on behalf of the Fund with respect to the Allocated Portion, including without limitation, compliance with all applicable recordkeeping and reporting requirements pursuant to Parts 43, 45 and 46 of the regulations of the CFTC and comparable rules of the SEC (collectively, the “Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules”); ; |
I. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that it shall maintain a written code of ethics (“Code of Ethics”) complying with the requirements of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act and shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current copy of the Code of Ethics and evidence of its adoption. The Underlying Adviser shall institute procedures reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons (as defined in Rule 17j-1) from violating its Code of Ethics. Each calendar quarter while this Agreement is in effect, a duly authorized compliance officer of the Underlying Adviser shall certify to the Trust or its designee that the Underlying Adviser has complied with the requirements of Rules 204A-1 and 17j-1 during the previous calendar quarter and that, to the Underlying Advisers knowledge, (i) there has been no material violation of its Code of Ethics, (ii) there has been no material violation of Rule 17j-1(b), and (iii) no person covered under its Code of Ethics has unlawfully divulged or acted upon any material, non-public information, as such term is defined under relevant securities laws, and, if such a violation of its Code of Ethics has occurred, that appropriate action was taken in response to such violation. Except as prohibited by applicable law, the Underlying Adviser shall notify the Manager and Lead Adviser as soon as is reasonably practicable of any material violation of the Code of Ethics involving the Trust. Upon written request of the Manager or the Lead Adviser, the Underlying Adviser shall permit the Manager and/or Lead Adviser, during normal business hours, to examine the reports required to be made by the Adviser under Rules 204A-1(b) and 17j-1(d)(1) and the Code of Ethics and other records evidencing enforcement of the Code of Ethics as may be reasonably required for the Trust, the Manager or the Lead Adviser, as applicable, to fulfill its obligations with respect to the Trust. Further, the Underlying Adviser represents that it has policies and procedures regarding the detection and prevention of the misuse of material, nonpublic information by the Underlying Adviser and its employees. Annually, the Underlying Adviser shall furnish to the Board of the Trust a written report which complies with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 concerning the Underlying Adviser’s Code of Ethics; |
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J. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that it has adopted and implemented, and throughout the term of this Agreement shall maintain in effect and implement, policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violations by the Underlying Adviser and its supervised persons, and, to the extent the activities of the Underlying Adviser in respect of the Trust could affect the Trust, by the Trust, of “federal securities laws” (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the Act) with respect to the services to be provided to the Allocated Portion by the Underlying Adviser pursuant to this Agreement, and that the Underlying Adviser has, as of the effective date of this Agreement, provided the Trust with true and complete copies of its policies and procedures (or summaries thereof) and related information reasonably requested by the Trust and/or the Manager or Lead Adviser. The Underlying Adviser agrees to cooperate with periodic reviews by the Trust’s and/or the Manager’s compliance personnel of the Underlying Adviser’s policies and procedures, their operation and implementation and other compliance matters and to provide to the Trust and/or the Manager from time to time such reasonable additional information and certifications in respect of the Underlying Adviser’s policies and procedures, compliance by the Underlying Adviser with federal securities laws and related matters as the Trust or the Manager may reasonably request or as required by Rule 38a-1 under the Investment Company Act. The Underlying Adviser agrees to promptly notify the Manager of any compliance violations which affect the Allocated Portion; |
K. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that, it shall comply with the Trust’s policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Fund as described in the Trust’s current Registration Statement, and upon request from the Manager or the Lead Adviser, provide a certification to the Manager or the Lead Adviser with respect to compliance with the Fund’s selective disclosure policy; |
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L. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that, it shall treat confidentially and as proprietary all records and other non-public information relating to the Fund, and not use such records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Manager and the Lead Adviser or when so requested by the Manager or the Lead Adviser or required by law or regulation; notwithstanding the foregoing, the Underlying Adviser may disclose the total return earned by the Allocated Portion and may include such total return in the calculation of Underlying Adviser’s composite performance information. Furthermore, Underlying Adviser may not consult with any other underlying adviser of the Fund concerning transactions in securities or other assets for any series of the Trust, including the Fund, except that such consultations are permitted between the current underlying adviser and successor underlying adviser of a fund in order to effect an orderly transition of sub-advisory duties so long as such consultations are not concerning transactions prohibited by Section 17(a) of the Investment Company Act. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Underlying Adviser may (i) disclose any information if (a) it becomes ascertainable from public information, (b) such disclosure is required by applicable federal, state or other law or regulation, or (c) such disclosure is required or requested by regulatory authorities or judicial process; and (ii) with prior notification to, and written approval from, the Manager and Lead Adviser, disclose the name of the Fund or the Trust, or information regarding the characteristics of the Fund or Allocated Portion, trading history, performance information or other related information, to any third party in compliance with the Trust’s portfolio holdings disclosure policy; |
M. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that, it shall promptly notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser of any impending change of a portfolio manager responsible for managing the assets of the Allocated Portion, or of an anticipated change in portfolio management strategy with respect to the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Allocated Portion, or any other material matter that the Underlying Adviser reasonably believes may require disclosure to the Board and/or shareholders of the Fund; |
N. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that, it has or shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current and complete copy of the Underlying Adviser’s Form ADV, and any supplements or amendments thereto and, to the extent applicable, if required by the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936, as amended, or the rules and regulations thereunder promulgated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), the Underlying Adviser shall provide Lead Adviser and the Trust with a copy of its most recent CFTC disclosure document as from time to time required thereby or a written explanation of the reason why it is not required to deliver such a disclosure document; |
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O. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that, it shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with a current list of persons the Underlying Adviser wishes to have authorized to give instructions to the Custodian regarding assets of the Fund; |
P. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that, it shall be responsible for the filing of Schedule 13D/13G and Form 13F, if any, and any non-U.S. securities filing equivalents of these filings, on behalf of the Trust, with respect to the Allocated Portion, reflecting holdings over which the Underlying Adviser and its affiliates have investment and/or voting discretion; |
Q. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that , [it shall provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Lead Adviser, the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held within the Funds managed by the Underlying Adviser; |
R. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that, it shall ensure that neither the Underlying Adviser nor any “affiliated person,” as defined in Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, of the Adviser that, to the Underlying Adviser’s knowledge, is or has been permanently or temporarily enjoined by reason of any misconduct, by order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction or regulatory authority, will continue to act as an investment adviser or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity or in connection with the purchase or sale of any security, as set forth in Section 9 of the Investment Company Act; |
S. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that, upon request, it shall report to the Manager, or its designee, and the Lead Adviser on the investment program for the Fund and furnish the Manager and the Lead Adviser, with respect to the Fund, such periodic and special reports as the Manager or the Lead Adviser may reasonably request in connection with its respective responsibilities and obligations to the Fund, including, but not limited to, reports providing general information concerning transactions and performance of the Allocated Portion and reports regarding: compliance with the Trust’s procedures pursuant to Rules 17e-1, 17a-7, 10f-3 and 12d3-1 under the Investment Company Act and Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act; compliance with Investment Guidelines; trade errors; liquidity determinations; and compliance with the Underlying Adviser’s Code of Ethics, and such other procedures or requirements that the Manager and the Lead Adviser may reasonably request from time to time; |
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T. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that, it shall promptly review the Fund’s Prospectus, and any amendments or supplements thereto, provided to the Underlying Adviser by the Manager or the Lead Adviser which relate to the Underlying Adviser or the Fund and confirm that, with respect to the disclosure respecting or relating to the Underlying Adviser or the Underlying Adviser’s investment management services to the Allocated Portion, including any performance information the Underlying Adviser provides for purpose of inclusion in the Fund’s Prospectus that is included therein or, to the Underlying Adviser’s knowledge serves as the basis for information included in the Prospectus (“Underlying Adviser Disclosure”), such Underlying Adviser Disclosure contains no untrue statement of any material fact and does not omit any statement of material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained in the Underlying Adviser Disclosure not misleading. The Underlying Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser immediately of any material fact known to the Underlying Adviser respecting or relating to the Underlying Adviser and its management of the Allocated Portion that would cause the Underlying Adviser Disclosure to become untrue in any material respect. With respect to the disclosure respecting the Allocated Portion of each Fund, the Underlying Adviser represents and agrees that the description in the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information regarding investment objectives and strategies is consistent with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser intends to manage the Allocated Portion, and the description of risks is consistent with risks known to the Underlying Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser intends to manage the Allocated Portion. The Underlying Adviser further agrees to notify the Manager and the Lead Adviser immediately in the event that the Underlying Adviser becomes aware that the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Allocated Portion of a Fund is inconsistent in any material respect with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser is managing the Allocated Portion, and in the event that the principal risks description with respect to the Allocated Portion is inconsistent in any material respect with the risks known to the Underlying Adviser that arise in connection with the manner in which the Underlying Adviser is managing the Allocated Portion. In addition, the Underlying Adviser agrees to comply with the Manager and the Lead Adviser’s reasonable request for information regarding the personnel of the Underlying Adviser who are primarily responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management of the Allocated Portion as may be required to be disclosed in the Prospectus; |
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U. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that, upon request, it shall provide certifications to the principal executive and financial officers of the Trust (the “certifying officers”) as may be required or reasonable to support the certifications required to be made by the certifying officers in connection with the preparation and/or filing of the Trust’s Form N-CSRs, N-Qs, shareholder reports, financial statements, and other disclosure documents or regulatory filings, in such form and content as the Trust shall reasonably request or in accordance with procedures adopted by the Trust; |
V. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that it shall timely provide to the Manager the Lead Adviser and the Board the information they may reasonably request and as may be necessary or appropriate for the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Board, as applicable, to perform their duties with respect to the Allocated Portion and to comply with applicable law, including, without limitation, (i) information and commentary relating to the Underlying Adviser or the Allocated Portion for the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports (for the avoidance of doubt, such commentary shall only be required in respect of the annual report), in a format reasonably approved by the Manager; |
W. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that Underlying Adviser and the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds (including, without limitation, compliance with the applicable procedures), in a format reasonably requested by the Manager, as it may be amended from time to time; and (iii) an annual certification from the Underlying Adviser’s Chief Compliance Officer, appointed under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act with respect to the design and operation of the Underlying Adviser’s compliance program, in a format reasonably requested by the Manager or the Trust; |
X. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that,, it shall promptly notify the Lead Adviser and the Manager in the event of (i) a permanent departure or long-term unavailability of the principal executive officer or principal financial officer, chief operating officer, chief compliance officer, chief risk officer (or such other persons the responsibilities for which would reasonably be performed by a person holding one of the foregoing titles, howsoever described by Underlying Adviser) or any Key Portfolio Manager(s) responsible for the Allocated Portion of the Funds as identified from time to time, in writing and provided to the Manager and Lead Adviser, by the Underlying Adviser (each, a “Key Portfolio Manager”), (ii) any actual or expected change of a portfolio management strategy, of the Underlying Adviser or a portfolio manager primarily responsible for managing the assets in the Allocated Portion, (iii) any actual or expected change in control of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of the Advisers Act or (iv) any other material matter with respect to the Allocated Portion or the Underlying Advisers duties and responsibilities under this Agreement that may require disclosure to the Board and/or shareholders of the Funds; and |
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Y. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that, it shall provide the Manager and the Lead Adviser with such other compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be reasonably necessary or required by applicable law. |
8. Compliance and Other Matters of the Manager and Lead Adviser . Each of the Manager and Lead Adviser represents and warrants to the Underlying Adviser that it (i) is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act and will continue to be so registered for so long as this Agreement remains in effect; (ii) is not prohibited by the 1940 Act, the Advisers Act or other law, regulation or order from performing the services contemplated by this Agreement; (iii) is either registered as a CPO and a member of the NFA or is relying on an exemption or exclusion from registration as a CPO or has made a permissible delegation of its duties and responsibilities as a CPO to another entity; (iv) has adopted and implemented a written code of ethics complying with requirements of Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act; (v) has the authority to enter into and perform the services contemplated by this Agreement; (vi) has taken all necessary corporate action to authorize the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement; and (vii) has duly executed and delivered this Agreement and this Agreement has been approved in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act.
9. Proxies and Other Shareholder Actions .
A. | Unless otherwise directed in writing by the Manager or the Lead Adviser, the Underlying Adviser shall receive and exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the best interest of the Fund’s shareholders and in accordance with the Underlying Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager and the Lead Adviser. The Underlying Adviser shall report to the Manager and the Lead Adviser in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that permits the Fund to comply with its filing obligations under all federal rules and regulations, including Rule 30b1-4 under the 1940 Act. Upon request of the Manager or Lead Adviser, the Underlying Adviser shall certify annually or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager and the Lead Adviser as to its compliance with its proxy voting policies and procedures and applicable federal statutes and regulations in the voting of proxies with respect to the Allocated Portion. Upon prior notice to the Underlying Adviser, the Manager and the Lead Adviser reserve the right to exercise voting rights on any assets held in the Funds on an individual security or ongoing basis. |
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B. | The Underlying Adviser is authorized to deal with reorganizations, exchange offers and other voluntary corporate actions with respect to securities held in the Allocated Portion in such manner as the Underlying Adviser deems advisable, unless the Trust or the Manager otherwise specifically directs in writing. It is acknowledged and agreed that the Underlying Adviser shall not be responsible for the filing of claims (or otherwise causing the Trust to participate) in class action settlements or similar proceedings in which shareholders may participate related to securities currently or previously associated with the Allocated Portion, however it shall provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust or its agent in processing class action paperwork, for any security held or previously held within the Funds managed by the Underlying Adviser. With the Manager’s approval, on a case-by-case basis the Underlying Adviser may obtain the authority and take on the responsibility to: (i) identify, evaluate and pursue legal claims, including commencing or defending suits, affecting the securities held at any time in the Allocated Portion of the Funds, including claims in bankruptcy, class action securities litigation and other litigation; (ii) participate in such litigation or related proceedings with respect to such securities as the Underlying Adviser deems appropriate to preserve or enhance the value of the Allocated Portion of the Funds, including filing proofs of claim and related documents and serving as “lead plaintiff” in class action lawsuits; (iii) exercise generally any of the powers of an owner with respect to the supervision and management of such rights or claims, including the settlement, compromise or submission to arbitration of any claims, the exercise of which the Underlying Adviser deems to be in the best interest of the Allocated Portion of the Funds or required by applicable law, including ERISA, and (iv) employ suitable agents, including legal counsel, and to pay their reasonable fees, expenses and related costs from the Allocated Portion of the Funds. |
10. Compensation of the Underlying Adviser . For the services to be rendered by the Underlying Adviser as provided in Sections 1, 2, and 3 of this Agreement, the Lead Adviser shall pay to the Underlying Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule B attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be accrued daily and paid to the Underlying Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Lead Adviser shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule B to the average daily net assets of the Allocated Portion during the relevant month. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule B, there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule B. The Lead Adviser is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Underlying Adviser from the fees the Lead Adviser receives from the Manager.
The Underlying Adviser shall bear all expenses incurred by it and its staff with respect to all activities in connection with the performance of the Underlying Adviser’s services under this Agreement, including but not limited to personnel, salaries, benefits, overhead, travel, preparation of reports, office space, furnishings and equipment. Upon request by the Manager, the Underlying Adviser agrees to reimburse the Manager for reasonable costs associated with any supplement to the Fund’s Prospectus that may be required with respect to the Underlying Adviser requiring prompt disclosure in the Trust’s prospectus or to correct or update any information about the Underlying Adviser or its investment management of the Allocated Portion that was provided by the Underlying Adviser for the purpose of inclusion in the Prospectus. The Underlying Adviser also agrees to bear all reasonable expenses of the Trust or the Fund, if any, arising out of an assignment by, or change in control of, the Underlying Adviser. The Underlying Adviser shall reimburse the Manager or the Trust, as applicable, for all of the costs associated with generating such Supplements, and/or any required Board meeting and/or proxy expenses related to approving a change in control of the Underlying Adviser. Reimbursable costs may include, but are not limited to, costs of preparation, filing, printing, postage, and/or distribution of such Supplements to all existing Fund shareholders.
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11. Other Services . At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Underlying Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Underlying Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Underlying Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
12. | Information and Reports . |
A. | The Underlying Adviser shall keep the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser informed of developments relating to its duties as Underlying Adviser of which the Underlying Adviser has, or should have, knowledge that would materially affect the Funds. In this regard, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser and their respective officers with such periodic reports concerning the obligations the Underlying Adviser has assumed under this Agreement as the Trust, the Manager and the Lead Adviser may from time to time reasonably request. In addition, prior to each meeting of the Board, the Underlying Adviser shall provide the Manager, the Lead Adviser and the Board with reports regarding the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds during the most recently completed quarter, which reports: (i) shall include the Underlying Adviser’s representation that its performance of its investment management duties hereunder and with regard to the Allocated Portion is in compliance with the Funds’ investment objectives and practices, the Investment Company Act and applicable rules and regulations under the Investment Company Act, and applicable Investment Guidelines provided to the Underlying Adviser by the Lead Adviser, and the diversification and minimum “good income” requirements of Subchapter M under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and (ii) otherwise shall be in such form as may be mutually agreed upon by the Underlying Adviser and the Manager and Lead Adviser. |
B. | The Manager and the Lead Adviser shall provide to the Underlying Adviser, and the Underlying Adviser shall provide to the Manager and the Lead Adviser, a list of, to the best of each party’s respective knowledge, each of its affiliated persons (and any affiliated person of such an affiliated person), and each party agrees promptly to update and deliver to the Underlying Adviser, or the Manager and Lead Adviser, as applicable, such update or updated list whenever the Manager, Lead Adviser or the Underlying Adviser becomes aware of any changes that should be added to or deleted from the list of affiliated persons. |
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C. | The Underlying Adviser shall also provide the Trust, the Manager and Lead Adviser with any information reasonably requested by the Manager or Lead Adviser regarding its management of the Allocated Portion of the Funds required for any shareholder report, amended Registration Statement, or prospectus supplement to be filed by the Trust with the SEC, and such other information with regard to its affairs as the others may reasonably request. |
D. | The Manager shall make available to the Underlying Adviser copies of the Prospectus, and shareholder reports, and also provide the Certificate of Trust, Agreement and Declaration of Trust, Bylaws, Compliance Policies and Procedures of the Trust, and any amendments thereto. The Underlying Adviser will be provided the opportunity to review and provide comments on any description of the Underlying Adviser set forth in the Fund’s Prospectus and shareholder reports which will be clearly marked to indicate that they are documents of the Trust and/or the Fund rather than of the Underlying Adviser. The Underlying Adviser shall not be responsible or liable for loss caused by or relating to any description of the Underlying Adviser that the Underlying Adviser has not provided or has not had a chance to review or that does not incorporate material changes made by the Underlying Adviser. If the Underlying Adviser ceases to furnish services to the Trust, the Lead Adviser or the Manager, on behalf of the Trust and at the expense of the Trust, shall, as promptly as practicable, take all necessary action to cause the Fund’s Prospectus and shareholder reports to be amended to accomplish a change of name to eliminate any reference to the Underlying Adviser, and within 60 days after such date, shall cease to use in any other manner, including use in any sales literature or promotional material, the Underlying Adviser’s name (except as necessary or reasonably desirable to identify historical service providers). The Underlying Adviser also shall not be responsible or liable for any loss caused by or relating to disclosure relating to any cash management vehicles and/or interfund credit facility described in Section 4(B) of this Agreement with respect to which the Underlying Adviser has not provided any services or information. |
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13. Status of Underlying Adviser . The subadvisory services of the Underlying Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and although the Underlying Adviser acknowledges its fiduciary duty to the Fund, and the Underlying Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall be free to render similar or dissimilar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Underlying Adviser 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 Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust or any Fund in any way, and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as making the Trust, the Fund, the Manager or the Lead Adviser a partner or co-venturer with the Underlying Adviser or any of the Underlying Adviser’s affiliates. It is acknowledged and agreed that the Lead Adviser may appoint from time to time other underlying advisers in addition to the Underlying Adviser to manage the assets of the Fund that do not constitute the Allocated Portion and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed or interpreted to grant the Underlying Adviser an exclusive arrangement to act as the sole underlying adviser to the Fund, although it shall be the sole underlying adviser to the Allocated Portion. It is further acknowledged and agreed that the Manager and Lead Adviser make no commitment to designate any portion of the Fund’s assets to the Underlying Adviser as the Allocated Portion.
14. Certain Records . The Underlying Adviser shall maintain all records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules , including without limitation those set forth in Schedule A to this Agreement, and any of such records that are prepared or maintained by the Underlying Adviser in connection with its services hereunder and relate to its duties herein or management of the Allocated Portion or otherwise maintained on behalf of the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Allocated Portion are the property of the Manager, the Lead Adviser or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager, the Lead Underlying Adviser or Trust on request, provided that the Underlying Adviser shall be entitled to retain a copy of such records.
15. | Liability and Indemnification by Parties |
A. | The Underlying Adviser, and its officers, members, partners and employees, shall have no liability to the Manager, the Lead Adviser, the Fund, Fund shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement, except that the Underlying Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Fund, the Manager, the Lead Adviser, any affiliated person of the Manager or the Lead Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, or any controlling person within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act of the Fund, the Manager or the Lead Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Fund, the Manager, the Lead Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person may become subject under the securities laws, any other federal or state law, at common law or otherwise, arising out of (i) the Underlying Adviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Underlying Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Underlying Adviser or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Underlying Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Prospectus and/or proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Allocated Portion or the Underlying Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact that was known, or should have been known, to the Underlying Adviser which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished to the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Fund by the Underlying Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Underlying Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
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B. | The Lead Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, or any controlling person within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act of the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), incurred by the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person arising out of (i) the Lead Adviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Lead Adviser’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Lead Adviser or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, and/or proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Fund or the Lead Adviser or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished by the Lead Adviser or any director, officer, agent or employee of Lead Adviser for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
C. | The Manager agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underlying Adviser, any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act, or any controlling person, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, of the Underlying Adviser, against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), incurred by the Underlying Adviser or such affiliated person or controlling person arising out of (i) the Manager’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the Manager’s obligations and/or duties under this Agreement by the Manager or by any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or any affiliate acting on behalf of the Manager or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, and/or proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature, or other materials pertaining to the Fund or the Manager or the omission to state therein a material fact which was required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished by Manager or any director, officer, agent or employee of the Manager for use therein. The indemnification in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
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D. | A party seeking indemnification hereunder (the “Indemnified Party”) will (i) provide prompt notice to the other of any claim for indemnification (“Claim”) for which it intends to seek indemnification, (ii) grant control of the defense and/or settlement of the Claim to the other party, and (iii) cooperate with the other party in the defense thereof. The Indemnified Party will have the right at its own expense to participate in the defense of any Claim, but will not have the right to control the defense, consent to judgment or agree to the settlement of any Claim without the written consent of the other party. The party providing the indemnification will not consent to the entry of any judgment or enter any settlement which (i) does not include, as an unconditional term, the release by the claimant of all liabilities for Claims against the Indemnified Party or (ii) which otherwise adversely affects the rights of the Indemnified Party. |
E. | No party will be liable to another party for consequential damages under any provision of this Agreement. |
16. Permissible Interests . To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Underlying Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Underlying Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the Underlying Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed in the Trust’s registration statement as required by law.
17. Duration and Termination . This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its execution as to the Fund and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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 (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund; provided, however, that if the shareholders of the Fund fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Underlying Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be “specifically approved at least annually” shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, (a) by the Manager or the Lead Adviser upon not less than thirty days (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days prior written notice to the other parties hereto, (b) by vote of a majority of the Board of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund on not less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days written notice to the Underlying Adviser or (c) by the Underlying Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on sixty (60) days written notice to the Manager and the Lead Adviser. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. For the avoidance of doubt, the Lead Adviser may from time to time, and at any time, decrease the Allocated Portion.
A notice period provided in this Section may be waived by the party(ies) required to be notified, in their absolute discretion.
As used in this Section 17, the terms “assignment”, “interested persons”, and a “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Investment Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
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This Agreement may also be terminated without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager , Lead Adviser or the Trust immediately by written notice to the Underlying Adviser upon: (i) a material breach by the Underlying Adviser of this Agreement which is not promptly cured (to the extent that such breach is curable); (ii) the portfolio manager primarily responsible for the management of the Allocated Portion who has been identified by the parties hereto as the “Key Portfolio Manager” ceasing to be employed by the Underlying Adviser or continuing to oversee the Underlying Adviser’s management of the Funds’ assets unless a replacement for the Key Portfolio Manager has been mutually agreed upon by the parties hereto; or (iii) the Underlying Adviser or any officer, director or Key Portfolio Manager of the Underlying Adviser being accused in any regulatory, self-regulatory or judicial proceeding as having violated the federal securities laws or engaged in criminal conduct. This Agreement may also be terminated, without the payment of any penalty, by the Underlying Adviser immediately by written notice to the Lead Adviser or the Manager upon: (i) a material breach by the Manager or the Lead Adviser of this Agreement which is not promptly cured (to the extent that such breach is curable); (ii) the Manager or the Lead Adviser or any officer or director of the Manager or the Lead Adviser having been found ineligible to serve in their respective capacity under Section 9 of the Investment Company Act; or (iii) the Manager or the Lead Adviser being accused in any regulatory, self-regulatory or judicial proceeding as having materially violated the federal securities laws or engaged in criminal conduct with respect to the federal securities laws.
18. Severability . If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, statute, rule or otherwise, such provision will be modified, rewritten or interpreted to include as much of its nature and scope as will render it enforceable. If it cannot be so modified, rewritten or interpreted to be valid and enforceable in any respect, it will not be given effect, and the remainder of the Agreement will be enforced as if such provision had never been included.
19. Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by mutual written consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Fund’s shareholders to the extent required by the Investment Company Act, subject to such exemptions or exemptive order as may be granted by the SEC under said Act.
20. Most Favored Nation .
A. | The Underlying Adviser represents and warrants that, as of the date of this Agreement, neither the Underlying Adviser nor any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser provides or is obligated to provide any investment management, investment advisory, or investment sub-advisory services for any fund registered under the Investment Company Act, managed account or other client of any type whatsoever with a daily liquidity mandate and an investment strategy similar to the Funds with a fee schedule in basis points less than that set forth in Schedule B to this Agreement. |
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B. | At any time after the date of this Agreement, should the Underlying Adviser or any affiliated person of the Underlying Adviser provide or obligate itself to provide any investment management, investment advisory, or investment sub-advisory services for any fund registered under the Investment Company Act, managed account or other client of any type whatsoever with a daily liquidity mandate (where the assets under management by the Underlying Adviser or its affiliate are the same or smaller size than the Allocated Portion) and with an investment strategy similar to the Funds with a fee schedule in basis points less than that set forth in Schedule B to this Agreement, (i) the Underlying Adviser shall promptly notify the Lead Adviser in writing thereof and (ii) the fee schedule set forth in Schedule B to this Agreement shall, effective as of the date of such provision or obligation, be automatically decreased to equal such other fee schedule unless the Lead Adviser otherwise notifies the Underlying Adviser in writing that the Lead Adviser elects not to so decrease the fee schedule set forth in Schedule B to this Agreement. |
21. | Due Diligence |
A. | In connection with the Board’s subadvisory agreement review process pursuant to Section 15(c) of the Investment Company Act, the Underlying Adviser will use its reasonable best efforts to respond to annual due diligence questionnaires provided to the Underlying Adviser by or on behalf of the Lead Adviser, the Manager or the Trustees of the Funds within two (2) weeks to four (4) weeks from the Underlying Adviser’s receipt of any such questionnaire. |
B. | The Underlying Adviser agrees to make available to the Lead Adviser, from time to time at its reasonable request, at times mutually agreed upon, certain senior members of the Underlying Adviser’s investment and back-office teams for purposes of discussing the Underlying Adviser’s business and operations and the performance of the Allocated Portion. |
C. | The Underlying Adviser agrees to allow the Trust’s chief compliance officer and/or the Lead Adviser and its representatives, from time to time at its reasonable request and during normal business hours, to inspect records pertaining to the Underlying Adviser’s internal control and compliance procedures. |
22. Each of the Manager and the Lead Adviser shall treat confidentially and as proprietary all records and other non-public information relating to the Underlying Adviser, and not use such records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except (i) after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Underlying Adviser, (ii) when so requested by the Underlying Adviser, (iii) as required by law or regulation, or (iv) as required or requested by regulatory authorities or judicial process.
23
23. | Miscellaneous . |
A. | Third-Party Beneficiary . The Trust is an intended third-party beneficiary under this Agreement and is entitled to enforce this Agreement as if it were a party thereto. |
B. | Governing Law and Venue . This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas without giving effect to any conflict of laws provisions thereof. |
C. | Use of Name . The Underlying Adviser authorizes the Manager and the Lead Adviser’s use of the Underlying Adviser’s service marks and/or trademarks in connection with the marketing of the Fund, including but not limited to, the Fund’s Prospectus and fact sheets. In addition, the Manager and the Lead Adviser each acknowledges and agrees that it has no rights in or to the Underlying Adviser’s name beyond the limited use rights granted herein. |
D. | Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts (including executed counterparts delivered and exchanged by facsimile transmission), each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement. For all purposes, signatures delivered and exchanged by facsimile transmission shall be binding and effective to the same extent as original signatures. |
E. | No Implied Waiver . Any party’s failure to insist in any one or more instances upon strict performance by the other party of the terms of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any continuing or subsequent failure to perform or delay in performance of any term hereof. |
F. | Entire Agreement . This Agreement, together with the Schedules attached thereto, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the parties and supersedes any and all prior or contemporaneous understandings and agreements, whether oral or written, between the parties, with respect to the subject matter hereof. |
G. | Headings . Headings used in this Agreement are provided for convenience only and shall not be used to construe meaning or intent. |
H. | Notices . Any notices required to be given hereunder may be delivered by hand, facsimile, deposited with a nationally recognized overnight carrier, or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, in each case, to the address of the other party listed below (or such other address as may be furnished by a party in accordance with this paragraph). All such notices or communications shall be deemed to have been given and received (a) in the case of personal delivery, email or facsimile, on the date of such delivery, (b) in the case of delivery by a nationally recognized overnight carrier, the earlier of (i) the date of receipt or (ii) the third business day following dispatch and (c) in the case of mailing, on the seventh business day following such mailing. All such notices shall be delivered to: |
24
If to the Manager:
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
220 East Las Colinas Blvd., Suite 1200
Irving, TX 75039
Attention: Chief Investment Officer
Facsimile: 817-391-6131
with a copy to General Counsel at the same address.
If to the Lead Adviser:
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P.
900 North Michigan Ave., Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60611
Attention: General Counsel with a copy to Client Services at the same address.
Email: legal@gcmlp.com ; client.services@gcmlp.com
If to the Underlying Adviser:
Tremblant Capital LP
767 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10153
Attention: Jim Eckert, President with a copy to General Counsel at the same address.
Email: jeckert@tremblantcapital.com; legal@tremblantcapital.com
24. Trust and Shareholder Liability . The Underlying Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Fund, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Fund. The Underlying Adviser further agrees that it shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Fund, nor from the Board or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
25
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
Tremblant Capital LP | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
By: | By: | |||
Name: | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |||
Title: | Chief Operating Officer | |||
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. | ||||
By: | ||||
Name: | ||||
Title: |
26
SCHEDULE A
RECORDS TO BE MAINTAINED BY THE UNDERLYING ADVISER
1. (Rule 31a-1(b)(5) and (6)) A record of each brokerage order, and all other series purchases and sales, given by the Underlying Adviser on behalf of the Trust for, or in connection with, the purchase or sale of securities, whether executed or unexecuted. Such records shall include:
A. | The name of the broker; |
B. | The terms and conditions of the order and of any modifications or cancellations thereof; |
C. | The time of entry or cancellation; |
D. | The price at which executed; |
E. | The time of receipt of a report of execution; and |
F. | The name of the person who placed the order on behalf of the Trust. |
2. (Rule 31a-1(b)(9)) A record for each fiscal quarter, completed within thirty (30) days after the end of the quarter, showing specifically the basis upon which the allocation of orders for the purchase and sale of series securities to named brokers or dealers was effected, and the division of brokerage commissions or other compensation on such purchase and sale orders. Such record:
A. | Shall include the consideration given to: |
(i) | The sale of shares of the Trust by brokers or dealers. |
(ii) | The supplying of services or benefits by brokers or dealers to: |
(a) | The Trust, |
(b) | The Manager, |
(c) | The Underlying Adviser, and |
(d) | Any person affiliated with the foregoing. |
(iii) | Any other consideration other than the technical qualifications of the brokers and dealers as such. |
B. | Shall show the nature of the services or benefits made available. |
C. | Shall describe in detail the application of any general or specific formula or other determinant used in arriving at such allocation of purchase and sale orders and such division of brokerage commissions or other compensation. |
D. Shall show the name of the person responsible for making the determination of such allocation and such division of brokerage commissions or other compensation.
3. (Rule 31a-1(b)(10)) Any memorandum, recommendation or instruction supporting or authorizing the person or persons, committees or groups authorized by the Underlying Adviser to purchase or sell portfolio securities on behalf of the Trust. Where a committee or group makes an authorization, a record shall be kept of the names of its members who participate in the authorization.
27
4. (Rule 31a-1(f)) Such accounts, books and other documents as are required to be maintained by registered investment advisers by rule adopted under Section 204 of the Advisers Act to the extent such records are necessary or appropriate to record the Underlying Adviser’s transactions for the Trust.
5. Such other records as are necessary under Board- approved policies and procedures of the Trust applying to tasks carried out by the Underlying Adviser, including without limitation those related to valuation determinations.
28
Schedule B
Compensation
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. (the “Lead Adviser”) shall pay out of the fees it receives from the Manager to the Underlying Adviser pursuant to Section 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement among American Beacon Advisors, Inc., the Lead Adviser, and the Underlying Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the Fund the following fee for all Fund assets under Underlying Adviser’s management.
I. | Funds |
American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund
II. | Fee Rate |
[ ]%
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fee shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated as of ________________, 2015
Tremblant Capital LP | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
By: | By: | |||
Name: | Jeffrey K. Ringdahl | |||
Title: | Chief Operating Officer | |||
Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. | ||||
By: | ||||
Name: | ||||
Title: |
29
Exhibit (h)(16)(R)
May 21, 2015
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”)
4151 Amon Carter Blvd, MD 2450
Fort Worth, TX 76155
Re: Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement
Ladies and Gentlemen:
American Beacon Advisors, Inc. notifies you that, for the fund listed in Attachment A to this letter (the “Fund”), it will waive its management fee and/or reimburse expenses of the Fund, to the extent necessary so that expenses of the Fund, exclusive of taxes, interest, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses, securities lending fees, expenses associated with securities sold short, litigation, and other extraordinary expenses, do not exceed the annual rates listed on Attachment A .
During the period until the expiration date of each expense limitation in Attachment A , the related expense limitation arrangements for the Fund may only be modified by mutual agreement of the parties that, with respect to the Trust, includes a majority vote of the “non-interested” Trustees of the Trust.
We understand and intend that you will rely on this undertaking in preparing and filing the Registration Statements on Form N-1A for the Fund with the Securities and Exchange Commission, in accruing the Fund’s expenses for purposes of calculating its net asset value per share and for other purposes permitted under Form N-1A and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and expressly permit you to do so.
Respectfully, | |
American Beacon Advisors, Inc. |
By: | /s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Name: | Gene L. Needles, Jr. | |
Title: | President and CEO |
Agreed and Accepted on behalf of the Trust |
By: | /s/ Melinda G. Heika | |
Name: | Melinda G. Heika | |
Title: | Treasurer |
A copy of the document establishing the Trust is filed with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This Agreement is executed by the officer not as an individual and is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers or shareholders of the Trust individually but only upon the assets of the Fund.
Attachment A
American Beacon Funds
Annual | |||||||
Expense % | |||||||
Fund | Class | Limit | Expiration | ||||
Grosvenor Long/Short Fund | Instl | 2.10 | % | 5/31/2017 | |||
Grosvenor Long/Short Fund | Y | 2.20 | % | 5/31/2017 | |||
Grosvenor Long/Short Fund | Investor | 2.48 | % | 5/31/2017 | |||
Grosvenor Long/Short Fund | A | 2.50 | % | 5/31/2017 | |||
Grosvenor Long/Short Fund | C | 3.25 | % | 5/31/2017 |
220 E. Las Colinas Blvd., Ste. 1200, Irving, Texas 75039 · 817.391.6100 | americanbeaconadvisors.com |
Exhibit (i)
|
K&L Gates LLP |
1601 K Street, N.W. | |
Washington, DC 20006 | |
T +1 202 778 9000 F +1 202 778 9100 klgates.com |
September 30, 2015
American Beacon Funds
220 East Las Colinas Boulevard, Suite 1200
Irving, Texas 75039
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to American Beacon Funds, a business trust formed under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (the “ Trust ”), in connection with Post-Effective Amendment No. 231 (the “ Post-Effective Amendment ”) to the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 033-11387; 811-04984) (the “ Registration Statement ”), to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “ Commission ”) on or about September 30, 2015, registering an indefinite number of A Class, C Class, Y Class, Institutional Class, and Investor Class shares of beneficial interest in the American Beacon Grosvenor Long/Short Fund (the “ Fund ”), a series of the Trust, (the “ Shares ”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Securities Act ”).
This opinion letter is being delivered at your request in accordance with the requirements of paragraph 29 of Schedule A of the Securities Act and Item 28(i) of Form N-1A under the Securities Act and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “ Investment Company Act ”).
For purposes of this opinion letter, we have examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of:
(i) | the relevant portions of the prospectus and statement of additional information (collectively, the “ Prospectus ”) filed as part of the Post-Effective Amendment; |
(ii) | the declaration of trust and bylaws of the Trust in effect on the date of this opinion letter; and |
(iii) | the resolutions adopted by the trustees of the Trust relating to the Post-Effective Amendment, the establishment and designation of the Fund and the Shares of each class, and the authorization for issuance and sale of the Shares. |
We also have examined and relied upon certificates of public officials and, as to certain matters of fact that are material to our opinions, we have relied on a certificate of an officer of the Trust. We have not independently established any of the facts on which we have so relied.
For purposes of this opinion letter, we have assumed the accuracy and completeness of each document submitted to us, the genuineness of all signatures on original documents, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as facsimile, electronic, certified, conformed, or photostatic copies thereof, and the due execution and delivery of all documents where due execution and delivery are prerequisites to the effectiveness thereof. We have further assumed the legal capacity of natural persons, that persons identified to us as officers of the Trust are actually serving in such capacity, and that the representations of officers of the Trust are correct as to matters of fact. We have not independently verified any of these assumptions.
|
Page 2 |
September 30, 2015 | |
The opinions expressed in this opinion letter are based on the facts in existence and the laws in effect on the date hereof and are limited to the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the provisions of the Investment Company Act that are applicable to equity securities issued by registered open-end investment companies. We are not opining on, and we assume no responsibility for, the applicability to or effect on any of the matters covered herein of any other laws.
Based upon and subject to the foregoing, it is our opinion that (1) the Shares to be issued pursuant to the Post-Effective Amendment, when issued and paid for by the purchasers upon the terms described in the Post-Effective Amendment and the Prospectus, will be validly issued, and (2) such purchasers will have no obligation to make any further payments for the purchase of the Shares or contributions to the Trust solely by reason of their ownership of the Shares.
This opinion is rendered solely in connection with the filing of the Post-Effective Amendment. We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission in connection with the Post-Effective Amendment and to the reference to this firm’s name under the heading “Other Service Providers” in the Prospectus. In giving this consent, we do not thereby admit that we are experts with respect to any part of the Registration Statement or Prospectus within the meaning of the term “expert” as used in Section 11 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder by the Commission, nor do we admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
Very truly yours, | |
/s/ K&L Gates LLP |
Exhibit (p)(36)
GROSVENOR ® CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, L.P.
Personal Investment and Trading Policy
Statement on Insider Trading
and
Code of Ethics Pursuant to Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and
Rule 17
j
-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940
JUNE 27, 2014
Grosvenor® and Grosvenor Capital Management® are proprietary trademarks of Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. (“ GCMLP ”) and its affiliated entities. This document has been prepared by GCMLP. ©2014 Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. All rights reserved. This document is confidential and proprietary. A recipient of this document who is not employed by or otherwise associated with GCMLP may not distribute this document, in whole or in part, to any other person who is not employed by or otherwise associated with GCMLP, without GCMLP’s prior written authorization.
GROSVENOR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, L.P.
Personal Investment and Trading Policy
Statement on Insider Trading
and
Code of Ethics Pursuant to Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and Rule 17 j -1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940
TABLE OF CONTENTS
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS, cont.
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS, cont.
B. | Permitted Transaction That Do Not Require Pre-Clearance from GCMLP | 38 | ||
1. | Unrestricted Securities and Commodity Interests | 38 | ||
2. | Opening, Adding Assets to an Withdrawing Assets from “Traditional” Investment Management/Advisory Accounts Managed or Advised by Investment Managers or Investment Advisers that are not Utilized or Contemplated to be Utilized by GCMLP or GCM CFIG | 38 | ||
3. | Transactions Effected in Professional Discretionary Accounts | 39 | ||
4. | Transactions Effected in Multi-Party Accounts | 40 | ||
5. | Acquisition of Securities or Commodity Interests by Way of Gift | 41 | ||
6. | Disposition of Securities and Commodity Interests by Way of Gift | 41 | ||
C. | Permitted Transactions that Require Pre-Clearance from GCMLP | 42 | ||
1. | Opening, Adding Assets to an Withdrawing Assets from “Traditional” Investment Management/Advisory Accounts Managed or Advised by Investment Managers or Investment Advisers that are Utilized or Contemplated to be Utilized by GCMLP or GCM CFIG | 42 | ||
2. | Opening Adding Assets to and Withdrawing Assets from “Alternative: Investment Management/Advisory Accounts | 42 | ||
3. | Securities Purchased or Otherwise Acquired in Private Offerings or Initial Public Offerings by Multi-Party Accounts (Where the Multi-Party Account Exemptive Conditions Are Satisfied) or Professional Discretionary Accounts | 43 | ||
4. | Certain Securities Acquired in Private Offerings | 44 | ||
5. | Sales or Other Dispositions of Securities and Commodity Interests | 44 | ||
VIII. | Procedures for Obtaining Pre-Clearance | 44 | ||
A. | Submission of Appropriate Documentation | 44 |
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS, cont.
B. | Referral of Certain Transactions to Trading Policy Compliance Committee | 45 | ||
C. | Criteria For Authorizing or Disapproving Transactions; Duration of Pre-Clearance Approval | 46 | ||
D. | Appeals of Disapprovals | 47 | ||
E. | Confidentiality of Disapprovals | 47 | ||
IX. | Reporting Requirements | 47 | ||
A. | R eports About Securities/Commodity Interests Holdings, Transactions and Accounts | 47 | ||
1. | Initial Holdings and Accounts Report | 48 | ||
2. | Quarterly Transaction and Account Reports | 49 | ||
3. | Annual Holdings and Accounts Reports | 51 | ||
B. | Exceptions to Reporting Requirements | 51 | ||
1. | Transactions and Holdings in Professional Discretionary Accounts | 51 | ||
2. | Multi-Party Accounts | 52 | ||
3. | Transactions in and Accounts Holding Non-Reportable Securities | 53 | ||
4. | Other Exemptions | 53 | ||
C. | Review of Reports and Other Documents | 53 | ||
X. | PROHIBITION AGAINST “INSIDER TRADING” | 54 | ||
A. | Background | 54 | ||
B. | Statement on Insider Trading | 54 | ||
1. | What Is “Material” Information? | 55 | ||
2. | What Is “Nonpublic” Information? | 56 |
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS, cont.
3. | How Does GCMLP Come Into Possession of Material, Nonpublic Information? | 56 | ||
C. | Procedures To Implement Statement | 57 | ||
1. | Restrictions on Disclosure of Nonpublic Information | 57 | ||
2. | Notifying the CCO of Certain Other Matters | 62 | ||
3. | Trading While in Possession of MNPI | 63 | ||
4. | Protection of Nonpublic Information | 64 | ||
5. | Secondary Market Transactions | 64 | ||
XI. | CERTIFICATIONS OF COVERED PERSONS | 65 | ||
XII. | REPORTS TO GCMLP MANAGEMENT AND DIRECT/TRUSTEES OF REGISTERED INVESTMENT COMPANIES | 65 | ||
A. | Reports of Significant Remedial Action | 65 | ||
B. | Annual Reports | 65 | ||
XIII. | CREATION AND RETENTION OF RECORDS | 66 | ||
XIV. | AUTOMATION OF SYSTEMS | 66 | ||
XV. | WAIVERS AND INTERPRETATIONS | 66 |
v
GROSVENOR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, L.P.
Personal Investment and Trading Policy
Statement on Insider Trading
and
Code of Ethics Pursuant to Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and Rule 17 j -1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940
I. | DEFINITIONS |
Term | Meaning | |
ACO | Any Covered Person appointed by the CCO, in consultation with the Vice Chairman, as an Assistant Compliance Officer of GCMLP. The names of and contact information for GCMLP’s current Assistant Compliance Officers can be found under the subject heading “Compliance Personnel” in the “GCMLP Compliance Policies” sub-folder in the Outlook “Legal” Public Folder (or at such other location as the CCO may from time to time determine). | |
Advisers Act | The U.S. Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. | |
Beneficial Interest
cont. on next page |
You will be considered to have a “ Beneficial Interest ” in an account that holds Securities (and/or Commodity Interests) or in a particular Security (or Commodity Interest) if you, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, have the opportunity, directly or indirectly, to profit or share in any profit derived from such account or from a transaction in such particular Security (or Commodity Interest). |
1 |
Term | Meaning | |
Beneficial Interest , cont.
cont. on next page |
The term “Beneficial Interest” is construed very broadly .
The following examples illustrate this principle:
● even if you do not directly participate in a particular account, you will be presumed to have a Beneficial Interest in such account if any member of your Immediate Family who shares the same household with you has a Beneficial Interest in such account (unless the CCO expressly concludes, based on such documentation and/or other evidence as the CCO determines to be pertinent, that you do not have a Beneficial Interest in such account);
● similarly, even if you do not directly share in any economic benefit relating to particular Securities (and/or Commodity Interests), you will be presumed to have a Beneficial Interest in such Securities (and/or Commodity Interests) if any member of your Immediate Family who shares the same household with you has a Beneficial Interest in such Securities (and/or Commodity Interests), unless the CCO expressly concludes, based on such documentation and/or other evidence as the CCO determines to be pertinent, that you do not have a Beneficial Interest in such Securities (or Commodity Interests);
● if you are a general partner of a general or limited partnership, you will be considered to have a “Beneficial Interest” in all Securities (and/or Commodity Interests) held by such partnership;
● if any member of your Immediate Family who shares the same household with you is a general partner of a general or limited partnership, you will be presumed to have a “Beneficial Interest” in all Securities (and/or Commodity Interests) held by such partnership, even though you are not a general partner of such partnership (unless the CCO expressly concludes, based on such documentation and/or other evidence as the CCO determines to be pertinent, that you do not have a Beneficial Interest in such partnership); |
2 |
Term | Meaning | |
Beneficial Interest , cont.
cont. on next page |
● if you are a shareholder of a corporation or similar entity, you will be considered to have a “Beneficial Interest” in all Securities (and/or Commodity Interests) held by such corporation or entity if you are a controlling shareholder of such corporation or entity or if you have or share investment control over such corporation’s or entity’s investment portfolio;
● if any member of your Immediate Family who shares the same household with you is a shareholder of a corporation or similar entity and such member of your Immediate Family is a controlling shareholder of such corporation or entity or has or shares investment control over such corporation’s or entity’s investment portfolio, you will be presumed to have a “Beneficial Interest” in all Securities (and/or Commodity Interests) held by such corporation or entity (unless the CCO expressly concludes, based on such documentation and/or other evidence as the CCO determines to be pertinent, that you do not have a Beneficial Interest in such corporation or other entity);
● if you have the right to acquire equity Securities through the exercise or conversion of a Derivative Instrument, you will be deemed to have a Beneficial Interest in such Securities, whether or not such right is presently exercisable;
● if any member of your Immediate Family with whom you share the same household has the right to acquire equity Securities through the exercise or conversion of a Derivative Instrument, you will be presumed to have a Beneficial Interest in such Securities, whether or not such right is presently exercisable, even though, as legal matter, you do not have such right (unless the CCO expressly concludes, based on such documentation and/or other evidence as the CCO determines to be pertinent, that you do not have a Beneficial Interest in such Securities);
● if you are a trustee or beneficiary of a trust, or a settlor of a trust who has the power to revoke such trust without the consent of any other person, you will be considered to have a “Beneficial Interest” in all Securities (and/or Commodity Interests) held by such trust; |
3 |
Term | Meaning | |
Beneficial Interest , cont. |
● if any member of your Immediate Family who shares the same household with you is a trustee or beneficiary of a trust, or a settlor of a trust who has the power to revoke such trust without the consent of any other person, you will be presumed to have a “Beneficial Interest” in all Securities (and/or Commodity Interests) held by such trust (unless the CCO expressly concludes, based on such documentation and/or other evidence as the CCO determines to be pertinent, that you do not have a Beneficial Interest in such trust); and
● if you receive any form of “performance” or “incentive” compensation in connection with providing investment management or investment advisory services to an account, you will be presumed to have a “Beneficial Interest” in all Securities (and/or Commodity Interests) held by such account (unless the CCO expressly concludes, based on such documentation and/or other evidence as the CCO determines to be pertinent, that you do not have a Beneficial Interest in such account).
Note: if a Covered Person has a Beneficial Interest in an account or Securities (or Commodity Interests), the fact that such account or Securities (or Commodity Interests) is held in the name of or is managed or advised by one or more members of such Covered Person’s Immediate Family who do not share the same household with such Covered Person does not negate the fact that such Covered Person has a Beneficial Interest in such account or Securities (or Commodity Interests). |
|
Business Development Team Disclosure Policy | The Business Development Team Information Handling and Disclosure Policy of GCMLP and GCM CFIG. 1 |
1 This document can be found in the “GCMLP Compliance Policies” sub-folder in the Outlook “Legal” Public Folder (or at such other location as the CCO may from time to time determine).
4 |
Term | Meaning | |
CCO | The person appointed by GCMLP as its Chief Compliance Officer. The name of and contact information for GCMLP’s current Chief Compliance Officer can be found under the subject heading “Compliance Personnel” in the “GCMLP Compliance Policies” sub-folder in the Outlook “Legal” Public Folder (or at such other location as the CCO may from time to time determine). | |
CFTC | The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. | |
CFO | GCMLP’s Chief Financial Officer. | |
Chairman | GCMLP’s Chairman. | |
Client | A past, existing or prospective investor or participant in any GCM Public Markets Fund or GCM Private Markets Fund. | |
Commodity Interest | Any agreement, contract, transaction or Derivative Instrument that is based upon the value of interest rates, currencies, commodities, securities, debt instruments, indices or other financial or economic interests or property of any kind, or that provides for the exchange of one or more payments based upon any of the foregoing instruments, including without limitation, instruments commonly known as puts, calls, caps, floors, collars, swaps, forward contracts, foreign exchange contracts, futures contracts or options on futures contracts. | |
Compliance Officer | The CCO or any ACO. |
5 |
Term | Meaning | |
Covered Person |
Each of the following:
● each officer of GCMLP;
● each person associated with GCMLP as an employee and who is expected to be on GCMLP’s payroll for an indefinite period; and
● such other persons associated with GCMLP as the CCO, in consultation with the Vice Chairman, may deem appropriate. |
|
Derivative Instrument | Any agreement, contract or transaction that is based upon the value of interest rates, currencies, commodities, securities, debt instruments, indices or other financial or economic interests or property of any kind, or that provides for the exchange of one or more payments based upon any of the foregoing instruments, including without limitation, instruments commonly known as puts, calls, caps, floors, collars, swaps, forward contracts, foreign exchange contracts, futures contracts or options on futures contracts, excluding exchange-traded futures contracts and options on futures contracts. | |
“ direct or indirect influence or control ” | The phrase “direct or indirect influence or control” has the meaning given that phrase under Section 204A-1 of the Advisers Act. | |
ETF
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An investment vehicle commonly referred to as an “exchange-traded fund.”
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Exchange Act |
The U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
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6 |
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Term | Meaning | |
GCM Private Markets Fund | Any investment entity or account managed or advised by GCM CFIG. | |
GCM Public Markets Fund | Any investment entity or account managed or advised by GCMLP. | |
GCMLP | Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. | |
GCMLP-Administered Fund | An investment fund for which GCMLP performs administrative services but does not manage the assets of such fund or otherwise provide investment advice to such fund. | |
High Quality Short-Term Debt Instrument |
A debt instrument that has a maturity (at the time of issuance) of less than 366 days and that:
● is rated in one of the two highest rating categories by a Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization; or
● if unrated, is of comparable quality. |
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Immediate Family | A person is a member of a Covered Person’s “ Immediate Family ” if such person is a child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, grandparent, spouse, sibling, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law or sister-in-law of such Covered Person (whether naturally or by adoption). |
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Term | Meaning | |
Independent Investment Manager | A person or entity that is not affiliated with or otherwise related to a Covered Person who is vested with bona fide legal discretion to make and dispose of investments for a Professional Discretionary Account without consulting with such Covered Person, or with any other person that has a Beneficial Interest in such account, prior to making or disposing of investments for such account. | |
Information Barrier Policy | The Enterprise-Wide Information Barriers of GCMLP and GCM CFIG. 2 | |
Initial Public Offering | An offering of Securities registered under the Securities Act, the issuer of which, immediately before such registration, was not subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Typically, the first sale of stock by an issuer to the general public is an Initial Public Offering. | |
Investment Manager
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Any investment management firm that:
● has been selected by GCMLP or GCM CFIG, as the case may be, as manager of/adviser to one or more Underlying Public Markets Funds or Underlying Public Markets Funds; or
● as of the relevant time, is being evaluated by GCMLP or GCM CFIG, as the case may be, as a potential manager of/adviser to one or more Underlying Public Markets Funds or Underlying Private Markets Funds. |
2 This document can be found in the “GCMLP Compliance Policies” sub-folder in the Outlook “Legal” Public Folder (or at such other location as the CCO may from time to time determine).
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Term | Meaning | |
IRC | The U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. | |
MNPI | See page 54 of this Policy and Code. | |
Multi-Party Account
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An account in which a Covered Person has, or is presumed to have, a Beneficial Interest, and in which one or more other persons have a Beneficial Interest.
Note: as explained in the definition of “Beneficial Interest,” a Covered Person will be presumed to have a Beneficial Interest in certain types of accounts even though such Covered Person does not directly participate in such accounts. Thus, an account that has only a single “true” beneficial owner will be deemed to be a Multi-Party Account if a GCMLP employee is presumed to have a beneficial interest in such account.
Note: if an account qualifies as a Professional Discretionary Account, it may be treated as a Professional Discretionary Account for purposes of this Policy and Code, even if such Professional Discretionary Account also meets the definition of Multi-Party Account. |
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Multi-Party Account Exemptive Conditions | See pages 40-41 of this Policy and Code. |
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3 See note 1.
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Term | Meaning | |
Permissible Index or Permissible ETF , cont.
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whose performance is linked to performance of such index or ETF could not reasonably be viewed to present a material risk of a Covered Person’s trading in such Securities, Commodity Interests or other financial instruments while in possession of material, nonpublic information relating to such Securities, Commodity Interests or other financial instruments or to Securities, Commodity Interests or other financial instruments included within such index or ETF.
Trading a Permissible Index or Permissible ETF included in the category described in the immediately preceding bullet point requires pre-clearance (unless such Permissible Index or Permissible ETF is included on the list of “Permissible Indices and Permissible ETFs”). |
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Permitted Transaction | A transaction permitted pursuant to and in accordance with the provisions of Section VII of this Policy and Code. | |
Policy and Code | This Personal Investment and Trading Policy, Statement on Insider Trading and Code of Ethics Pursuant to Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. | |
Private Markets Position-Level Information | This term has the meaning given to it in the Information Barrier Policy. | |
Private Offering | An offering of Securities that is exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) or Section 4(a)(6) thereof or Rules 504, 505 or 506 of Regulation D thereunder. Typically, an offering made to a limited number of financially sophisticated investors on a private basis is a Private Offering. |
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Term | Meaning | |
Professional Discretionary Account
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An investment account in which a Covered Person has, or is presumed to have, a Beneficial Interest is a Professional Discretionary Account if:
● an Independent Investment Manager has bona fide legal investment discretion to make and dispose of investments for such account without consulting with such Covered Person, or with any other person that has a Beneficial Interest in such account, prior to making or disposing of such investments; and
● such Covered Person provides GCMLP written representations and warranties, in such form as may be prescribed from time to time by the CCO, to the effect that such Covered Person:
> will not consult with such Independent Investment Manager, or with any other person that has a Beneficial Interest in such account, prior to such Independent Investment Manager’s decisions to make and dispose of specific investments for such account; and
> otherwise has no direct or indirect influence or control over such account. |
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Prohibited Transaction | See Section VI of this Policy and Code. | |
Public Markets Position-Level Information |
This term has the meaning given to it in the Information Barrier Policy. |
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Reportable Securities or Commodity Interests | Appendix I to this Policy and Code lists Securities and Commodity Interests that are “ Reportable Securities or Commodity Interests .” |
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Term | Meaning | |
Restricted List Policy | The Restricted List Policies and Procedures of GCMLP and GCM CFIG. 4 | |
RIC | Any SEC-registered “open-end” investment company, SEC-registered “closed-end” investment company or SEC-registered unit investment trust. | |
SEC | The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. | |
Securities Act | The U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. | |
Security
cont. on next page |
Any note, stock, treasury stock, security future, bond, debenture, evidence of indebtedness, certificate of interest or participation in any profit-sharing agreement, collateral-trust certificate, preorganization certificate or subscription, transferable share, investment contract, voting-trust certificate, certificate of deposit for a security, fractional undivided interest in oil, gas, or other mineral rights, any put, call, straddle, option or privilege on any security (including a certificate of deposit) or on any group or index of securities (including any interest therein or based on the value thereof), or any put, call, straddle, option or privilege entered into on a national securities exchange relating to foreign currency, or, in general, any interest or instrument commonly known as a security, or any certificate of interest or participation in, temporary or interim certificate for, receipt for, guarantee of, or warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase, any security.
The term “Security” includes a right to acquire or dispose of a security (such as a call or put option on a security), as well as an interest in a collective investment vehicle (such as a limited partnership or limited liability company). For example, a limited partnership interest or |
4 See note 1.
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Term | Meaning | |
Security , cont. | other equity interest in an investment fund such as a hedge fund, venture capital fund or private equity fund is a Security. The term “Security” includes so-called “single stock futures,” as well as commodity future or commodity option contracts based on indices of securities. | |
Trading Policy Compliance Committee | A committee, designated by GCMLP as such, comprised of not fewer than two Covered Persons appointed by GCMLP. The Vice Chairman, the CCO or any ACO may serve as a member of the Trading Policy Compliance Committee. The names of and contact information for current members of the Trading Policy Compliance Committee can be found under the subject heading “Trading Policy Compliance Personnel” in the “GCMLP Compliance Policies” sub-folder in the Outlook “Legal” Public Folder (or at such other location as the CCO may from time to time determine). | |
Trading Policy Compliance Officer | A Covered Person designated and appointed by GCMLP as GCMLP’s Trading Policy Compliance Officer. The name and contact information for GCMLP’s current Trading Policy Compliance Officer can be found under the subject heading “Trading Policy Compliance Personnel” in the “GCMLP Compliance Policies” sub-folder in the Outlook “Legal” Public Folder (or at such other location as the CCO may from time to time determine). | |
Underlying Private Markets Fund | Any private equity fund, venture capital fund, real estate fund, infrastructure fund or other “alternative” investment vehicle previously held, currently held or currently contemplated to be held by any GCM Private Markets Fund. |
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Term | Meaning | |
Underlying Public Markets Fund | Any hedge fund or other “alternative” investment vehicle previously held, currently held or currently contemplated to be held by any GCM Public Markets Fund. | |
Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest
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Appendix I to this Policy and Code lists Securities and Commodity Interests that are “ Unrestricted Securities or Commodity Interests .”
Note: Shares of a Mutual Fund ordinarily are Unrestricted Securities or Commodity Interests.
However, if a Covered Person knows or has reason to believe that a Mutual Fund is managed or advised by an Investment Manager, shares of such Mutual Fund are not Unrestricted Securities or Commodity Interests. |
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Vice Chairman | GCMLP’s Vice Chairman. | |
Wall Crossing Policy | The Wall Crossing Policies and Procedures of GCMLP and GCM CFIG. 5 |
II. | Persons Subject To Policy AND CODE |
This Policy and Code applies to each Covered Person for so long as such Covered Person remains a Covered Person.
In addition, this Policy and Code will continue to apply to a Covered Person subsequent to the termination of such Covered Person’s association with GCMLP in connection with:
● | transactions in Securities and Commodity Interests with respect to which such Covered Person possesses material, nonpublic information that such Covered Person obtained while he or she was associated with GCMLP; and |
5 See note 1.
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● | transactions in Securities or Commodity Interests initiated, but not completed, prior to the termination of such Covered Person’s association with GCMLP. |
III. | VIOLATIONS, INVESTIGATIONS, R emedial Actions AND “WHISTLE-BLOWING” |
A. | Violations |
Your violation of GCMLP’s compliance policies and procedures could subject you and/or GCMLP to serious penalties.
These penalties could include:
● | in your case: |
> | imprisonment and fines; |
> | civil monetary penalties; |
> | injunctions; and/or |
> | restrictions on your association with investment management/advisory enterprises (and/or other regulated enterprises) and suspension or termination of your right to associate with investment management/advisory enterprises (and/or other regulated enterprises) — the so-called “industry bar;” and |
● | in GCMLP’s case: |
> | fines; |
> | civil monetary penalties; |
> | injunctions; |
> | restrictions on the manner in which GCMLP is permitted to provide investment management/advisory services and/or other services; and/or |
> | suspension or termination of GCMLP’s right to do so. |
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B. | Investigations |
You must cooperate fully with any investigation or inquiry into whether a violation of any of GCMLP’s compliance policies and procedures has occurred, including a possible violation by you.
C. | Remedial Actions |
If you violate this Policy and Code, you will be subject to remedial actions by GCMLP, which may include, but are not limited to, any one or more of the following, depending on the specific facts and circumstances of the violation:
● | a warning; |
● | identification of your name to the boards of directors, boards of trustees or similar governing bodies of the RICs; |
● | trade rescission (if applicable); |
● | disgorgement of profits (or payments of amounts of losses avoided); |
● | imposition of a fine (which may be substantial); |
● | demotion (which may be substantial); |
● | withholding of salary and/or bonus (which may be substantial); |
● | suspension of employment (with or without pay); |
● | termination of employment; and/or |
● | referral to civil or governmental authorities for possible civil or criminal prosecution. |
Remedial actions will be determined by the CCO, in consultation with such other member or members of GCMLP’s senior management team, if any, as the CCO may determine to be appropriate under the circumstances.
D. | “ Whistle-Blowing ” |
1. | Background |
Integrity is the foundation of our business. It is an essential element of the services we provide to our clients, and it is central to making our organization a professional and productive place to work and do business. We believe in fostering an environment of integrity in all of our interactions with persons within and outside our organization, and we therefore committed to fostering a culture of compliance.
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To help us maintain these high standards, we require our employees and other persons associated with us to conduct themselves in an honest and ethical manner. Those who seek to violate legal or ethical requirements not only jeopardize their own careers, but also potentially endanger GCMLP, as their misconduct may be attributed to GCMLP.
This means that it is essential for you to inform us as soon as possible if you learn of potential or actual unethical, dishonest or illegal activity relating to our business.
If you know or have reason to believe that you have violated any applicable law, rule or regulation, or any of the compliance policies or procedures of GCMLP to which you are subject, you are required to:
● | report such violation to a Compliance Officer or a member of the Operations Committee; and |
● | identify yourself in connection with making such report. |
In other words, self-reporting of your own violations is required and may not be made anonymously .
However, as discussed below, if you know or have reason to believe that another person employed by or otherwise associated with GCMLP has engaged in certain infractions, you are required to report such infractions to GCMLP, but you may do so anonymously and confidentially.
2. | Reports of Violations that May be Made Anonymously |
You are required to promptly notify GCMLP in the event you know or have reason to believe that another person employed by or otherwise associated with GCMLP has:
● | violated any applicable law, rule or regulation; |
● | violated any of GCMLP’s compliance policies or procedures; or |
● | engaged in any inappropriate activity, including any activity that could damage the reputation of GCMLP and/or any of its affiliates and/or cause harm to GCMLP and/or any of its affiliates. |
Examples | of such activities include but are not limited to: |
> | accounting or auditing irregularities; |
> | fraudulent or materially misleading financial reporting; |
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> | falsifying company records; |
> | destruction of books and records required to be retained; |
> | breaches of confidentiality; |
> | bribes or kickbacks; |
> | undisclosed conflicts of interest; |
> | insider trading; |
> | misuse of business assets; |
> | disclosure of confidential GCMLP, GCM CFIG or client information to unauthorized persons; |
> | unauthorized override of internal controls; |
> | safety or security hazards; or |
> | anti-bribery violations. |
The reporting requirement discussed immediately above is mandatory .
In meeting this requirement, we encourage you to make reports directly to a Compliance Officer or a member of the Operations Committee, and to identify yourself in connection with making such reports. We prefer that you identify yourself so that we can follow up with you most easily.
However, we also recognize that there may be situations in which you find it uncomfortable to identify yourself in connection with making a report. As a result, in meeting the mandatory reporting requirement described above, you may file an anonymous and confidential report in the manner described below under “ A nonymous Alternatives .”
In no event will we tolerate any retaliation against you for “blowing the whistle” on another employee in good faith, and any such retaliation will be cause for appropriate corrective action, including, among other things, dismissal of the retaliating party.
Also, if you are entitled to file a report anonymously and you elect to file such report anonymously, under no circumstances will we make any attempt to identify you.
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3. | Anonymous Alternatives |
As discussed above, when reporting infractions committed by other persons employed by or otherwise associated with GCMLP, you are entitled to do so anonymously. (As discussed above, in fulfilling the requirement to report your own violations, you must in all cases identify yourself).
● | You may file an anonymous report by submitting a written report to a Compliance Officer or any member of the Operations Committee, either by inter-office mail or by “slipping” such report under the person’s door. |
● | In addition, we have implemented a procedure that enables you to report violations anonymously and confidentially through the following link: |
http://gcmlp.ethicspoint.com
Both methods described in this link are hosted by EthicsPoint, a provider of confidential reporting tools that is not affiliated with GCMLP . Any reports made using these methods are input directly on the EthicsPoint secure server, and are communicated only to specific individuals within EthicsPoint. An EthicsPoint employee will then submit to certain individuals within GCMLP a summary of the report. We will investigate any reports it receives and, if you have elected not to identify yourself, will correspond with you through EthicsPoint concerning any reports that you make. We will correspond with you using the unique EthicsPoint “report key” you will be assigned after completing any such reports made using either of the methods described in this link. We strongly encourage you to keep this “report key” and the related password in a safe place to facilitate such correspondence.
If you are entitled to and you elect to file an anonymous report, we STRONGLY encourage you to use EthicsPoint to do so. Using EthicsPoint will enable us to correspond with you concerning a report while preserving your anonymity.
Regardless of the manner in which you make a report:
● | the CCO and, where appropriate, other senior management will promptly investigate such report (in the event the conduct of senior managers may be at issue, any investigation will be conducted by persons who have the requisite degree of independence); and |
● | we will seek to advise you – directly, if you have identified yourself in the report, or, using the EthicsPoint “report key” discussed above, if you have filed an anonymous report through EthicsPoint – of the progress and outcome of our investigation to the extent appropriate and to the extent consistent with our obligations of confidentiality to other personnel. Where appropriate, we will take remedial and/or disciplinary action against those who have acted improperly. |
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Our objective is to address concerns regarding potential misconduct in a fair and appropriate way in order to protect us and our business. This is our collective interest, and by raising your genuine concerns, you can help us to achieve it. If you are not satisfied with the way in which your concern has been handled, we encourage you to raise it with a Compliance Officer or a member of the Operations Committee.
IV. | GENERAL STATEMENT |
A. | Policies Behind This Policy and Code |
It is our policy:
● | To conduct our investment management/advisory services and other services in the highest ethical and professional manner. |
● | To observe high standards of commercial honor and just and equitable principles of trade in the conduct of our investment management/advisory services and other services. |
● | To develop and maintain a robust “culture of compliance” (see discussion below) that encourages our personnel “to do the right thing” and rewards them for doing so, not just because it makes good business sense to do so, but because it is the right thing to do. |
● | To develop and keep current written compliance policies and procedures that, where appropriate, incorporate industry “best practices” and that are reasonably designed to: |
> | identify, on a pro-active and ongoing basis, the various legal and regulatory risks to which we are subject (including risks arising from actual and potential conflicts of interest to which we and our personnel are subject in connection with providing services to our clients); |
> | specify appropriate and effective “control points” to address our legal and regulatory risks with a view to preventing, detecting and correcting legal and regulatory violations; |
> | alert appropriate personnel, through training and otherwise, to the laws, rules and regulations that govern the conduct of our investment management/advisory services and other services; |
> | alert personnel, through training and otherwise, to certain practices that we prohibit as a matter of policy; |
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> | effectively monitor whether we have implemented and followed the compliance policies and procedures that we have adopted; |
> | effectively detect whether our personnel have engaged in legal or regulatory violations; and |
> | ensure that appropriate senior management are involved in the resolution of material compliance issues on a real-time basis. |
We are committed to fostering a strong “culture of compliance.” Please consult the separate document entitled “What Is a Culture of Compliance?”, which is incorporated into this Policy and Code as though the contents therefore were expressly set forth herein. You can find that document in the “GCMLP Compliance Policies” sub-folder in the Outlook “Legal” Public Folder, or at such other location as the CCO may designate from time to time.
GCMLP’s reputation is a vital business asset that GCMLP and those associated with it must seek to protect. To that end, GCMLP and each Covered Person may not:
● | employ any device, scheme or artifice to defraud any GCM Public Markets Fund or any existing or prospective investor/participant therein, or any GCMLP-Administered Fund; |
● | distribute any written materials to any person outside GCMLP, or make any oral statements to any person outside GCMLP, that: |
> | contain any untrue statement of fact; |
> | omit any fact or qualification in a situation where such omission, in light of the circumstances and context of the material presented or the statement made, causes such material or statement to be misleading; or |
> | are otherwise false, deceptive or misleading; or |
● | engage in any act, practice or course of business that: |
> | is likely to deceive any existing or prospective investor/participant in any GCM Public Markets Fund (in this regard, you must consider whether written materials or oral statements are likely to be deceptive in effect); |
> | violates Federal Securities or Commodities Laws, state securities laws or any rule or regulation thereunder; or |
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> | operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit on any GCM Public Markets Fund or any existing or prospective investor/participant therein, or on any GCMLP-Administered Fund; or |
● | engage in any activity that involves: |
> | a breach of fiduciary duty owed to any GCM Public Markets Fund or any investor/participant therein, or to any GCMLP-Administered Fund; or |
> | the misuse, or creates even the appearance of the misuse, of material, nonpublic information. |
Section 7 of GCMLP’s General Policies and Procedures, which contains the foregoing prohibitions as well as others, is incorporated into this Policy and Code as though the contents therefore were expressly set forth herein.
In addition, the Federal Securities or Commodities Laws require GCMLP to maintain certain records of certain transactions in Reportable Securities or Commodity Interests by Covered Persons.
GCMLP has designed this Policy and Code to ensure that GCMLP and each Covered Person do not, in connection with: (1) performing investment management or investment advisory services for the GCM Public Markets Funds, (2) acquiring or disposing of investments on behalf of the GCM Public Markets Funds or performing administrative services for the GCMLP-Administered Funds, violate:
● | applicable Federal Securities or Commodities Laws; |
● | applicable state securities laws; or |
● | any applicable rule or regulation thereunder. |
B. | Summary of Obligations of Covered Persons Under This Policy and Code |
Every Covered Person has four basic types of obligations under this Policy and Code:
(1) | to act consistently with GCMLP’s fiduciary duties to the GCM Public Markets Funds (and investors/participants therein) and the GCMLP-Administered Funds, as discussed more fully in Section V of this Policy and Code; |
(2) | to refrain from engaging in Prohibited Transactions , as discussed more fully in Section VI of this Policy and Code; |
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(3) | to obtain pre-clearance from GCMLP in connection with certain types of activities and transactions, as discussed more fully in Sections VII.C and VIII of this Policy and Code; and |
(4) | to submit certain reports to GCMLP , as discussed more fully in Section IX of this Policy and Code. |
C. | Questions Concerning This Policy and Code |
If you have any questions concerning the meaning, scope or applicability of any provision of this Policy and Code, or any comments or suggestions regarding the possible improvement of this Policy and Code, you are encouraged to direct them to the Trading Policy Compliance Officer (or, if he or she is not available, the CCO or the Vice Chairman).
V. | GCMLP’S FIDUCIARY DUTIES |
A. | GCMLP as a Fiduciary to the GCM Public Markets Funds |
As the investment manager of/investment adviser to the GCM Public Markets Funds, GCMLP is a fiduciary that owes each GCM Public Markets Fund two basic duties:
● | the duty of care ; and |
● | the duty of loyalty . |
As discussed more fully below, these two fiduciary duties go well beyond the simple duties of honesty and good faith.
1. | GCMLP’s Duty of Care to the GCM Public Markets Funds |
The duty of care GCMLP owes each GCM Public Markets Fund encompasses several duties, which may be summarized as follows:
a. | Duty to Implement Suitable Investment Programs |
i. | GCM Public Markets Funds That Are Not RICs |
In providing investment management/advisory services to a GCM Public Markets Fund that is not a RIC, GCMLP has a duty to implement the investment program of such GCM Public Markets Fund in a manner that is consistent with:
● | the investment objective(s), investment strategy and approach, performance objectives and portfolio constraints applicable to such GCM Public Markets Fund, as determined by the appropriate GCMLP investment committee and, in certain cases, as approved by the investors/participant(s) in such GCM Public Markets Fund; |
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● | the offering documents of such GCM Public Markets Fund, as well as such GCM Public Markets Fund’s limited partnership agreement or limited liability company agreement, and/or investment management agreement or similar agreement; and |
● | applicable policies and procedures set forth in this Policy and Code and GCMLP’s General Compliance Policies and Procedures. |
ii. | GCM Public Markets Funds That Are RICs |
In providing investment management/advisory services to a GCM Public Markets Fund that is a RIC, GCMLP must manage/provide advice to such RIC in a manner that is consistent with:
● | applicable provisions of the U.S. Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended; |
● | the investment objective(s), investment strategy and approach, performance objectives and portfolio constraints applicable to such RIC, as determined by the appropriate GCMLP investment committee and approved by the board of directors, board of trustees or similar governing body of such RIC, as well as the policies and restrictions set forth in such RIC’s registration statement and/or in other documents governing such RIC; |
● | the investment advisory agreement relating to such RIC to which GCMLP is a party; and |
● | applicable policies and procedures set forth in this Policy and Code and GCMLP’s General Compliance Policies and Procedures. |
b. | Duty to Keep Clients Informed |
As a general matter, GCMLP has a duty to keep the GCM Public Markets Funds (and, in the case of the GCM Public Markets Funds other than the RICs, their investors/participants) reasonably informed with respect to all material matters relating to GCMLP’s management of the GCM Public Markets Funds.
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GCMLP has designed the reporting policies described in its Client and Regulatory Reporting Policies and Procedures for the purpose of discharging this duty.
However, you should promptly contact the CCO, an ACO or the Vice Chairman in any of the following situations:
● | you become aware of any fact that you believe may be material to a Client and you are not sure whether such fact will be reported to such Client pursuant to GCMLP’s usual reporting policies; |
● | you believe that GCMLP’s usual reporting policies will not make a material fact known to a Client in a timely fashion; or |
● | you believe that a report sent to a Client contains an error. |
Similarly, GCMLP has a duty to keep the board of directors, board of trustees or similar governing body of each GCMLP-managed/advised RIC informed with respect to all material matters relating to GCMLP’s management of/advice to such RIC. GCMLP negotiates reporting policies with respect to each GCMLP-managed/advised RIC on a case-by-case basis. However, you should promptly contact the CCO, an ACO or the Vice Chairman in any of the following situations:
● | you become aware of any fact that you believe may be material to the board of directors, board of trustees or similar governing body of a GCMLP-managed/advised RIC and you are not sure whether such fact will be reported to such governing body pursuant to GCMLP’s negotiated reporting policies; |
● | you believe that GCMLP’s negotiated reporting policies will not make a material fact known to such governing body in a timely fashion; or |
● | you believe that a report sent to the board of directors, board of trustees or similar governing body of a GCMLP-managed/advised RIC contains an error. |
2. | GCMLP’s Duty of Loyalty to the GCM Public Markets Funds |
Under its duty of loyalty , GCMLP must:
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· | act solely for the benefit of the GCM Public Markets Funds in all matters connected with GCMLP’s performance of services for them, and place the interests of the GCM Public Markets Funds first and foremost in each and every situation, except in situations where GCMLP has expressly reserved the right to act in its own interests as well as the interests of the GCM Public Markets Funds and has received investor/participant consent to do so (see “ Client Consent to Conflicts of Interest” and “Duty to Act Fairly Even Where Client Consent Has Been Obtained ,” below); and |
· | disclose to prospective investors/participants in a particular GCM Public Markets Fund (and to existing investors/participants in a particular GCM Public Markets Fund if appropriate disclosure was not made to them at the time they were prospective investors/participants in such GCM Public Markets Fund) all material conflicts of interest to which GCMLP and/or its related persons are subject in connection with performing services for such GCM Public Markets Fund. |
This disclosure requirement applies to all activities in which GCMLP (and/or its related persons): |
> | would have any reason to act for its (their) own interest, even though GCMLP (and/or its related persons) may fully intend not to do so; as the U.S. Supreme Court stated in a leading case under the Advisers Act ( SEC v. Capital Gains Research Bureau Inc. ), the Advisers Act was intended, among other things, to “eliminate, or at least expose, all conflicts of interest which might incline an investment adviser - consciously or unconsciously - to render advice which was not disinterested;” and |
> | would have any reason to favor the interests of one or more GCM Public Markets Funds over one or more other GCM Public Markets Funds. |
As a general matter, absent appropriate disclosure to and consent by investors/participants in a GCM Public Markets Fund, GCMLP has a duty to seek the best possible investment outcome for such GCM Public Markets Fund in a manner consistent with such GCM Public Markets Fund’s investment objective(s), policies and restrictions.
B. | GCMLP as a Fiduciary to the GCMLP-Administered Funds |
As an agent of the GCMLP-Administered Funds, GCMLP has fiduciary duties to the GCMLP-Administered Funds that arise out of its agency status.
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As is the case with its fiduciary duties to the Funds, GCMLP’s fiduciary duties to the GCMLP-Administered Funds consist of the duty of care and the duty of loyalty.
1. | GCMLP’s Duty of Care to the GCMLP-Administered Funds |
The duty of care GCMLP owes each GCMLP-Administered Fund consists principally of the duty to administer the business and affairs of such GCMLP-Administered Fund in accordance with the provisions of GCMLP’s administrative or similar agreement with such Fund.
In addition, as a general matter, GCMLP has a duty to keep the GCMLP-Administered Funds reasonably informed with respect to all material matters relating to GCMLP’s administration of such Funds.
2. | GCMLP’s Duty of Loyalty to the GCMLP-Administered Funds |
Under its duty of loyalty , GCMLP must act solely for the benefit of the GCMLP-Administered Funds in all matters connected with GCMLP’s performance of services for them, and place their interests first and foremost in each and every situation, except in situations where GCMLP has expressly reserved the right to act in its own interests as well as the interests of the GCMLP-Administered Funds and has received the consent of the GCMLP-Administered Funds to do so.
C. | General Rule for Dealing With Conflicts of Interest |
The general rule for each Covered Person is this: unless GCMLP scrupulously follows the procedures discussed below, you may not :
● | seek to obtain any benefit for GCMLP or yourself in a manner that harms or disadvantages any GCM Public Markets Fund or GCMLP-Administered Fund in any way; |
● | seek to obtain any benefit for GCMLP or yourself in a situation in which the interests of GCMLP and/or your interests, on the one hand, conflict with the interests of any GCM Public Markets Fund or GCMLP-Administered Fund, on the other hand, even if such benefit to GCMLP or yourself would not result in harm or disadvantage to such GCM Public Markets Fund or GCMLP-Administered Fund in any way ; or |
● | favor one or more GCM Public Markets Funds over one or more other GCM Public Markets Funds. |
1. | Client Consent to Conflicts of Interest |
In many cases, GCMLP must obtain the consent of the investors/participants in a particular GCM Public Markets Fund (or of the board of directors, board of trustees or similar governing body of a GCM Public Markets Fund that is a RIC, as the case may be) in order to engage in any practice in which:
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● | the interests of GCMLP and/or any Covered Person, on the one hand, and such GCM Public Markets Fund, on the other hand, conflict - even if such GCM Public Markets Fund and its investors/participants may benefit from such practice ; or |
● | the interests of any GCM Public Markets Fund conflict with those of one or more other GCM Public Markets Funds - even if such other GCM Public Markets Fund(s) and its (their) investors/participants may benefit from such practice . |
The fact that a particular practice is clearly in the best interests of a GCM Public Markets Fund does not necessarily eliminate the need to obtain consent.
The offering or risk disclosure document pursuant to which interests in a GCM Public Markets Fund are offered to prospective investors/participants will set forth the various conflicts of interest to which GCMLP and/or any one or more of its affiliates or other related persons are or may be subject in connection with managing such GCM Public Markets Fund.
In addition, Part 2A of GCMLP’s SEC Form ADV (see Section 3.2 of GCMLP’s General Compliance Policies and Procedures) sets forth various conflicts of interest to which GCMLP and/or any one or more of its employees or affiliates are or may be subject in connection with conducting investment management/advisory activities. Each prospective investor/participant in a GCM Public Markets Fund (other than prospective investors in a RIC) will be required to acknowledge in writing that it has read and understands Part 2A of GCMLP’s SEC Form ADV.
Finally, each prospective investor/participant in a GCM Public Markets Fund that is not a RIC will be required to acknowledge in its subscription agreement with such GCM Public Markets Fund that such prospective investor/participant understands such conflicts and agrees that GCMLP and/or any one or more of its affiliates or other related persons, as the case may be, may engage in practices that may give rise to such conflicts (to the extent GCMLP has reserved the right for it and and/or any one or more of its affiliates or other related persons to do so).
Under ordinary circumstances, the procedures described above will be sufficient to ensure that investors/participants in a particular GCM Public Markets Fund have properly consented to practices involving conflicts between:
● | the interests of GCMLP and/or any of its affiliates or other related persons, on the one hand, and those of such GCM Public Markets Fund, on the other hand; and |
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● | such GCM Public Markets Fund and other GCM Public Markets Funds. |
However, GCMLP and/or any one or more of its affiliates or other related persons may from time to time become subject to conflicts of interest that have not been disclosed in the applicable offering or risk disclosure document and/or in Part 2A of GCMLP’s SEC Form ADV.
Similarly, GCMLP may from time to time wish to engage in practices involving conflicts of interest in situations where GCMLP has not reserved the right to do so.
You may not permit GCMLP to engage in any such practice without first consulting with the CCO, an ACO or the Vice Chairman. Again, the fact that a particular practice or transaction is in the best interests of the relevant GCM Public Markets Fund ordinarily will not be sufficient justification to permit such practice or transaction to occur.
Further, if you become aware of any conflict of interest to which you are personally subject in connection with the performance of your employment responsibilities that you have not previously disclosed to GCMLP, you must promptly disclose such conflict to a Compliance Officer.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, as described more fully below (and in GCMLP’s Portfolio Management Policies and Procedures), certain transactions involving conflicts of interest between (i) GCMLP and/or any one or more its Covered Persons or affiliates, on the one hand, and a GCM Public Markets Fund, on the other hand, and (ii) a GCM Public Markets Fund and one or more other GCM Public Markets Funds, are flatly prohibited. In these cases, the fact that GCMLP may have disclosed the conflicts and obtained consent to engage in the transactions would not serve to validate the transactions.
2. | Consent to Conflicts of Interest Relating to the GCMLP-Administered Funds |
GCMLP must obtain the consent of a GCMLP-Administered Fund in order to engage in any practice in which the interests of GCMLP and/or any one or more of its Covered Persons or affiliates, on the one hand, and such GCMLP-Administered Fund, on the other hand, conflict - even if such GCMLP-Administered Fund may benefit from such practice .
The fact that a particular practice is clearly in the best interests of a GCMLP-Administered Fund does not necessarily eliminate the need to obtain consent.
D. | Duty to Act Fairly Even Where Client Consent has Been Obtained |
The fact that GCMLP has disclosed and obtained investor/participant consent to engage in a particular practice involving a GCM Public Markets Fund does not relieve GCMLP of the duty to “act fairly” toward such GCM Public Markets Fund in connection with such practice (though this does not mean that GCMLP must always treat each GCM Public Markets Fund “equally” or the “same” in connection with managing the assets of such GCM Public Markets Fund).
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E. | Duty to Have Sufficient Expertise and Personnel; Duty to Devote Sufficient Attention to Affairs of Each GCM Public Markets Fund and GCMLP-Administered Fund |
GCMLP may not seek to manage or provide advice to a GCM Public Markets Fund unless GCMLP reasonably believes that it has the level of staff and expertise necessary to enable it to implement such GCM Public Markets Fund’s contemplated investment program in a competent and professional manner. Similarly, GCMLP may not seek to provide administrative services to a GCMLP-Administered Fund unless GCMLP reasonably believes that it has the level of staff and expertise necessary to enable it to provide such services in a competent and professional manner.
GCMLP has a duty to devote to the affairs of each GCM Public Markets Fund such time and effort as is reasonably necessary to implement such GCM Public Markets Fund’s investment program in a competent and professional manner. Similarly, GCMLP has a duty to devote to the affairs of each GCMLP-Administered Fund such time and effort as is reasonably necessary to discharge GCMLP’s contractual obligations to such GCMLP-Administered Fund.
In order to comply with these duties, GCMLP has determined that, unless it expressly agrees otherwise with you, you may not engage in any of the following activities without the prior authorization of the Chairman or the Vice Chairman:
· | serving on a compensated or non-compensated basis as an officer, director, employee (either on a full-time, part-time, evening or weekend basis), independent contractor, sole proprietor, partner, trustee, or advisor or member of an advisory board or committee (or in a similar capacity), of any for-profit entity (other than GCMLP or one or more of their affiliates), or otherwise holding any position with any for-profit entity (other than GCMLP or one or more of their affiliates); |
· | serving on a compensated or non-compensated basis as an officer, director, employee (either on a full-time, part-time, evening or weekend basis), independent contractor, trustee or advisor or member of an advisory board or committee (or in a similar capacity) of any not-for-profit entity ; or |
● | serving on a compensated or non-compensated basis as an officer, director, employee (either on a full-time, part-time, evening or weekend basis), independent contractor, advisor or member of an advisory board or committee (or in a similar capacity) of any federal, state, local or foreign government or governmental body, agency, board, commission or authority (including any securities regulatory body, agency, board, commission or authority) or any self-regulatory body or authority. |
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Authorization of the Chairman or the Vice Chairman for any of the above activities must be obtained prior to engaging in such activity so that the Chairman or the Vice Chairman, as the case may be, may make determinations regarding:
● | the degree to which such activity may interfere with your duties to GCMLP, the GCM Public Markets Funds and/or the GCMLP-Administered Funds; |
● | whether such activity involves any conflict between the interests of GCMLP or your interests, on the one hand, and the interests of any one or more GCM Public Markets Funds and/or GCMLP-Administered Funds, on the other hand, that must be disclosed to and consented to by such GCM Public Markets Fund or GCM Public Markets Funds (or their investors/participants) 6 or by such GCMLP-Administered Fund or GCMLP-Administered Funds, as the case may be; and |
● | whether such activity involves any conflict between the interests of GCMLP, on the one hand, and your interests, on the other hand. |
VI. | PROHIBITED TRANSACTIONS |
There are certain transactions in Securities and Commodity Interests that are prohibited altogether (“ Prohibited Transactions ”).
Prohibited Transactions consist of:
● | The purchase or other acquisition of a Security or Commodity Interest that would result in a Covered Person obtaining a Beneficial Interest in such Security or Commodity Interest, unless such purchase or other acquisition is a Permitted Transaction (see Section VII below for a discussion of Permitted Transaction). |
● | The sale or other disposition of a Security or Commodity Interest that would result in a Covered Person ceasing to have a Beneficial Interest in such Security or Commodity Interest (in whole or in part), unless such sale or other disposition is a Permitted Transaction (see Section VII below for a discussion of Permitted Transaction). |
● | Any purchase or other acquisition of a Security in the Initial Public Offering of such Security, unless such purchase or other acquisition is effected in accordance with the requirements set forth in Section VII.C.3 of this Policy and Code. |
6 See “General Rule for Dealing With Conflicts of Interest” (Section V.C above) regarding disclosure and consent with respect to conflicts of interest.
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● | Any purchase or other acquisition of a Security in a Private Offering , unless such purchase or other acquisition is: |
> | effected in accordance with the requirements set forth in Sections VII.C.3 or VII.C.4 of this Policy and Code; or |
> | authorized by the Trading Policy Compliance Committee. |
● | Any transaction in a Security or Commodity Interest where pre-clearance of such transaction is required by the provisions of this Policy and Code but such pre-clearance has not been obtained in accordance with the provisions of this Policy and Code. Please see Sections VII.C and VIII below. |
● | Any transaction that violates Federal Securities or Commodities Laws, state securities laws or any rule or regulation thereunder, including, without limitation, any transaction in any Security or Commodity Interest (regardless of whether or not such transaction is required to be pre-cleared or reported) in violation of the prohibition against trading while in possession of material, nonpublic information relating to such Security or Commodity Interest. Please see Section X below. |
● | Engaging in transactions in Securities or Commodity Interests during GCMLP’s business hours in such a manner as to materially interfere with a Covered Person’s performance of his or her duties and obligations to GCMLP associated with his or her particular job functions. |
As noted in Appendix I to the Code of Ethics, GCMLP prohibits short term trading (that is, trading in and out of a particular Security or Commodity Interest within a 60 day period) in the case of certain Securities and Commodity Interests. |
Further, as a general matter, GCMLP discourages short term trading in all Securities and Commodity Interests that are not subject to such ban. |
If GCMLP determines that you are engaged, during GCMLP’s business hours, in short term trading in particular Securities and/or Commodity Instruments that are not subject to the ban, the presumption will be that, even though such short term trading is not subject to the ban, it is nevertheless materially interfering with the performance of your duties and obligations to GCMLP, except where the trading in question relates to: |
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> | certificates of deposit; |
> | shares of registered open-end investment companies, commonly known as “mutual funds”; |
> | auction rate preferred stock; |
> | commercial paper; |
> | High Quality Short Term Debt Instruments; and |
> | banker’s acceptances. |
● | Such other transactions in Securities and/or Commodity Interests as the Trading Policy Compliance Committee may from time to time designate as Prohibited Transactions upon giving written notice thereof to Covered Persons. |
VII. | PERMITTED TRANSACTIONS |
A. | Background |
No purchase or other acquisition of a Security or Commodity Interest may be made if, as a result such purchase or other acquisition, a Covered Person would obtain a Beneficial Interest in such Security or Commodity Interest, and no sale or other disposition of a Security or Commodity Interest may be made if, as a result of such sale or other disposition, a Covered Person would cease to have a Beneficial Interest in such Security or Commodity Interest (in whole or in part), unless such purchase or other acquisition, or such sale or other disposition, is a “Permitted Transaction” described in subsection VII.B (which describes Permitted Transactions that are not required to be pre-cleared with GCMLP) or subsection VII.C (which describes Permitted Transactions that are required to be pre-cleared with GCMLP), below. 7
Each of the types of “Permitted Transactions” discussed below is “self-contained.” This means that if you comply with the conditions, restrictions and requirements relating to a particular type of Permitted Transaction in connection with the purchase or other acquisition, or sale or other disposition, of a Security or Commodity Interest, you do not need to comply with the conditions, restrictions and requirements relating to any other particular type of Permitted Transaction in connection with the purchase or other acquisition, or the sale or other disposition, of such Security or Commodity Interest.
7 Of course, as noted above, no transaction that violates Federal Securities or Commodities Laws, state securities laws or any rule or regulation thereunder, including, without limitation, any transaction in any Security or Commodity Interest in violation of the prohibition against trading while in possession of material, non-public information relating to such Security or Commodity Interest, will be considered a “Permitted Transaction.”
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The discussion of “Permitted Transactions” set forth below assumes that a Covered Person:
● | in the case of a particular account, or a particular Security or Commodity Interest, has, or is presumed to have, a Beneficial Interest in such account, Security or Commodity Interest; or |
● | would, in the case of a purchase or other acquisition of a particular Security or Commodity Interest, obtain a Beneficial Interest in such Security or Commodity Interest; or |
● | would, in the case of a sale or other disposition of a particular Security or Commodity Interest, cease to have a Beneficial Interest in such Security or Commodity Interest (in whole or in part). |
To the extent that none of these three fact patterns applies with respect to a particular account, Security or Commodity Interest, a Covered Person is not subject to the pre-clearance and reporting provisions described in Sections VII-IX of this Policy and Code with respect to such account, Security or Commodity Interest (but may, of course, be subject to the pre-clearance and reporting provisions described in Sections VII-IX of this Policy and Code with respect to other accounts, Securities or Commodity Interests).
Remember, however, that:
● | a Covered Person will be presumed to have a Beneficial Interest not only in accounts, Securities or Commodity Interests in which such Covered Person has a Beneficial Interest, but also in certain accounts, Securities and Commodity Interests in which one or more members of such Covered Person’s Immediate Family who share the same household with such Covered Person have a Beneficial Interest, even if such Covered Person does not directly have a Beneficial Interest in such accounts, Securities or Commodity Interests, as described in the definition of “Beneficial Interest;” and |
● | if a Covered Person has a Beneficial Interest in an account, Security or Commodity Interest, the fact that such account, Security or Commodity Interest is held in the name of or is managed or advised by one or more members of such Covered Person’s Immediate Family who do not share the same household with such Covered Person does not negate the fact that such Covered Person has a Beneficial Interest in such account, Security or Commodity Interest. |
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Accordingly, in determining whether an account or a transaction in a Security or a Commodity Interest (i) is a “Permitted Transaction” within the meaning of this Section VII, (ii) is subject to pre-clearance pursuant to Section VII.C and/or (iii) is required to be reported to GCMLP pursuant to Section IX of this Policy and Code, a Covered Person needs to examine:
● | accounts and transactions in which such Covered Person has the sole Beneficial Interest; |
● | accounts and transactions in which one or more members of such Covered Person’s Immediate Family who share the same household with such Covered Person have a Beneficial Interest; and |
● | accounts and transactions in which such Covered Person shares a Beneficial Interest with one or more other persons, even if such persons are not members of such Covered Person’s Immediate Family and do not share the same household with such Covered Person. |
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a member of a Covered Person’s Immediate Family who shares the same household with such Covered person is a “trading professional” employed by a financial services firm to manage or advise one or more bona fide proprietary trading accounts of such financial services firm and/or to manage or advise one or more bona fide customer accounts of such financial services firm, such member of such Covered Person’s Immediate Family (and such Covered Person) shall not be subject to the pre-clearance and reporting provisions of Sections VII, VIII and IX with respect to any such account or any transactions effected for any such account if:
● | such Covered Person provides to GCMLP written representations and warranties, in such form as may be prescribed from time to time by the CCO, to the effect that such Covered Person will not directly or indirectly discuss any potential or contemplated acquisition or disposition, or any actual acquisition or disposition, of any Security or Commodity Interest for any such account with such member of such Covered Person’s Immediate Family; and |
● | such member of such Covered Person’s Immediate Family provides to GCMLP written representations and warranties, in such form as may be prescribed from time to time by the CCO, to the effect that such member will not directly or indirectly discuss, with such Covered Person, any potential or contemplated acquisition or disposition, or any actual acquisition or disposition, of any Security or Commodity Interest for any such account. |
For the avoidance of doubt, this Section VII, and Sections VIII and IX, do not apply to transactions effected by members of GCMLP’s Portfolio Management Teams and implemented by members of GCMLP’s Investment Operations Team for the accounts of the GCM Public Markets Funds.
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B. | Permitted Transactions That Do Not Require Pre-Clearance from GCMLP |
The following are Permitted Transactions that do not require pre-clearance from GCMLP, but in many cases are subject to certain reporting obligations as set forth in Section IX below .
1. | Unrestricted Securities and Commodity Interests |
Purchases or other acquisitions, or sales or other dispositions, of Unrestricted Securities and Commodity Interests listed as such in Appendix I to this Policy and Code are Permitted Transactions that do not require pre-clearance from GCMLP. |
Note: if a Security OR COMMODITY INTEREST is not an Unrestricted Security OR COMMODITY INTEREST listed as such in Appendix I to this Policy and Code, a Covered Person may not purchase or otherwise acquire, or sell oR otherwise dispose of, such Security OR COMMODITY INTEREST unless such purchase or other acquisition, or sale or other disposition, is permitted under ANOTHER SUBSECTION OF THIS SUBSECTION B OR UNDER SECTION C OF THIS SECTION VII. |
2. | Opening, Adding Assets to and Withdrawing Assets from “Traditional” Investment Management/Advisory Accounts Managed or Advised by Investment Managers or Investment Advisers that are not Utilized or Contemplated to be Utilized by GCMLP or GCM CFIG |
Opening, adding assets to or withdrawing assets from any “ traditional ” investment management account or investment advisory account managed or advised by a third party investment manager or investment adviser are Permitted Transactions that do not require pre-clearance from GCMLP, as long as such investment manager or investment adviser: |
● | has not been selected by GCMLP or GCM CFIG, as the case may be, as the manager of or adviser to one or more Underlying Public Markets Funds or Underlying Private Markets Funds; and |
● | as of the relevant time, is not being evaluated by GCMLP or GCM CFIG, as the case may be, as a potential manager of or adviser to one or more Underlying Public Markets Funds or Underlying Private Markets Funds. |
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Note: The transactions permitted by this subSECTION 2 relate to opening, adding assets to or withdrawing assets from any investment management account or investment advisory account managed or advised by a third party investment manager or investment adviser. This subSECTION 2 Does not relate to transactions effected in such AN account. Transactions effected in such AN account must be effected in accordance with one of the other Permitted Transactions described in this Section VII, certain of which transactions may REQUIRE pre-clearance WITH GCMLP.
NOTE: A Covered Person must obtain pre-clearance prior to opening, adding assets to or withdrawing assets from a “ traditional ” investment management or advisory account that is managed or advised by an investment manageR OR INVESTMENT ADVISER that:
● | has been selected by GCMLP OR GCM CFIG, AS THE CASE MAY BE, as the manager of OR ADVISER TO one or more Underlying Public Markets Funds OR UNDERLYING PRIVATE MARKETS FUNDS; or |
● | as of the relevant time, is being evaluated by GCMLP OR GCM CFIG, AS THE CASE MAY BE, as a potential manager of OR ADVISER TO one or more Underlying Public Markets Funds OR UNDERLYING PRIVATE MARKETS FUNDS. |
3. | Transactions Effected in Professional Discretionary Accounts |
Except as set forth in the Note immediately below, purchases or other acquisitions, or sales or other dispositions, of Securities or Commodity Interests effected in a Professional Discretionary Account in which a Covered Person has, or is presumed to have, a Beneficial Interest are Permitted Transactions that do not require pre-clearance from GCMLP. |
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NOTE: A COVERED PERSON must pre-clear the purchase or other acquisition of any Security: (i) PURCHASED OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRED in a Private OFFERING or (ii) PURCHASED OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRED in THE Initial Public Offering OF SUCH SECURITY, notwithstanding that such purchase or other acquisition is effected in a Professional Discretionary Account, unless EITHER: (A) the Independent Investment Manager of such Professional Discretionary Account provides GCMLP WRITTEN representations and warranties, in such form as may be prescribed from time to time by the CCO, to the effect that: (i) such Independent Investment Manager will not consult with such Covered Person, or with any other person that has a Beneficial Interest in such account, prior to such Independent Investment Manager’s decisions to make and dispose of specific investments for such account and (ii) to the best of such Independent Investment Manager’s knowledge, such Covered Person otherwise has no direct or indirect influence or control over such account; or (B) the CCO concludes, based on such evidence and documentation as the CCO determines to be appropriate under the circumstances, that such Covered Person has no direct or indirect influence or control over such account.
4. | Transactions Effected in Multi-Party Accounts |
Except as set forth in the Note immediately below, purchases or other acquisitions, or sales or other dispositions, of Securities or Commodity Interests effected in a Multi-Party Account in which a Covered Person has, or is presumed to have, a Beneficial Interest are Permitted Transactions that do not require pre-clearance from GCMLP, but only if ALL of the following conditions (the “ Multi-Party Account Exemptive Conditions ”) are satisfied:
● | transactions in Securities and Commodity Interests (other than transactions in Unrestricted Securities or Commodity Interests) for such account are initiated solely by a person other than such Covered Person; |
● | such Covered Person has no direct or indirect influence or control over any transaction in such account to the extent such transaction involves a Security or Commodity Interest other than an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest; |
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● | such Covered Person has provided to GCMLP written representations and warranties, in such form as may be prescribed from time to time by the CCO, to the effect that such Covered Person will not discuss, with any other person, any potential or contemplated acquisition or disposition of any Security or Commodity Interest (other than an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest) for such account prior to such acquisition or disposition; and |
● | each other person that has a Beneficial Interest in such account, or that has authority to initiate transactions for such account, has provided to GCMLP written representations and warranties, in such form as may be prescribed from time to time by the CCO, to the effect that such person will not discuss, with such Covered Person, any potential or contemplated acquisition or disposition of any Security or Commodity Interest (other than an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest) for such account prior to such acquisition or disposition. |
NOTE: A Covered Person must pre-clear the purchase or other acquisition of any Security: (i) PURCHASED OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRED in a Private OFFERING or (ii) PURCHASED OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRED IN THE Initial Public Offering OF SUCH SECURITY, EVEN THOUGH SUCH PURCHASE OR OTHER ACQUISITION IS EFFECTED IN A MULTI-PARTY ACCOUNT AND THE MULTI-PARTY ACCOUNT EXEMPTIVE CONDITIONS ARE SATISFIED, Unless THE CCO concludes, based on such evidence and documentation as the CCO determines to be appropriate under the circumstances, that such Covered Person has no direct or indirect influence or control over such account.
5. | Acquisition of Securities or Commodity Interests by Way of Gift |
Any acquisition of any Security or Commodity by a Covered Person by way of a gift of such Security or Commodity Interest to such Covered Person is a Permitted Transaction that does not require pre-clearance from GCMLP, provided that neither such Covered Person nor any person acting on behalf of such Covered Person paid any other person any fee or other consideration for the purpose of inducing or causing such other person to make such gift.
6. | Disposition of Securities and Commodity Interests by Way of Gift |
Any disposition of any Security or Commodity Interest by a Covered Person by way of a gift from such Covered Person to another person is a Permitted Transaction that does not require pre-clearance from GCMLP, provided that such Covered Person does not receive any fee or other consideration from any person in connection with making such gift.
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C. | Permitted Transactions that Require Pre-Clearance from GCMLP |
The following types of Permitted Transactions require pre-clearance from GCMLP, and in many cases are subject to certain reporting obligations as set forth in Section IX below .
1. | Opening, Adding Assets to and Withdrawing Assets from “Traditional” Investment Management/Advisory Accounts Managed or Advised by Investment Managers or Investment Advisers that are Utilized or Contemplated to be Utilized by GCMLP or GCM CFIG |
Opening, adding assets to and withdrawing assets from a “ traditional ” investment management or advisory account that is managed or advised by an investment manager or investment adviser that:
● | has been selected by GCMLP or GCM CFIG, as the case may be, as the manager of or adviser to one or more Underlying Public Markets Funds or Underlying Private Markets Funds, or |
● | as of the relevant time, is being evaluated by GCMLP or GCM CFIG, as the case may be, as a potential manager of or adviser to one or more Underlying Public Markets Funds or Underlying Private Markets Funds, are Permitted Transactions, |
but each such transaction requires pre-clearance from GCMLP.
2. | Opening, Adding Assets to and Withdrawing Assets from “Alternative” Investment Management/Advisory Accounts |
Opening, adding assets to and withdrawing assets from an “ alternative ” investment management or advisory account, such as an account that holds hedge funds, funds of hedge funds, private equity funds, funds of private equity funds, venture capital funds, funds of venture capital funds, infrastructure funds, funds of infrastructure funds and/or other “ alternative ” investment vehicles are Permitted Transactions, but each such transaction requires pre-clearance from GCMLP (and ordinarily will be pre-cleared only if such account is managed or advised by GCMLP or GCM CFIG).
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3. | Securities Purchased or Otherwise Acquired in Private Offerings or Initial Public Offerings by Multi-Party Accounts (Where the Multi-Party Account Exemptive Conditions Are Satisfied) or Professional Discretionary Accounts |
Any purchase or other acquisition of a Security: (i) in a Private Offering or in the Initial Public Offering of such Security by a Multi-Party Account (but only if the Multi-Party Account Exemptive Conditions are satisfied) or (ii) in a Private Offering or in the Initial Public Offering of such Security by a Professional Discretionary Account, is a Permitted Transaction, but (except as set forth in the Notes immediately below) each such transaction requires pre-clearance from GCMLP. |
NOTE: NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, A COVERED PERSON IS NOT REQUIRED TO pre-clear the purchase or other acquisition BY A PROFESSIONAL DISCRETIONARY ACCOUNT of any Security PURCHASED OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRED BY SUCH PROFESSIONAL DISCRETIONARY ACCOUNT in a Private OFFERING OR IN THE INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING OF SUCH SECURITY IF EITHER: (A) the Independent Investment Manager of such Professional Discretionary Account provides GCMLP such WRITTEN representations and warranties, in such form as may be prescribed from time to time by the CCO, to the effect that: (i) such Independent Investment Manager will not consult with such Covered Person, or with any other person that has a Beneficial Interest in such account, prior to such Independent Investment Manager’s decisions to make and dispose of specific investments for such account and (ii) to the best of such Independent Investment Manager’s knowledge, such Covered Person otherwise has no direct or indirect influence or control over such account; or (B) the CCO concludes, based on such evidence and documentation as the CCO determines to be appropriate under the circumstances, that such Covered Person has no direct or indirect influence or control over such account.
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NOTE: NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, A COVERED PERSON IS NOT REQUIRED TO pre-clear the purchase or other acquisition BY A MULTI-PARTY ACCOUNT of any Security PURCHASED OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRED BY SUCH MULTI-PARTY ACCOUNT in a Private OFFERING OR IN THE INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING OF SUCH SECURITY IF the CCO Concludes, based on such evidence and documentation as the CCO determines to be appropriate under the circumstances, that such Covered Person has no direct or indirect influence or control over such account.
4. | Certain Securities Acquired in Private Offerings |
Subject to pre-clearance by the Trading Policy Compliance Committee, it is a Permitted Transaction to invest in a Security issued in a Private Offering by: |
● | a fund managed or advised by GCMLP; |
● | a fund managed or advised by GCM CFIG; |
● | other Securities issued in Private Offerings (ordinarily, however, the Trading Policy Compliance Committee will not authorize investments in “alternative” investment funds offered by way of Private Offerings unless such investment funds are managed or advised by GCMLP or GCM CFIG). |
5. | Sales or Other Dispositions of Securities and Commodity Interests |
The sale or other disposition of a Security or Commodity Interest in which a Covered Person acquired a Beneficial Interest either: (i) prior to November 1, 2010 (of, if later, the date on which such Covered Person becomes a Covered Person under this Policy and Code) or (ii) pursuant to a gift described in Section VII.B.5 above, is a Permitted Transaction, but each such transaction requires pre-clearance from GCMLP (provided, however, that pre-clearance from GCMLP is not required if such Security or Commodity Interest is an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest or such transaction is effected in a Professional Discretionary Account or a Multi-Party Account).
VIII. | Procedures for Obtaining Pre-Clearance |
A. | Submission of Appropriate Documentation |
In order for a Covered Person to obtain pre-clearance to open an account or engage in a transaction that requires pre-clearance pursuant to the provisions of Section VII.C, he or she must satisfy all of the following requirements:
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● | Submit to the Trading Policy Compliance Officer a duly completed and executed Trade/Account Pre-Clearance Form relating to the proposed account or transaction, as the case may. To submit this form electronically, log on to Compliance11 ( www.compliance11.com ) and enter your user name and password. Once you are logged on, look under the heading entitled “Quick Links” on your Compliance11 homepage, and click the link entitled “Create a pre-clearance”. You can then proceed to enter the information necessary to complete the form. When you are finished entering the information, click the “Submit” button to submit such information. To file by paper, see the document entitled “Trade – Account Pre-Clearance Form” in the “GCMLP Compliance Forms” sub-file of the Outlook “Legal” Public Folder, or at such other location as the CCO may from time to time determine. |
● | Provide the Trading Policy Compliance Officer with such documentation as the Trading Policy Compliance Officer may request in order to process the Trade/Account Pre-Clearance Form. |
● | Obtain the written authorization of the Trading Policy Compliance Officer (which may take the form of an e-mail from the Trading Policy Compliance Officer) to proceed with such account or transaction, as the case may be. |
The Trading Policy Compliance Officer will strive to notify a Covered Person within two (2) business days of such Officer’s receipt of a duly completed and executed Trade/Account Pre-Clearance Form whether such Covered Person’s account or transaction, as the case may be, has been authorized or disapproved (except that the Trading Policy Compliance Officer shall have up to five (5) business days to notify a Covered Person whether a contemplated account or transaction, as the case may be, that has been referred to the Trading Policy Compliance Committee, as described below, has been authorized or disapproved). Any disapproval shall be in writing.
B. | Referral of Certain Transactions to Trading Policy Compliance Committee |
The Trading Policy Compliance Officer shall not authorize a Covered Person to engage in any of the following transactions or activities without first submitting such transaction or activity to the Trading Policy Compliance Committee and receiving the authorization of the Trading Policy Compliance Committee to proceed with such transaction or activity:
● | a transaction or activity requiring pre-clearance pursuant to the provisions of Section VII.C.1, .2, .3 or .4; or |
● | any transaction involving a Security or Commodity Interest on the Public Markets Restricted List or the Private Markets Restricted List. 8 |
8 In accordance with the Restricted List Policies and Procedures of GCMLP and GCM CFIG:
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C. | Criteria For Authorizing or Disapproving Transactions; Duration of Pre-Clearance Approval |
The Trading Policy Compliance Officer or the Trading Policy Compliance Committee, as the case may be, may disapprove a Covered Person’s request to engage in a particular transaction or activity (or revoke approval of a previously approved transaction or activity) if he, she or it, as the case may be, determines that:
● | such Covered Person is delinquent in filing reports required to be filed by such Covered Person pursuant to this Policy and Code; |
● | such transaction or activity is a Prohibited Transaction or otherwise conflicts with the terms and conditions of this Policy and Code; |
● | such Covered Person may unfairly benefit from such transaction or activity at the expense of any GCM Public Markets Fund, GCM Private Markets Fund, GCMLP-Administered Fund or GCM CFIG-Administered Fund; |
● | such Covered Person may benefit from such transaction or activity as a result of information that is proprietary to GCMLP, GCM CFIG, any GCM Public Markets Fund, any GCM Private Markets Fund, any GCMLP-Administered Fund or any GCM CFIG-Administered Fund, even though no GCM Public Markets Fund, GCM Private Markets Fund, GCMLP-Administered Fund or GCM CFIG-Administered Fund suffers any detriment as a result of the transaction or activity; |
● | such transaction or activity involves, or appears to involve, a conflict between the interests of such Covered Person or GCMLP, on the one hand, and those of any GCM Public Markets Fund or GCMLP-Administered Fund, on the other hand; |
● | the CCO is responsible for overseeing the maintenance of, and from time to time designating the location of and persons authorized to have access to, the Public Markets Restricted List; and |
● | the Chief Compliance Officer of GCM CFIG is responsible for overseeing the maintenance of, and from time to time designating the location of and persons authorized to have access to, the Private Markets Restricted List. |
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● | such transaction or activity involves, or appears to involve, a conflict between the interests of such Covered Person or GCM CFIG, on the one hand, and those of any GCM Private Markets Fund or any GCM CFIG-Administered Fund, on the other hand; or |
● | such transaction or activity involves undue litigation, regulatory, enforcement or reputational risk to GCMLP, GCM CFIG or any of their affiliates. |
In applying the foregoing criteria, the Trading Policy Compliance Officer or the Trading Policy Compliance Committee, as the case may be, make take such facts and circumstances into account as he, she or it, as the case may be, determines to be appropriate.
Each Covered Person must remember that a disapproval of a transaction or activity could be costly to such Covered Person or a member of his or her family; therefore, each Covered Person should take great care to adhere to GCMLP’s trading restrictions and avoid expending time and effort in proposing transactions or activities that pose significant risk of being disapproved under one or more of the criteria set forth above.
Pre-authorization to engage in a particular transaction is valid only for the time period specified to the Covered Person by the Trading Policy Compliance Officer or the Trading Policy Compliance Committee, as the case may be, unless extended in the sole discretion of the Trading Policy Compliance Officer or the Trading Policy Compliance Committee, as the case may be.
D. | Appeals of Disapprovals |
A Covered Person may appeal any disapproval by written notice to the Trading Policy Compliance Committee within two (2) business days after receipt of notice of disapproval; such appeal shall be resolved promptly by GCMLP’s outside counsel.
E. | Confidentiality of Disapprovals |
If a proposed transaction or activity by a Covered Person is disapproved, such Covered Person may not communicate the reason for such disapproval to any other person without the prior authorization of the CCO or an ACO.
IX. | REPORTING REQUIREMENTS |
A. | Reports About Securities/Commodity Interests Holdings, Transactions and Accounts |
If you are a Covered Person, you must provide GCMLP certain written reports about your holdings in Securities and Commodity Interests, as well about transactions involving Securities or Commodity Interests, and accounts holding Securities and/or Commodity Interests, in which you have, or are presumed to have, a “Beneficial Interest.”
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As discussed earlier, if you are a Covered Person:
● | you will be presumed to have a Beneficial Interest not only in accounts or Securities (or Commodity Interests) in which such you have a Beneficial Interest, but also in certain accounts and Securities (or Commodity Interests) in which one or more members of your Immediate Family who share the same household with you have a Beneficial Interest, even if you do not directly have a Beneficial Interest in such accounts or Securities (or Commodity Interests), as described in the definition of “Beneficial Interest;” and |
● | if you have a Beneficial Interest in an account or Securities (or Commodity Interests), the fact that such account or Securities (or Commodity Interests) is held in the name of or is managed or advised by one or more members of your Immediate Family who do not share the same household with you does not negate the fact that you have a Beneficial Interest in such account or Securities (or Commodity Interests). |
Accordingly, if you are a Covered Person, you must, in determining whether a Securities/Commodity Interest holding, transaction or account is required to be reported to GCMLP pursuant to this Section IX, you need to examine:
● | holdings, accounts and transactions in which you have the sole Beneficial Interest; |
● | holdings, accounts and transactions in which one or more members of your Immediate Family who share the same household with you have a Beneficial Interest; and |
● | holdings, accounts and transactions in which you share a Beneficial Interest with one or more other persons. |
GCMLP is sensitive to privacy concerns, and will try not to disclose your reports to anyone unnecessarily.
Failure to file a timely, accurate and complete report is a serious breach of this Policy and Code, and in many cases will constitute a serious breach of SEC rules .
1. | Initial Holdings and Accounts Report |
Subject to the limited exceptions set forth in Section IX.B of this Policy and Code, you must, no later than ten (10) calendar days after you first become a Covered Person, submit the following to the Trading Policy Compliance Officer:
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● | A duly executed and completed Initial Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings. You must file this initial report by way of a paper filing. See the document entitled “Initial and Annual Holdings Report” in the “GCMLP Compliance Forms” sub-file of the Outlook “Legal” Public Folder, or at such other location as the CCO may from time to time determine. |
● | Unless waived by the Trading Policy Compliance Officer, an executed letter of direction (in such form as may be approved from time to time by the CCO; see the document entitled “Form – Letter of Direction for Brokers, Banks and Other Institutions” in the “GCMLP Compliance Forms” sub-folder in the Outlook “Legal” Public Folder (or at such other location as the CCO may from time to time determine) addressed to each broker, dealer, bank or other institution that you listed in Part II of your Initial Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings, instructing such broker, dealer, bank or other institution to provide to GCMLP duplicate account statements and confirmations of all transactions in all Reportable Securities or Commodity Interests in the accounts listed in Part II. |
Your Initial Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings must be current as of a date no earlier than the end of the calendar month preceding the calendar month during which you became a Covered Person.
2. | Quarterly Transaction and Accounts Reports |
a. | Transactions in Reportable Securities or Commodity Interests During Calendar Quarter |
Subject to the limited exceptions set forth in Section IX.B of this Policy and Code, if, during any calendar quarter, there was a purchase or other acquisition of a Reportable Security or Commodity Interest (including an acquisition of a Reportable Security or Commodity Interest through receipt of a gift thereof), as a result of which you obtained a Beneficial Interest in such Reportable Security or Commodity Interest, or a sale or other disposition of a Reportable Security or Commodity Interest (including a disposition of a Reportable Security or Commodity Interest by way of a gift) in which you had a Beneficial Interest immediately prior to such disposition 9 (including a gift made by you), you must, no later than thirty (30) calendar days after the close of such calendar quarter , submit to the Trading Policy Compliance Officer a duly executed and completed Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report. You will receive an e-mail reminder when you are required to complete a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report. To file electronically; log on to Compliance11 (www.compliance11.com) and enter your user name and password. Once you are logged on, look under the heading entitled “My Action Items” on your Compliance11 homepage and click the link entitled “You have [X] open items”. You can then proceed to enter the information necessary to complete your Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report. When you are finished entering the information, click the “Submit” button to submit such information. To file by paper, see the document entitled “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” in the “GCMLP Compliance Forms” sub-file of the Outlook “Legal” Public Folder, or at such other location as the CCO may from time to time determine.
9 Purchases of call options and sales (writing) of put options on Reportable Securities are considered acquisitions of such Securities for purposes of this Policy and Code. Similarly, purchases of put options and sales (writing) of call options on Reportable Securities are considered dispositions of such Securities for purposes of this Policy and Code.
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If you are required to file a report pursuant to this subsection (a) with respect to the last calendar quarter of a particular year, this does not excuse you from filing an annual report for the same year, as discussed below.
b. | Brokerage or Similar Accounts Opened During Calendar Quarter |
Subject to the limited exceptions set forth in Section IX.B of this Policy and Code, if during any calendar quarter, any brokerage or similar account is opened with a broker, dealer, bank or other institution and you have a Beneficial Interest in such account, you must, no later than thirty (30) calendar days after the close of such calendar quarter , submit both of the following to the Trading Policy Compliance Officer:
● | A duly executed and completed Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report. You will receive an e-mail reminder when you are required to complete a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report. To file electronically; log on to Compliance11 (www.compliance11.com) and enter your user name and password. Once you are logged on, look under the heading entitled “My Action Items” on your Compliance11 homepage and click the link entitled “You have [X] open items”. You can then proceed to enter the information necessary to complete your Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report. When you are finished entering the information, click the “Submit” button to submit such information. To file by paper, see the document entitled “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” in the “GCMLP Compliance Forms” sub-file of the Outlook “Legal” Public Folder, or at such other location as the CCO may from time to time determine. |
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● | Unless waived by the Trading Policy Compliance Officer, an executed letter of direction (in such form as may be approved from time to time by the CCO; see the document entitled “Form – Letter of Direction for Brokers, Banks and Other Institutions”) in the “GCMLP Compliance Forms” sub-folder in the Outlook “Legal” Public Folder, or at such other location as the CCO may from time to time determine) addressed to such broker, dealer, bank or other institution, instructing such broker, dealer, bank or other institution to provide duplicate account statements and confirmations of all transactions in all Reportable Securities or Commodity Interests in such account to GCMLP. |
If you are required to file a report pursuant to this subsection (b) with respect to the last calendar quarter of a particular year, this does not excuse you from filing an annual report for the same year, as discussed below.
If you are a registered representative of Grosvenor Securities LLC (“ GSLLC ”) and you wish to open an account with a broker-dealer firm that is a member of FINRA, you must, prior to opening such account, provide that broker-dealer firm with certain documentation, as described in GSLLC’s Compliance and Supervisory Policies and Procedures Manual.
3. | Annual Holdings and Accounts Reports |
Subject to the limited exceptions set forth in Section IX.B of this Policy and Code, you must, no later than February 14 of each year , submit to the Trading Policy Compliance Officer a duly executed and completed Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings. You will receive an e-mail reminder when you are required to complete your Annual Holdings and Accounts Report. To file electronically; log on to Compliance11 (www.compliance11.com) and enter your user name and password. Once you are logged on, look under the heading entitled “My Action Items” on your Compliance11 homepage and click the link entitled “You have [X] open items”. You can then proceed to enter the information necessary to complete your Annual Holdings and Accounts Report. When you are finished entering the information, click the “Submit” button to submit such information. To file by paper, see the document entitled “Initial and Annual Holdings Report” in the “GCMLP Compliance Forms” sub-file of the Outlook “Legal” Public Folder, or at such other location as the CCO may from time to time determine.
Your Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings must be current as of a date no earlier than December 31 of the calendar year preceding the date on which your file such Report.
B. | Exceptions to Reporting Requirements |
1. | Transactions and Holdings in Professional Discretionary Accounts |
A Covered Person is not required to file quarterly or annual reports describing transactions in , or the holdings of , Professional Discretionary Accounts if either:
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● | the Independent Investment Manager of such account provides GCMLP written representations and warranties (on a form supplied by GCMLP) to the effect that: |
> | such Independent Investment Manager will not consult with such Covered Person, or with any other person that has a Beneficial Interest in such account, prior to such Independent Investment Manager’s decisions to make and dispose of specific investments for such account; and |
> | to the best of such Independent Investment Manager’s knowledge, such Covered Person otherwise has no direct or indirect influence or control over such account; or |
● | the CCO otherwise concludes, based on such evidence and documentation as the CCO determines to be appropriate under the circumstances, that such Covered Person has no direct or indirect influence or control over such account. |
In the absence of compliance with the requirements of either of the two bullet points of the preceding paragraph, such Covered Person is required to file quarterly and annual reports describing transactions in , and the holdings of , Professional Discretionary Accounts.
In all events, such Covered Person is required to file quarterly and annual reports describing the accounts themselves.
2. | Multi-Party Accounts |
A Covered Person is not required to file quarterly and annual reports describing transactions in , and the holdings of , a Multi-Party Account if:
● | the Multi-Party Account Exemptive Conditions are met with respect to such Multi-Party Account; and |
● | the CCO (or his or her designee) communicates (either in person or by telephone) with each Beneficial Owner of such Multi-Party Account other than such Covered Person to confirm that each such Beneficial Owner understands the Multi-Party Account Exemptive Conditions; and |
● | each such Beneficial Owner affirmatively states to the CCO (or his or her designee), in person by telephone, that such Covered Person has no control or influence over such Multi-Party Account. |
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If the foregoing conditions are not satisfied, Covered Person is required to file quarterly and annual reports describing transactions in , and the holdings of , Multi-Party Accounts.
In all events (that is, regardless of whether the conditions described above are satisfied), such Covered Person is required to file quarterly and annual reports describing the accounts themselves.
3. | Transactions in and Accounts Holding Non-Reportable Securities |
A Covered Person is not required to describe, in any Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report, a transaction in a Security or a Commodity Interest that is not a Reportable Security or Commodity Interest. A Covered Person must, however, file a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report describing the account that holds such Security or Commodity Interest, for the calendar quarter during which such account was established.
A Covered Person is not required to describe, in any an Initial Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings or Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings, any Security or Commodity Interest is not a Reportable Security or Commodity Interest. A Covered Person must, however, report, on those forms, an account that hold any Securities or Commodity Interests, regardless of whether such Securities or Commodity Interest are Reportable Securities or Commodity Interests.
4. | Other Exemptions |
A Covered Person is not required to file reports to the extent Appendix I to this Policy and Code expressly provides that you are not required to file such reports.
C. | Review of Reports and Other Documents |
The Trading Policy Compliance Officer will review, through such means as the Trading Policy Compliance Officer and the CCO shall determine from time to time, each report submitted by a Covered Person, and each account statement or confirmation from institutions that maintain accounts for such Covered Person. To ensure adequate scrutiny, GCMLP’s General Counsel or the CCO will review each report submitted by the Trading Policy Compliance Officer, and each account statement or confirmation from institutions that maintain accounts for the Trading Policy Compliance Officer.
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X. | PROHIBITION AGAINST “INSIDER TRADING” |
A. | Background |
Insider trading – i.e. , trading a Security or Commodity Interest while in possession of material, nonpublic information relating to such Security or Commodity Interest (and/or the issuer thereof), or improperly communicating such information to others – may expose a person to stringent penalties. Criminal sanctions may include a fine of up to $5,000,000 and/or twenty years’ imprisonment. The SEC may recover the profits gained or losses avoided through insider trading in Securities, obtain a penalty of up to three times the illicit windfall, and/or issue an order permanently barring a person from the securities industry. The CFTC may also recover profits gained or losses avoided through insider trading in Commodity Interests and penalties of up to three times the illicit windfall. In addition, investors may sue seeking to recover damages for insider trading violations.
Regardless of whether a federal inquiry occurs, GCMLP views seriously any violation of the following Statement on Insider Trading (the “ Statement ”). Any such violation constitutes grounds for disciplinary sanctions, up to and including dismissal, and, where appropriate, referral to relevant government authorities and self-regulatory organizations.
The law of insider trading is complex; you legitimately may be uncertain about the application of the Statement in a particular circumstance. A timely placed question could forestall disciplinary action or complex legal problems. You should direct any questions relating to the Statement to the CCO.
B. | Statement on Insider Trading |
● | Except in the limited circumstances discussed in Section X.C.1 below, you may not communicate MNPI relating to a Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument and/or the issuer thereof to others, whether inside or outside the GCM Grosvenor Organization. |
● | Except in the limited circumstances discussed in Section X.C.3 below, you may not purchase or sell, or cause or recommend the purchase or sale of, a Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument (regardless of whether or not it is necessary to pre-clear or report such transaction), either for your own account, for the account of any GCM Public Markets Fund, or for the account of any other person, while in possession of material, nonpublic information relating to that Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument and/or the issuer thereof (“ MNPI ”). |
In the case of a Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument that is a “derivative” financial instrument ( e.g. , a swap) whose price or value is materially linked to or determined by the price or value of an underlying Security, Commodity Interest or financial instrument, you will be deemed to be in possession of MNPI relating to such “derivative” financial instrument if you are in possession of MNPI relating to:
● | the issuer of such “derivative” financial instrument; and/or |
● | such underlying Security, Commodity Interest or financial instrument and/or the issuer thereof. |
This Statement has been drafted, and will be applied and interpreted, broadly. This Statement applies to trading and information handling by you (including members of your Immediate Family who share the same household with you) involving Securities, Commodity Interests or other financial instruments.
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1. | What Is “Material” Information? |
Information is “material” when there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonable investor would consider it important in making an investment decision with respect to the Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument in question.
Put somewhat differently, material information is information the disclosure of which is likely to have an effect on the price of the Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument in question.
No simple “bright line” test exists to determine when information is material; assessments of materiality involve highly fact-specific inquiries.
However, a simple “rule of thumb” is this: if you hold information that makes you want to trade a Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument, you should consider such information to be material.
Material information often relates to a company’s results and operations, including, for example:
● | dividend changes; |
● | earnings results; |
● | changes in previously released earnings estimates; |
● | significant merger or acquisition proposals or agreements involving the company; |
● | a tender or repurchase offer by such company for its own securities; |
● | a tender offer by such company for the securities of another company; |
● | a tender offer by another company for the securities of such company; |
● | a transaction in which such company “goes private;” |
● | major litigation; |
● | liquidation problems; and |
● | extraordinary management developments. |
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Tender offers represent a particular concern in the law of insider trading, for two reasons. First, tender offer activity often produces extraordinary movement in the price of the target company’s Securities. Second, the SEC has adopted a rule expressly forbidding trading and “tipping” while in possession of MNPI regarding a tender offer received from the tender offeror, the target company or anyone acting on behalf of either.
In some contexts, information about a significant order to purchase or sell Securities, Commodity Interests or other financial instruments may be deemed material; similarly, prepublication information contained in reports contemplated to be published in the financial press or in research reports contemplated to be made public may be deemed material.
Finally, in some contexts, the fact that a particular investor has transacted or intends to transact in a particular Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument may be deemed to be material.
2. | What Is “Nonpublic” Information? |
Information is “nonpublic” unless and until it has been disseminated broadly to investors in the marketplace. Tangible evidence of such dissemination is the best indication that the information is public. For example, information is public after it has become available to the general public through a public filing with the SEC or some other government agency, the Dow Jones “tape” or The Wall Street Journal or some other general circulation publication, and after sufficient time has passed so that the information has been disseminated widely.
3. | How Does GCMLP Come Into Possession of Material, Nonpublic Information? |
There are a number of circumstances in which GCMLP may come into possession of information that may be both material and nonpublic. The following scenarios are examples of such circumstances (but do not constitute an exhaustive list of such circumstances):
● | when GCMLP causes one or more GCM Public Markets Funds to make an investment in the Securities of an operating company and obtains nonpublic information about such operating company and/or its securities in its capacity as an investor in such securities; |
● | when one or more GCM Public Markets Funds invest with an Investment Manager and such Investment Manager discloses its intention to cause one or more Underlying Public Markets Funds managed or advised by such Investment Manager to make a significant investment in or divestment from an underlying portfolio company; |
● | when an “activist” Investment Manager discloses material nonpublic information about its plans for a publicly-traded company; |
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● | when an Investment Manager discloses syndicate information about an issuer whose bank loans are owned by Underlying Public Markets Funds managed by such Investment Manager; |
● | when an Underlying Public Markets Fund holds a significant portion of a company’s syndicated loans and the Investment Manager has decided to oppose the company’s request for an amendment to the credit agreement; |
● | when an Investment Manager discloses material nonpublic information acquired in connection with its involvement with a creditors or bondholders committee; |
● | when GCMLP obtains material nonpublic information about an Investment Manager that is publicly-traded or whose parent company is publicly-traded; or |
● | when one or more GCM CFIG employees provide MNPI relating to a particular security, commodity interest or other financial instrument and/or the issuer thereof with, and/or grant access to such MNPI to, one or more GCMLP employees pursuant to the Wall Crossing Policies and Procedures of GCMLP and GCM CFIG. |
C. | Procedures To Implement Statement |
1. | Restrictions on Disclosure of Nonpublic Information |
You may not disclose nonpublic information about a particular Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument and/or the issuer thereof to any person inside or outside the GCM Grosvenor Organization, except: (i) to the extent otherwise required by law and (ii) as follows:
● | You must notify the CCO immediately : |
> | if a person or entity provides nonpublic information to you regarding a particular Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument and/or the issuer thereof, and expressly states that the information being provided is MNPI ( e.g. , notwithstanding instructions to the contrary, the Investment Manager of an Underlying Public Markets Fund expressly provides MNPI to you); |
> | if you, after examining and evaluating particular nonpublic information about a particular Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument and/or the issuer thereof, believe or have reason to believe that such nonpublic information constitutes MNPI with respect to such Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument and/or the issuer thereof ( i.e. , “conscious awareness” of MNPI); |
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> | if you know or have reason to believe that any other person employed by or otherwise associated with one or more entities within the GCM Grosvenor Organization, after examining and evaluating particular nonpublic information about a particular Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument and/or the issuer thereof, believes or has reason to believe that such nonpublic information constitutes MNPI with respect to such Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument and/or the issuer thereof; |
> | if you know or have reason to believe that you have, or someone else employed by or otherwise associated with one or more of entities within the GCM Grosvenor Organization has, obtained any material update to MNPI described in the immediately three preceding bullet points; or |
> | if you obtain nonpublic information regarding a tender offer. |
● | You may disclose nonpublic information about a particular Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument and/or the issuer thereof (including MNPI) to any person inside or outside the GCM Grosvenor Organization, if the CCO expressly authorizes you to do so. |
● | You may disclose nonpublic information (including MNPI) about a particular Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument and/or the issuer thereof to others persons employed by or otherwise associated with one or more entities within the GCM Grosvenor Organization, as long as you reasonably believe that such persons have a legitimate business need to know such information, provided that: |
> | if you, after examining and evaluating such nonpublic information, believe or have reason to believe that such nonpublic information constitutes MNPI with respect to such Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument and/or the issuer thereof, you either reasonably believe that the recipient of such information is aware of that fact, or you expressly inform such recipient of such fact; |
> | in cases where the nonpublic information in question is Public Markets Position-Level Information or Private Markets Position-Level Information (regardless of whether such information is MNPI), such disclosure is consistent with the policies and procedures contained in the following compliance policies and procedures ( which, in certain cases, may prohibit you from disclosing such information to certain other GCMLP and/or GCM CFIG employees ) : |
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-- | the Business Development Team Disclosure Policy; |
-- | the Information Barrier Policy; |
-- | the Restricted List Policy; and/or |
-- | the Wall Crossing Policy; and |
> | such disclosure is consistent with the terms of any applicable confidentiality agreement or undertaking to which GCMLP and/or GCM CFIG is subject. |
● | You may disclose nonpublic information about a particular Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument and/or the issuer thereof (including MNPI) to a Client, provided that: |
> | you are authorized to communicate with such Client pursuant to Section 4.3 of GCMLP’s General Compliance Policies and Procedures; 10 |
> | you have a legitimate business need to provide such information to such Client ( e.g. , the Client directly or indirectly holds such Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument in its portfolio); |
> | such disclosure is consistent with: |
-- | the purposes for which the information was provided to or created by GCMLP or GCM CFIG, as the case may be; and |
-- | the terms of any applicable confidentiality agreement or undertaking to which GCMLP and/or GCM CFIG is subject; and |
> | if such information includes MNPI or if there is any possibility that such information includes MNPI: 11 |
10 See note 1.
11 You may make such a determination by consulting the Public Markets Restricted List ( I:\Public Mkts Restricted ) or the Private Markets Restricted List ( L:\Compliance\Private Mkts Restricted ). If you do not have access to either or both of these lists, you must consult with a Compliance Officer.
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-- | you must inform the Client that the information you contemplate providing to the Client in response to its request includes or may include MNPI; and |
-- | you may provide such information to the Client only if the Client expressly indicates that it wishes to receive such information, notwithstanding that it includes or may include MNPI; and |
-- | if you provide such information to the Client after the Client has expressly indicated that it wishes to receive such information notwithstanding that it includes or may include MNPI, then: |
▪ | If you provide such information to the Client in writing , you comply with Condition A or Condition B below: |
Condition A |
Such information must be accompanied by the following legend (or another legend expressly authorized by a Compliance Officer), which legend (the “ Anti-Insider Trading Legend ”) must appear prominently in the communication pursuant to which such information is provided to such Client: |
In accepting the Confidential Information, the Receiving Party (i) acknowledges that it may receive material nonpublic information relating to particular securities or other financial instruments and/or the issuers thereof; (ii) acknowledges that it is aware that applicable securities laws prohibit any person who has received material, nonpublic information regarding particular securities and/or an the issuer thereof from (a) purchasing or selling such securities or other securities of such issuer or (b) communicating such information to any other person under circumstances in which it is reasonably foreseeable that such person is likely to purchase or sell such securities or other securities of such issuer; and (iii) agrees to comply in all material respects with such securities laws. The Receiving Party also agrees that certain Confidential Information may have specific restrictions attached to it (e.g. standstill, non-circumvent or non-solicitation restrictions) and agrees to abide by any such restrictions of which it is informed.
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Condition B |
You must confirm with GCMLP’s Legal/Compliance Department that such Client has agreed in writing with GCMLP and/or GCM CFIG that all information provided to such Client by GCMLP and/or GCM CFIG is subject to the considerations set forth in the Anti-Insider Trading Legend. |
▪ | If you provide such information to the Client orally , you comply with Condition A or Condition B below |
Condition A |
You must take all of the following actions to comply with Condition A: |
● | You must inform the Client of the substance of the Anti-Insider Trading Legend. |
● | You must inform the Client that the Client’s agreement to the substance of the Anti-Insider Trading Legend is a condition to your providing the information in question to the Client. |
● | You must obtain the Client’s affirmative oral agreement to the substance of the Anti-Insider Trading Legend. |
● | Promptly following the end of your oral conversation with the Client, you must send the following confirmatory e-mail to the Client (and you must ccc or bcc compliance@gcmlp.com on such e-mail): |
Further to our recent telephone conversation, this is to confirm that we provided you information relating to [INSERT BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THE CONVERSATION] (the “ Information ”) based on: (i) your acknowledgement that the Information contains or may contain material nonpublic information relating to particular securities or other financial instruments and/or the issuers thereof; (ii) your acknowledgement that you are aware that applicable securities laws prohibit any person who has received material, nonpublic information regarding particular securities and/or an the issuer thereof from (a) purchasing or selling such securities or other securities of such issuer or (b) communicating such information to any other person under circumstances in which it is reasonably foreseeable that such person is likely to purchase or sell such securities or other securities of such issuer; (iii) your agreement to comply in all material respects with such securities laws; and (iv) you agreement to adhere to any other restrictions we communicated to you. |
61 |
We recommend that you notify your legal and/or compliance department about our recent telephone conversation and this e-mail communication.
Condition B |
You must confirm with GCMLP’s Legal/Compliance Department that such Client has agreed in writing with GCMLP and/or GCM CFIG that all information provided to such Client by GCMLP and/or GCM CFIG is subject to the considerations set forth in the Anti-Insider Trading Legend. |
2. | Notifying the CCO of Certain Other Matters |
● | You must notify a Compliance Officer before accepting a position on, or as an observer of: |
> | the board of directors or similar governing body of any company or fund (for the avoidance of doubt, a so-called “limited partners’ advisory committee” or similar committee that does not exercise any control or management function with respect to a company or fund is not considered a board of directors or similar governing body of such company or fund for purposes of the foregoing); or |
> | a formal or informal creditors or bondholders committee; |
● | You must notify a Compliance Officer immediately if: |
> | you know or have reason to believe that you have, or someone else has, obtained or disclosed nonpublic information in a manner not permitted by: |
-- | this Policy and Code or the Code of Ethics of GCM CFIG; |
-- | the Business Development Team Information Disclosure Policy; |
-- | the Information Barrier Policy; |
62 |
-- | the Wall Crossing Policy; |
-- | the document entitled “Protecting Investor Privacy and Protecting and Handling Confidential Information, Including Material Nonpublic Information,” of GCMLP and GSLLC; 12 or |
> | you learn of a prospective Direct Investment by any GCM Public Markets Fund, and the issuer of such Direct Investment (or its parent or any of its subsidiaries) has publicly-traded securities or securities traded pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act. |
● | You must notify a Compliance Officer immediately following the execution of a non-disclosure agreement, confidentiality agreement, standstill agreement or similar agreement, and provide a copy of such final executed agreement to such Compliance Officer. |
3. | Trading While in Possession of MNPI |
a. | Where Source of MNPI Is Outside the GCM Grosvenor Organization |
You may not purchase or sell, or cause or recommend the purchase or sale of, a Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument (regardless of whether or not it is necessary to pre-clear or report such transaction), either for your own account, for the account of GCMLP, for the account of any GCM Grosvenor Fund, or for the account of any other person, while in possession of MNPI relating to that Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument and/or the issuer thereof if such MNPI was obtained from a source outside the GCM Grosvenor Organization; provided, however, that:
● | if the MNPI was received by GCMLP from an issuer or Investment Manager in connection with an existing or prospective transaction or investment by any GCM Grosvenor Fund, receipt of such information shall not be construed to prohibit such GCM Grosvenor Fund from engaging in transactions directly with such issuer or directly with any Underlying Public Markets Fund managed or advised by such Investment Manager, as the case may be, including withdrawing/redeeming from any Underlying Public Markets Fund managed or advised by such Investment Manager, as long as neither the CCO nor the General Counsel has issued an order prohibiting such transactions; and |
12 See note 1.
63 |
● | the CCO may from time to time authorize additional exceptions to this general prohibition, either in the case of particular transactions or particular types or classes of transactions, such as for certain private transactions involving secondary market purchases or sales of Direct Investments. |
b. | Where Source of MNPI is GCM CFIG |
You may not purchase or sell, or cause or recommend the purchase or sale of, a Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument (regardless of whether or not it is necessary to pre-clear or report such transaction), either for your own account, for the account of GCMLP, for the account of any GCM Grosvenor Fund, or for the account of any other person, while in possession of MNPI relating to that Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument and/or the issuer thereof if such MNPI was obtained from GCM CFIG in accordance with the provisions of the Wall Crossing Policy; provided, however, that the CCO may from time to time authorize exceptions to this general prohibition, either in the case of particular transactions or particular types or classes of transactions.
c. | Where Source of MNPI is GCMLP |
You may not purchase or sell, or cause or recommend the purchase or sale of, a Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument (regardless of whether or not it is necessary to pre-clear or report such transaction), for your own account, or for the account of any person or entity other than a GCM Grosvenor Fund, while in possession of MNPI relating to that Security, Commodity Interest or other financial instrument and/or the issuer thereof if such MNPI was generated and/or developed internally by GCMLP; provided, however, that the CCO may from time to time authorize exceptions to this general prohibition, either in the case of particular transactions or particular types or classes of transactions.
4. | Protection of Nonpublic Information |
You must protect all nonpublic information in your possession or under your control in accordance with the policies and procedures set forth in the Confidential Information Policy, which is incorporated into this Policy and Code by reference.
5. | Secondary Market Transactions |
You may not cause GCMLP or any GCM Grosvenor Fund to purchase or sell, or recommend to any Client that it purchase or sell, an interest in an Underlying Public Markets Fund, Direct Investment or any other security or financial instrument in a secondary market transaction, without the prior authorization of the CCO or the Vice Chairman.
64 |
XI. | CERTIFICATIONS OF COVERED PERSONS |
If you are a Covered Person, you are required to provide GCMLP:
● | an initial certification in which you acknowledge your receipt and understanding of this Policy and Code (in such form as may be approved from time to time by the CCO); |
● | a certification in which you acknowledge your receipt and understanding of each amendment to this Policy and Code (in such form as may be approved from time to time by the CCO); and |
● | an annual certification with respect to your compliance with the provisions of this Policy and Code (in such form as may be approved from time to time by the CCO). |
XII. | REPORTS TO GCMLP MANAGEMENT AND DIRECTORS/TRUSTEES OF REGISTERED INVESTMENT COMPANIES |
A. | Reports of Significant Remedial Action |
GCMLP’s CCO or his delegate will on a timely basis inform the management of GCMLP, as well as the board of directors, board or trustees or similar governing body of each RIC that is managed/advised by GCMLP, of each significant remedial action taken in response to a violation of this Policy and Code.
A significant remedial action means any action that has a significant financial effect on the violator, such as disgorgement of profits, imposition of a significant fine, demotion, suspension, termination or referral to civil or governmental authorities for possible civil or criminal prosecution.
B. | Annual Reports |
No less frequently than annually, the CCO or his or her delegate will report to the management of GCMLP, and to the board of directors, board of trustees or similar governing body of each RIC that is managed/advised by GCMLP, with regard to efforts to ensure compliance by Covered Persons with their fiduciary obligations to the GCM Public Markets Funds. The annual report will, at a minimum:
● | describe any issues arising under this Policy and Code since the last annual report, including, but not limited to, information about material violations of this Policy and Code, sanctions imposed in response to such violations and whether any material waivers from this Policy and Code were granted since the last annual report; and |
● | certify that GCMLP has adopted procedures reasonably necessary to prevent all Covered Persons from violating this Policy and Code. |
65 |
XIII. | CREATION AND RETENTION OF RECORDS |
The Trading Policy Compliance Officer is required to oversee GCMLP’s creation and retention of certain books and records relating to this Policy and Code, as described in GCMLP’s Document Creation, Security, Retention and Destruction Policies and Procedures.
XIV. | AUTOMATION OF SYSTEMS |
GCMLP may from time to time implement changes in its automated trade pre-clearance and reporting system and, in connection therewith, make certain changes to any or all of the forms used in connection with this Policy and Code.
If a Covered Person clears a transaction through GCMLP’s automated system but the transaction is not executed within the time period specified in the approval generated through such system, the Covered Person must once again apply for clearance of the transaction if he or she wishes to proceed with the transaction.
XV. | Waivers AND INTERPRETATIONS |
The CCO may (and may authorize the Trading Policy Compliance Officer to):
● | waive any or all of the requirements of this Policy and Code, either with respect to particular classes of transactions or with respect to particular cases, on such terms and/or subject to such conditions (if any) as the CCO determines to be appropriate under the circumstances, provided that such waiver is consistent with applicable law; and |
● | issue such general or specific interpretations of this Policy and Code as he or she may from time to time determine to be appropriate under the circumstances. Such general or specific interpretations may relate to facts or circumstances not expressly addressed in this Policy and Code. |
66 |
APPENDIX I
Type of Financial Instrument |
Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest?
Note: if a Security or Commodity Interest is not an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest, transactions in such Security or Commodity Interest are permissible only if such transactions are effected in accordance with the provisions of Section VII.B.3, .4., .5 or .6, or Section VII.C.3, .4 or .5, of this Policy and Code.
|
Pre-Clearance Required?
If yes, the transaction must be pre-cleared by way of filing and obtaining approval of a “Trade/ Account Pre-Clearance Form” in accordance with Section VIII.
|
“Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” Required To Be Filed with Respect to Purchase or other Acquisition, or Sale or Other Disposition, of such Security or Commodity Interest?
|
Reportable Security or Commodity Interest?
If yes, such Security or Commodity Interest must be reported on “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/ Commodity Interests Holdings” filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
Must the Account That Holds the Security or Commodity Interest Be Reported?
If yes, such account must be reported on both (i) “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings” and (ii) “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report”(if not previously reported on a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report), in each case filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
|
share of a Mutual Fund
Note: The definition of Mutual Fund does not include:
● so-called “exchange-traded open-end mutual funds” (commonly known as “ETFs”) (which are addressed below); or
● closed-end investment companies (which are addressed below).
|
Yes.
However, if a Covered Person knows or has reason to believe that the Mutual Fund is managed or advised by an Investment Manager (see the definition of Investment Manager in Section I of the Policy and Code), such Covered Person may not acquire such shares without the prior authorization of the Trading Policy Compliance Committee.
|
No. |
No. |
No.
|
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
1 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
Type of Financial Instrument |
Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest?
Note: if a Security or Commodity Interest is not an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest, transactions in such Security or Commodity Interest are permissible only if such transactions are effected in accordance with the provisions of Section VII.B.3, .4., .5 or .6, or Section VII.C.3, .4 or .5, of this Policy and Code.
|
Pre-Clearance Required?
If yes, the transaction must be pre-cleared by way of filing and obtaining approval of a “Trade/ Account Pre-Clearance Form” in accordance with Section VIII.
|
“Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” Required To Be Filed with Respect to Purchase or other Acquisition, or Sale or Other Disposition, of such Security or Commodity Interest?
|
Reportable Security or Commodity Interest?
If yes, such Security or Commodity Interest must be reported on “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/ Commodity Interests Holdings” filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
Must the Account That Holds the Security or Commodity Interest Be Reported?
If yes, such account must be reported on both (i) “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/ Commodity Interest Holdings” and (ii) “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report”(if not previously reported on a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report), in each case filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
|
bank certificate of deposit
|
Yes. |
No. |
No.
|
No. |
If certificates of deposit are held in a brokerage account, such brokerage account must be reported in accordance with Section IX (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). If certificates of deposit are held are in a bank account, such bank account does not need to be reported (unless such bank account otherwise holds Securities or Commodity Interests).
|
2 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
Type of Financial Instrument |
Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest?
Note: if a Security or Commodity Interest is not an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest, transactions in such Security or Commodity Interest are permissible only if such transactions are effected in accordance with the provisions of Section VII.B.3, .4., .5 or .6, or Section VII.C.3, .4 or .5, of this Policy and Code.
|
Pre-Clearance Required?
If yes, the transaction must be pre-cleared by way of filing and obtaining approval of a “Trade/ Account Pre-Clearance Form” in accordance with Section VIII.
|
“Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” Required To Be Filed with Respect to Purchase or other Acquisition, or Sale or Other Disposition, of such Security or Commodity Interest?
|
Reportable Security or Commodity Interest?
If yes, such Security or Commodity Interest must be reported on “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/ Commodity Interests Holdings” filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
Must the Account That Holds the Security or Commodity Interest Be Reported?
If yes, such account must be reported on both (i) “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings” and (ii) “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report”(if not previously reported on a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report), in each case filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
|
Permissible Index or Permissible ETF
|
Yes.
BUT ONLY IF THE PERMISSIBLE INDEX OR ETF IS PURCHASED/ SOLD THROUGH A BROKER THAT PROVIDES AN “ELECTRONIC FEED” TO GCMLP.
FURTHER, SHORT TERM TRADING (PURCHASING AND SELLING SUCH A PERMISSIBLE INDEX OR ETF WITHIN A SIXTY DAY PERIOD) IS PROHIBITED.
|
Yes, unless the Permissible Index or Permissible ETF is included in the list of “Permissible Indices and Permissible ETFs”
|
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I).
|
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
3 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
4 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
Type of Financial Instrument |
Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest?
Note: if a Security or Commodity Interest is not an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest, transactions in such Security or Commodity Interest are permissible only if such transactions are effected in accordance with the provisions of Section VII.B.3, .4., .5 or .6, or Section VII.C.3, .4 or .5, of this Policy and Code.
|
Pre-Clearance Required?
If yes, the transaction must be pre-cleared by way of filing and obtaining approval of a “Trade/ Account Pre-Clearance Form” in accordance with Section VIII.
|
“Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” Required To Be Filed with Respect to Purchase or other Acquisition, or Sale or Other Disposition, of such Security or Commodity Interest?
|
Reportable Security or Commodity Interest?
If yes, such Security or Commodity Interest must be reported on “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/ Commodity Interests Holdings” filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
Must the Account That Holds the Security or Commodity Interest Be Reported?
If yes, such account must be reported on both (i) “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings” and (ii) “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report”(if not previously reported on a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report), in each case filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
|
Index or ETF, whose components exist exclusively of Commodity Interests and/or foreign currencies (as opposed to Securities), that does not qualify as a Permissible Index or Permissible ETF
|
Yes.
BUT ONLY IF THE INDEX OR ETF IS PURCHASED/ SOLD THROUGH A BROKER THAT PROVIDES AN “ELECTRONIC FEED” TO GCMLP.
FURTHER, SHORT TERM TRADING (PURCHASING AND SELLING SUCH AN INDEX OR ETF WITHIN A SIXTY DAY PERIOD) IS PROHIBITED.
|
No. |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I).
|
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
5 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
Type of Financial Instrument |
Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest?
Note: if a Security or Commodity Interest is not an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest, transactions in such Security or Commodity Interest are permissible only if such transactions are effected in accordance with the provisions of Section VII.B.3, .4., .5 or .6, or Section VII.C.3, .4 or .5, of this Policy and Code.
|
Pre-Clearance Required?
If yes, the transaction must be pre-cleared by way of filing and obtaining approval of a “Trade/ Account Pre-Clearance Form” in accordance with Section VIII.
|
“Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” Required To Be Filed with Respect to Purchase or other Acquisition, or Sale or Other Disposition, of such Security or Commodity Interest?
|
Reportable Security or Commodity Interest?
If yes, such Security or Commodity Interest must be reported on “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/ Commodity Interests Holdings” filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
Must the Account That Holds the Security or Commodity Interest Be Reported?
If yes, such account must be reported on both (i) “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings” and (ii) “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report”(if not previously reported on a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report), in each case filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
|
share of an SEC-registered “closed-end” management investment company (other than shares of so-called “auction rate” preferred stock issued by SEC-registered “closed-end” management investment companies)
|
No. |
Transactions in these Securities permitted only pursuant to Sections VII.B.3, VII.B.4, VII.B.5, VII.B.6, VII.C.3, VII.C.4 or VII.C.5.
Transactions permitted by Sections VII.C.3, VII.C.4 or VII.C.5 require pre-clearance.
|
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I).
|
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
6 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
Type of Financial Instrument |
Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest?
Note: if a Security or Commodity Interest is not an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest, transactions in such Security or Commodity Interest are permissible only if such transactions are effected in accordance with the provisions of Section VII.B.3, .4., .5 or .6, or Section VII.C.3, .4 or .5, of this Policy and Code.
|
Pre-Clearance Required?
If yes, the transaction must be pre-cleared by way of filing and obtaining approval of a “Trade/ Account Pre-Clearance Form” in accordance with Section VIII.
|
“Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” Required To Be Filed with Respect to Purchase or other Acquisition, or Sale or Other Disposition, of such Security or Commodity Interest?
|
Reportable Security or Commodity Interest?
If yes, such Security or Commodity Interest must be reported on “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/ Commodity Interests Holdings” filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
Must the Account That Holds the Security or Commodity Interest Be Reported?
If yes, such account must be reported on both (i) “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings” and (ii) “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report”(if not previously reported on a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report), in each case filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
|
share of so-called “auction rate” preferred stock issued by SEC-registered “closed-end” investment company or other short-term auction rate securities issued by a trust, corporation or business entity
|
Yes. |
No. |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I).
|
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I).
|
7 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
Type of Financial Instrument |
Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest?
Note: if a Security or Commodity Interest is not an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest, transactions in such Security or Commodity Interest are permissible only if such transactions are effected in accordance with the provisions of Section VII.B.3, .4., .5 or .6, or Section VII.C.3, .4 or .5, of this Policy and Code.
|
Pre-Clearance Required?
If yes, the transaction must be pre-cleared by way of filing and obtaining approval of a “Trade/ Account Pre-Clearance Form” in accordance with Section VIII.
|
“Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” Required To Be Filed with Respect to Purchase or other Acquisition, or Sale or Other Disposition, of such Security or Commodity Interest?
|
Reportable Security or Commodity Interest?
If yes, such Security or Commodity Interest must be reported on “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/ Commodity Interests Holdings” filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
Must the Account That Holds the Security or Commodity Interest Be Reported?
If yes, such account must be reported on both (i) “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings” and (ii) “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report”(if not previously reported on a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report), in each case filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
|
a direct obligation of the U.S. government ( e.g., a U.S. treasury security)
|
Yes. |
No. |
No. |
No.
|
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
|
an obligation guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. government
|
Yes. |
No. |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I).
|
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
8 |
APPENDIX I, cont .
Type of Financial Instrument |
Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest?
Note: if a Security or Commodity Interest is not an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest, transactions in such Security or Commodity Interest are permissible only if such transactions are effected in accordance with the provisions of Section VII.B.3, .4., .5 or .6, or Section VII.C.3, .4 or .5, of this Policy and Code.
|
Pre-Clearance Required?
If yes, the transaction must be pre-cleared by way of filing and obtaining approval of a “Trade/ Account Pre-Clearance Form” in accordance with Section VIII.
|
“Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” Required To Be Filed with Respect to Purchase or other Acquisition, or Sale or Other Disposition, of such Security or Commodity Interest?
|
Reportable Security or Commodity Interest?
If yes, such Security or Commodity Interest must be reported on “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/ Commodity Interests Holdings” filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
Must the Account That Holds the Security or Commodity Interest Be Reported?
If yes, such account must be reported on both (i) “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings” and (ii) “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report”(if not previously reported on a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report), in each case filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
|
a direct obligation of an agency of the U.S. government
|
Yes. |
No. |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I).
|
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
|
an obligation guaranteed as to principal or interest by an agency of the U.S. government
|
Yes. |
No. |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I).
|
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
9 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
Type of Financial Instrument |
Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest?
Note: if a Security or Commodity Interest is not an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest, transactions in such Security or Commodity Interest are permissible only if such transactions are effected in accordance with the provisions of Section VII.B.3, .4., .5 or .6, or Section VII.C.3, .4 or .5, of this Policy and Code.
|
Pre-Clearance Required?
If yes, the transaction must be pre-cleared by way of filing and obtaining approval of a “Trade/ Account Pre-Clearance Form” in accordance with Section VIII.
|
“Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” Required To Be Filed with Respect to Purchase or other Acquisition, or Sale or Other Disposition, of such Security or Commodity Interest?
|
Reportable Security or Commodity Interest?
If yes, such Security or Commodity Interest must be reported on “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/ Commodity Interests Holdings” filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
Must the Account That Holds the Security or Commodity Interest Be Reported?
If yes, such account must be reported on both (i) “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings” and (ii) “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report”(if not previously reported on a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report), in each case filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
|
a direct obligation of a state or municipality or agency thereof
|
Yes. |
No. |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
|
an obligation guaranteed as to principal or interest by a state or municipality or agency thereof
|
Yes. |
No. |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
10 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
Type of Financial Instrument |
Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest?
Note: if a Security or Commodity Interest is not an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest, transactions in such Security or Commodity Interest are permissible only if such transactions are effected in accordance with the provisions of Section VII.B.3, .4., .5 or .6, or Section VII.C.3, .4 or .5, of this Policy and Code.
|
Pre-Clearance Required?
If yes, the transaction must be pre-cleared by way of filing and obtaining approval of a “Trade/ Account Pre-Clearance Form” in accordance with Section VIII.
|
“Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” Required To Be Filed with Respect to Purchase or other Acquisition, or Sale or Other Disposition, of such Security or Commodity Interest? |
Reportable Security or Commodity Interest?
If yes, such Security or Commodity Interest must be reported on “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/ Commodity Interests Holdings” filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
Must the Account That Holds the Security or Commodity Interest Be Reported?
If yes, such account must be reported on both (i) “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings” and (ii) “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report”(if not previously reported on a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report), in each case filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
|
commercial paper |
Yes. |
No. |
No. |
No. |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
|
High Quality Short-Term Debt Instrument (see Section I – Definitions for the definition of the term “High Quality Short-Term Debt Instrument”)
|
Yes. |
No. |
No.
|
No. |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
11 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
12 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
Type of Financial Instrument |
Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest?
Note: if a Security or Commodity Interest is not an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest, transactions in such Security or Commodity Interest are permissible only if such transactions are effected in accordance with the provisions of Section VII.B.3, .4., .5 or .6, or Section VII.C.3, .4 or .5, of this Policy and Code.
|
Pre-Clearance Required?
If yes, the transaction must be pre-cleared by way of filing and obtaining approval of a “Trade/ Account Pre-Clearance Form” in accordance with Section VIII.
|
“Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” Required To Be Filed with Respect to Purchase or other Acquisition, or Sale or Other Disposition, of such Security or Commodity Interest? |
Reportable Security or Commodity Interest?
If yes, such Security or Commodity Interest must be reported on “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/ Commodity Interests Holdings” filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
Must the Account That Holds the Security or Commodity Interest Be Reported?
If yes, such account must be reported on both (i) “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings” and (ii) “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report”(if not previously reported on a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report), in each case filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
|
Security acquired in a Private Offering. See, however, Note 2 to this Appendix I. |
No. |
Yes (except as otherwise provided in Section VII.B.3 or Section VII.C.3, as the case may be). (If the security in a venture capital fund, private equity fund or other investment fund involves mandatory capital calls ( i.e. , calls that the holder of the security is legally obligated to make), it is necessary to pre-clear the acquisition of such security (as well as any disposition of such security) but not necessary to pre-clear capital contributions made pursuant to such mandatory capital calls.)
|
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
13 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
Type of Financial Instrument |
Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest?
Note: if a Security or Commodity Interest is not an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest, transactions in such Security or Commodity Interest are permissible only if such transactions are effected in accordance with the provisions of Section VII.B.3, .4., .5 or .6, or Section VII.C.3, .4 or .5, of this Policy and Code.
|
Pre-Clearance Required?
If yes, the transaction must be pre-cleared by way of filing and obtaining approval of a “Trade/ Account Pre-Clearance Form” in accordance with Section VIII.
|
“Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” Required To Be Filed with Respect to Purchase or other Acquisition, or Sale or Other Disposition, of such Security or Commodity Interest? |
Reportable Security or Commodity Interest?
If yes, such Security or Commodity Interest must be reported on “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/ Commodity Interests Holdings” filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
Must the Account That Holds the Security or Commodity Interest Be Reported?
If yes, such account must be reported on both (i) “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings” and (ii) “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report”(if not previously reported on a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report), in each case filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
|
shares of corporate common stock or preferred stock (other than: (i) shares issued in an Initial Public Offering and (ii) shares of so-called “auction rate” preferred stock issued by SEC-registered “closed-end” investment company or other short-term auction rate securities issued by a trust, corporation or business entity)
|
No. |
Transactions in these Securities permitted only pursuant to Sections VII.B.3, VII.B.4, VII.B.5, VII.B.6, VII.C.3, VII.C.4 or VII.C.5.
Transactions permitted by Section VII.C.3, VII.C.4 or VII.C.5 require pre-clearance.
|
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
14 |
APPENDIX I, cont .
15 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
16 |
APPENDIX I, cont .
Type of Financial Instrument |
Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest?
Note: if a Security or Commodity Interest is not an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest, transactions in such Security or Commodity Interest are permissible only if such transactions are effected in accordance with the provisions of Section VII.B.3, .4., .5 or .6, or Section VII.C.3, .4 or .5, of this Policy and Code.
|
Pre-Clearance Required?
If yes, the transaction must be pre-cleared by way of filing and obtaining approval of a “Trade/ Account Pre-Clearance Form” in accordance with Section VIII.
|
“Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” Required To Be Filed with Respect to Purchase or other Acquisition, or Sale or Other Disposition, of such Security or Commodity Interest? |
Reportable Security or Commodity Interest?
If yes, such Security or Commodity Interest must be reported on “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/ Commodity Interests Holdings” filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
Must the Account That Holds the Security or Commodity Interest Be Reported?
If yes, such account must be reported on both (i) “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings” and (ii) “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report”(if not previously reported on a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report), in each case filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
|
put or call option on a single stock, privately-negotiated or traded on a securities exchange
other Derivative Instrument whose performance is linked to the performance of a single stock |
No. |
Transactions in these instruments permitted only pursuant to Sections VII.B.3, VII.B.4, VII.B.5, VII.B.6 or VII.C.5.
Transactions permitted by Section VII.C.5 require pre-clearance.
|
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
17 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
Type of Financial Instrument |
Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest?
Note: if a Security or Commodity Interest is not an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest, transactions in such Security or Commodity Interest are permissible only if such transactions are effected in accordance with the provisions of Section VII.B.3, .4., .5 or .6, or Section VII.C.3, .4 or .5, of this Policy and Code.
|
Pre-Clearance Required?
If yes, the transaction must be pre-cleared by way of filing and obtaining approval of a “Trade/ Account Pre-Clearance Form” in accordance with Section VIII.
|
“Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” Required To Be Filed with Respect to Purchase or other Acquisition, or Sale or Other Disposition, of such Security or Commodity Interest? |
Reportable Security or Commodity Interest?
If yes, such Security or Commodity Interest must be reported on “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/ Commodity Interests Holdings” filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
Must the Account That Holds the Security or Commodity Interest Be Reported?
If yes, such account must be reported on both (i) “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings” and (ii) “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report”(if not previously reported on a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report), in each case filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
|
put or call option, privately-negotiated or traded on a securities exchange , on an index or ETF whose components exist exclusively of Commodity Interests and/or foreign currencies (as opposed to Securities) and that does not qualify as a Permissible Index or Permissible ETF
other Derivative Instrument whose performance is linked to the performance of an index or ETF whose components exist exclusively of Commodity Interests and/or foreign currencies (as opposed to Securities) and that does not qualify as a Permissible Index or Permissible ETF
|
Yes.
BUT ONLY IF THE OPTION OR INSTRUMENT IS PURCHASED/SOLD THROUGH A BROKER THAT PROVIDES AN “ELECTRONIC FEED” TO GCMLP.
FURTHER, SHORT TERM TRADING (PURCHASING AND SELLING SUCH AN OPTION OR INSTRUMENT WITHIN A SIXTY DAY PERIOD) IS PROHIBITED. |
No. |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
18 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
Type of Financial Instrument |
Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest?
Note: if a Security or Commodity Interest is not an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest, transactions in such Security or Commodity Interest are permissible only if such transactions are effected in accordance with the provisions of Section VII.B.3, .4., .5 or .6, or Section VII.C.3, .4 or .5, of this Policy and Code.
|
Pre-Clearance Required?
If yes, the transaction must be pre-cleared by way of filing and obtaining approval of a “Trade/ Account Pre-Clearance Form” in accordance with Section VIII.
|
“Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” Required To Be Filed with Respect to Purchase or other Acquisition, or Sale or Other Disposition, of such Security or Commodity Interest? |
Reportable Security or Commodity Interest?
If yes, such Security or Commodity Interest must be reported on “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/ Commodity Interests Holdings” filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
Must the Account That Holds the Security or Commodity Interest Be Reported?
If yes, such account must be reported on both (i) “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings” and (ii) “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report”(if not previously reported on a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report), in each case filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
|
put or call option, privately-negotiated or traded on a securities exchange , on an index or ETF whose components exist exclusively of Securities (as opposed to Commodity Interests and/or foreign currencies) and that does not qualify as a Permissible Index or Permissible ETF
other Derivative Instrument whose performance is linked to the performance of an index or ETF whose components exist exclusively of Securities (as opposed to Commodity Interests and/or foreign currencies) and that does not qualify as a Permissible Index or Permissible ETF |
No.
|
Transactions in these instruments permitted only pursuant to Sections VII.B.3, VII.B.4, VII.B.5, VII.B.6 or VII. VII.C.5.
Transactions permitted by Section VII.C.5 require pre-clearance.
|
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
19 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
20 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
21 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
22 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
Type of Financial Instrument |
Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest?
Note: if a Security or Commodity Interest is not an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest, transactions in such Security or Commodity Interest are permissible only if such transactions are effected in accordance with the provisions of Section VII.B.3, .4., .5 or .6, or Section VII.C.3, .4 or .5, of this Policy and Code.
|
Pre-Clearance Required?
If yes, the transaction must be pre-cleared by way of filing and obtaining approval of a “Trade/ Account Pre-Clearance Form” in accordance with Section VIII.
|
“Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” Required To Be Filed with Respect to Purchase or other Acquisition, or Sale or Other Disposition, of such Security or Commodity Interest? |
Reportable Security or Commodity Interest?
If yes, such Security or Commodity Interest must be reported on “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/ Commodity Interests Holdings” filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
Must the Account That Holds the Security or Commodity Interest Be Reported?
If yes, such account must be reported on both (i) “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings” and (ii) “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report”(if not previously reported on a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report), in each case filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
|
commodity future or commodity option contract on, or based on, an index or ETF that is a Permissible Index or a Permissible ETF
|
Yes.
BUT ONLY IF SUCH CONTRACT IS PURCHASED/SOLD THROUGH A BROKER THAT PROVIDES AN “ELECTRONIC FEED” TO GCMLP.
FURTHER, SHORT TERM TRADING (PURCHASING AND SELLING SUCH A CONTRACT WITHIN A SIXTY DAY PERIOD) IS PROHIBITED.
|
No. |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
23 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
Type of Financial Instrument |
Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest?
Note: if a Security or Commodity Interest is not an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest, transactions in such Security or Commodity Interest are permissible only if such transactions are effected in accordance with the provisions of Section VII.B.3, .4., .5 or .6, or Section VII.C.3, .4 or .5, of this Policy and Code.
|
Pre-Clearance Required?
If yes, the transaction must be pre-cleared by way of filing and obtaining approval of a “Trade/ Account Pre-Clearance Form” in accordance with Section VIII.
|
“Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” Required To Be Filed with Respect to Purchase or other Acquisition, or Sale or Other Disposition, of such Security or Commodity Interest? |
Reportable Security or Commodity Interest?
If yes, such Security or Commodity Interest must be reported on “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/ Commodity Interests Holdings” filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
Must the Account That Holds the Security or Commodity Interest Be Reported?
If yes, such account must be reported on both (i) “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings” and (ii) “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report”(if not previously reported on a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report), in each case filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
|
commodity future or commodity option contract on, or based on, an index or ETF whose components exist exclusively of Commodity Interests and/or foreign currencies (as opposed to Securities) and that does not qualify as a Permissible Index or Permissible ETF
|
Yes.
BUT ONLY IF THE CONTRACT IS PURCHASED/ SOLD THROUGH A BROKER THAT PROVIDES AN “ELECTRONIC FEED” TO GCMLP.
FURTHER, SHORT TERM TRADING (PURCHASING AND SELLING SUCH A CONTRACT WITHIN A SIXTY DAY PERIOD) IS PROHIBITED.
|
No.
|
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
24 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
25 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
Type of Financial Instrument |
Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest?
Note: if a Security or Commodity Interest is not an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest, transactions in such Security or Commodity Interest are permissible only if such transactions are effected in accordance with the provisions of Section VII.B.3, .4., .5 or .6, or Section VII.C.3, .4 or .5, of this Policy and Code.
|
Pre-Clearance Required?
If yes, the transaction must be pre-cleared by way of filing and obtaining approval of a “Trade/ Account Pre-Clearance Form” in accordance with Section VIII.
|
“Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” Required To Be Filed with Respect to Purchase or other Acquisition, or Sale or Other Disposition, of such Security or Commodity Interest? |
Reportable Security or Commodity Interest?
If yes, such Security or Commodity Interest must be reported on “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/ Commodity Interests Holdings” filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
Must the Account That Holds the Security or Commodity Interest Be Reported?
If yes, such account must be reported on both (i) “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings” and (ii) “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report”(if not previously reported on a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report), in each case filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
|
commodity future or commodity option contract on a non-U.S. currency, or any other contract relating to the purchase or sale of a non-U.S. currency
|
Yes.
BUT ONLY IF THE CONTRACT IS PURCHASED/ SOLD THROUGH A BROKER THAT PROVIDES AN “ELECTRONIC FEED” TO GCMLP.
FURTHER, SHORT TERM TRADING (PURCHASING AND SELLING SUCH A CONTRACT WITHIN A SIXTY DAY PERIOD) IS PROHIBITED.
|
No. |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
26 |
APPENDIX I , cont .
Type of Financial Instrument |
Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest?
Note: if a Security or Commodity Interest is not an Unrestricted Security or Commodity Interest, transactions in such Security or Commodity Interest are permissible only if such transactions are effected in accordance with the provisions of Section VII.B.3, .4., .5 or .6, or Section VII.C.3, .4 or .5, of this Policy and Code.
|
Pre-Clearance Required?
If yes, the transaction must be pre-cleared by way of filing and obtaining approval of a “Trade/ Account Pre-Clearance Form” in accordance with Section VIII.
|
“Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report” Required To Be Filed with Respect to Purchase or other Acquisition, or Sale or Other Disposition, of such Security or Commodity Interest? |
Reportable Security or Commodity Interest?
If yes, such Security or Commodity Interest must be reported on “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/ Commodity Interests Holdings” filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
Must the Account That Holds the Security or Commodity Interest Be Reported?
If yes, such account must be reported on both (i) “Initial and Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings” and (ii) “Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report”(if not previously reported on a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report), in each case filed in accordance with Section IX.
|
|
other commodity future or commodity option contract not described above
|
Yes.
BUT ONLY IF THE CONTRACT IS PURCHASED/ SOLD THROUGH A BROKER THAT PROVIDES AN “ELECTRONIC FEED” TO GCMLP.
FURTHER, SHORT TERM TRADING (PURCHASING AND SELLING SUCH A CONTRACT WITHIN A SIXTY DAY PERIOD) IS PROHIBITED.
|
No. |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
Yes (subject to the exceptions set forth in the Notes to this Appendix I). |
27 |
Notes to Appendix I
Note 1: | A Covered Person is not required to file quarterly or annual reports describing transactions in , or the holdings of , Professional Discretionary Accounts if either: (A) the Independent Investment Manager of such account provides GCMLP written representations and warranties (on a form supplied by GCMLP) to the effect that: (i) such Independent Investment Manager will not consult with such Covered Person, or with any other person that has a Beneficial Interest in such account, prior to such Independent Investment Manager’s decisions to make and dispose of specific investments for such account and (ii) to the best of such Independent Investment Manager’s knowledge, such Covered Person otherwise has no direct or indirect influence or control over such account; or (B) the CCO otherwise concludes, based on such evidence and documentation as the CCO determines to be appropriate under the circumstances, that such Covered Person has no direct or indirect influence or control over such account. (In the absence of compliance with the requirements of clause (A) or (B) above, such Covered Person is required to file quarterly and annual reports describing transactions in , and the holdings of , Professional Discretionary Accounts. In all events, such Covered Person is required to file quarterly and annual reports describing the accounts themselves.) |
Note 2: | A Covered Person is not required to file quarterly and annual reports describing transactions in , and the holdings of , a Multi-Party Account if: |
● | the Multi-Party Account Exemptive Conditions are met with respect to such Multi-Party Account; and |
● | the CCO (or his or her designee) communicates (either in person or by telephone) with each Beneficial Owner of such Multi-Party Account other than such Covered Person to confirm that each such Beneficial Owner understands the Multi-Party Account Exemptive Conditions; and |
● | each such Beneficial Owner affirmatively states to the CCO (or his or her designee), in person by telephone, that such Covered Person has no control or influence over such Multi-Party Account. |
If the foregoing conditions are not satisfied, Covered Person is required to file quarterly and annual reports describing transactions in , and the holdings of , Multi-Party Accounts.
In all events (that is, regardless of whether the conditions described above are satisfied), such Covered Person is required to file quarterly and annual reports describing the accounts themselves.
28 |
Note 3: | A Covered Person is not required to describe, in any Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report, a transaction in a Security or Commodity Interest that is not a Reportable Security or Commodity Interest. A Covered Person must, however, file a Quarterly Account Statement and Transaction Report describing the account that holds such Security or Commodity Interest, for the calendar quarter during which such account was established. |
A Covered Person is not required to describe, in any an Initial Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings or Annual Report of Securities/Commodity Interest Holdings, any Security or Commodity Interest that is not a Reportable Security or Commodity Interest. A Covered Person must, however, report, on those forms, an account that hold any Securities or Commodity Interests, regardless of whether such Securities or Commodity Interests are Reportable Securities or Commodity Interests. |
29 |
Exhibit (p)(37)
BASSWOOD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT L.L.C.
CODE OF ETHICS
A. | Introduction |
As evidence of the commitment of Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. (the “ Firm ”) to operating with integrity, the Firm has adopted this code of ethics (the “ Code of Ethics ”), which shall be reviewed and, if appropriate, amended from time to time. The purpose of this Code of Ethics is to identify the ethical and legal framework in which the Firm and its employees are required to operate, and to highlight some of the guiding principles and mechanisms for upholding the Firm’s standard of business conduct, as set forth below. Maintaining a spirit of openness, honesty and integrity are of paramount importance at the Firm. The Firm believes that its employees should feel comfortable expressing their opinions and should be vigilant about alerting senior management of anything they deem amiss with respect to the Firm’s business, operations or compliance.
All Firm employees are subject to the Code of Ethics. Certain temporary employees, consultants, independent contractors, and any other persons may also be subject to the Code of Ethics depending on their day-to-day functions within the Firm. The Chief Compliance Officer (“ CCO ”) will determine if or when a temporary employee, consultant, independent contractor or other person should be subject to the Code of Ethics. Employees and any other persons subject to the Code of Ethics will be required to acknowledge receipt of the Code of Ethics in writing.
The Firm intends to provide high quality investment advisory services to clients in a manner that is ethical, fair and equitable to all involved. The Firm’s advisory activities include: (i) providing investment advice to private investment funds (the “ Funds ”); (ii) providing investment advice to separately managed accounts (the “ Managed Accounts ”); and (iii) acting as a sub-adviser to investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “ 40 Act Funds ”).
The Firm is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“ SEC ”) as an investment adviser. This Code of Ethics is intended to satisfy the Firm’s obligations in connection with Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“ Advisers Act ”) and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“ 40 Act ”).
As used in this Code of Ethics:
1. | the term “ Fund ” means any (i) private investment fund (including, without limitation, hedge funds, private equity funds, funds of funds, any other private investment funds and similar entities) and Managed Account for which the Firm acts as investment adviser and/or general partner; and (ii) any 40 Act Fund for which the Firm acts as a sub-adviser; |
2. | the term “ client ” means the owner of a Managed Account and any Fund for which the Firm serves as investment adviser, sub-adviser and/or general partner; |
3. | the term “ Fund Investor ” means any investor or shareholder, as applicable, in any Fund; |
4. | the “ Principals ” of the Firm are Matthew Lindenbaum, Bennett Lindenbaum (the “ Portfolio Managers ”) and Marc Samit; and |
1 |
5. | the term “ employee ” means, unless the context requires otherwise, each Principal, partner, officer, director (or other person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), employee of the Firm, or other person who provides investment advice on behalf of the Firm and is subject to the supervision and control of the Firm or is otherwise determined to be subject to the Code of Ethics. |
B. | Standard of Business Conduct |
It is the responsibility of all employees to ensure that the Firm conducts its business with the highest level of ethical standards and in keeping with its fiduciary duties to the Firm’s clients. Employees have a duty to place the best interests of the Firm’s clients first and to refrain from having outside interests that conflict with such interests of the Firm’s clients. To this end, employees are required to maintain the following standards:
1. | comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations (“ Applicable Laws ”), including, but not limited to, federal securities laws; |
2. | comply with the Firm’s policies and procedures, as they are updated from time to time; |
3. | deal honestly and fairly with clients; |
4. | disclose to clients potential and actual conflicts of interest; |
5. | exercise diligence in making investment recommendations or taking investment actions, including but not limited to maintaining objectivity, considering the suitability of an investment for a particular client or portfolio and keeping appropriate records; |
6. | avoid engaging in any outside business activities that conflicts with the clients’ best interests; and |
7. | disclose immediately to the Firm’s management any matters that could create a conflict of interest, constitute a violation of any government or regulatory law, rule or regulation or constitute a violation of the Firm’s policies and procedures, including the Code of Ethics. |
C. | Fiduciary Capacity |
1. | Fiduciary Duty |
Section 206 of the Advisers Act prohibits the Firm from engaging in fraudulent, deceptive or manipulative conduct. The Firm is required to act with more than honesty and good faith alone. The Firm has an affirmative duty to act with loyalty, impartiality and prudence and in the best interests of its clients.
2. | Fiduciary Principles |
a. | Loyalty to clients . The Firm is obligated to put the best interests of the client ahead of the interests of the Firm and its employees; |
b. | Disinterested Advice . The Firm must provide advice that is in the client’s best interest and employees are obligated to have a reasonable, independent basis for the investment advice provided; |
2 |
c. | Suitability . The Firm has a duty to ensure that investment advice is suitable to meet the client’s individual objectives, needs and circumstances ( provided , that this requirement will not be applicable where: (i) the client has instructed the Firm to employ a particular investment strategy or to purchase or sell particular securities and other investments and the Firm has disclosed to the client that the Firm’s investment advice will be made pursuant to such instructions rather than in a manner specifically designed to meet the client’s individual objectives, needs and circumstances; or (ii) where the client is a Fund and disclosure has been made to prospective Fund Investors that the Fund’s assets will be invested/traded pursuant to the investment strategy described in the Fund’s governing documents); |
d. | Written Disclosures . The Firm must provide full and fair disclosure of all important facts and avoid misleading clients. The Firm’s (a) brochure (Form ADV Part 2A) and brochure supplements (Form ADV Part 2B) and (b) investment advisory agreements with its clients, must collectively include language detailing all material facts regarding the Firm, the advisory services rendered, compensation payable to the Firm and conflicts of interest; |
e. | Conflicts of Interest . The Firm and its employees have an obligation to try to avoid conflicts of interest and must disclose any known potential or actual conflicts of interest when dealing with clients; and |
f. | Confidentiality . Records and financial information pertaining to the Firm’s clients and Fund Investors must be treated with strict confidentiality. The Firm will not disclose such information about a client or Fund Investor except (a) as required by law, (b) on a “need to know basis” to persons providing services to the Firm ( e.g. , broker-dealers, accountants, attorneys, custodians and administrators), or (c) with the express prior written consent of the client. |
3. | Fraud |
Engaging in any fraudulent or deceitful conduct with clients or potential clients is strictly prohibited. Examples of fraudulent conduct include, but are not limited to: misrepresentation; nondisclosure of fees; and misappropriation of client funds.
D. | Prohibited Conduct |
Firm employees must avoid any circumstances that might adversely affect, or appear to affect, their duty of complete loyalty to the Firm’s clients. Neither the Firm nor any of its employees shall:
1. | employ any device, scheme or artifice to defraud, or engage in any act, practice, or course of conduct that operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon, any client or prospective client or any party to any securities transaction in which the Firm or any of its clients is a participant; |
2. | make any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state to any person a material fact necessary in order to make a statement of the Firm, in light of the circumstances under which it is made, materially complete and not misleading; |
3. | engage in any act, practice or course of business that is fraudulent, deceptive, or manipulative, particularly with respect to a client or prospective client; |
3 |
4. | engage in any manipulative practices; |
5. | cause the Firm, acting as principal for its own account or for any account in which the Firm or any person associated with the Firm has a beneficial interest, to sell any security to or purchase any security from a client in violation of any Applicable Law; |
6. | engage in any form of harassment; |
7. | unlawfully discuss trading practices, pricing, clients, research, strategies, processes or markets with competing firms or their personnel; and |
8. | make any unlawful agreement with vendors, existing or potential investment targets or other organizations. |
E. | Conflicts of Interests |
The Firm has a duty to act in the best interest of its clients and to fully disclose all material facts concerning any known potential and actual conflicts of interest that may arise with respect to any client. The Firm takes a conservative approach and stresses that individuals subject to the Code of Ethics have an obligation to avoid any activity or relationship that may reflect unfavorably on the Firm as a result of a possible conflict of interest or even the appearance of such a conflict or impropriety.
Employees may not use any confidential information or otherwise take inappropriate advantage of their positions for the purpose of furthering any private interest or as a means of making any personal gain. Additionally, other potential conflicts of interest are further addressed herein or in the Firm’s Compliance Manual.
If an employee is uncertain whether a potential or actual conflict exists in any particular situation, they should consult with the CCO immediately.
F. | Personal Trading Policy |
All employees shall comply with the procedures governing personal securities transactions set forth below.
1. | Introduction |
The following procedures are designed to not only ensure the Firm’s technical compliance with Rule 204A-1 and Rule 17j-1, but also to mitigate any potential material conflicts of interest associated with employees’ personal trading activities. Accordingly, the CCO will closely monitor employees’ trading to detect abusive investment patterns including, but not limited to, frequent and/or short-term trades, front-running client accounts and trading based on material non-public information.
Strict compliance with the Firm’s Personal Trading Policy is essential to the Firm and its reputation. This Personal Trading Policy, and the procedures described herein, are in addition to and separate from (i) the Policy to Detect and Prevent Insider Trading (set forth in the Firm’s Compliance Manual), and (ii) other laws, rules and regulations applicable to individual transactions by investment advisory personnel, securities industry employees and fiduciaries generally. NONCOMPLIANCE WITH THIS PERSONAL TRADING POLICY BY ANY EMPLOYEE CAN BE GROUNDS FOR IMMEDIATE DISMISSAL BY THE FIRM. Every employee of the Firm is expected to be familiar with this Personal Trading Policy and the procedures contained herein. These matters may be reviewed with the CCO at any time.
4 |
2. | Definitions |
For purposes of this Code of Ethics the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:
a. | Security . The term “ security ” means any interest or instrument commonly known as a security, whether in the nature of debt or equity, including, stocks, options, rights, warrants, futures, contracts, convertible securities, notes, bonds, debentures, mutual funds, partnership interests, other interests in private investment funds or other securities in which the Firm’s clients may invest or as to which the Firm may make recommendations. |
b. | Beneficial Interest . The term “ beneficial interest ” has a very broad meaning. An employee has a beneficial interest not only in securities that an employee owns directly, and not only in securities owned by others specifically for the employee’s benefit, but also in (i) securities held by the employee’s spouse, minor children and relatives who live full time in his or her home; and (ii) securities held by another person if by reason of any contract, understanding, relationship, agreement or other arrangement the employee obtains benefits substantially equivalent to ownership. Some other examples of when a beneficial interest would exist include when securities are held: |
1. | by a trust in which an employee has an income or remainder interest; |
2. | by an employee as trustee or co-trustee, where either the employee or any member of his or her immediate family has an income or remainder interest in the trust; |
3. | by a trust of which the employee is the settlor; |
4. | by any non-public partnership in which the employee is a partner; |
5. | by a personal holding company controlled by the employee alone or jointly with others; and |
6. | in a 401(k) plan account, IRA or other similar type plans. |
If you have any questions regarding what is deemed a “security” or the definition of “beneficial interest” and how it applies to you, please contact the CCO.
3. | Trading Restrictions |
Employees may not purchase or sell any security in which the employee has or will have, as a result of the transaction, a beneficial interest unless the transaction occurs in an exempt security or the employee has complied with the procedures described below.
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Employees are subject to the following restrictions with respect to each security transaction and security holding in which the employee has or will have, as a result of the transaction, a beneficial interest:
Initial Holdings. Employees may sell any or all of their security holdings within 30 days from their employment start date at the Firm (the “Initial Selling Window”) upon written approval by the Firm (see F.4.). Please note that a separate approval is required for each sale. An employee who elects to maintain security holdings is required to hold such securities for the applicable Holding Period (as defined below).
Holding Period. Except as permitted during the Initial Selling Window (as defined above), securities maintained by an employee in which the employee has a beneficial interest is subject to a holding period of six months (180 days), or three months (90 days) for mutual fund holdings, from the employee’s start date. If an employee purchases additional shares or other interests in a security, or purchases shares or interests in one or more other securities, all shares or other interests held by the employee through such purchases are subject to the applicable holding period as of the trade date. For avoidance of doubt, the holding period will apply to all shares of the security or others interests each time an employee purchases such shares of the security or other interests. After the expiration of each holding period, an employee is eligible to sell the shares of the security or other interests, subject to written approval by the Firm (see F.4.) .
Mutual Fund Transactions. Employees are strictly prohibited from engaging in short-term trades of mutual fund shares, as to avoid even the appearance of market-timing activities. Subject to the restrictions set forth below, employees may buy and sell shares or other interests of mutual funds upon written approval by the Firm (see F.4.) for such transactions in which the employee has or will have, as a result of the transaction, a direct or indirect beneficial interest.
Inside Information. Employees are prohibited from trading any security issued by a company that is on the Firm’s restricted list, held in a client portfolio, subject to a confidentiality agreement or the employee may possess material non-public information or that is otherwise deemed to be restricted by the CCO.
Short Sales. Employees are prohibited from entering into a net short position with respect to any security, whether or not it is otherwise restricted.
Initial Public Offerings. Employees are generally prohibited from acquiring securities in an initial public offering (other than a new offering of a registered open-end investment company). Permission to participate in an initial public offering may only be granted upon written approval by the Firm (see F.4.) on a case-by-case basis.
Private Placements and Other Limited Offerings. Employees are permitted to acquire interests in private investment funds, privately placed securities and other limited offerings, upon written approval by the Firm (see F.4.). Once approved, any additional capital investments (other than capital calls related to the initial approved investment) require separate approval. Employees requesting permission must disclose any conflicts or potential conflicts of interest that may exist in connection with the investment.
Investment in a Basswood Fund. Employees may speak to the CCO regarding the possibility of investing in a Fund which Basswood serves as an investment adviser. This investment is subject to an employee’s individual eligibility to invest and will not be approved if such eligibility is not met. With regard to an employee’s investment in a Fund, the employee shall not be required to obtain pre-approval for an investment or subscription to the Fund. Rather, the execution of the Fund’s subscription document shall serve as evidence of the Firm’s pre-approval of the employee’s investment in the Fund.
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4. | Pre-Approval of Personal Securities Transactions of Employees |
Employees must obtain written approval before executing all personal securities transactions in which the employees have or will have, as a result of the transaction, a direct or indirect beneficial interest. Employees shall complete the Personal Securities Trading Request and Pre-Approval Form and submit it to the CCO when requesting a trade in securities. The CCO and the Chief Operating Officer (“ COO ”) will review the form and, as soon as practicable, determine whether to approve the transaction. Approval of the transaction will be granted upon the dual signatures of the CCO and COO. The approval for a transaction is only effective during the time period granted (generally, until the end of the following business day).
If the approved transaction is not fully executed by the end of the approval period or the employee wishes to transact in that security after the expiration of the approval period, he/she must obtain a new pre-approval before the transaction can be executed. Accordingly, limit orders and “good ‘til cancelled” instructions must be withdrawn by the end of the approval period, unless a new approval is obtained.
The Firm reserves the right to disapprove any proposed transaction that may have the appearance of improper conduct for a number of reasons, including, but not limited to: conflicting sides of a transaction with clients; violation of a confidentiality agreement; and the proposed transaction is before an intended client trade.
The CCO will review the pre-approval requests of the COO and the COO will review the CCO’s pre-approval requests.
5. | Reporting |
In order to maintain compliance with Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act, the Firm must collect certain reports from employees that include transaction and holding information regarding the personal trading activities of the employees. The reports are described in further detail below:
Account Statements and Trade Confirmations. Each employee must arrange to have duplicate copies of account statements of each personal investment account and trade confirmations for each transaction sent directly from the executing broker-dealer, bank, or other third-party institution to the CCO, at least quarterly and within 30 calendar days after the end of the applicable calendar quarter. In the event that such trade confirmations and/or account statements cannot be directly sent to the CCO, the employee must provide the CCO with accurate, complete and unaltered copies of such documents. At the request of the CCO, the employee may be subject to additional reporting requirements.
Initial Holdings Report. An employee shall, no later than ten (10) calendar days after the employee begins its relationship with the Firm provide to the CCO (i) a list of all personal security holdings and other investments in which the employee has a direct or indirect beneficial interest. The list must include the title, number of shares, symbol or CUSIP number, principal amount of each security and name of the broker-dealer or bank where the security is held (in substitute of the list, the employee may provide copies of brokerage account statements that are dated within 45 days of the date the employee submits them to the CCO); and (ii) a completed List of Personal Investment Accounts including all personal investment accounts in which you have a beneficial interest.
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Annual Holdings Report. All employees, no later than forty-five (45) days after the end of each calendar year (February 14 th ), must provide to the CCO (i) a list of all personal security holdings and other investments in which the employee has a direct or indirect beneficial interest. The list must include the title, number of shares, symbol or CUSIP number and principal amount of each security (in substitute of the list, the employee may provide copies of brokerage account statements that are dated within 45 days of the date the employee submits them to the CCO); and (ii) a completed List of Personal Investment Accounts including all personal investment accounts in which you have a beneficial interest.
Investment Accounts. Employees are responsible for notifying the CCO at the time any new brokerage or investment account is opened or upon a change in ownership or account number. The notification should be submitted in writing and should include the name of the broker-dealer or bank where the account is held, name of the account, the account number (old number and new number if account changed) and the effective date of the change.
The copies of all completed reports, trade confirmations and account statements required under the Personal Trading Policy are retained by the CCO.
6. | Exceptions |
Unless otherwise noted, exceptions to the pre-approval and reporting requirements of security transactions and holdings are as follows:
a. | Exempt Securities |
Transactions and holdings in the following securities are exempt from the pre-approval and reporting requirements: direct obligations of the federal government of the United States, bankers’ acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper and high quality short-term debt instruments (including repurchase agreements) and shares issued by money market funds.
b. | Exempt Transactions |
Certain Corporate Actions . Acquisitions of securities through stock dividends, dividend reinvestments, stock splits, reverse stock splits, mergers, consolidations, spin-offs, or other similar corporate reorganizations or distributions generally applicable to all holders of the same class of securities.
Rights. Acquisition of securities through the exercise of rights issued by an issuer pro rata to all holders of a class of its securities, to the extent the rights were acquired through the rights offering and not through the secondary market.
Automatic Investment Plans . Purchases or sales of shares pursuant to an Automatic Investment Plan.
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c. | Exempt Investment Accounts |
Transactions in Non-Discretionary Accounts . Upon approval, employees are permitted to hold Non-Discretionary Accounts, in which a third-party broker or adviser has full discretion to execute transactions and manage the account, and the employee has no direct or indirect influence or control over the investment decision making process of the account. Transactions in Non-Discretionary Accounts do not require pre-approval, provided the Firm reasonably believes that the employee has no direct or indirect influence or control over the account which may include, but is not limited to, review of the account agreement or similar document stating that the broker or adviser has full discretionary authority over the account and the employee has no direct or indirect influence or control over the account. For such accounts, the Firm may request additional certifications or reporting.
Asset Allocation Portfolios . Investments and withdrawals in asset allocation portfolios such as, with portfolios eligible in 529 plans, or similar accounts, where employees can choose the portfolio-type but not the individual funds.
401(k) Plan . Contributions, exchanges, withdrawals, rebalancing, allocations and reallocations within a 401(k) plan account do not require pre-approval or reporting. Note: This exemption is not applicable to any Self-Directed 401(k) accounts whereby an employee holds securities in a separate brokerage account and has access to invest in securities other than the mutual fund options provided by the 401(k) sponsor.
The CCO has the authority to exempt an employee or any personal securities transaction or account of an employee from the provisions of the Personal Trading Policy. Any requests for an exemption must be submitted in writing to the CCO. The CCO will address each exemption request individually and determine whether to approve the exemption on a case-by-case basis. Written documentation describing the circumstances and reasons for any exemption granted will be maintained by the CCO.
7. | Review of Reports and Transaction Records |
The CCO shall review each report and transaction record required by this Personal Trading Policy for any evidence of improper trading activities, conflicts of interest and/or violations of this policy. After reviewing each report and transaction record, the CCO will sign (or initial) the document providing evidence of his or her review. Any employee transactions that are believed to be a violation of the Personal Trading Policy will be reported promptly to the Firm’s management.
G. | Insider Trading |
Federal and state securities laws prohibit both the Firm and its employees from trading securities – including equity and debt securities and derivative instruments – for ourselves or for others (including the Managed Accounts and the Funds) based on “inside information.” These laws also prohibit the dissemination of inside information to others who may use that knowledge to trade securities (so-called “tipping”). These prohibitions apply to all employees and extend to activities within and outside of the employees’ duties at the Firm.
Inside information may include, but is not limited to, knowledge of pending orders or research recommendations, corporate finance activity, mergers or acquisitions, corporate earnings and other such non-public information. The Firm’s clients’ background and financial and other business information, securities holdings, balances, etc., are also confidential and must not be discussed with any persons not affiliated with the Firm whose responsibilities do not require knowledge of those facts and data.
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Consistent with the duty to prevent insider trading and to fulfill the obligation to establish, maintain and enforce written policies and procedures to prevent insider trading, the Firm has adopted the “Policy to Detect and Prevent Insider Trading” which is set forth in the Firm’s Compliance Manual. It is imperative that employees understand and comply with the “Policy to Detect and Prevent Insider Trading”. Strict compliance with this policy is essential to the Firm and its reputation.
If an employee learns of information that they believe may be considered inside information, the employee must inform the CCO immediately. Any questions regarding inside information or the Firm’s Policy to Detect and Prevent Insider Trading should be directed to the CCO.
H. | Privacy of Client Information |
All information relating to clients’ portfolios and activities and to proposed recommendations is strictly confidential. Consideration of a particular purchase or sale for a client account may not be disclosed, except to authorized persons. Additionally, the Firm receives non-public personal information of clients and is required to maintain the privacy of such information. The Firm restricts access to clients’ non-public personal information to employees who need to know such information in order to provide products or services to such persons and maintains appropriate safeguards to protect the privacy of their non-public personal information.
I. | Service as a Director |
Employees may not serve as a director of a publicly-held company without prior approval by the Firm based upon a determination that service as a director would not be adverse to the best interests of any client. Employees serving as directors are presumed to have access to non-public information and the Firm could, as a result, be restricted in trading the securities of that company. Serving as a director may cause other potential conflicts of interest and such conflicts shall be addressed in the appropriate policies and procedures in the Firm’s Compliance Manual or through other procedures determined by the CCO to be appropriate under the circumstances.
J. | Outside Business Activities |
Employees must not engage in activities which conflict with the business interests of the Firm or impede upon their job performance with the Firm. Any employment or outside business activities, whether or not it is in conflict with the business interests of the Firm, is strictly prohibited unless approved in writing by the Firm. All employees are required to disclose in writing to the CCO any other employment or outside business activities.
Outside business activities include, and are not limited to, participation in civic or professional organizations that might involve divulging confidential information of the Firm; and investing or holding interests or directorships in any entity outside of the Firm.
If an employee is unsure about whether an activity is deemed “other employment” or a “business activity,” please contact the CCO.
K. | Employee Involvement in Litigation or Proceedings |
Employees must advise the CCO immediately if they become involved in or threatened with litigation or an administrative investigation or proceeding of any kind, are subject to any judgment, order or arrest, or are contacted by any regulatory authority.
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L. | Reporting and Certification Requirements |
In addition to the reporting requirements described in the Personal Trading Policy (see F.5.) and in other sections of this Code of Ethics, employees are obligated to make the following certifications and acknowledgements:
All employees will be provided a copy of the Code of Ethics upon hire, annually and when amended. Employees are required to provide written acknowledgement attesting that they have (i) received a copy of the Code of Ethics; (ii) read and understand all provisions of the Code of Ethics; and (iii) agree to comply with the terms of the Code of Ethics. Any questions regarding the Code of Ethics should be directed to the CCO.
M. | Reporting of Violations of the Code of Ethics |
Employees are required to promptly report any violations of this Code of Ethics, the Firm’s policies and procedures and/or any Applicable Law, as well as all actual or known potential conflicts of interest. Such reports shall be made to the CCO and may be made on a confidential or non-confidential basis, orally or in writing, in person, by phone, hand delivered or sent by e-mail or fax. The Firm has a non-retaliation policy that applies to employees who report such matters in good faith and, accordingly, the Firm has adopted a Whistleblower Policy, set forth in the Firm’s Compliance Manual, which addresses these matters.
N. | Review and Enforcement |
The CCO is responsible for administering, implementing and enforcing the Code of Ethics and the policies and procedures set forth in the Firm’s Compliance Manual in order to prevent and detect violations of Applicable Laws. Specific duties and authority of the CCO include, but are not limited to:
Training. The CCO conducts training to establish that all employees fully understand the Code of Ethics, the Firm’s policies and procedures and the Applicable Laws relating to the Firm’s business and operations. Training is conducted upon hire and periodically as appropriate.
Review of Personal Trading Information. The CCO will review all information regarding an employee’s personal trading activity. All such information may also be available for inspection by the Principals, Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or other applicable regulatory authority.
Annual Review. The CCO will establish an annual review of the Code of Ethics and the Firm’s policies and procedures to assess and determine the adequacy and effectiveness of their implementation.
Form ADV. The CCO shall include the full and fair disclosures required in Form ADV including a description of this Code of Ethics on Form ADV Part 2A, Item 11. A copy of the Code of Ethics will be provided to any client or prospective client upon request. Additionally, the CCO is responsible to ensure that Form ADV Part 2 and any other disclosure documents are provided to all clients and prospective clients, when appropriate.
Exemption Authority. The CCO has the authority to exempt an employee or any personal securities transaction or account of an employee from the provisions of the Personal Trading Policy and/or other provisions of the Code of Ethics. Any requests for an exemption must be submitted in writing to the CCO. The CCO will address each exemption request individually and determine whether to approve the exemption on a case-by-case basis. Written documentation describing the circumstances and reasons for any exemption granted will be maintained by the CCO.
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Authority to Grant Approval. Other than granting approval for personal securities transactions, which requires approvals by both the CCO and COO, the CCO has the authority to grant any of the approvals on behalf of the Firm as required under the Code of Ethics. In the event the CCO is unavailable, the COO is authorized to grant any of the approvals hereunder. Additionally, the COO will review the CCO’s pre-approval requests and grant approval, if appropriate.
Sanctions. Upon discovering that an employee has violated the Code of Ethics, the Firm , at its discretion, may impose sanctions and/or other remedies recommended by the CCO and/or management that are considered appropriate under the circumstances. These sanctions may include, among other things, restrictions of personal trading or other permitted activities, reversal of trades, disgorgement of profits, suspension or termination of employment, and/or notifying regulators or the appropriate authorities if deemed necessary.
Any questions regarding the Code of Ethics should be directed to the CCO.
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Exhibit (p)(38)
Impala Asset Management LLC
Investment Adviser Code of Ethics
dated November 14, 2013
Impala Asset Management, LLC
INVESTMENT ADVISER CODE OF ETHICS
I. OVERVIEW
This Code of Ethics (the “Code”) sets forth both general principles and specific requirements with which all partners, officers, directors, employees, and other supervised persons (collectively, “Employees”) of Impala Asset Management, LLC (“Impala” or the “Adviser”) are required to comply. The Code requires that all such persons avoid activities, interests, relationships, and conflicts of interest that might interfere with making decisions in the best interest of Impala’s clients and investors (collectively, “Clients”). In addition, the Code requires that all Employees that have access to non-public information regarding Advisory Client portfolio holdings (“Access Persons”) periodically report their personal securities transactions and holdings to the Adviser’s Chief Compliance Officer (the “CCO”). For purposes of this Code, all employees of the Adviser are presumed to be Access Persons. The CCO may exempt on a case-by-case basis certain employees from being deemed an Access Person. Employees not considered an Access Person will be exempt from having to submit personal securities transactions and holdings reports. Any such Employees will however, remain bound by all other provisions of this Code.
This Code applies to all Employees. All Employees must promptly report any violation of the Code to the CCO. Questions regarding the Code should be directed to the CCO.
Please review the Code carefully and return a signed copy of the Annual Compliance Certification Form to the CCO.
Capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein are defined in Appendix 1 attached hereto.
II. GUIDING PRINCIPALS AND STANDARDS OF CONDUCT
Employees must act with competence, dignity, and in an ethical manner when dealing with investors, prospective investors, the public, third-party service providers, and fellow Employees. The following set of principles frame the professional and ethical conduct that Impala expects from its Employees:
· | Place the integrity of the investment profession, the interests of Clients, and the interests of Impala above one’s own personal interests. |
· | Adhere to the fundamental standard that one should not take inappropriate or unfair advantage of their position. |
· | Conduct all personal securities transactions in a manner consistent with this Code . |
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· | Use reasonable care and exercise independent professional judgment when conducting investment analysis, making investment recommendations, taking investment actions, and engaging in other professional activities. |
· | Comply with all applicable provisions of the federal securities laws. |
In addition, no Employee may:
· | Engage in any manipulative practice with respect to a Client; |
· | Engage in any manipulative practice with respect to securities, including price manipulation; or |
· | Make any untrue statement of a material fact to an investor or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make a statement not misleading. |
As a fiduciary, Impala and its Employees have an affirmative duty of care, loyalty, honesty and good faith to act in the best interests of its Clients and investors. Compliance with this duty can be achieved by seeking to avoid conflicts of interest and by fully disclosing all material facts concerning any conflicts that do arise with respect to any Client.
III. PROHIBITED TRANSACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
All Employees and their Immediate Families are prohibited from engaging in any of the following transactions :
1. | Any transaction while in possession of material, non-public information regarding the Security or the issuer of the Security. |
2. | Any transaction in a security intended to raise, lower, or maintain the price of a Security or to create a false appearance of active trading. |
3. | The purchase or sale of a Security, or the writing of an option to purchase or sell a Security, when the Employee has knowledge of the intent of Impala to purchase or sell that Security on behalf of a Client. This prohibition applies whether the Securities Transaction is in the same (two purchases) or the opposite (a purchase and sale) direction as the transaction of the Client. |
4. | Any purchase or sale of a Security, including the writing of an option to purchase or sell a Security, on any day during which a Client has a pending “buy” or “sell” order in the same Security until that order is executed or withdrawn. This prohibition may be waived by the CCO if the Employee provides the CCO with a written explanation as to why the trade is necessary and a provision is made for the Client trade to take precedence, in terms of price, over the trade in question. |
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5. | The recommendation by an Employee of any Securities Transaction to a Client without having disclosed the Employee’s or Immediate Family member’s interest, if any, in such security or the issuer of the security, including without limitation: |
a. | such person’s direct or indirect Beneficial Interest in any securities of such issuer; or |
b. | any position with such issuer or its affiliates. |
6. | Any acquisition of securities in an initial public offering (other than a new offering of a registered open-end investment company). |
7. | The purchase or sale of a Covered Security without first obtaining pre-clearance from the CCO or his designee in accordance with the procedures in Section V below. |
8. | The shorting of any equity security (except ETFs) or corporate bond. |
9. | Purchasing a naked put option on an equity. |
10. | Selling any Covered Security requiring written preclearance within 30 days of its purchase. After the 30 days, sales are still subject to the restriction identified above in number 7. |
IV. EXEMPT TRANSACTIONS
The prohibitions and conditions described in Section III above shall not apply to:
· | Purchases or sales of shares of registered open-end investment companies; |
· | Purchases or sales effected in any account over which the Employee (i) has no direct or indirect influence or control, or (ii) has given discretionary investment authority to an independent third party; |
· | Purchases that are part of an automatic dividend reinvestment plan; or |
· | Purchases of all bonds (except corporate bonds). |
V. PRE-CLEARANCE OF CERTAIN CONDITIONAL TRANSACTIONS
Access Persons must have written pre-clearance for all transactions in Covered Securities with the exception of the transactions discussed in Section IV above. Impala reserves the right to disapprove any proposed transaction that may have the appearance of improper conduct or for any other reason including, but not limited to: whether the amount or nature of the transaction is likely to affect the price or market for the security and whether the Access Person making the proposed purchase or sale is likely to benefit from purchases or sales being made or being considered by a Client.
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Access Persons shall complete an Access Person Pre-Clearance Request Form (Appendix 2) when requesting a trade in a non-exempt Covered Security. All pre-clearance requests must be submitted to the CCO or someone so designated by the CCO. Once pre-clearance is granted, the Access Person may only transact in that security until the end of the following business day. If the Access Person wishes to transact in the security beyond that day, he/she must again obtain pre-clearance for the transaction.
The acquisition of any limited offering or private placement (e.g., a hedge fund) by an Access Person must be pre-cleared by the CCO. The CCO may give permission to make such investments after considering, among other factors, whether the opportunity is being offered to the Access Person by virtue of his or her position.
With respect to an Access Persons’ investment in an Impala fund, the Access Person shall not be required to obtain pre-approval for an initial investment or subscription to the fund. Rather, the execution of the fund’s subscription document shall serve as evidence of Impala’s pre-clearance of the Access Person’s investment in the fund.
VI. ACCESS PERSON REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
Every Access Person must provide the CCO with personal holdings disclosure reports as described below. A list of all persons required to make reports under this section will be maintained as described in Section IX of this Code.
A. Initial Holdings Report .
No later than 10 days after the date that an Employee becomes an Access Person, he or she must submit to the CCO an Initial Holdings Report (Appendix 3). A copy of the information contained in the Initial Holdings Report must be current as of a date no more than 45 days prior to the date the Initial Holdings Report was submitted. The Initial Holdings Report must include:
1. | The title and type of securities, the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number if applicable, the number of shares, and principal amount of each Covered Security in which the Access Person has any direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership; |
2. | With respect to brokerage accounts, the Initial Holdings Report must include the name of any broker, dealer, and bank with whom the Access Person maintains an account in which any Security is held for the direct or indirect benefit of the Access Person; and |
3. | The date the report is submitted. |
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B. Annual Holdings Report .
Each Access Person must submit to the CCO an Annual Holdings Report (Appendix 4) which is current as of a date no more than 45 days before the report is submitted. The Annual Holdings Report must include the same information in the Initial Holdings Report outlined above.
C. Quarterly Transaction Reporting
Access Persons are required to report all Securities Transactions in Covered Securities that they have made during each calendar quarter, as well as any new Accounts that they have opened during the quarter. In order to fulfill this reporting requirement, Access Persons must instruct their broker-dealers to send to the CCO duplicate brokerage account statements, no later than thirty (30) days after the end of each calendar quarter.
If an Access Person’s trades do not occur through a broker-dealer (e.g., an investment in a private investment fund), such transactions shall be reported separately on the Quarterly Reporting Form (Appendix 5). The Quarterly Transaction Report, whether in the form of a quarterly brokerage account statement or otherwise, must contain the following:
1. | The date of the transaction, the title, and as applicable the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, interest rate and maturity date, number of shares, and principal amount of each Covered Security involved; |
2. | The nature of the transaction (i.e., purchase, sale or any other type of acquisition or disposition); |
3. | The price of the security at which the transaction was effected; |
4. | The name of the broker, dealer or bank with or through which the transaction was effected; and |
5. | The date the report is submitted. |
VII. GIFTS
On occasion, because of their position with Impala, Employees may receive gifts from investors, outside vendors, or other persons who do business with or are seeking to do business with Impala. Solicitation of such gifts or gratuities is strictly prohibited. This provision shall not apply to gifts received from immediate family members who give any such gifts in that capacity.
Employees may not accept lavish gifts or other extravagant gratuities from individuals seeking to conduct business with Impala, or on behalf of any Client. Employees are therefore prohibited from accepting gifts from any one provider in excess of $200 per employee, per year. Employees must complete the Gift Disclosure Form (Appendix 6) for all gifts received and submit the form to the CCO, who will maintain a record of all such gifts. Reasonable gifts received on behalf of Impala, such as holiday gift baskets and lunches, shall not require reporting.
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Employees may attend business meals, sporting events, and other entertainment events at the expense of a giver, as long as the expense is reasonable and the giver is present. Items such as private jet travel, general airfare, hotel stays, and playoff sporting events must be pre-cleared by Compliance.
Employees are prohibited from giving gifts that may be deemed excessive, and must obtain approval to give any gift in excess of $200 to any investor, prospective investor, or any individual or entity with whom Impala is seeking to do business. Employees must report all gifts given on the Gift Disclosure Form and submit to the CCO. Charitable donations are exempt from this policy, provided the gift or donation is not intended to influence the charity to become a Client or invest in an Impala Fund.
If any gift is received that is prohibited under this Code, the Employee must immediately inform the CCO. The CCO shall determine an appropriate resolution, which may include returning the gift or donating it to charity.
VIII. OUTSIDE BUSINESS ACTIVITIES
Employees may serve as officers, directors, or trustees of outside organizations (e.g. public or private corporations, partnerships, charitable foundations, and other not-for-profit institutions) with the prior written approval of the CCO and may receive compensation for such activities. Employees seeking additional sources of income through outside employment or other business activities must also pre-clear with the CCO. All such activities must be submitted to the CCO by completing an Outside Business Activity Form (Appendix 7). When deciding whether to approve a particular activity, the CCO will consider, among other factors, whether the activity raises regulatory concerns, including conflicts of interest and access to material, non-public information.
As an outside board member or officer, an Employee may come into possession of material, non-public information about the outside organization. The CCO is responsible for ensuring that a proper information barrier is put in place between Impala and the outside organization, and that the Employee does not communicate such information to other Employees.
IX. ADMINISTRATION AND PROCEDURAL MATTERS
The CCO (or his designee) shall:
1. | Furnish a copy of this Code and any amendments thereto to each Employee and notify each Employee of his/her obligation to complete an Annual Compliance Certification Form (Appendix 8) acknowledging receipt of the Code and his/her obligation to file reports required by this Code. |
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2. | Supervise the implementation and enforcement of this Code. |
3. | Review Access Persons’ personal Securities Transactions and holdings reports, except that the individual(s) responsible for reviewing Access Persons’ trades shall not be responsible for reviewing his or her own transactions and holdings reports. |
4. | Conduct such reviews as shall reasonably be required to detect any violations of this Code. |
5. | Ensure maintenance of the following records: |
a. | a copy of any Code adopted pursuant to Rule 204A-1 of the Advisers Act which has been in effect during the past five (5) years; |
b. | a copy of all Annual Compliance Certification Forms acknowledging receipt of the Code and amendments for each person who is currently, or within the past five (5) years, was an Employee; |
c. | a copy of any pre-clearance, account statement, or report required to be made by any Access Person during the past five (5) years; |
d. | a record of all persons, currently or within the last five (5) years, who are or were required to submit transaction reports or holdings reports to the CCO pursuant to Section VII above; |
e. | a record of any violation of the Code and of any action taken as a result of such violation (during the past five (5) years); |
f. | a record of all exceptions granted from the Code during the past five (5) years; and |
g. | a log of all gifts given or received. |
X. SANCTIONS
If a determination is made that an Employee has committed a violation of the Code, sanctions may be imposed, or other actions taken, including : a letter of caution or warning, suspension of personal trading rights, suspension of employment (with or without compensation), fine, civil referral to the Securities and Exchange Commission, criminal referral, and termination of the employment of the violator for cause. An Employee may also be required to reverse any trade executed in violation of this Code and forfeit a ny resulting profit or absorb any resulting loss. The amount of any profit forfeited shall be forwarded to an appropriate charitable organization.
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The CCO has sole authority to determine the remedy for any violation of the Code, including appropriate disposition of any moneys forfeited pursuant to this provision. Failure to promptly abide by a directive to reverse a trade or forfeit profits may result in the imposition of additional sanctions. The CCO shall maintain documentation of all violations of the Code.
XI. CONFIDENTIALITY
All information obtained pursuant to this Code from an Employee shall be kept in strict confidence, except that reports of Securities Transactions hereunder will be made available to the SEC or any other regulatory or self-regulatory authority to the extent required by law or regulation.
XII. OTHER LAWS, RULES, AND STATEMENTS OF POLICY.
Nothing contained in this Code shall be interpreted as relieving any Employee from acting in accordance with the provision of any applicable law, rule, regulation, or any other statement of policy or procedure governing the conduct of such person.
XIII. FURTHER INFORMATION
If any person has any question with regard to the applicability of the provisions of this Code generally or with regard to any Securities Transaction, he/she should consult the CCO.
XIV. EXCEPTIONS
Although exceptions to the Code will rarely, if ever, be granted, the CCO may grant exceptions to the requirements of the Code on a case-by-case basis.
XV. DISCLOSURE OF CODE OF ETHICS
Impala will describe its Code of Ethics in Part 2 of Form ADV and, upon request, furnish Clients and Investors with a copy of the Code of Ethics. All Client requests for Impala’s Code of Ethics should be directed to the CCO.
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APPENDIX 1
DEFINITIONS
Access Person means any supervised person who (i) has access to non-public information regarding any Client’s purchase or sale of securities, or non-public information regarding the portfolio holdings of any Reportable Funds, or (ii) is involved in making securities recommendations to Clients, or has access to such recommendations that are non-public. All directors, officers, partners and employees of Impala are presumed to be Access Persons unless exempted by the CCO.
Account means the following securities accounts: any personal account; any joint or tenant-in-common account in which the person has an interest or is a participant; any account for which the person acts as trustee, executor, or custodian; any account over which the person has investment discretion or otherwise can exercise control (other than non-related client accounts over which the person has investment discretion), including the accounts of entities controlled directly or indirectly by the person; any other account in which the person has a direct or indirect Beneficial Interest and any account in which an Immediate Family member has a Beneficial Interest; provided, however that Account shall not include any securities account over which the person has no direct or indirect influence or control.
Beneficial Ownership/Beneficial Interest means a direct or indirect “pecuniary interest,” as defined in subparagraph (a)(2) of Rule 16a-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”) that is held or shared by a person directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship, or otherwise, in a security. The term “pecuniary interest,” as it is defined under the 1934 Act, is generally understood to mean having the opportunity to share, directly or indirectly, in any profit or loss on a transaction in Securities, including but not limited to all joint accounts, partnerships, and trusts. An Access Person is presumed to have Beneficial Ownership of any Immediate Family member’s account.
Covered Security is any “security” excluding direct obligations of the United States government, bankers’ acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper, high quality short-term debt instruments, repurchase agreements, shares of money market funds, shares issued by open-end funds other than Reportable Funds, and shares issued by unit investment trusts that are invested exclusively in one or more open-end funds, none of which are reportable funds.
Immediate Family means a person’s spouse, a person’s minor child, any adult residing in the same household as the person, any relative dependant on the person for financial support, and any other person designated by the CCO.
Reportable Fund means (i) any fund for which Impala serves as an investment adviser as defined in Section 2(a)(20) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”); or (ii) any fund whose investment adviser or principal underwriter controls Impala, is controlled by Impala, or is under common control with Impala (for purposes of this definition, “control” has the same meaning as it does in Section 2(a)(9) of the 1940 Act).
APPENDIX 1
Securities Transaction means a purchase, sale, or any other type of acquisition or disposition of securities, or writing an option to purchase or sell a security.
Security means any note, stock, treasury stock, security future, bond, debenture, evidence of indebtedness, certificate of interest or participation in any profit-sharing agreement, collateral-trust certificate, pre-organization certificate or subscription, transferable share, investment contract, voting-trust certificate, certificate of deposit for a security, fractional undivided interest in oil, gas, or other mineral rights, any put, call, straddle, option, or privilege on any security (including a certificate of deposit) or on any group or index of securities (including any interest therein or based on the value thereof), or any put, call, straddle, option, or privilege entered into on a national securities exchange relating to foreign currency, or, in general, any interest or instrument commonly known as a “security,” or any certificate of interest or participation in, temporary or interim certificate for, receipt for, guaranty of, or warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase any of the foregoing.
APPENDIX 2
ACCESS PERSON PRE-CLEARANCE REQUEST FORM
On each of the dates proposed below, I hereby request permission to effect a transaction in the securities indicated below on behalf of myself, my Immediate Family (as defined in the Code of Ethics (the “Code”) adopted pursuant to Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended), trusts of which I am trustee, or another account in which I have a beneficial interest or legal title, and which are required to be pre-approved pursuant to the Code.
Date |
Buy/Sell/ Other |
Shares/Amount | Security Name |
Ticker Symbol or CUSIP# |
Broker/Bank | Price | ||||||
ADDITIONAL REQUIRED INFORMATION AND EMPLOYEE REPRESENTATION
Are you in possession of material, non-public information about any security listed above? ______________________
Have you communicated material, non-public information to anyone about any security listed above? ________________
Are you shorting any security that is currently held in a client portfolio? ______________________________________
Are any transactions contrary to client transactions or holdings? ____________________________________________
Is the proposed transaction a purchase of an IPO? _______________________________________________________
To your knowledge, has Impala traded or considered trading the securities above in the last 24 hours? ________________
Is the transaction a private placement? (Additional information is required) _____________________________________
MY SIGNATURE BELOW CONFIRMS THAT I HAVE COMPLIED IN FULL WITH IMPALA’S PERSONAL TRADING POLICIES AND APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS. I UNDERSTAND THAT IF IT IS LATER DETERMINED THAT ANY TRANSACTION VIOLATES IMPALA’S PERSONAL TRADING POLICIES OR SUCH SECURITIES LAWS, I MAY BE REQUIRED TO BREAK THE TRADE AND FORFEIT ANY PROFITS.
Employee: | Compliance Officer: | ||||
Signature: | Signature: | ||||
Name: | Name: | ||||
Date: | Date and Time: | ||||
Approved:________ Denied:______ |
APPENDIX 3
ACCESS PERSON INITIAL HOLDINGS REPORT
As a condition of being an Access Person of Impala Asset Management LLC, and as required by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, all Access Persons must report all accounts which hold securities and provide a list of all Covered Securities as defined in the Code of Ethics. This information must be reported no later than 10 days after becoming employed.
Section 1. - Please report all broker, dealer, and bank accounts that hold securities in which you have a direct or indirect interest (account statements may be attached). In addition please indicate whether the account holds or has the potential to hold Covered Securities.
Name of Broker/Dealer/Bank | Account Number |
Does the account
hold “Covered Securities?” |
||
Section 2 . - Please report all Covered Securities (exclude mutual and money market funds, bank certificates of deposit, and direct obligations of the U.S. Government) in which you have a direct or indirect interest (account statements may be attached).
Name of
Covered Security |
Type of
Security |
Ticker
Symbol or CUSIP# |
Number of
Shares |
Principal
Amount |
Name of
Holding the
|
Account Number | ||||||
All information must be current as of a date no more than 45 days before you become an Access Person as defined in Impala’s Code of Ethics.
Section 3 . - ¨ I hold no securities or accounts requiring disclosure in Section 1 or Section 2 above (please check box and sign below).
I hereby certify that the above is a true, accurate, and complete list of all my Accounts and holdings in Covered Securities (as those terms are defined in the Code of Ethics) as of the date set forth below. I also certify that I will promptly report any changes if the foregoing information should become inaccurate or incomplete at any time.
Name: | ||
Signature: | ||
Date: |
For Compliance Use Only | ||||
Reviewed By: | Date: ________________ | |||
Notes: | ||||
APPENDIX 4
ACCESS PERSON ANNUAL HOLDINGS REPORT
As a condition of being an Access Person of Impala Asset Management LLC, and as required by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, all Access Persons must annually report all accounts which hold securities and provide a list of all Covered Securities as defined in the Code of Ethics.
Section 1. - Please report all broker, dealer, and bank accounts that hold securities in which you have a direct or indirect interest (account statements may be attached). In addition please indicate whether the account holds or has the potential to hold Covered Securities.
Name of Broker/Dealer/Bank | Account Number |
Does the account
hold “Covered Securities?” |
||
Section 2. - Please report all Covered Securities (exclude mutual and money market funds, bank certificates of deposit, and direct obligations of the U.S. Government) in which you have a direct or indirect interest (account statements may be attached).
Name
of
Security |
Type of
Security |
Ticker
Symbol or CUSIP# |
Number of
Shares |
Principal
Amount |
Name of
Holding the
|
Account Number | ||||||
All information must be current as of a date no more than 45 days before the report is submitted.
Section 3. - ¨ I hold no securities or accounts requiring disclosure in Section 1 or Section 2 above (please check box and sign below).
I hereby certify that the above is a true, accurate, and complete list of all my Accounts and holdings in Covered Securities (as those terms are defined in the Code of Ethics) as of the date set forth below. I also certify that I will promptly report any changes if the foregoing information should become inaccurate or incomplete at any time.
Name: | ||
Signature: | ||
Date: |
For Compliance Use Only | ||||
Reviewed By: | Date: _______________ | |||
Notes: | ||||
APPENDIX 5
ACCESS PERSON QUARTERLY TRANSACTION REPORT
As a condition of my being an Access Person of Impala Asset Management LLC, and as required by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the following is a list of all Covered Securities (excluding mutual and money market funds, bank certificates of deposit, and direct obligations of the U.S. Government) in which I have a direct or indirect beneficial interest. This report must be dated no later than 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter.
Pursuant to Impala’s Code of Ethics, I hereby certify that the following is a true, accurate, and complete list of all my transactions in Covered Securities (as that term is defined in the Code of Ethics) as of the date set forth below.
Please use additional pages if necessary or provide copies of your most recent statement .
Date of Transaction |
Name of Security |
Type of Security |
Ticker Symbol or CUSIP# |
Number of Shares |
Price |
Principal Amount |
Name of Entity Holding the Security |
Account Number |
||||||||
I hereby certify that I will promptly report any changes to the Chief Compliance Officer if the foregoing information should become inaccurate or incomplete at any time.
Name: | ||
Signature: | ||
Date: |
For Compliance Use Only | ||||
Reviewed By: | Date: _______________ | |||
Notes: | ||||
APPENDIX 6
GIFT DISCLOSURE FORM
Name: |
Date:
|
Gift Giver:
Gift Receiver:
Date of Receipt:
|
Gift Description:
|
Gift Value:
|
Source of Gift Value (e.g. website):
|
Gift Policy: Employees may not accept lavish gifts or other extravagant gratuities from individuals seeking to conduct business with Impala, or on behalf of any Client. Employees are therefore prohibited from accepting gifts from any one provider in excess of $200 per employee, per year. Employees must complete the Gift Disclosure Form for all gifts received and submit the form to the CCO, who will maintain a record of all such gifts. However, employees may attend business meals, sporting events, and other entertainment events at the expense of a giver, as long as the expense is reasonable and the giver is present. Reasonable gifts received on behalf of Impala, such as holiday gift baskets and lunches, shall not require reporting.
Employees are prohibited from giving gifts that may be deemed excessive, and must obtain approval to give any gift in excess of $200 to any investor, prospective investor, or any individual or entity with whom Impala is seeking to do business. Employees must report all gifts given on the Gift Disclosure Form and submit to the CCO. Charitable donations are exempt from this policy, provided the gift or donation is not intended to influence the charity to become a Client or invest in an Impala Fund.
If any gift is received that is prohibited under this Code, the Employee must immediately inform the CCO. The CCO shall determine an appropriate resolution, which may include returning the gift or donating it to charity.
Compliance Use Only |
Reviewed by: _______________________________________________________ Date: _________________ |
Approved: _______ |
Disapproved: _______ Disposition of gift: _______________________________________________________ |
APPENDIX 7
REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF OUTSIDE ACTIVITY FORM
The undersigned hereby requests approval for participation in the following outside activity: |
Name and address of company or organization: _______________________________________________________ ____ |
Nature of organization’s primary business or purpose: ______________________________________________________ |
Is this a public company? (YES/NO) If YES, stock symbol: ___________________________________________________ |
Complete description of anticipated role with organization: ___________________________________________________ |
Describe any compensation you will receive: |
If this request for approval is granted: |
Ø | I agree to notify the Chief Compliance Officer of any change in the above information. |
Ø | I agree, for private or not-for-profit organizations, to seek approval to retain my position, as described above, if the organization decides to offer securities to the public, or ceases to maintain its not-for-profit status. |
Ø | I am aware of no other Employees who are officers or directors of the organization noted above. |
Ø | I agree to adhere to the Inside Trading policies of both Impala Asset Management LLC and the organization, and not to communicate any material, non-public information in my possession regarding the organization to other Employees. |
Ø | I will avoid participation in discussions regarding service, investment management, or other arrangements with Impala Asset Management LLC or its affiliates, and will recuse myself from voting on any such matters. |
Employee: _________________________________________________
Signature of Employee: _______________________________________ Date: _________
Approved By: _______________________________________________ Date: ___________
Title: ______________________________________________________
|
APPENDIX 8
ANNUAL COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATION QUESTIONNAIRE
By responding to the following questionnaire, you are making an attestation that your responses are accurate and truthful to the best of your knowledge. Your responses will be reviewed by the CCO for additional follow-up, as necessary.
1. | I, or a member of my immediate family living in my household, serve as an officer or director of the following entities (please include both for profit, and not-for-profit entities): |
Not Applicable_____ |
|
|||
Company and Title | Family Member | |||
2. | The following members of my immediate family are employed by a broker/dealer: |
Not Applicable ______ | (I am not aware of any family members employed by a broker/dealer) |
Company and Title | Family Member | |||
3. Please respond Yes or No to the following statements:
Yes | No | |
A. In the past ten years, have you: | ||
(1) been convicted of or pled guilty or nolo contendere (“no contest”) in a domestic, foreign, or military court to any felony? |
¨ | ¨ |
(2) been charged with any felony? |
¨ | ¨ |
APPENDIX 8
APPENDIX 8
APPENDIX 8
Yes | No | |
(c) ever dismissed, pursuant to a settlement agreement, an investment-related civil action brought against you by a state or foreign financial regulatory authority? |
¨ | ¨ |
(2) Are you now the subject of any civil proceeding that could result in a “yes” answer to any part of Item H above? | ¨ | ¨ |
I. I have reported all of my securities accounts and reportable securities over the past 12 months in accordance with Impala’s Code of Ethics. | ¨ | ¨ |
¨ Not applicable | ||
J. I have reported all instances in which I may have come into possession of material, non-public information over the past 12 months. | ¨ | ¨ |
¨ Not applicable | ||
K. I reported all gifts that I have received and given in accordance with Impala’s Gift Policy over the past 12 months. | ¨ | ¨ |
¨ Not applicable | ||
L. I have reported any personal gains or profits from outside individuals or entities obtained in connection with my position at Impala over the past 12 months. | ¨ | ¨ |
¨ Not applicable | ||
M. I have kept confidential all private client information from individuals outside of Impala other than as permitted by law and/or for specified purposes noted in Impala’s Privacy Policy over the past 12 months. | ¨ | ¨ |
N. I have reported any breaches to Impala’s Privacy Policy over the past 12 months. | ¨ | ¨ |
¨ Not applicable | ||
APPENDIX 8
Yes | No | |
O. As a supervisor, I have reported all material employee matters that have come to my attention over the past 12 months to senior management. | ||
¨ Not Applicable (I do not supervise any employees) | ¨ | ¨ |
P. I have received approval for any marketing materials disbursed over the past 12 months. | ||
¨ Not applicable | ¨ | ¨ |
Q. I have, to the best of my knowledge, maintained books and records in accordance with Impala’s document retention policy, including records related to proxy voting, security valuation, trade errors, accounting, etc. | ¨ | ¨ |
R. I have utilized my Impala email account in accordance with Impala’s electronic communications policies. | ¨ | ¨ |
S. I have reported any fraudulent activity that has been committed against Impala clients or investors over the past 12 months. | ||
¨ Not applicable | ¨ | ¨ |
T. I have reported to the CCO or my supervisor all complaints from investors that I received over the past 12 months. | ||
¨ Not applicable | ¨ | ¨ |
U. I have reported all political contributions made by myself and my household related to state and local candidates and parties. | ||
¨ Not applicable | ¨ | ¨ |
I have read and understand the policies and procedures contained in Impala’s Code of Ethics and Compliance and Supervisory Procedures Manual. I recognize that they apply to me and agree to comply in all respects with the procedures described therein for the duration of my employment with Impala.
Employee Name: __________________________________________________ Date: ______________
Signature: ________________________________________________________
APPENDIX 8
For Compliance Use Only |
Reviewed by: _______________________________________________ Date: _________________ |
Notes: __________________________________________________________________________________ |
________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Exhibit (p)(39)
Code of Ethics
Implementation Date: April 2012
Most Recent Amendment Date: October 2014
Background
Investment advisers are fiduciaries that owe their undivided loyalty to their clients. Investment advisers are trusted to represent clients’ interests in many matters, and advisers must hold themselves to the highest standard of fairness in all such matters.
Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act requires each registered investment adviser to adopt and implement a written code of ethics that contains provisions regarding:
· | The adviser’s fiduciary duty to its clients; |
· | Compliance with all applicable Federal Securities Laws; |
· | Reporting and review of personal Securities transactions and holdings; |
· | Reporting of violations of the code; and |
· | The provision of the code to all supervised persons. |
Risks
In developing these policies and procedures, Incline Global considered the material risks associated with administering the Code of Ethics . This analysis includes risks such as:
· | Employees do not understand the fiduciary duty that they, and Incline Global, owe to Clients; |
· | Employees and/or Incline Global fail to identify and comply with all applicable Federal Securities Laws; |
· | Employees do not report personal Securities transactions; |
· | Employees trade personal accounts ahead of Client accounts; |
· | Employees allocate profitable trades to personal accounts or unprofitable trades to Client accounts; |
· | Violations of the Federal Securities Laws, the Code of Ethics , or the policies and procedures set forth in this Manual, are not reported to the CCO/CFO and/or appropriate supervisory personnel; |
· | Incline Global does not provide its Code of Ethics and any amendments to all Employees; and |
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· | Incline Global does not retain Employees’ written acknowledgements that they received the code and any amendments. |
Incline Global has established the following guidelines to mitigate these risks.
Policies and Procedures
Fiduciary Standards and Compliance with the Federal Securities Laws
At all times, Incline Global and its Employees must comply with the spirit and the letter of the Federal Securities Laws and the rules governing the capital markets. The CCO/CFO administers the Code of Ethics (or the “ Code ”). All questions regarding the Code should be directed to the CCO/CFO. Employees must cooperate to the fullest extent reasonably requested by the CCO/CFO to enable (i) Incline Global to comply with all applicable Federal Securities Laws and (ii) the CCO/CFO to discharge his duties under the Manual.
All Employees will act with competence, dignity, integrity, and in an ethical manner, when dealing with Clients, the public, prospects, third-party service providers and fellow Employees. Employees must use reasonable care and exercise independent professional judgment when conducting investment analysis, making investment recommendations, trading, promoting Incline Global’s services, and engaging in other professional activities.
We expect all Employees to adhere to the highest standards with respect to any potential conflicts of interest with Clients. As a fiduciary, Incline Global must act in its Clients’ best interests. Neither Incline Global, nor any Employee should ever benefit at the expense of any Client. Notify the CCO/CFO promptly about any practice that creates, or gives the appearance of, a material conflict of interest.
Employees are generally expected to discuss any perceived risks, or concerns about Incline Global’s business practices, with their direct supervisor. However, if an Employee is uncomfortable discussing an issue with their supervisor, or if they believe that an issue has not been appropriately addressed, they should bring the matter to the CCO/CFO’s attention.
Reporting Violations
Improper actions by Incline Global or its Employees could have severe negative consequences for Incline Global, its Clients and Investors, and its Employees. Impropriety, or even the appearance of impropriety, could negatively impact all Employees, including people who had no involvement in the problematic activities.
Employees must promptly report any improper or suspicious activities, including any suspected violations of the Code of Ethics, to the CCO/CFO. Issues can be reported to the CCO/CFO in person, or by telephone, email, or written letter. Reports of potential issues may be made anonymously. Any reports of potential problems will be thoroughly investigated by the CCO/CFO, who will report directly to the CEO/Portfolio Manager on the matter. Any problems identified during the review will be addressed in ways that reflect Incline Global’s fiduciary duty to its Clients.
An Employee’s identification of a material compliance issue will be viewed favorably by the Company’s senior executives. Retaliation against any Employee who reports a violation of the Code of Ethics in good faith is strictly prohibited and will be cause for corrective action, up to and including dismissal. If an Employee believes that he or she has been retaliated against, he or she should notify the CEO/Portfolio Manager directly.
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Violations of this Code of Ethics , or the other policies and procedures set forth in the Manual, may warrant sanctions including, without limitation, requiring that personal trades be reversed, requiring the disgorgement of profits or gifts, issuing a letter of caution or warning, suspending personal trading rights, imposing a fine, suspending employment (with or without compensation), making a civil referral to the SEC, making a criminal referral, terminating employment for cause, and/or a combination of the foregoing. Violations may also subject an Employee to civil, regulatory or criminal sanctions. No Employee will determine whether he or she committed a violation of the Code of Ethics , or impose any sanction against himself or herself. All sanctions and other actions taken will be in accordance with applicable employment laws and regulations.
Distribution of the Code and Acknowledgement of Receipt
Incline Global will distribute this Manual, which contains the Company’s Code of Ethics , to each Employee upon the commencement of employment and upon any change to the Code of Ethics or any material change to another portion of the Manual.
All Employees must acknowledge that they have received, read, understood, and agree to comply with Incline Global’s policies and procedures described in this Manual, including this Code of Ethics and any amendments to the Code of Ethics. All Employees must use PTCC to acknowledge that they have received, read, understood, and agree to comply with the Company’s policies and procedures described in this Manual, including this Code of Ethics .
Conflicts of Interest
Conflicts of interest may exist between various individuals and entities, including Incline Global, Employees, and current or prospective Clients and Investors. Any failure to identify or properly address a conflict can have severe negative repercussions for Incline Global, its Employees, and/or Clients and Investors. In some cases the improper handling of a conflict could result in litigation and/or disciplinary action.
Incline Global’s policies and procedures have been designed to identify and properly disclose, mitigate, and/or eliminate applicable conflicts of interest. However, written policies and procedures cannot address every potential conflict, so Employees must use good judgment in identifying and responding appropriately to actual or apparent conflicts. Conflicts of interest that involve Incline Global and/or its Employees on one hand, and Clients or Investors on the other hand, will generally be fully disclosed and/or resolved in a way that favors the interests of Clients and Investors over the interests of Incline Global and its Employees. If an Employee believes that a conflict of interest has not been identified or appropriately addressed, that Employee should promptly bring the issue to the CCO/CFO’s attention.
In some instances conflicts of interest may arise between the Firm, Clients or Investors. Responding appropriately to these types of conflicts can be challenging, and may require robust disclosures if there is any appearance that one or more Clients or Investors have been unfairly disadvantaged. Employees should notify the CCO/CFO promptly if it appears that any actual or apparent conflict of interest between Clients and/or Investors has not been appropriately addressed.
It may sometimes be beneficial for Incline Global to be able to retroactively demonstrate that it carefully considered particular conflicts of interest. The CCO/CFO may use the attached Conflicts of Interest Log to document the Company’s assessment of, and response to, such conflicts.
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Personal Securities Transactions
Employee trades should be executed in a manner consistent with our fiduciary obligations to our Clients: trades should avoid actual improprieties, as well as the appearance of impropriety. Employee trades must not be timed to precede orders placed for any Client, nor should trading activity be so excessive as to conflict with the Employee’s ability to fulfill daily job responsibilities.
Accounts Covered by the Policies and Procedures
Incline Global’s Personal Securities Transactions policies and procedures apply to all accounts holding any Securities over which Employees have any beneficial ownership interest, which typically includes accounts held by immediate family members sharing the same household. Immediate family members include children, step-children, grandchildren, parents, step-parents, grandparents, spouses, domestic partners, siblings, parents-in-law, and children-in-law, as well as adoptive relationships that meet the above criteria.
It may be possible for Employees to exclude accounts held personally or by immediate family members sharing the same household if the Employee does not have any direct or indirect influence or control over the accounts, or if the Employee can rebut the presumption of beneficial ownership over family members’ accounts. Employees should consult with the CCO/CFO before excluding any accounts held by immediate family members sharing the same household.
Reportable Securities
Incline Global requires Employees to provide periodic reports regarding transactions and holdings in all “Reportable Securities,” which include any Security, except :
· | Direct obligations of the Government of the United States; |
· | Bankers’ acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper and high-quality short-term debt instruments, including repurchase agreements; |
· | Shares issued by money market funds; |
· | Shares issued by open-end investment companies registered in the U.S., other than funds advised or underwritten by Incline Global or an affiliate; |
· | Interests in 529 college savings plans; and |
· | Shares issued by unit investment trusts that are invested exclusively in one or more open-end registered investment companies, none of which are advised or underwritten by Incline Global or an affiliate (collectively “Exempt Securities”). |
Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs are somewhat similar to open-end registered investment companies. However, ETFs are Reportable Securities and are subject to the reporting requirements contained in Incline Global’s Personal Securities Transactions policy.
Permitted Transactions
Employees are permitted to purchase and sell Exempt Securities and ETFs only . Employees are not permitted to purchase Reportable Securities, other than ETFs, including single-name equities, initial public offerings (“IPOs”) or private offerings, outside of the Fund. Employees wishing to sell Reportable Securities held prior to employment or the implementation of this Code, are subject to the Pre-clearance Procedures below.
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Pre-clearance Procedures
Readily Traded Securities
Employees must have written pre-clearance for transactions in ETFs and the sale of Reportable Securities. Pre-clearance requests should be made through the PTCC system to the CCO/CFO. Pre-clearance requests are generally good until the close of business on the day they are granted. Employees must seek additional pre-clearance if the original clearance has expired. Incline Global reserves the right to deny any proposed transaction, particularly if the transaction appears to pose a conflict of interest or otherwise appears improper.
In order to limit the possibility that any trading conducted by its Employees that could be perceived as improper, Incline Global has implemented a policy prohibiting Employees from purchasing or selling, directly or indirectly, any Reportable Security in which he or she has, or by reason of such transaction acquires, any direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership in Reportable Securities held within the Client’s portfolio. As such, Employees are not permitted to transact in ETFs within one (1) calendar day before or after a Client transaction, nor within seven (7) calendar days before or after the Client’s trade in that of any other Reportable Security’s execution (collectively the “Blackout Period”).
Incline Global reserves the right to require Employees to unwind trades and incur trade losses or disgorge profits by the Employee if transacted during the Blackout Period or if the transaction appears to pose a conflict of interest or otherwise appears improper.
The minimum holding period for Reportable Securities is thirty (30) days; any pre-clearance requests for transactions with a holding period of less than this time will be denied.
Private Funds
Employees meeting the definition of “knowledgeable employee” under Rule 3c-5 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 1 may be permitted to transact in the Fund. Purchases or sales of the Fund by Employees are subject to the written pre-clearance of the CCO/CFO, through the PTCC system.
Restricted List
Incline Global’s CCO/CFO will maintain a Restricted List of Securities in which Incline Global may have Material Non-Public Information (See the Insider Trading Policy). Employees must immediately inform the CCO/CFO and the CEO/Portfolio Manager upon receipt of any potential Material Non-Public Information. Employees are prohibited from trading in issuers on the Restricted List. Employees must pre-clear prior to executing any personal securities transactions. If the CCO/CFO determines that Incline Global no longer has Material Non-Public Information on an issuer, the CCO/CFO may remove the respective issuer from the Restricted List and notify Employees.
1 In interpreting “knowledgeable employee,” Incline Global will utilize the definition in Rule 3c-5 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, in conjunction with the Managed Funds Association no-action letter (2014) and the American Bar Association Section of Business Law no-action letter (1999).
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Reporting
Incline Global must collect information regarding the personal trading activities and holdings of all Employees. Employees must submit quarterly reports regarding Securities transactions and newly opened accounts, as well as annual reports regarding holdings and existing accounts.
Quarterly Transaction Reports
Each quarter, Employees must report all Reportable Securities transactions in accounts in which they have a Beneficial Interest. Employees must also report any accounts opened during the quarter that hold any Securities (including Securities excluded from the definition of a Reportable Security). Reports regarding Securities transactions and newly opened accounts must be submitted to the CCO/CFO within 30 days of the end of each calendar quarter.
Employees must utilize the PTCC to fulfill quarterly reporting obligations.
If an Employee did not have any transactions or account openings to report, this should be through reported PTCC within 30 days of the end of each calendar quarter.
Initial and Annual Holdings Reports
Employees must periodically report the existence of any account that holds any Securities (including Securities excluded from the definition of a Reportable Security), as well as all Reportable Securities holdings. Reports regarding accounts and holdings must be submitted to the CCO/CFO on or before February 14 th of each year, and within 10 days of an individual first becoming an Employee. Annual reports must be current as of December 31 st ; initial reports must be current as of a date no more than 45 days prior to the date that the person became an Employee. Initial and annual holdings reports should be submitted through PTCC.
Initial and annual reports must disclose the existence of all accounts that hold any Securities, even if none of those Securities fall within the definition of a “Reportable Security.”
If an Employee does not have any holdings and/or accounts to report, this should be indicated using PTCC within 10 days of becoming an Employee and by February 14 th of each year.
Exceptions from Reporting Requirements
There are limited exceptions from certain reporting requirements. Specifically, an Employee is not required to submit:
· | Quarterly reports for any transactions effected pursuant to an Automatic Investment Plan; or |
· | Any reports with respect to Securities held in accounts over which the Employee had no direct or indirect influence or control, such as an account managed by an investment adviser on a discretionary basis. |
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Any investment plans or accounts that may be eligible for either of these exceptions should be brought to the attention of the CCO/CFO who will, on a case-by-case basis, determine whether the plan or account qualifies for an exception. In making this determination, the CCO/CFO may ask for supporting documentation, such as a copy of the Automatic Investment Plan, a copy of the discretionary account management agreement, and/or a written certification from an unaffiliated investment adviser.
Personal Trading and Holdings Reviews
Incline Global’s Personal Securities Transactions policies and procedures are designed to mitigate any potential material conflicts of interest associated with Employees’ personal trading activities. Accordingly, the CCO/CFO will closely monitor Employees’ investment patterns to detect the following potentially abusive behavior:
· | Frequent and/or short-term trades in any Security, with particular attention paid to potential market-timing of mutual funds; |
· | Trading opposite of Client trades; |
· | Trading ahead of Clients; and |
· | Trading that appears to be based on Material Non-Public Information. |
The CCO/CFO will review all reports submitted pursuant to the Personal Securities Transactions policies and procedures for potentially abusive behavior, and will compare Employee trading with Clients’ trades as necessary. Upon review, the CCO/CFO will initial and date each report received, and will attach a written description of any issues noted. Any personal trading that appears abusive may result in further inquiry by the CCO/CFO and/or sanctions, up to and including dismissal.
The CEO/Portfolio Manager will monitor the CCO/CFO’s personal Securities transactions for compliance with the Personal Securities Transactions policies and procedures.
Disclosure of the Code of Ethics
Incline Global will describe its Code of Ethics in Part 2A of Form ADV and, upon request, furnish Clients and Investors with a copy of the Code of Ethics . All Client and Investor requests for Incline Global’s Code of Ethics should be directed to the CCO/CFO.
Sub-Adviser to a Mutual Fund
The Sub-Adviser’s CCO/CFO will obtain, maintain, and review the required reports of the Sub-Adviser’s access persons. Any violations of the Fund’s Code are reportable as provided in the Fund’s Code. Transaction and holding reports as required to be maintained under Rule 17j-1 will be maintained by the Sub-Adviser on behalf of the Sub-Adviser’s access person, and are subject to review and submission to the Fund’s CCO/CFO or its agent, and to the appropriate regulatory authorities.
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Attachment – Compliance Manual Acknowledgement Form
By signing below, I certify that I have received, read, understood, abided by, and will continue to abide by Incline Global’s Compliance Manual, which includes Incline Global’s Code of Ethics . I understand that any questions about Incline Global’s Manual (including the Code ) should be directed to the CCO/CFO.
Print Name:
Signature:
Date:
Note: All Employees must also complete and submit the Annual Compliance Questionnaire Supplement that begins on the following page.
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Annual Compliance Questionnaire Supplement
Please answer the following questions accurately. If you mark any shaded boxes, explain your response in the space following the table.
Question | Yes | No |
1. Are you or any members of your immediate family employed by a financial services company or a company that provides products or services to Incline Global? | ||
2. Do you or any member of your immediate family serve as a general partner or managing member for an investment-related pooled investment vehicle? | ||
3. Do you or any members of your immediate family have some other business or personal relationship with, or substantive investment in, a financial services company or a company that provides products or services to Incline Global? | ||
4. Do you or any members of your immediate family serve as trustee, executor, or in a similar capacity for any Investor? | ||
5. Do you or any members of your immediate family have any other business or personal relationship with any Investor? | ||
6. Are you or any members of your immediate family employed by any government? | ||
7. Do you or any members of your immediate family serve as officers or directors of any organizations (including private companies, public companies, and not-for-profit organizations)? | ||
8. Are you aware of any conflicts of interest that have not already been disclosed to the CCO/CFO involving Incline Global, you or your immediate family members and any Investor? | ||
9. Have you complied with Incline Global’s requirements regarding the disclosure of outside business activities? | ||
10. Are you aware of any potentially Material Non-Public Information that has not been previously disclosed to the CCO/CFO? (If yes, please indicate the capacity in which you received the information at the end of this form, but do not include the specific information in question on this form.) | ||
11. Have you improperly transmitted proprietary information between Incline Global and any prior employers or other individuals or entities? |
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Question | Yes | No |
· Been involved in a violation of its rules (other than a violation designated as a “minor rule violation” under a plan approved by the SEC)? · Been the cause of an investment related business having its authorization to do business denied, suspended, revoked, or restricted? |
||
20. In the past ten years, has any self-regulatory organization or commodities exchange disciplined you by expelling or suspending you or the advisory affiliate from membership, barring or suspending you or the advisor affiliate from association with other members, or otherwise restricting your or the advisory affiliate’s activities? | ||
21. Has an authorization to act as an attorney, accountant, or federal contractor granted to you ever been revoked or suspended? | ||
22. In the past ten years, has any domestic or foreign court:
· Enjoined you in connection with any investment-related activity? · Found that you were involved in a violation of investment-related statutes or regulations? · Dismissed, pursuant to a settlement agreement, an investment related civil action brought against you by a state or foreign financial regulatory authority? |
||
23. Are you now the subject of any proceeding that could result in a “yes” answer to any of the preceding questions? | ||
New Employees should skip the remaining questions and explain any marks in shaded boxes below the table. | ||
24. During the past 12 months, have you reported all personal Securities transactions in accordance with Incline Global’s reporting policies? | ||
25. During the past 12 months, have you reported gifts and entertainment in accordance with Incline Global’s reporting policies? | ||
26. During the past 12 months, have you traded on or improperly transmitted any Material Non-Public Information? | ||
27. During the past 12 months, have you become aware of any violation of Incline Global’s Code of Ethics that you did not disclose to the CCO/CFO? | ||
28. During the past 12 months, have you complied with Incline Global’s primary research process, as applicable? | ||
29. To the best of your knowledge, during the past 12 months, has Incline Global and its Employees (including yourself) complied with the Company’s written policies and procedures regarding: |
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Question | Yes | No |
· Insider trading; · Outside business activities and prior employment; · Political contributions; · Identification, reporting, and resolution of complaints; · Portfolio management; · Proxy voting; · Trading; · Identification, reporting, and resolution of trade errors; · Soft dollars; · Security valuation; · Account opening and closing; · Side pockets; · Anti-money laundering; · Protection of Clients’ privacy; · Custody and safeguarding of assets; · Fee billing; · The maintenance and dissemination of disclosure documents; · The use of electronic communications; · Advertising and marketing; · Solicitation arrangements; · Media communications · Contingency and disaster recovery planning; and · The maintenance of books and records. |
Please use the space below to explain any marks in shaded boxes. For each explanation, indicate the relevant question number. Use additional pages as necessary.
By signing below, I certify that I responded to the Annual Compliance Questionnaire Supplement completely and accurately.
Print Name:
Signature:
Date
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Exhibit (p)(40)
EMPLOYEE PERSONAL TRADING AND CODE OF ETHICS
DEFINITIONS :
Access Person: All principals and regular employees of Passport Capital, LLC with a Passport Capital email address, all consultants with access to Passport’s shared drive and Immediate Family Members of the foregoing are Access Persons. Temporary employees are also bound by the Code of Ethics.
Fully Discretionary Account: The term “Fully Discretionary Account” means an account managed or held by a broker-dealer, futures commission merchant, investment Adviser or trustee as to which neither you nor an Immediate Family Member (as defined below): (a) exercises any investment discretion; (b) suggests or receives notice of transactions prior to their execution; and (c) otherwise has any direct or indirect influence or control. In addition, to qualify as a Fully Discretionary Account, the individual broker, registered representative or merchant responsible for that account must not be responsible for nor receive advance notice of any purchase or sale of a Security or Futures Contract on behalf of the Firm. To qualify an account as a Fully Discretionary Account, the Chief Compliance Officer (or his designee) must receive and approve a written notice, that the account meets the foregoing qualifications as a Fully Discretionary Account.
Immediate Family Member : This term means any of the following persons who reside in your household or who depend on you for basic living support: your spouse, a significant other, any child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, grandparent, sibling, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law, including any adoptive relationships. These persons are considered Access Persons under this policy and procedure.
Insider: Insiders are owners, officers, directors and employees of a company and the company’s attorneys, accountants, consultants, bank lending officers, and the employees of such organizations.
Insider Trading : Insider trading is buying or selling securities by an “insider” while he or she is in possession of material nonpublic information; or trading by a non-insider while he or she is in possession of material nonpublic information, if the information either was disclosed to the non-insider in violation of an insider’s duty to keep it confidential or was misappropriated; or communicating material nonpublic information to others in violation of one’s duty to keep such information confidential.
Material : Information is material if there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonable investor would consider it important in making his or her investment decisions or if public dissemination of it would have a substantial effect on the price of a company’s securities. Information presumed to be material includes, but is not limited to, dividend changes; earnings estimates; changes in previously released earnings estimates; significant merger or acquisition proposals or agreements; commencement of or developments in major litigation; liquidation problems; and extraordinary management developments.
Non-public: Information is nonpublic until it has been effectively communicated to the market place and made available to the general public. Information found in filings with the SEC, or appearing in the Dow Jones , Reuters Economic Services, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Financial or other publications of general circulation would be considered public.
March 2013
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Personal Investment Account: All accounts holding any securities over which Access Persons have any beneficial ownership interest, or control, which typically includes accounts held by Immediate Family Members sharing the same household. Personal Investment Accounts do not include any Fully Discretionary Accounts.
Tipping : Tipping is communicating material, nonpublic information to others or recommending a securities transaction to others while in possession of material, nonpublic information about the security or the company in question.
POLICIES
FEDERAL SECURITIES LAWS
The personal trading and investment activities of Firm Access Persons are the subject of various federal securities laws, rules and regulations. Rule 204A-1 “Investment Adviser Code of Ethics” under the Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”) requires registered investment advisers to establish, maintain and enforce a written code of ethics and to provide its Code of Ethics to its supervised persons. The rule also requires supervised persons to provide a written acknowledgement of the receipt of the Code of Ethics and to comply with applicable federal securities laws. The securities laws and regulations that cover the personal trading and investment activities of advisory personnel include:
· | (a) the anti-fraud provisions (Section 206) of the Advisers Act that prohibit any scheme, practice, transaction or a course of business that operates as a fraud or deceit on a client; |
· | (b) Form ADV and Rule 204-3 requirements that provide that an adviser disclose its practices and its interests in client transactions, among other things; |
· | (c) record keeping requirements (Rule 204-2(a)(12) of the Advisers Act) for the personal trading of advisory representatives, |
· | (d) Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) regarding trading by directors, officers and principal shareholder of public companies, |
· | (e) Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder regarding the use of manipulative and deceptive devices, and adoption of this Code of Ethics which sets forth procedures to addresses personal trading. |
Firm personnel must comply with all applicable federal securities laws and any violations thereof may result in serious sanctions. Penalties may include civil injunctions, disgorgement of profits, jail sentences, fines for the person who committed the violation, whether or not the person actually benefited from the violation, fines for the employer or other controlling person of the person who committed the violation, and dismissal from the Firm.
ETHICAL AND REPORTING OBLIGATIONS OF FIRM EMPLOYEES
Any employee with knowledge of or suspicion of any facts evidencing a violation of state or federal securities laws or of the Firm’s policies and procedures or Code of Ethics is required immediately to report such knowledge or suspicion to the CCO or COO.
DESIGNATION OF ACCESS PERSONS
All regular employees of Passport are considered Access Persons of the Firm subject to these policies and procedures. Consultants and contractors hired by the Firm who have access to Passport’s shared computer drive are also considered Access Persons. Temporary Employees are not considered Access Persons.
EMPLOYEE PERSONAL TRADING
Access Persons are subject to personal investment account trade reporting designed to ensure that no Fund or investors are disadvantaged by the personal investment transactions of Passport or an employee. As set forth below in additional detail, the policy requires prior approval of certain trades, the delivery of security transaction and holdings data and/or account statements for all Passport Access Persons’ investment accounts to Passport or any other company as hired by Passport to assist in monitoring employee personal trading. Passport specifically prohibits trading on the basis of inside information and trading ahead of customer orders (front running) of reportable securities.
TEMPORARY EMPLOYEE PERSONAL TRADING
Temporary Passport employees are subject to personal investment account restrictions designed to ensure that no Fund or investors are disadvantaged by the personal investment transactions of a Passport temporary employee. The policy prohibits the buying of any security with the exception of the securities listed in Section 3.3 of this policy. Temporary employees may sell existing positions following pre-approval and reporting guidelines. All employees are specifically prohibited from trading on the basis of inside information and trading ahead of customer orders (front running) of reportable securities.
INSIDER TRADING
It is Passport policy that no employee may engage in insider trading, i.e . trade, either personally or on behalf of others, on the basis of material nonpublic information. No employee may communicate material nonpublic information to others. This policy applies to every principal and employee and extends to activities both within and outside of their duties at Passport.
Passport conducts its own research and investment analysis and may rely on information received from other research sources and from securities issuers. Examples of the types of information that may be found to be material and non-public under various circumstances are, among other things, information about changes in dividend policies, earnings estimates, changes in previously released earnings estimates, manufacturing problems, executive turnover, significant merger or acquisition proposals, major litigation, liquidity problems, significant new products, services or contracts, or the cancellation of significant orders, products, services or contracts. The foregoing list is intended to be illustrative and is not complete or exhaustive. Until made public, Access Persons are precluded from any trading in any account on such information. Any determination of the material and/or non-public nature of a given piece of information is made by the CCO or COO (or their designee) with input from an investment team member, if applicable.
All information relating to Passport’s activities, including investment analyses, investment recommendations, and proposed and actual trades for Passport or its client funds, is proprietary to Passport and must be kept confidential except to the extent disclosure of the information is necessary to accomplish the business of Passport and only to the extent that disclosure does not violate applicable law. Where such information is material, it should be considered non-public and Access Persons are precluded from trading on the information or communicating it to others without the approval of the CCO or COO.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Passport employees are required to avoid any outside activities, interests or relationships that either directly or indirectly conflict with, or create the appearance of the existence of a conflict of interest with their ability to act in the best interests of the Firm and the Funds. If a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict arises between the interests of the Firm or the Funds and the interest of the employee, the interests of the Firm and/or the Funds will prevail. The determination as to the existence or appearance of a conflict is made by the CCO or COO with input from the CIO.
OUTSIDE BUSINESS ACTIVITIES
It is Passport policy that no employee may accept employment or compensation from any other person as a result of any business activity, other than a passive investment, outside the scope of his or her relationship to Passport, unless he or she has provided prompt written notice to the Firm and received authorization from Passport. Exempted from this requirement are private securities transactions for which the representative or associate person has provided written notice to Passport received authorization for and complied with all conditions set, if any.
In addition, the following activities are prohibited without the prior written consent of the CCO or COO:
· | Rebating, either directly or indirectly, to any person or entity any part of the compensation received from the Firm as an employee. |
· | Accepting, either directly or indirectly, from any person or entity, other than Passport, compensation of any nature as a bonus, commission, fee gratuity or other consideration in connection with any transaction on behalf of Passport or a Fund. |
· | Beneficially owning any security or having, either directly or indirectly, any financial interest in any other organization engaged in any securities, financial or related business, except for beneficial ownership of not more than 4.9% of the outstanding securities of any business that is publicly owned. |
· | Executing transactions in securities for which any Access Person holds a position on the board of directors or any other committee of a publicly traded company. |
CONFIDENTIALITY OF FUND, INVESTOR AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION OF PASSPORT
Employees are required to maintain all information regarding Fund investments, investor identity and personal financial information, and Firm proprietary information in the strictest confidence and to follow all privacy procedures set out elsewhere in this Manual at all times.
THE “BAD ACTOR” RULE AND REGULATORY INVESTIGATION, DISCIPLINARY ENFORCEMENT, LITIGATION
Rule 506 under the Securities Act has been amended to include “bad actor” disclosure and disqualification requirements in Rule 506(d) as of September 23, 2013. Under new Rule 506(d), an issuer will not be permitted to rely on the Rule 506 exemption from Securities Act registration—including both Rule 506(b) (no general solicitation) and Rule 506(c) (the new rule that allows general solicitation)—if the issuer or any other person associated with the issuer who is a “covered person” under Rule 506(d) experiences a “disqualifying event” after September 23, 2013. For disqualifying events that occurred prior to September 23, 2013, the issuer will be required to disclose such events to investors but will not be disqualified from relying on Rule 506.
Any employee that becomes the subject of a regulatory investigation, disciplinary enforcement action or litigation, or served with a subpoena, or becomes subject to any judgment, order, conviction or arrest, or is contacted by any regulatory authority must immediately inform the CCO or COO of such.
FAVORITISM AND GIFTS
On an annual basis, Passport employees may not seek, accept or give gifts, favors, preferential treatment or valuable consideration of any kind offered with a cumulative or individual value in excess of $100 on an annual basis from broker-dealers or others involved in the securities industry where such gift is in relation to the business of the recipient’s employer. Limited exceptions to this policy may be made with the written approval of the CCO or COO.
All permitted gifts must be reported and logged in the gift tracking log.
Any gifts or entertainment, regardless of value, sought to be offered to any government plan investor or investor subject to ERISA, regardless of whether the investor is merely a potential prospect, must be pre-approved by the CCO or COO.
REVIEW OF EMPLOYEE CORRESPONDENCE
Passport is required to maintain records of all employee correspondence relating to the Funds, Funds’ investments, investor interests and the Firm’s proprietary account transactions. In addition, Passport is required to monitor employee trading activities and compliance with the Firm’s conflict of interest and insider trading policies and procedures. Consequently, it is Passport policy to randomly review and/or archive all employee communications for the required recordkeeping periods, including email and other forms of electronic communication for compliance purposes.
Employees are advised that they may not communicate with Passport clients regarding any Passport business via any personal, non-Passport email account or unapproved instant messaging platform.
Passport has adopted an electronic communications archiving system for all email and instant messaging. Electronic communication is subject to review and storage by the CCO, COO or ACO regardless of its nature as personal or work-related. Employees are advised that they should have no expectation of privacy regarding personal communications that are sent to, or received from, any Passport device or sent through Passport’s computer servers.
PROCEDURES
1.0 | REPORTING |
1.1 | INITIAL AND ANNUAL REPORTING OF SECURITIES ACCOUNTS FOR PERSONAL INVESTMENT ACCOUNTS |
Upon hire, each regular Passport employee must identify on a New Employee Certification form, and annually thereafter on an Annual Certification form, each Personal Investment Account. All new Personal Investment Accounts opened after the initial certification must be reported promptly after the account is opened. All reportable securities holdings must be reported within 10 days of hire and the information provided must be current as of 45 days of hire. Employees must complete the Annual Certification form that contains certifications that employees have read and agree to abide by Passport’s Employee Personal Trading and Code of Ethics policies and procedures.
The CCO, COO or designees of such monitor Access Persons’ personal securities transactions to safeguard against ethical violations (such as violations of Firm policies and procedures including, conflicts of interest and insider trading). Passport also utilizes an outside service provider, Financial Tracking, LLC (“Financial Tracking”), which collects certain employee transaction information and Personal Investment Account data and uploads certain reportable transactions electronically into its system. Employees must utilize the Financial Tracking website to submit their requests for pre-approval of reportable securities transitions. In the case of a request to make an acquisition of a limited offering, a written approval must be requested by filling out and submitting the attached form “Request for Authorization to Acquire Securities in a Limited Offering”; the CCO, COO or ACO utilizes Financial Tracking to post approvals and denials of requested transactions. On a regular basis, an ACO performs a review of the account data and trade approval status as posted on the website of Financial Tracking.
1.2 | QUARTERLY REPORTING OF SECURTIES TRANSACTIONS IN PERSONAL INVESTMENT ACCOUNTS |
Within 30 days after calendar quarter-end, each employee is required to certify all transactions of reportable securities in their Personal Investment Accounts through the Financial Tracking system. In the event that an employee had no transactions in reportable securities during a quarter, a certification of “No Transactions” is required to be made in the Financial Tracking system. Personal trading will be suspended for those individuals who do not prepare and submit their quarterly confirmations by the deadline provided.
1.3 | ANNUAL REPORTING OF SECURITY HOLDINGS IN PERSONAL INVESTMENT ACCOUNTS |
Within 45 days after calendar year-end, each Passport employee is required to certify all holdings of reportable securities in their Personal Investment Accounts through the Financial Tracking system. In the event that an employee had no holdings in reportable securities at year-end, a certification of “No Holdings” is required to be made in the Financial Tracking system.
2.0 | OVERVIEW OF PERSONAL TRADING |
Passport Access Persons and temporary employees should not benefit from any price movement that may be caused by client transactions or Passport’s recommendations regarding such securities, nor should any client transaction suffer any price movement that results from any Passport or employee transaction. Passport will use reasonable diligence to determine whether the executed transactions of its employees through investment accounts for which they have beneficial ownership and/or accounts over which the employee has discretionary authority will adversely affect the interests of Passport or its clients. Passport imposes the following restrictions upon itself and persons associated with it in connection with the personal purchase or sale of securities. In general, Passport does not allow futures trading in proprietary or non-customer accounts. Any violation of this policy may be grounds for discipline or termination.
3.0 | REPORTABLE SECURITIES, EXEMPTED SECURITIES AND PRE-APPROVAL PROCESS |
3.1 | Reportable Securities Requiring Pre-Approval. Rule 204A-1(b)(3)(e)(6) and (7) require that Access Persons seek pre-approval for transactions involving any security 1 (including, without limitation, any IPO “new issue” as such term is defined by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), limited offering, including any secondary offering, Exchange Traded Funds (“ETFs”) and options of ETFs, except for those securities set forth in Section 3.3. In addition, from time to time trading by Access Persons and temporary employees in additional securities may be restricted as a result of other factors or considerations related to decisions by the Firm with respect to the Funds. |
3.2 | Pre-Approval Process. All pre-approval requests must be made by entering the requested trade through Financial Tracking; requests will generally be approved or denied within 48 hours, although neither the CCO, COO nor any ACO will be responsible for any failure to respond to such request within such timeframe. All approved Access Person trades must be executed within two business days after the approval. The CCO and ACO must have their personal trades approved by another of the compliance team. Securities that are currently held by any of the Funds or that are being considered for investment by any Fund will not be approved for purchase within an Access Person’s Personal Investment Account. |
3.3 | Exempted Securities. The following securities are exempted from pre-approval, transaction confirmation and annual holding confirmation requirements: |
· | Direct obligations of the Government of the United States; |
· | Money market instruments (including bankers’ acceptances, bank certificate of deposit, commercial paper and high quality short-term debt instruments, including repurchase agreements); |
· | Shares issued by money market funds 2 ; |
· | Shares issued by open-end funds (note: ETFs are not exempted), other than reportable funds; and |
1 Section 202(a)(18) of the Advisers Act defines reportable securities as any note, stock, treasury stock, bond, debenture, evidence of indebtedness, certificate of interest or participation in any profit-sharing agreement, collateral-trust certificate, pre-organization certificate or subscription, transferable share, investment contract, voting-trust certificate, certificate of deposit for a security, fractional undivided interest in oil, gas, or other mineral rights, any put, call, straddle, option, or privilege on any security (including a certificate of deposit) or on any group or index of securities (including any interest therein or based on the value thereof), or any put, call, straddle, option, or privilege entered into on a national securities exchange relating to foreign currency, or, in general, any interest or instrument commonly known as a “security,” or any certificate of interest or participation in, temporary or interim certificate for, receipt for, guaranty of, or warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase any of the foregoing.
2 Reportable fund means any fund for which Passport serves as an investment adviser, sub-adviser or principal underwriter (Passport sub-advised mutual funds).
· | Shares issued by unit investment trusts that are invested exclusively in one or more open-end funds, none of which are reportable funds. |
3.4 | Personal Trading Summary. Please see the Personal Trading Summary chart for pre-clearance and reporting obligations by security type. |
4.0 | LIMITS ON TRANSACTION REQUESTS; HOLDING PERIOD |
Passport principals, regular employees and consultants with access to Passport’s shared drive are, together with their Immediate Family Members, limited to, in the aggregate, 40 requests for transactions per calendar year. Certain exceptions may be made by the CCO or the Firm’s Management Committee in limited circumstances.
Access Persons are required to hold all reportable securities for a minimum of 60-calendar days. Certain exceptions made be made by the CCO or the Firm’s Management Committee in limited circumstances
5.0 | TEMPORARY EMPLOYEE PERSONAL INVESTMENT ACCOUNTS — PRE-APPROVALS REQUIRED; REPORTING OF TRANSACTIONS |
Temporary Employees are precluded from purchasing any securities except for those specifically set forth in Section 3.3 above. With respect to individual sell trades, Temporary employees must obtain prior written approval from the CCO, COO or ACO for all sell orders. All requests to the CCO, COO or ACO for pre-approval of Temporary employee’s sell order will be approved or denied within 48 hours of the request, although, neither the CCO, COO or any ACO will be responsible for any failure to respond to such a request within such timeframe. Approved sell orders must be (i) executed within two business days after the approval and (ii) reported to Passport (unless such securities are exempted securities listed in Section 3.3 above). Confirmation of all executed, pre-approved sell orders must be reported within five business days of the transaction. There are no exceptions to this reporting requirement and any violation of this policy may be grounds for discipline or termination.
6.0 | INSIDER TRADING |
6.1 | RESPONSE TO POTENTIAL INSIDE INFORMATION |
If an employee believes that he or she may have come into possession of material, nonpublic information, or believes the Firm’s activities may have created material, nonpublic information, the following steps should be taken:
Stop all trading in securities of the company that is the subject of the material, nonpublic information, including trading on behalf of the Firm and the Funds, and trading in the employee’s Personal Investment Accounts. In addition, there should be no trades in securities of the company in question in the accounts of the employee’s acquaintances or family members after the information is identified.
Do not discuss or recommend any transaction in any of the securities of the company in question to anyone, including clients of the Firm, other employees of the Firm and the employee’s own associates, friends or relatives. This prohibition includes making any comment about the company that could in any way be interpreted as a recommendation.
Do not discuss the material, nonpublic information with anyone except as required by these policies and procedures, and especially avoid referring to the information in hallways, elevators, stairways, restaurants, taxis or any other place where the conversation may be overheard.
Immediately inform the CCO or COO of all details of the situation, so that appropriate security procedures can be implemented Firm-wide.
Direct all requests of third parties such as the press and analysts for information to the CCO or COO, who may contact the Firm’s legal counsel before determining how to proceed.
6.2 | RESTRICTED ACCESS TO MATERIAL, NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION |
The CCO or COO may employ additional procedures while the Firm is in possession of material, nonpublic information, including, and not limited to:
· | Procedures for handling documents containing material, nonpublic information, including prohibitions on removing them from the office, limiting copying and distribution within the office, keeping them off desk tops and conference tables when not in use, shredding them, and other measures to protect sensitive documents from accidentally being read by anyone without a lawful need to know the information. |
· | Restrictions on physical access to areas of the Firm where material, nonpublic information may be discussed or stored, including locking file cabinets and doors, monitoring of visitors to our offices or other restrictions for non-employees on the premises. |
· | Computer access security measures, such as passwords on files or limited access to terminals through which material, nonpublic information can be obtained. Trading restrictions, including temporary Firm-wide moratoria on trading in the securities to which the material, nonpublic information relates or management review of all Employee trades in certain securities. |
6.3 | TRADING |
No trade may be executed if there is any possibility that the basis for the trade involves material, nonpublic information. If an employee believes the basis for the trade involves information that may be material and nonpublic, or has questions as to whether the information is material and nonpublic, the trade must be discussed with and approved by the CCO or COO prior to the trade. The employee should:
· | Report the desired trade immediately to the CCO or COO. |
· | Not purchase or sell the securities until authorized by the CCO or COO. |
· | Not communicate, other than to the CCO or COO, the potential inside information either to persons inside or outside the Firm. |
· | The CCO or COO makes the determination as to whether the trade is permissible and will inform the employee whether and when the trade may be executed. |
7.0 | CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND OUTSIDE BUSINESS ACTIVITIES |
7.1 | CONFLICTS OF INTEREST |
Passport and its principal and employees are fiduciaries to Firm clients. If a conflict or the appearance of a conflict, between the interests of the Firm or its clients and the interest of the employee arises, the employee must immediately notify the CCO or COO who will take the matter under consideration, conduct any necessary investigation into the conflict or potential conflict and make a determination of what steps are to be taken. The interests of the Firm and its clients will prevail over the interests of the employee. The determination as to the existence or appearance of a conflict of interest is made by the Firm in its sole discretion.
The CCO, COO or their designees will maintain record of all conflicts and potential conflicts identified, including the ultimate resolution of the conflict and the basis therefore.
7.2 | OUTSIDE BUSINESS ACTIVITIES |
Prompt written notice of an outside business activity by a Passport employee is required and must include the following information as set forth on the attached form “Notice of Outside Business Activity and Request for Approval”):
· | Name, address and telephone number of the outside employer or person or entity paying the compensation; |
· | A description of the nature of the outside business activity; |
· | An exact description of the services to be provided by the employee; |
· | The amount of compensation to be paid, if any; and |
· | The anticipated duration of the outside business activity. |
8.0 | MAINTAINING CONFIDENTIALITY OF PRIVATE AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION |
To protect the confidentiality of the Firm’s confidential and proprietary information and the confidentiality of clients’ and potential clients’ records, employees should take the following additional security precautions:
Documents containing confidential information may not be taken from the Firm’s offices without the prior consent of the CCO or COO, and any copies removed from the Firm’s offices must be promptly returned. Photocopies of confidential information may only be made as required, and all copies and originals of such documents must be disposed of in a way that keeps the information confidential.
Physical access to any non-electronic confidential information must be limited by either locking or monitoring access to the offices and storage areas where such information is located.
Visitors to the Firm’s office shall be monitored and/or accompanied by an employee.
At times, the Firm may enter into one or more agreements with third parties, pursuant to which the Firm may provide access to confidential information to those third parties. If this occurs, the Firm will seek to protect the privacy of confidential information by including in the relevant agreement’s provisions an obligation of such third party to protect the confidential information.
9.0 | EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONS |
All employee communications with clients and third parties relating to Firm business are subject to review by the CCO, COO or their designee and applicable recordkeeping requirements. The Firm is obligated to maintain records of its communications regarding the Funds and investors, including, but not limited to, investment advice and recommendations, communications with investors and prospective investors, records reflecting the Funds’ securities and assets, and records documenting the execution of any trade. The Firm thus must retain all communications with and related to its business and all trading activity.
9.1 | REVIEW OF CORRESPONDENCE |
The CCO, COO or any designee may monitor employee communications for, among other things:
· | Performance guarantees of any kind; |
· | Insider trading; |
· | Conflicts of interest; |
· | Evidence of money laundering; |
· | Inappropriate language; and |
· | Communications that the CCO or COO deems as inappropriate will be brought to the attention of the employee who prepared or received it. Any violation of this policy will be grounds for discipline or termination. |
9.2 | RECORD RETENTION |
All outgoing correspondence subject to retention requirements is maintained at the direction of the CCO or COO for a period of at least 5 years. All email correspondence subject to applicable regulatory recordkeeping requirements will be maintained electronically by the Firm’s electronic mail system for a period of at least 5 years.
10.0 | OBLIGATION TO REPORT VIOLATIONS |
If Firm personnel become aware of any violation(s) or potential violation(s) of any of the provisions of this employee Personal Trading and Code of Ethics, they have an affirmative obligation to report such violation(s) or potential violation(s) promptly to the CCO or COO. Failure to report any such violation(s) of which Firm personnel are aware in a prompt manner will be considered itself a violation of this employee Personal Trading and Code of Ethics and subject to possible sanctions. In the event that a matter implicates the CCO or COO, notice of the violation may be provided to the CIO or any ACO. Retaliation against an individual who appropriately reports a violation is prohibited.
11.0 | SANCTIONS FOR VIOLATION OF FIRM POLICIES AND PROCEDURES |
Any person who violates any of the Firm’s employee personal trading, insider trading, conflicts of interest or other Code of Ethics policy or procedures will be disciplined by the Firm and subject to any of the following sanctions, among others not listed:
· | Warning; |
· | Cancellation of trades; |
· | Disgorgement of profits; |
· | Orders to sell positions, even at a loss; |
· | Fines; |
· | Termination of employment; and |
· | Reporting to regulatory authorities to the extent required by law. |
12.0 | MAINTENANCE OF BOOKS AND RECORDS |
The ACOs oversee the Firm’s compliance with applicable recordkeeping requirements. The following records are kept by the Firm for at least 5 years from end of the fiscal year in which they were last used, the first 2 years of which are onsite.
12.1 | NOTICES TO EMPLOYEES OF RESTRICTED SECURITIES |
Email notices to employees of restricted securities, if any are issued, are maintained by the Firm’s email archival system.
12.2 | ACCESS PERSON EMPLOYEE TRADE APPROVALS, TRADE CONFIRMATIONS AND ANNUAL HOLIDINGS CONFIRMATIONS FROM PERSONAL INVESTMENT ACCOUNTS. |
· | An electronic file is maintained by an ACO for each year. | |
· | Principal/employee account statement data is maintained by Financial Tracking and is accessible by the Firm at all times. Account information for former employees is kept for at least 5 years after termination/departure and is then destroyed. | |
12.3 | ANNUAL EMPLOYEE CERTIFICATIONS | |
· | A chronological file is maintained by an ACO for each year. | |
· | Superseded Certifications are kept onsite in the office for at least 2 years before being moved to offsite storage. Superseded Certifications for former employees are kept for at least 5 years before being destroyed. |
12.4 | EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONS |
· | All written communications to investors and prospective investors whether in hard copy, email or instant messaging format; |
· | All written communications to the funds’ administrators whether in hard copy, email or instant messaging format; |
· | All written communications with the prime broker or any executing broker whether in hard copy, email, other electronic or instant messaging format; and |
· | All written communications between Firm employees related to Firm business whether in hard copy, email, other electronic or instant messaging format. |
12.5 | CURRENT AND HISTORIC VERSIONS OF THE FIRM’S EMPLOYEE PERSONAL TRADING AND CODE OF ETHICS POLICIES AND PROCEDURES. |
· | A chronological file is maintained by an ACO. | |
· | Superseded versions of the Firm’s policies and procedures are kept onsite in the office for at least 2 years before being moved to offsite storage. |
12.6 | RECORDS OF VIOLATIONS OF POLICIES AND PROCEDURES |
· | Records documenting any violations by the Firm or its employees of applicable law and/or these policies and procedures | |
· | Records of the Firm’s actions taken in response to such violations | |
· | These records are kept onsite in the office for at least 2 years before being moved to offsite storage. Records are kept for at least 5 years before being destroyed. |
Exhibit (p)(41)
Appendix A
Pine River Capital Management L.P.
Personal Investment and Trading Policy,
Statement on Insider Trading,
and
Code of Ethics Pursuant to
Rules 204A-1 and 204-2 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended
and
Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
(collectively, “Code of Ethics”)
April 2015
A. | General Statement |
Pine River Capital Management L.P. (“ Pine River ”) seeks to foster and maintain a reputation for honesty, integrity, and professionalism. Pine River considers its reputation a vital business asset. The confidence and trust placed in Pine River by the funds and accounts which it manages, the investors in those funds (“ Investors ”), its service providers, its market counterparties, and other persons or entities with whom it deals, are highly valued and must be protected. As a result, Pine River and its Supervised Persons 1 must not act or behave in any manner or engage in any activity that (1) misuses, or creates the appearance of the misuse of material nonpublic information, (2) gives rise to any breach of fiduciary duty owed to any investment entity or account advised or managed by Pine River (each a “Fund” ), or (3) creates any actual or potential conflict of interest, or the appearance of a conflict of interest, between any Fund and Pine River or any Supervised Person.
A conflict of interest occurs when Pine River’s or any Supervised Person’s private interest interferes with the interests of, or service to, a Fund. Pine River and its Supervised Persons must conduct themselves in such a manner that a reasonable observer would have no grounds to believe that a conflict of interest exists. Supervised Persons are not permitted to self-deal or otherwise to use their positions with the Funds or Pine River to further their own or any other related person’s business or personal interests or opportunities.
1 “ Supervised Person ” means (i) any partner, officer or director of Pine River, or any other person occupying a similar status or performing a similar function; (ii) employees of Pine River; and (iii) any other persons who provide advice on behalf of Pine River and are subject to Pine River’s supervision and control.
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Appendix A
In addition, Federal Securities Laws 2 require that investment advisers maintain a record of every transaction in any Security 3 , with certain limited exceptions, in which any Access Person 4 acquires or disposes of Beneficial Ownership 5 of the Security and such Security is or was held in an account over which the Access Person has direct or indirect influence or control.
Pine River may advise or sub-advise U.S. investment companies registered under and subject to the regulation of the Investment Company Act (each, a “ Registered Fund ”). Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act makes it unlawful for any affiliated person of an investment adviser of a Registered Fund in connection with the purchase or sale, directly or indirectly, by the person of a security held or to be acquired by the Registered Fund, to (1) employ any device, scheme or artifice to defraud the Registered Fund, (2) make any untrue statement of a material fact to the Registered Fund or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made to the Registered Fund, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading, (3) engage in any act, practice or course of business that operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit on the Registered Fund, or (4) engage in any manipulative practice with respect to the Registered Fund.
B. | Requirements of this Code of Ethics |
1. | Duty to Comply with Applicable Laws |
All Supervised Persons are required to comply with the Federal Securities Laws, the fiduciary duty owed by Pine River to the Funds, and this Code of Ethics.
2 “Federal Securities Laws” means the Securities Act of 1933 (the “ Securities Act”) , the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “ Exchange Act”) , the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “ Investment Company Act”) , the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the “ Advisers Act”) , Title V of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, any rules adopted by the Commission under any of these statutes, the Bank Secrecy Act as it applies to funds and investment advisers, and any rules adopted thereunder by the Commission or the Department of the Treasury.
3 “ Security ” has the meaning set forth in section 202(a)(18) of the Advisers Act. Securities include: any note, stock, treasury stock, security future, bond, debenture, evidence of indebtedness, certificate of interest or participation in any profit-sharing agreement, collateral-trust certificate, pre-organization certificate or subscription, transferable share, investment contract, voting-trust certificate, certificate of deposit for a security, fractional undivided interest in oil, gas, or other mineral rights, any put, call, straddle, option or privilege on any security (including a certificate of deposit) or on any group or index of securities (including any interest therein or based on the value thereof), or any put, call, straddle, option or privilege entered into on a national securities exchange relating to foreign currency, or, in general, any interest or instrument commonly known as a security, or any certificate of interest or participation in, temporary or interim certificate for, receipt for, guarantee of, or warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase, any security.
Any securities-based swap agreements are also considered a Security for purposes of this Code of Ethics.
“ Security ” includes a right to acquire a Security, as well as an interest in a collective investment vehicle, such as a limited partnership or limited liability company.
The following are not Securities: commodities, futures and options traded on a commodities exchange, including currency futures. However, options on any group or index of Securities are Securities.
4 All Pine River partners, employees, temporary employees, interns and contractors are deemed to be “Access Persons” subject to limited exception. All Supervised Persons should assume they are Access Persons unless they are informed otherwise.
5 “ Beneficial Ownership ” has the meaning set forth in Section 16 of the Exchange Act, and includes ownership by any person who, directly or indirectly, has or shares a direct or indirect pecuniary interest in a security. For example, a person is the beneficial owner of securities held by his or her spouse, his or her minor children, a relative who shares his or her home, or other persons by reason of any arrangement that provides him or her with sole or shared voting or investment power.
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Appendix A
2. | Duty to Report Violations |
Each Supervised Person is required by law to promptly notify the Chief Compliance Officer 6 if he or she knows or has reason to believe that any Supervised Person has violated any provision of this Code of Ethics. This includes reporting one’s own violations or potential violations. However, if a Supervised Person knows or has reason to believe that the Chief Compliance Officer has violated any provision of this Code of Ethics, he or she must promptly notify another member of the Compliance Committee and is not required to notify the Chief Compliance Officer.
Pine River is committed to fostering a culture of compliance. Therefore, Pine River urges Supervised Persons to contact the Chief Compliance Officer at any time for issues related to individual or firm compliance. Supervised Persons will not be penalized for, nor will their status at Pine River be jeopardized by, communicating with the Chief Compliance Officer in good faith. Concerns, observations, violations, or suspected violations may also be reported anonymously to the Chief Compliance Officer. Any retaliatory action taken against any person who reports a violation or a suspected violation of this Code of Ethics in good faith is itself a violation of this Code of Ethics, and cause for appropriate corrective action, including dismissal.
3. | Duty to Provide Copy of the Code of Ethics and Related Certification |
Pine River shall provide all Supervised Persons with a copy of this Code of Ethics and all subsequent material amendments. All Supervised Persons must provide written acknowledgement to the Chief Compliance Officer of their initial receipt and review of this Code of Ethics, annual review of this Code of Ethics, and receipt and review of any subsequent material amendments to this Code of Ethics.
4. | Duty to Avoid and Disclose All Potential and Actual Conflicts of Interest |
Supervised Persons must not (1) place the interests of Pine River or themselves before the interests of a Fund. Pine River’s Supervised Person’s must not: (2) improperly use their personal influence or personal relationship to affect investment decisions or financial reporting for a Fund; or (3) cause a Fund to take action, or fail to take action, in order to achieve a personal benefit of any kind.
C. | Restrictions on Access Persons Trading in Securities |
1. | General Statement |
No Access Person may engage in a Security transaction, directly or indirectly, that is also the subject of a transaction by a Fund (i) if such Access Person’s transaction would disadvantage or appear to disadvantage the Fund or (ii) if such Access Person would profit from or appear to profit from such transaction, whether or not at the expense of the Fund. Unless an exception is specifically granted by the Chief Compliance Officer, the following specific restrictions apply to all trading activity by an Access Person:
6 The “ Chief Compliance Officer ” is identified in Appendix B – Identity of Specified Persons of Pine River’s Compliance Manual. References to the Compliance Officer in this Code of Ethics shall include his or her designee(s).
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April 2015
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Appendix A
(a) | Any transaction in a Security in anticipation or with knowledge of an order from or on behalf of a Fund (i.e., front running) is prohibited. |
(b) | Any transaction in a Security of an issuer on the restricted list maintained by Pine River is prohibited. Pine River’s “restricted list” includes the name of any company as to which anyone at Pine River may have material information which has not been publicly disclosed; with the exception that Pine River’s Information Barrier Policy (attached as Appendix N of the Compliance Manual) provides, under limited circumstances, for the disclosure of confidential information to one Pine River employee without requiring that the name of the disclosing company be included in the restricted list. |
(c) | Any transaction in a Security during the period which ends five business days after any Fund has traded in that Security is prohibited. |
(d) | Any short selling or option trading that is economically opposite of any pending transaction for any Fund. |
(e) | Any transaction in a Security that would result in an Access Person’s buying and selling, or selling and buying, the same or equivalent Security within 30 days is prohibited (a “short-swing trade”). The Chief Compliance Officer may, for good cause shown, permit a short-swing trade, but shall record the reasons and grant of permission in the firm’s compliance files. |
(f) | Any purchase by an Access Person’s of a Security which a Fund currently holds. Access Persons are permitted to sell positions in a Security held by a fund; however, these transactions are subject to the restrictions above. |
2. | Use of Broker-Dealers and Brokerage Accounts |
Access Persons may only engage in the purchase or sale of publicly traded Reportable Securities 7 through a registered broker-dealer.
7 “ Reportable Security ” includes all Securities other than Non-Reportable Securities. The term “ Securities Act ” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Shares of any Registered Fund advised by Pine River are Reportable Securities, and any trades in the shares of any such Registered Fund are strictly prohibited unless a given trade is pre-cleared with the Chief Compliance Officer and the Chief Compliance Officer affirmatively waives the prohibition on trading the shares of any such Registered Fund on a limited, one-time basis.
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April 2015
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Appendix A
3. | Transactions Exempt from Trading Restrictions |
The following transactions are exempt from the general restrictions under (C)(1) above (“ Exempt Transactions ”):
(a) | Transactions in Non-Reportable Securities . The term “ Non-Reportable Securities ” means: |
(i) | direct obligations of the U.S. Government (or comparable non-U.S. Government); |
(ii) | bankers’ acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper, repurchase agreements and other high quality short-term debt instruments; |
(iii) | shares issued by money market funds; |
(iv) | shares issued by open-end mutual funds 8 registered under the Investment Company Act, other than Reportable Funds 9 ; |
(v) | shares issued by unit investment trusts that are invested exclusively in open-end funds, none of which are Reportable Funds; |
(vi) | interests in Section 529 Plans; |
(vii) | stock index futures (and options thereon); and |
(viii) | any foreign exchange transaction. |
(b) | Any transaction in Securities in an account over which an Access Person does not have any direct or indirect influence or control. It is presumed that an Access Person can exert some measure of influence or control over accounts held by members of such person’s immediate family sharing the same household. This presumption may be rebutted by presenting convincing evidence to the Chief Compliance Officer. |
(c) | Purchasing Securities under Automatic Investment Plans 10 . |
8 E xchange traded funds (“ ETFs ”) are considered to be “Reportable Securities,” and are included in the reporting and pre-clearance requirements of this Code of Ethics.
9 “ Reportable Fund ” means (i) any Registered Fund for which Pine River serves as investment adviser; or (ii) any Registered Fund the investment adviser or principal underwriter for which controls Pine River, is controlled by Pine River or is under common control with Pine River. As used in this definition, the term “control” has the same meaning as it does in Section 2(a)(9) of the Investment Company Act.
10 An “ Automatic Investment Plan ” is a program in which regular periodic purchases or withdrawals are made automatically in or from investment accounts according to a predetermined schedule and allocation. An Automatic Investment Plan includes a dividend reinvestment plan.
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Appendix A
(d) | Purchasing Securities by exercising rights issued to the holders of a class of Securities pro rata , to the extent they are issued with respect to Securities for which an Access Person has Beneficial Ownership. |
(e) | Acquisitions or dispositions of Securities as the result of a stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, merger, consolidation, spin-off, or other similar corporate distribution or reorganization applicable to all holders of a class of Securities for which an Access Person has Beneficial Ownership. |
(f) | Such other classes of transactions or other specific transactions as may be exempted from time to time by the Chief Compliance Officer, or in his absence another member of the Compliance Committee, based upon a determination that the transactions are unlikely to violate Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act. |
4. | Initial Public Offerings, Private Placements and Limited Offerings |
Access Persons must obtain the approval of the Chief Compliance Officer prior to investing in an initial public offering (“ IPO ”), private placement or limited offering. An Access Person’s purchase of an IPO, private placement or limited offering purchase may raise questions as to whether the employee is misappropriating an investment opportunity that should first be offered to eligible Funds, or whether an Access Person is receiving a personal benefit for directing Funds’ business or brokerage. A Limited Offering is an acquisition or disposition of Securities of a private issuer subject to other restrictions that may be applicable thereto.
5. | Preclearance and Verification Procedures to Implement Trading Restrictions . |
The following procedures shall govern all transactions in Securities in which an Access Person has or seeks to obtain Beneficial Ownership, except for Exempt Transactions as described in Section 3 above.
(a) | Supervised Person Transactions Subject to Preclearance |
As set forth below, certain Supervised Person transactions in Reportable Securities are subject to preclearance and subsequent review by the Chief Compliance Officer. A transaction for a Supervised Person’s account may be disapproved if it is determined by the Chief Compliance Officer that the Supervised Person is unfairly benefiting from, or that the transaction is in conflict with or appears to be in conflict with, any “ Fund Transaction ,” any of the above-described trading restrictions, or this Code of Ethics. Fund Transactions include transactions for any Fund or any other account managed or advised by any Supervised Person for a fee.
Any disapproval of a Supervised Person’s transaction shall be in writing.
(b) | Procedures for Preclearance of Transactions Other than Exempt Transactions |
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Appendix A
(i) | Preclearance of Personal Transactions . An Access Person must obtain preclearance for all transactions in Securities prior to entering into such transaction in any account over which the he or she has Beneficial Ownership. The preferred method for preclearing transactions is via the online compliance dashboard. |
(ii) | Approval or Denial of Preclearance Requests . Once an Access Person requests preclearance, a member of the Compliance Department will notify the Access Person promptly, generally within two business days, of any conflict and will advise whether the Access Person’s transaction has been approved. Preclearance approval is valid for the day of the approval and the following business day. |
(iii) | Large Cap Equity and ETF Preclearances, Preclearance Approval will generally be granted for all “Large Cap” equities and ETF products provided the requested trade does not violate Sections C.(1)(a)(b) or (e) above. Large Cap is defined for this policy as a company with a market capitalization value of more than $15 billion. |
(iv) | Other Transactions . All other Access Person transactions in Securities (e.g., participation in a privately-negotiated transaction), other than Exempt Transactions, must be cleared by the Chief Compliance Officer prior to the Access Person entering into the transaction. If an Access Person wishes to engage in such a transaction, he or she must submit a request to the Chief Compliance Officer. The Chief Compliance Officer will notify an Access Person within five business days of any conflict and will advise whether the Access Person’s transaction has been approved. |
REPORTING
A. | Reports About Securities Holdings and Transactions |
Access Persons must submit periodic reports about their securities holdings, transactions, and accounts (including accounts over which they have Beneficial Ownership) to the Chief Compliance Officer. The reports are intended to identify conflicts of interest that could arise when an Access Person invests in a Security or holds accounts that permit these investments, and to promote compliance with this Code of Ethics. Pine River is sensitive to privacy concerns, and will try not to disclose Supervised Persons reports to anyone unnecessarily.
The preferred method for disclosing accounts, holdings and transactions is through the online compliance dashboard. Access Persons whose accounts are not electronically fed to this system, or whose brokers will not send duplicate copies of accounts statements and confirmations to Pine River must submit a Quarterly Transaction Report form
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Appendix A
Failure to file a timely, accurate, and complete report is a breach of Commission 11 rules and this Code of Ethics.
1. | Initial Holdings Report : Within ten (10) days after an individual becomes an Access Person, he or she must submit a holdings report to Pine River () based on information that is current as of a date not more than 45 days prior to the date such person became an Access Person that contains: |
(a) | The name or title and type of Security; and, as applicable, the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, the number of shares and the principal amount of each Reportable Security for which the Access Person has Beneficial Ownership. |
(b) | The name of any broker, dealer, bank, or other institution with which the Access Person maintains an account in which any Reportable Securities are held for the Access Person’s direct or indirect benefit Access |
(c) | Upon request, an executed statement and a letter or other evidence pursuant to which the Access Person has instructed each broker, dealer, bank, or other institution to provide duplicate confirmations of all Securities transactions to the Chief Compliance Officer. |
(d) | The date the report was submitted. |
2. | Quarterly Transaction Report : Except as provided in Section 2(b) below, within 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter every Access Person must submit a Quarterly Transaction Report and Attestation (“ Quarterly Report ”) to the Chief Compliance Officer. The Quarterly Report must contain the following information: |
(a) | With respect to any transaction during the quarter in any Reportable Security in which the Access Person had, or as a result of the transaction acquired, Beneficial Ownership of such Reportable Security: |
(i) | The date of the transaction, the title and as applicable, the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, interest rate and maturity date, the number of shares, and the principal amount of each Reportable Security involved; |
(ii) | The nature of the transaction (i.e., purchase, sale or any other type of acquisition or disposition); |
(iii) | The price of the Reportable Security at which the transaction was effected; |
(iv) | The name of the broker, dealer, or bank with or through which the transaction was effected; and |
11 The term “ Commission ” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
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Appendix A
(v) | The date that the report was submitted. |
(b) | Notwithstanding the requirements contained in 2(a) above, Access Persons are excused from submitting Quarterly Reports where the information would duplicate details contained in trade confirmations or account statements that Pine River holds in its records, provided that Pine River received the relevant confirmations or account statements not later than 30 days after the calendar quarter in which the transaction took place. |
3. | Annual Holdings Report : Access Persons must annually submit to the Chief Compliance Officer a report that is current as of a date not more than 45 days prior to the date the report is submitted (the “ Annual Report Date ”) and that contains: |
(a) | The title and type of Reportable Security, and as applicable, the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, the number of shares and principal amount of each Reportable Security for which the Access Person has Beneficial Ownership on the Annual Report Date. |
(b) | The name of any broker, dealer, bank, or other institution with which the Access Person maintains any account holding any Securities for which the Access Person had Beneficial Ownership on the Annual Report Date.; and |
(c) | The date that the report was submitted. |
4. | Exception to requirement to list transactions or holdings : Access Persons are not required to submit holdings or transactions reports for any account over which the Access Person had no direct or indirect influence or control, such as a fully managed account, or with respect to transactions effected pursuant to an Automatic Investment Plan, unless requested by Pine River. Access Persons must still report such accounts and transactions to the Chief Compliance Officer in their list of accounts. Transactions that override pre-set schedules or allocations of an Automatic Investment Plan, however, must be included in a Quarterly Report. |
B. | Review of Reports and Other Documents |
The Chief Compliance Officer will periodically review reports submitted by Access Persons and records received from institutions that maintain their accounts in order to test compliance with this Code of Ethics. To ensure adequate scrutiny, documents involving the Chief Compliance Officer will be reviewed by another member of the Compliance Committee.
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Appendix A
C. | Registered Fund Reporting Procedures |
On a periodic basis, but not less than annually, the Chief Compliance Officer shall provide a written report to each Registered Fund’s management and its board of directors (each a “ Board ”) setting forth (1) a description of any issues arising under Section I. Personal Investment and Trading Policy or Section II. Reporting of this Code of Ethics or their underlying procedures since the last report to the Board, including information about material violations of Section I. Personal Investment and Trading Policy or Section II. Reporting of this Code of Ethics or their underlying procedures and sanctions imposed in response to such material violations, and (2) a certification on behalf of Pine River that Pine River has adopted procedures reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons from violating Section I. Personal Investment and Trading Policy or Section II. Reporting of this Code of Ethics. The Board is then required to consider the annual written report.
In the event of a material change to Section I. Personal Investment and Trading Policy or Section II. Reporting of this Code of Ethics, the Chief Compliance Officer shall inform each Registered Fund’s chief compliance officer of such change and ensure that the change is approved by each Registered Fund’s Board no later than six months after the change is adopted. For the avoidance of doubt, revisions to portions of this Code of Ethics, which are not required by Rule 17j-1under the Investment Company Act, shall not be considered material revisions.
STATEMENT ON INSIDER TRADING
A. | Background |
The proper handling of material nonpublic information is critical to Pine River’s integrity and reputation. Violating insider trading laws may be damaging to both the reputation and financial position of Pine River and its Supervised Persons. Therefore, Pine River strives to avoid even the appearance of misusing material nonpublic information. Federal securities laws prohibit trading in the securities of a company on the basis of “inside” information. In addition, the misuse of material nonpublic information may violate state securities laws and other legal and regulatory mandates. For these reasons, Pine River takes seriously its obligation to prevent insider trading. In light of the severity of the possible sanctions and potential damage to its reputation that may result from insider trading violations, Pine River has adopted this Statement on Insider Trading (“ Statement ”). Through this, Pine River seeks to satisfy its obligation to prevent insider trading and to help Supervised Persons, as well as Pine River, avoid the severe consequences associated with violations of the insider trading laws.
Insider trading, or trading Securities while in possession of material nonpublic information, or improperly communicating such information to others, may expose a person to civil and/or criminal penalties. Criminal sanctions imposed for insider trading may include fines or imprisonment. The Commission may recover the profits gained or losses avoided through insider trading, obtain a penalty of up to three times the illicit windfall, and/or issue an order permanently barring any person engaging in insider trading from the securities industry. In addition, investors may initiate lawsuits seeking to recover damages for insider trading violations.
Any violation of insider trading laws or this Statement constitutes grounds for disciplinary sanctions, including dismissal and/or referral to civil or governmental authorities for possible civil or criminal prosecution.
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The law of insider trading is complex. Supervised Persons should direct any questions relating to this Statement to the Chief Compliance Officer. Further, a Supervised Person must immediately notify the Chief Compliance Officer if he or she knows or has reason to believe that a violation of the Statement has occurred or is about to occur.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Statement is not intended to replace the responsibility of Pine River’s Supervised Persons to understand and comply with the legal prohibition on insider trading.
B. | Statement of Firm Policy |
1. | Buying or selling Securities while in possession of material nonpublic information is prohibited, unless the Chief Compliance Officer has pre-approved the transaction This prohibition applies to both personal trades and trades on behalf of a Fund’s account. If any Supervised Person is uncertain as to whether information is “material” or “nonpublic,” he or she must consult the Chief Compliance Officer. |
2. | Inappropriately disclosing material nonpublic information to others is prohibited. Material nonpublic information must be disseminated only on a “need to know basis” and only to appropriate personnel. Any confidential discussions between an issuer and Pine River personnel are considered sources of potential material and nonpublic information. The Chief Compliance Officer should be consulted in the event a question arises as to who is privy to material nonpublic information. |
3. | Assisting anyone transacting business on the basis of material nonpublic information through a third party is prohibited. |
4. | The following principles are important to this Statement: |
(a) | What is “material” information? |
Information is “material” when there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonable investor would consider it important in making an investment decision. Generally, this is information that if disclosed would have a substantial effect on the price of a company’s Securities.
(b) | What is “nonpublic” information? |
Information is “nonpublic” until it has been disseminated broadly to investors in the marketplace, or is otherwise publically available to all investors. Tangible evidence of such dissemination is the best indication that the information is public. For example, information is public after it has become available to the general public through a public filing with the Commission or some other government agency, or available to the Dow Jones “tape,” Bloomberg, or The Wall Street Journal or some other general circulation publication, and after sufficient time has passed so that the information has been disseminated widely. The contents of public records, such as court dockets and public regulatory filings, are generally also considered public information for purposes of the insider trading laws.
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(c) | Material nonpublic information does not have to be obtained from the relevant company or issuer to constitute inside information. |
(d) | Examples of material information may include any of the following, prior to wide public disclosure: (i) the financial performance of a company against its budget; (ii) changes in a company’s actual or anticipated financial condition or business performance; (iii) changes in the capital structure of the company, including proposals to raise additional equity or borrowings; (iv) proposed changes in the nature of the business of the company; (v) changes to the board of directors or significant changes in senior management; (vi) an undisclosed significant change in the company’s market share; (vii) likely or actual entry into or loss of a material contract, customer, or supplier; (viii) projections of future earnings or losses; (ix) a pending or proposed merger, acquisition, or divestiture; (x) changes in dividend policy; (xi) significant pricing changes; (xii) significant litigation exposure due to actual or threatened litigation or other unexpected liability; (xiii) earnings that are inconsistent with the consensus expectations of the investment community; (xiv) a pending or proposed acquisition or disposition of a material asset; (xv) the declaration of a stock split or the offering, purchase or redemption of company securities; (xvi) development of a significant new product or process; and (xvii) significant governmental regulatory activities. |
Either positive or negative information may be material. It can be difficult to know whether information would be considered “material” because no bright line test exists. Although a Supervised Person may have information about a company that he or she does not consider material and nonpublic, federal regulators and others may, with the benefit of hindsight, conclude that the information was material. When doubt exists, information should be presumed to be material and nonpublic. When unsure whether information is material and non-public, Supervised Persons must consult the Chief Compliance Officer.
5. | Identifying Insider Information |
Before executing any trade for oneself or others, including Funds, a Supervised Person must determine whether he or she has access to material nonpublic information. If a Supervised Person has or believes he or she might have access to material nonpublic information, he or she should take the following steps:
(a) | Immediately alert the Chief Compliance Officer or a member of the Compliance Department so that the applicable issuer can be placed on the Restricted List, if appropriate. |
(b) | Refrain from purchasing or selling any Securities of the issuer. |
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(c) | Not communicate the information inside or outside of Pine River, other than to the Chief Compliance Officer or another member of the Compliance Committee. |
The Chief Compliance Officer will review the issue, determine whether the information is material and nonpublic, and, if so, what action Pine River should take, if any.
6. | Contacts with Public Companies; Tender Offers |
Contacts with public companies may represent part of Pine River’s research efforts and Pine River may make investment decisions on the basis of its conclusions formed through such contacts and analysis of publicly available information. Difficult legal issues may arise, however, when a Supervised Person, in the course of these contacts, becomes aware of material nonpublic information. For example, a company’s chief financial officer could prematurely disclose quarterly results, or an investor relations representative could make a selective disclosure of adverse news to certain investors. In such situations, Pine River must make a judgment about its further conduct. To protect himself or herself, Funds, and Pine River, a Supervised Person should immediately contact the Chief Compliance Officer if he or she believes he or she may have received material nonpublic information, and should refrain from trading in the securities of the companies involved unless and until the Chief Compliance Officer authorizes further trading.
Tender offers represent a particular concern in the law of insider trading for two reasons. First, tender offer activity often produces extraordinary movement in the price of the Securities of the companies involved. Second, the Commission has adopted a rule expressly forbidding trading and “tipping” while in possession of material nonpublic information regarding a tender offer received from the company making the tender offer, the target company, or anyone acting on behalf of either. Supervised Persons must exercise particular caution any time they become aware of nonpublic information relating to a tender offer.
C. | Procedures to Implement Statement |
1. | Responsibilities of Supervised Persons |
(a) | All Supervised Persons must make a diligent effort to ensure that a violation of the Statement does not occur either intentionally or by mistake. In this regard, all Supervised Persons are responsible for: |
(i) | Reading, understanding, and consenting to comply with the insider trading policies contained in this Statement. Supervised Persons will be required to sign an acknowledgment that they have read, understood, and will comply with their responsibilities under the Code of Ethics. |
(ii) | Not disclosing inside information obtained from any source. Disclosing such information to family, friends, or acquaintances is grounds for immediate termination and/or referral to civil or governmental authorities for possible civil or criminal prosecutions. |
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(iii) | Consulting the Chief Compliance Officer when questions arise regarding insider trading or when potential violations of the Statement are suspected. |
(iv) | Being aware of, and monitoring, any Investors who are shareholders, directors, and/or senior officers of public companies. Any unusual activity, including a purchase or sale of restricted stock, must be brought to the attention of the Chief Compliance Officer. |
2. | Safeguarding Pine River Material Nonpublic Information |
In order to prevent accidental dissemination of material nonpublic information, Supervised Persons must adhere to the following guidelines:
(a) | Inform management when unauthorized personnel enter the premises; |
(b) | Properly secure doors and drawers at all times in areas or places that have confidential and secure files; |
(c) | Refrain from discussing sensitive information in public areas; |
(d) | Refrain from leaving confidential information on message devices; |
(e) | Maintain control of sensitive documents, including handouts and copies intended for internal dissemination only; |
(f) | Ensure that faxes and electronic messages containing sensitive information are properly sent, and confirm that the recipient has received the intended message; and |
(g) | Not provide passwords to unauthorized personnel. |
GIFTS AND BENEFITS POLICY
A. | Supervised Persons may not seek or accept any gift, favor, preferential treatment, or valuable consideration of any kind that is inconsistent with relevant laws or regulations, or inappropriate or inconsistent with normal business practices, from any person or entity that does business or is soliciting business with Pine River, a Fund or any affiliate. |
B. | Neither Pine River nor any Supervised Persons or affiliates of Pine River may give a gift, benefit, or provide entertainment that is inconsistent with applicable law or regulations, or inappropriate or inconsistent with normal business practices, to a person associated with a securities or financial organization, exchange, member firm, commodity firm, news media or Investor. |
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C. | Before accepting or giving anything of benefit or value in excess of $500 from any person or entity that does business with Pine River, a Private Fund or any affiliate, Supervised Persons must obtain the approval of the Chief Compliance Officer. |
D. | For any gift, favor, preferential treatment, or valuable consideration of any kind that is received or given by Pine River, any Supervised Persons, or any Pine River affiliate which has an estimated value of $150 to $500, the Chief Compliance Officer or a member of the Compliance Committee must be notified within two weeks of receipt or grant thereof. |
E. | Gifts and benefits must be reported to Compliance, preferably through Pine River’s compliance dashboard. The report should include the following information: (1) the individual and entity to whom a gift or benefit was given or from whom a gift or benefit was received; (2) a description of the item; (3) the date received; and (4) the value, as known or reasonably estimated, of the gift or benefit. The Chief Compliance Officer or a member of the Compliance Committee will keep a record of gifts and benefits received and given. |
F. | The prohibition on giving or receiving gratuities does not apply to attending events, dinners, and other functions in the company of service providers, but only if such event, dinner, or other function is appropriate in type and cost. If a Supervised Persons questions the appropriateness of the type or cost of an event, dinner, or other function, he or she must consult with the Chief Compliance Officer. |
G. | Pine River, its Supervised Persons, and affiliates shall not give or accept gifts in the form of cash, cash equivalents or negotiable instruments. |
H. | A member of the Compliance Committee must pre-approve all gifts or entertainment given or received by Pine River or a Supervised Persons which are directly attributable to a “plan assets” fund subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ( “ERISA” ). |
I. | Pine River may grant exceptions to this policy under certain circumstances. Supervised Persons should contact the Chief Compliance Officer if he or she believes a particular situation warrants an exception. |
COMPLIANCE
A. | Certificate of Receipt |
Supervised Persons are required to acknowledge that they have received a copy of and have read and understood this Code of Ethics at the time of their hire.
B. | Annual Certificate of Compliance |
Supervised Persons are required to certify that they have read and understood this Code of Ethics and that they recognize they are subject to its provisions following the effective date of any material amendment to this Code of Ethics, and annually thereafter. In addition, in the annual certificate Supervised Persons are obligated to represent that they have complied with all of the requirements of this Code of Ethics during the prior year, and that they have disclosed, reported, or caused to be reported all holdings and transactions as required during the prior year.
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C. | Remedial Actions |
If a Supervised Person violates this Code of Ethics, including filing a late, inaccurate, or incomplete holdings or transaction report, such person may be subject to disciplinary actions. Remedial actions may include any one or more of the following: (1) a warning; (2) disgorgement of profits; (3) imposition of a fine (which may be substantial); (4) demotion (which may be significant); (5) withholding of salary and/or bonus; (6) suspension of employment (with or without pay); (7) termination of employment; and/or (8) referral to civil or governmental authorities for possible civil or criminal prosecution.
RECORDS RETENTION
The Chief Compliance Officer will maintain, for a period of five years after the end of the fiscal year in which the report is made or the information is provided unless otherwise specified herein, the records listed below. The records will be maintained at Pine River’s principal place of business in an easily accessible but secure place.
A. | A record of the persons’ names who are currently, or within the past five years were, Supervised Persons of Pine River and subject to this Code of Ethics. |
B. | A copy of each Supervised Person’s annual acknowledgement that he or she received a copy of the Code of Ethics and agrees to comply with its terms. A copy of each Code of Ethics (as may be amended or supplemented from time to time) that has been in effect at any time during the preceding five-year period. |
C. | A copy of each report made by a Supervised Person pursuant to this Code of Ethics, including any broker trade confirmations or account statements that were submitted in lieu of such person’s Quarterly Reports. |
D. | A record of all known violations of the Code of Ethics and of any actions taken as a result thereof, regardless of when such violations were committed. |
E. | A record of any decision, and the reasons supporting the decision, to approve the acquisition of securities other than Exempt Transactions by Supervised Persons, for at least five years after the end of the fiscal year in which the approval is granted. |
F. | A copy of each annual (or, if pertinent, other periodic) written report made to the Board of any Registered Fund advised or sub-advised by Pine River. |
G. | A record of all other reports made by the Chief Compliance Officer related to this Code of Ethics. |
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REVIEW
This Code of Ethics shall be reviewed by the Chief Compliance Officer on at least an annual basis to ensure that it is meeting its objectives, is functioning fairly and effectively, and is not unduly burdensome to Pine River or Supervised Persons. Supervised Persons are encouraged to contact the Chief Compliance Officer with any comments, questions, or suggestions regarding implementing or improving this Code of Ethics.
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Exhibit (p)(42)
River Canyon Fund Management LLC
Excerpt of Code of Ethics
Policy on Personal Securities Transactions
Last amended August 25, 2015
Personal Securities Transactions | 2 | |
Policies and Procedures Regarding Personal Securities Transactions | 2.1 | |
Personal Securities Transactions Reporting Requirements | 2.2 | |
Summary of Reporting Requirements | 2.3 | |
Confidentiality of Personal Securities Transaction Information | 2.4 | |
Communication with the Boards of Directors of Reportable Funds | 2.5 |
Appendix A
2. Personal Securities Transactions
The personal transactions and investment activities of Employees of investment advisory firms, and certain of their family members 1 (referred to collectively as “Personal Securities Transactions”), are the subject of various federal securities laws, rules and regulations. The rules and regulations regarding Personal Securities Transactions define Employees with access to certain information as “Access Persons.” Canyon has decided to deem all Employees “Access Persons” and, as a result, all Employees must engage in all personal securities transactions in a manner that avoids a conflict (actual or apparent) between their personal interests and those of Canyon and its Clients. When Employees invest for their own accounts, conflicts of interest may arise between Canyon, Clients’ and the Employee’s interests. The conflicts may include (without limitation):
· | Taking an investment opportunity from a Client for an Employee’s own portfolio, |
· | Using an Employee’s advisory position to take advantage of available investments, |
· | Front running, for example, by an Employee trading for Employee’s own account before making a similar trade for a Client account, and |
· | Taking advantage of information or using Client portfolio assets to affect the market to the Employee’s benefit. |
2.1 Policies and Procedures Regarding Personal Securities Transactions
To assure compliance with the securities laws and to avoid potential conflicts of interest (actual or apparent) with its Clients, Canyon has established the following procedures included in the Code with respect to all Employees. The procedures outlined below must be strictly adhered to by all Employees.
A. | Location of Accounts; Reporting Requirements |
Employees and Related Persons (as such term is defined in Sub-Section E. below) may not maintain any form of trading or investment account at any broker, dealer, bank or investment adviser unless: (i) the Chief Compliance Officer has approved of the account in writing; (ii) all account positions are disclosed to Canyon; and (iii) trading in the account is subject to the rules and reporting requirements discussed in this Code. Unless excepted in writing, all accounts subject to the Code must be maintained at a broker-dealer approved by the Compliance Department. In addition, unless excepted in writing, all transactions in accounts subject to the Code must be effected through a broker-dealer approved by the Compliance Department. Upon commencement of employment, an Employee must arrange for transfer of any securities and related cash accounts to an approved broker-dealer within 30 days of the date of employment (unless excepted in writing). Where an exception is granted, Employees must still follow all applicable provisions of this Code regarding Personal Securities Transactions including providing Canyon with the name of the broker-dealer firm with which they have their personal accounts and requesting that the broker-dealer send to Canyon, to the attention of the Compliance Department, duplicates of all confirmations and monthly account statements related to the foregoing accounts and transactions. Exceptions to the above requirements will only be granted in unusual circumstances.
1 Family member includes adoptive relationships and means any of the following persons who reside in your household:
spouse | stepparent | son-in-law |
child | grandparent | daughter-in-law |
stepchild | spouse | brother-in-law |
grandchild | sibling | sister-in-law |
parent | father-in-law | mother-in-law |
Employees are required to report promptly to the Compliance Department any changes in status or location of any account in which they have a beneficial interest as defined below.
B. | General Restrictions |
The following restrictions and guidelines apply to Employee Personal Securities Transactions:
1. | Employees and their Related Persons are prohibited from purchasing or selling any form of investment or trading assets (an “Investment Asset”) on the basis of material confidential information, proprietary information, and/or material, non-public information, which is discussed further in Section 3. |
2. | No transactions may be made by an Employee or their Related Persons in an Investment Asset on the Restricted List, unless approved by a Managing Partner. For more information on the Restricted List please see Section 3.3 of the Code. |
3. | All trades done for personal accounts of Employees and their Related Persons require advance approval either in writing or electronically from the Compliance Department and/or Trading Compliance Officer. Approvals will only be valid on the day the trade was approved. If an approved trade is not effected on that day, the trade will need to be re-approved. |
4. | Once a decision has been made to trade in a security on behalf of a Client, Employees and their Related Persons are prohibited from effecting any transaction in such security during the period which begins one business day before and ends two business days after any Client has traded in that security (referred to as the “Black-Out Period”). For example, an employee will be permitted to trade on the third business day after the transaction, typically on the same day the Client trade settles). This restriction does not apply to a security that is excepted from this Code or to broad based market indices. |
5. | Employees and their Related Persons are prohibited from investing in any Investment Asset for less than 30 calendar days (please see Policy against Short-Term Trading; 30-Day Holding Period in Section G below). |
6. | Absent specific approval, Employees and their Related Persons are prohibited from engaging in speculative trading as opposed to investment activity. |
7. | Employees and their Related Persons are generally prohibited from writing naked puts and/or calls, except with respect to broad based market indices. |
8. | Interests in a Reportable Fund or a private investment fund advised by Canyon (“Canyon Private Funds”) may be purchased, sold, transferred or redeemed by Employees and their Related Persons only with the prior written approval of the Trading Compliance Officer and a Managing Partner; Employees may not invest in any other private investment fund without the consent of a Managing Partner. |
Canyon’s procedures require that the approval must be obtained to sell securities previously acquired even if the acquisition was made prior to becoming an Employee or with Canyon’s approval.
Prior to effecting any securities transaction, all Employees should consider the guidelines and restrictions applicable to trading while in possession of material, non-public information contained in Section 3 of this Code.
C. | Investment Assets |
1. | Investment Assets Subject to the Code |
The policies and procedures in this Code apply to transactions involving all equity and debt securities, including common and preferred stock, investment and non-investment grade debt securities, investments convertible into or exchangeable for stock or debt securities, or any derivative instrument relating to any such security, including options, warrants and futures, or any interest in a partnership or other entity that invests in any of the foregoing. Additionally, investments in any Reportable Funds are covered by this Code.
Exchange Traded Funds (“ETF”) are not subject to the Black-Out Period, the 30-Day Holding Period, or pre-clearance requirements of the Code. However, ETFs are subject to the reporting requirements of the Code (i.e., initial and annual holding reports and quarterly certifications).
2. | Real Estate Investments Subject to the Code |
CPRE Employees are subject to additional restrictions with respect to certain types of real estate investments, including the requirement to pre-clear certain real estate transactions. Please see the Reporting Requirements Table below for a list of such transactions.
3. | Types of Investment Assets Not Subject to the Code |
Investments in the following Investment Assets are not subject to the Code.
· | Direct obligations of the U.S. government; |
· | Banker’s acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper and high quality short-term debt instruments 2 , including repurchase agreements; |
· | Shares issued by money market funds; and |
2 High quality short-term debt instrument means any instrument that has a maturity at issuance of less than 366 days and that is rated in one of the two highest rating categories by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization ( e.g. , Moody’s Investors Service).
· | Shares issued by open-end investment companies, with the exception of any Reportable Fund. |
D. | Types of Accounts |
1. | Accounts Subject to the Code |
“Personal Securities Accounts” include the following types of accounts, all of which are subject to this Code:
(a) | Accounts in the Employee’s name; |
(b) | Accounts in the name of the Employee’s spouse; |
(c) | Accounts in the name of children under the age of 18, whether or not living with the Employee, and family members (see note 1) living with the Employee or for whose support the Employee is wholly or partially responsible (together with the Employee’s spouse collectively referred to as a “Related Person”); |
(d) | Accounts in which the Employee or any Related Person directly or indirectly controls, participates in, or has the right to control or participate in, investment decisions, such as family trusts in which the Employee or Related Person is a trustee; |
(e) | Accounts in which the Employee or Related Person has direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership 3 . |
2. | Accounts Not Subject to the Code |
Accounts over which the Employee or Related Person does not have direct or indirect influence or control are not subject to the Code. This would typically include accounts managed on a discretionary basis by an outside money manager. The existence of all such accounts must be reported to the Compliance Department and the outside money manager may be asked to confirm this.
3 You should generally consider yourself the “beneficial owner” of any securities in which you have a direct or indirect Pecuniary Interest. Pecuniary Interest in a security means the opportunity, directly or indirectly, to profit or share in any profit derived from a transaction in such security. As a general rule, you will be regarded as having a pecuniary interest in a security held in the name of your family members. For example, you will likely be deemed to have a pecuniary interest in securities (including the right to require the exercise or conversion of any derivative security such as an option or warrant, whether or not presently exercisable or convertible) held for:
· | Your accounts or the accounts of Related Persons |
· | A partnership or limited liability company, if you are or a Related Person is a general partner or a managing member |
· | A corporation or similar business entity, if you have or share, or a Related Person has or shares, investment control |
· | A trust, if you are or a Related Person is a beneficiary |
E. | Approval Requirements and Process |
All transactions by Employees (including Related Persons) must receive prior approval (or pre-clearance) from the Compliance Department and the Trading Compliance Officer. Employees must follow the procedures outlined below before effecting any transaction subject to the Code:
1. | The Employee must complete and submit the Request for Personal Securities Transaction form to the Trading Compliance Officer and Compliance Department. |
2. | Upon review and approval by the Trading Compliance Officer, the Request for Personal Securities Transaction form will be forwarded to the Compliance Department. |
3. | After both the Compliance Department and the Trading Compliance Officer have approved the transaction, the Employee will be notified and will have until the end of the business day to complete the transaction. |
Canyon has the right to deny approval for any securities transactions. The fact that approval for a securities transaction is granted or denied is highly confidential and should not be disclosed by the Employee seeking approval to anyone inside or outside Canyon. Personnel should not engage in discussions as to the reasons for the grant or denial of approval except with a Managing Partner. If an Employee believes a denied transaction should have been approved, the Employee must seek the approval of a Managing Partner. All approvals by a Managing Partner will document the specific reason for approving the request.
Stop Loss Orders
Employees will be permitted to use stop loss orders provided the following additional procedures are followed:
1. | An employee must hold his position for a minimum of 30 days prior to submitting a stop loss order, |
2. | Each stop loss order, and any changes or amendments thereto, must be pre-cleared in the same manner as any other trade, |
3. | The Black-Out Period will only apply to date on which the stop loss order is approved and not to the date on which the stop loss order is executed unless the stop loss order is executed within two days of approval. For example, if a stop loss order is approved on Monday and the order is executed on Tuesday and the firm trades in the same name on Tuesday, the trade will need to be reversed. If, however, a stop loss order is approved on Monday and the order is executed on following Tuesday and the firm trades in the same name on that Tuesday, the trade will NOT need to be reversed. |
Trades on Foreign Exchanges
As noted above, pre-clearances are only good for the trading day on which the pre-clearance is approved. However, due to the timing differences between our hours of operations and the hours of operations of foreign exchanges, pre-clearances will be valid until the end of the next trading day on that foreign exchange.
Canyon Capital Advisors (Europe) Limited
As noted above, pre-clearances are only good for the trading day on which the pre-clearance is approved. However, due to the timing differences between our hours of operations and the hours of operations of Canyon Capital Advisors (Europe) Limited, pre-clearances will be valid until the end of the next trading day on either the US or foreign exchange, as applicable.
F. | Public Offerings and Limited Offerings |
1. The following general restrictions apply to Employees and Related Persons:
Restricted Investments
Security Type |
Purchase | Sale | ||
Initial Public Offerings ( IPO s) (An IPO 4 is a corporation’s first offering of a security representing shares of the company to the public.) |
PERMITTED – Subject to advance written approval by the Trading Compliance Officer and a Managing Partner. | PERMITTED – Subject to advance written approval by the Trading Compliance Officer and a Managing Partner. | ||
Limited Offerings* (A limited offering 5 is an offer or sale of any security by a brokerage firm not involving a public offering, for example, a venture capital deal.) |
PERMITTED – Subject to advance written approval by the Trading Compliance Officer and a Managing Partner. | PERMITTED – Subject to advance written approval by the Trading Compliance Officer and a Managing Partner. |
* Limited Offerings include:
· | The Canyon Private Funds; |
· | Transactions in securities, options, commodities or futures contracts that are not publicly offered or traded; |
· | Participation in hedge funds, leveraged buy-out transactions, real estate offerings, private placements, and oil and gas partnerships or working interests; |
4 IPO (i.e., initial public offering) means an offering of securities registered under the Securities Act of 1933, the issuer of which, immediately before registration, was not subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
5 A limited offering means an offering that is exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 pursuant to Section 4(2), Section 4(6) or Rules 504, 505 or 506 of Regulation D (e.g., private placements).
· | Acceptance of offers of options or shares by personnel who serve on boards of directors; |
· | Transactions involving real estate or agricultural land held for investment purposes, jointly in partnership with another person (other than family members); |
· | Investing in any other business, whether or not related to securities ( e.g., fast-food franchises, restaurants, sports teams, etc.); and |
· | Owning stock or having, directly or indirectly, any financial interest in any other organization engaged in any advisory, securities, commodities, futures contracts or related business; provided, however, that approval is not required with regard to stock ownership or other financial interest in any such business that is publicly owned, unless a control relationship exists. |
2. Employees who are also registered representatives or associated persons of CP Investments, LLC (“CPI”), Canyon’s affiliated broker-dealer, are generally prohibited from purchasing shares during an initial public offering. Please see CPI’s Written Supervisory Procedures for more information.
G. | Policy against Short-Term Trading; 30-Day Holding Period |
Personal Securities Transactions should be undertaken for investment purposes, not for short-term trading or risk arbitrage profits. Accordingly, Employees and Related Persons are generally prohibited from trading in “deal” or “rumor” securities. “Deal” or “rumor” securities include securities of companies that are the subject of reports or rumors of actual or anticipated extraordinary corporate transactions or other corporate events, regardless of whether Canyon is involved. Employees are also generally prohibited from trading options or futures unless for bona fide hedging purposes against an offsetting position on a one-to-one basis (other than with respect to broad-based standard indexes), absent specific approval. Thus naked puts and calls are prohibited.
Unless a security is excepted from the Code or is an ETF, all Employees and Related Persons are required to maintain all securities positions for a minimum of 30 days. Under certain circumstances, generally involving hardships, exceptions to this 30-day holding period may be permitted on a prior approval basis. However, Canyon retains the unconditional right to refuse to grant approval for short-term trading transactions. While Canyon does not prohibit short sales by Employees or Related Persons, short sales are discouraged and subject to the 30-day minimum holding period.
H. | The Unconditional Right of Canyon to Impose Restrictions on Personal Securities Trading |
Canyon may in its sole discretion impose restrictions (in addition to those specifically set forth herein) on the execution of transactions by Employees and Related Persons. Employees should be aware and apprise Related Persons that their securities positions may become frozen if Canyon becomes involved in a transaction affecting the issuer of such securities. The imposition of any such restriction is highly confidential and should not be disclosed outside Canyon, or inside Canyon except to the extent necessary to effectuate the restriction. Employees should avoid discussion as to reasons for the imposition of any such restriction.
I. | Monitoring Compliance with Canyon’s Personal Securities Trading Policies |
On a periodic basis, a review of all Employee trades, not exempted from this Code, will be conducted to determine whether any securities purchased or sold by Employees for their own accounts or the accounts of any Related Peron are either on the Restricted List or being considered for purchase, purchased, or sold by Clients of Canyon.
Firm personnel should be aware and apprise Related Parties that Canyon will use periodic account statements, transactions confirmations and other information, whether or not received from Canyon, to monitor and review securities trading in Personal Securities Accounts for compliance not only with Canyon’s internal policies but also with respect to legal and regulatory requirements regarding such trading. Canyon personnel are expected to cooperate with such inquires and any monitoring or review procedures employed by Canyon.
2.2 Personal Securities Transactions Reporting Requirements
A. Initial and Annual Holdings Reports
All Employees are required to report brokerage accounts and securities/holdings by the Employee and Related Persons (subject to Code requirements) on an Initial Holdings Report within 10 days of employment, with information current as of a date no more than 45 days prior to employment, and annually thereafter. Annual reports must be submitted by February 14 of each year and the information contained in an annual report must be current as of December 31 of the prior year, unless some other date is set by the Compliance Department. An Employee’s or Related Person’s brokerage account statement(s) may be submitted in lieu of a separate initial or annual holdings report if all of the Employee’s or Related Person’s reportable holdings appear on the statement(s). In certain circumstances, an Employee’s or Related Person’s brokerage account statements may need to be consolidated. The holdings report must contain the following:
· | title and exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number; |
· | number of shares and principal amount of the security involved; |
· | type of security; |
· | name of the broker-dealer or bank that maintained the account; and |
· | the date the report is submitted by the Employee. |
B. Monthly Transactions Reports
All Employees must arrange for the Compliance Department to receive monthly (or as generated, e.g., quarterly) duplicate statements for all investment accounts that contain securities of the Employee and Related Persons directly from the broker-dealer or other financial institution approved to handle the Employees investment account. These duplicate statements must report any transaction in a security over which the Employee had, or as a result of the transaction acquired, any direct or indirect beneficial ownership. A record of every transaction in a security is required with the following information to be maintained:
· | title and exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number; |
· | number of shares or principal amount of the security involved; |
· | interest rate and maturity date (if applicable); |
· | date of the transaction; |
· | nature of the transaction (purchase or sale); |
· | price at which the trade was effected; |
· | name of the broker-dealer or bank that executed the transaction; and |
· | the date the report is submitted by the Employee. |
**Special Note Regarding 401(k) Plans: You are not required to report exchanges and transfers within your 401(k) plan if you are only able to invest in open-end mutual funds as long as such plan does not invest in any Reportable Funds. If your 401(k) plan offers investments in other types of securities or invests in Reportable Funds, you are required to report exchanges and transfers, but not automatic investment plans. 6
C. | Quarterly Certification |
Employees will certify that the information contained in the duplicate statement(s) or downloaded into to the DataWare system is correct and complete and to record quarterly transaction information that did not appear in duplicate statement(s) or DataWare, if necessary. It is required by federal law to be submitted not later than 30 days after the calendar quarter in which the transaction was effected. If the thirtieth day falls on a weekend or a holiday, the report is due the business day immediately preceding this deadline. Please forward the report to the Compliance Department.
In addition, if during the quarter an Employee or Related Person establishes a new account in which any securities are held for his or her beneficial interest, the Employee must file an initial holdings report, described above, and must provide the following information as part of his or her quarterly report:
· | name of the broker-dealer or bank with whom the Employee established the account |
· | the date the account was established; and |
· | the date the report is submitted by the Employee. |
D. | Exceptions to Reporting |
Employees need not submit a quarterly transactions report to Canyon if all the information in the report would duplicate information contained in brokerage account statements received by Canyon not later than 30 days after the calendar quarter. The quarterly certification is, however, required.
You are not required to detail or list the following items on your initial and annual holdings reports and quarterly transactions reports:
6 Automatic investment plan means a program in which regular periodic purchases (or withdrawals) are made automatically in (or from) investment accounts in accordance with a predetermined schedule and allocation. An automatic investment plan includes a dividend reinvestment plan.
1. | Purchases or sales effected for any account over which you have no direct or indirect influence or control. However, the Employee is required to report the existence of all accounts, even if managed on a discretionary basis by an outside money manager (however, the outside money manager may be asked to confirm this); |
2. | Transactions effected pursuant to an automatic investment plan; and |
3. | Purchases or sales of any of the following securities: |
· | Direct obligations of the U.S. government; |
· | Banker’s acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper and high quality short-term debt instruments (previously defined in footnote 3); |
· | shares issued by money market funds, whether affiliated or non-affiliated; and |
· | shares issued by open-end investment companies, other than shares of an Reportable Fund, if any. |
E. | Acknowledgement and Certification |
All Employees must acknowledge receipt of this Code no less frequently than annually to comply with Canyon’s policies and procedures. New Employees must also acknowledge receipt on their date of hire.
2.3 Summary of Reporting Requirements
The following table summarizes some of the reporting requirements. If you have any questions regarding the reporting requirements for transactions in other types of securities you should contact the Compliance Department.
Security Type | Quarterly Reporting | |
IPOs | Yes | |
Limited Offerings | Yes | |
Corporate Debt Transactions | Yes | |
Equity Transactions | Yes | |
Government Bond | Yes | |
Municipal Bond | Yes | |
Whole Mortgage Loans or Other Real Estate Related Investments** | Yes | |
Private Funds Managed by Canyon | Yes | |
Closed-end Mutual Funds | Yes | |
Exchange Traded Funds | Yes | |
Open-end Mutual Funds Advised or Subadvised by Canyon | Yes | |
US Treasury / Agencies | No | |
Money Market Funds (affiliated and non-affiliated) | No | |
Open-end Mutual Funds Not Advised or Subadvised by Canyon | No | |
Short Term / Cash Equivalents | No | |
Variable Annuities | No | |
SPP / DRIPS* — automatic purchases | No |
* Sales of stocks from SPP or DRIPs: Pre-clearance is required for the sale of stocks from SSP or DRIPs. Please notify the Trading Compliance Officer in writing of the sale and include these transactions in any reports.
** Reporting of investments in whole mortgage loans or other real estate related investments is required only for Employees of CPRE and does not include primary residences and vacation homes.
2.4 Confidentiality of Personal Securities Transaction Information
Canyon will endeavor to keep all reports of personal securities transactions, holdings and any other information filed pursuant to this Code confidential. Employees’ reports and information submitted in connection with this Code will be kept in a locked filed cabinet, and access will be limited to appropriate Canyon personnel including the Compliance Department, Trading Compliance Officer, and Senior Management (Senior Management includes the Managing Partners, the Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel, and the Chief Compliance Officer. These individuals are identified in Appendix A) as well as Canyon’s compliance consultants and outside counsel; provided, however, that such information also may be subject to review by legal counsel, government authorities, Clients or others if required by law or court order. The personal securities trading records of certain Employees may also be subject to review by the Reportable Fund’s Board of Directors, CCO, or its agent.
2.5 Communication with the Boards of Directors of Reportable Funds
Canyon’s Code of Ethics must be approved by the Board of Directors of any Reportable Fund. Additionally, Canyon is required to provide notification of any material changes to the Company’s Code of Ethics to the Board of Directors of any Reportable Fund no later than six months after the adoption of such a change.
Violations of Canyon’s Code of Ethics may be reportable to the Board of Directors of any Reportable Fund. At a minimum, Rule 17j-1 under the IC Act requires Canyon to provide an annual written report to the Board of Directors of any Reportable Fund which describes any issues arising under the Code since the last such report was made, including but not limited to material violations of the Code and any sanctions imposed by Canyon, and certifies that Canyon has adopted procedures reasonably necessary to prevent Employees from violating the Code. Additional reporting may be required for each Reportable Fund.
Appendix A
Chief Compliance Officer | Douglas Anderson | |
Compliance Representatives | Lena Najarian | |
Sonya Nelson | ||
David Young | ||
Jane Kim | ||
Shelly Skaug | ||
Trading Compliance Officer (CCA) | Desmond Lynch | |
Chief Financial Officer | John Plaga | |
General Counsel (CCA and River Canyon) | Jonathan M. Kaplan | |
Managing Partners (CCA, CPRE and River Canyon) |
Joshua S. Friedman Mitchell R. Julis |
|
Managing Partners (ICE Canyon) | Joshua S. Friedman | |
Mitchell R. Julis |
||
Nathan B. Sandler |
Exhibit (p)(43)
CODE OF ETHICS
(Revised as of July, 2015)
I. | Statement of Policy |
High ethical standards are essential for the success of the Adviser and to maintain the confidence of clients and investors in investment funds and other accounts managed by the Adviser (“clients”). The Adviser’s long-term business interests are best served by adherence to the principle that the interests of clients come first. Tremblant Capital Group (“Tremblant”) has a fiduciary duty to its clients to act solely for their benefit. All personnel of the Adviser must put the interests of the Adviser’s clients before their own personal interests and must act honestly and fairly in all respects in dealings with clients. All personnel of the Adviser must also comply with all federal securities laws. The Adviser and its personnel may effect transactions for their own accounts in the same securities purchased and sold for the accounts of the Adviser’s clients. To ensure that trading by the Adviser’s personnel is conducted in a manner that does not adversely affect the Adviser’s clients and in a manner consistent with the fiduciary duty owed by the Adviser to its clients, the Adviser has adopted this code of ethics (the “Code of Ethics”). The Code of Ethics contains provisions designed to prevent improper personal trading, identify conflicts of interest and provide a means to resolve any actual or potential conflicts in favor of the Adviser’s clients. This Code of Ethics applies to all Personal Accounts and transactions of TCG Employees. Adherence to the Code of Ethics and the related restrictions on personal investing is considered a basic condition of employment by the Adviser. If you have any doubt as to the propriety of any activity, you should consult with the Compliance Officer, who is charged with the administration of this Code of Ethics.
TCG Employees are expected to abide by the highest standards of ethical conduct in their relationships with each other, investors, clients, competitors and members of the public. If a TCG employee perceives lapses in those standards, the TCG Employee is expected to report them to the Compliance Officer. The Compliance Officer will respond appropriately to TCG Employee concerns about possible violations of laws, rules and regulations.
In addition, no TCG Employee may, directly or indirectly, in connection with the purchase or sale of a security held or to be acquired by a client:
1. | Employ any device, scheme or artifice to defraud the client; |
2. | Make any untrue statement of material fact to the client or omit to state any material fact to the client necessary to make the statements made to the client, in the light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading; |
3. | Engage in any act, practice or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon the client; or |
4. | Engage in any manipulative practice with respect to the client. |
The Code of Ethics cannot address every circumstance that may give rise to a conflict, a potential conflict or even an appearance of a conflict of interest. Therefore, every employee is expected to conduct himself or herself with good judgment by bringing concerns to the attention of the Compliance Officer, as well as being alert to any actual or potential conflicts of interest with clients, including appearances thereof. Violations of this Code of Ethics must be reported to the Compliance Officer promptly.
ANY EMPLOYEE WHO VIOLATES THIS CODE OF ETHICS WILL BE SUBJECT TO DISCIPLINARY ACTION, UP TO AND INCLUDING TERMINATION FROM TREMBLANT.
II. | Definitions |
A. | “TCG Employee” means (i) any partner, officer, or employee of the Adviser, or (ii) any other person who provides investment advice on behalf of the Adviser, is subject to the supervision and control of the Adviser and (a) has access to nonpublic information regarding any clients’ purchase or sale of securities, or nonpublic information regarding portfolio holdings of any Reportable Fund, or (b) is involved in making securities recommendations to clients (or who has access to such recommendations that are nonpublic). |
B. | “ Automatic Investment Plan ” means a program in which regular periodic purchases (or withdrawals) are made automatically in (or from) investment accounts in accordance with a predetermined schedule and allocation, including a dividend reinvestment plan. |
C. | “ Beneficial Ownership ” includes ownership by any person who, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, has or shares a direct or indirect financial interest other than the receipt of an advisory fee. |
D. | “ Personal Account ” means any brokerage account in which a TCG Employee has any Beneficial Ownership, which includes accounts: (i) held personally by a TCG Employee, (ii) for a TCG Employee’s spouse or significant other, (iii) for a TCG Employee’s minor child or grandchild, (iv) for any other family member who resides with the TCG Employee or whose account is managed or influenced directly or indirectly by the TCG Employee, or (v) any entity in which a TCG Employee, or any person specified in clauses (i) through (iv) above, has a 25% or greater beneficial interest, exercises direct or indirect influence or control (such as a pension account, trust or estate, a partnership or limited liability company of which the person is a partner, a corporation in which the person has a material beneficial interest and any account in the name of another person that is financed by the member or employee), acts as financial advisor or has trading authority; except that Personal Accounts do not include investment advisory client accounts (“Client Accounts”). |
E. | “Reportable Fund” means any investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, for which the Adviser serves as investment adviser or subadviser or for which an investment adviser or principal underwriter controls the Adviser, is controlled by the Adviser, or is under common control with the Adviser. |
F. | “ Reportable Security ” means a security as defined in section 202(a)(18) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 80b-2(a)(18)) and includes any exchange-traded fund (“ETF”), derivative, commodities, options, swaps, futures or forward contracts relating thereto, except that it does not include: |
1. | Direct obligations of the Government of the United States; |
2. | Bankers' acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper and high quality short-term debt instruments, including repurchase agreements; |
3. | Shares issued by money market funds; |
4. | Shares issued by registered open-end funds other than (a) ETFs and (b) Reportable Funds; and |
5. | Shares issued by unit investment trusts that are invested exclusively in one or more registered open-end funds, none of which are Reportable Funds. |
G. | “ Short Sale ” means the sale of securities that the seller does not own. |
III. | Restrictions on Personal Investing Activities |
A. | General |
It is the responsibility of each TCG Employee to ensure that a particular securities transaction being considered for his or her Personal Account is not subject to a restriction contained in this Code of Ethics or otherwise prohibited by any applicable laws. Personal securities transactions for TCG Employees may be effected only in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Ethics.
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B. | Preclearance of Transactions in Personal Account |
Tremblant utilizes an online compliance management system (the “CMS”). Employees must log into the CMS website to submit a Trade Pre-Clearance Request online.
Tremblant’s Personal Trading Policies permit TCG Employees to maintain Personal Accounts subject to the following conditions.
1. | Each Personal Account that is eligible to hold a Reportable Security must be disclosed to Legal and Compliance and approved in advance by Legal and Compliance prior to the conduct of any trading activity in the account (See Section V “Reporting” below). |
2. | All Reportable Securities transactions must be approved by using the Trade Pre-Clearance Request form found on the CMS. For the avoidance of doubt, securities offered through initial public offerings are Reportable Securities and subject to the Personal Trading Policies. |
3. | Approvals for Personal Account transactions are only valid for the trading day in which received. |
4. | Single-name options with an expiration date less than 30 days from the trading date require written substantiation from the TCG Employee, which may be included on the CMS Trade Pre-Clearance Request screen. |
Trade Pre-Clearance Requests are emailed to the Trading Desk, who will review the information in CMS and reference the Reportable Securities requested against securities that are “Actively” being transacted for or held in a Client Account. Such information shall be noted on the CMS Trade Pre-Clearance Request Form by the Trading Desk. “Active” trading is defined as those trades that the Trading Desk has a broker currently being executed in the market.
Once the Trade Pre-Clearance Request Form has been reviewed by the Trading Desk, the Legal team will receive an email indicating that there is a Trade Request that needs to be reviewed. Applicable Approval Personnel (as described below) will review the Trade Pre-Clearance Request Form and determine whether to approve the request based on a determination of, among other things, whether the transaction would be adverse to the best interests of Tremblant’s Client Accounts. This determination will include an analysis of whether the investment opportunity should be reserved for clients and whether the opportunity is being offered to the TCG Employee by virtue of his or her position with Tremblant.
The Trade Pre-Clearance Request Form must be reviewed by the Trading Desk, followed by Legal/ Compliance, and then the CEO (collectively, the “Approval Personnel”). Approval Personnel may not approve their own Pre-Trade Authorization Forms. For example, the CEO’s personal trading requests may only be approved by the Compliance Officer, CFO, or COO (two of the three are necessary).
There are several exceptions to the general rule, which, in all cases are subject to increased scrutiny by the Approval Personnel and, therefore, are more likely to be delayed or denied. Certain exceptions are listed below.
· | In the event of a request for a Personal Account transaction in Reportable Securities that are also held in a Client Account and are actively trading or trading is imminent, generally, approval will only be granted after Active trading ceases in Client Account, at which time the general rule above would apply. |
· | In the event of a request for a Personal Account transaction in Reportable Securities that are contrary to the economic interests of a Client Account, generally, approval will not be granted; provided that ETFs and futures may not be subject to this exception. |
· | In the event of a request for a Personal Account liquidation of Reportable Securities held for less than 60 days, generally, approval will not be granted. |
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The approval or denial of a Trade Pre-Clearance Request may be subject to such conditions and limitations as Approval Personnel consider applicable in their sole discretion. Exceptions to the restrictions described above may be granted by the CEO and the Compliance Officer or the COO in the case of extenuating or unusual circumstances. Written explanations for any such exceptions will be maintained by Legal and Compliance.
C. | Prohibitions on Trading in Securities on the Restricted Securities List |
A TCG Employee may not execute any personal securities transaction of any kind (including Short Sales) in any securities that are on the Adviser’s Restricted Securities List.
D. | Initial Public Offerings |
A TCG Employee may not acquire any direct or indirect beneficial ownership in any securities in any initial public offering without prior written approval of the Compliance Officer through the CMS.
E. | Private Placements and Investment Opportunities of Limited Availability |
A TCG Employee may not transact in any private placement of securities (such as interests in private companies or investments in private investment funds, including hedge and private equity funds) or investment opportunity of limited availability unless the Compliance Officer has given express prior written approval utilizing the form set forth on the CMS. After completion by the respective TCG Employee, the online form will be automatically submitted to the Compliance Officer for approval. Employees who acquired private securities prior to joining Tremblant are required to disclose that investment in their initial compliance package. If, in the future, Tremblant were to consider a transaction involving or affecting the private issuer, directly or indirectly, the affected employee, if a TCG Employee, would either be recused from the investment decision or, the fiduciary decision may be subject to an independent review by investment personnel with no personal interest in the transaction The Compliance Officer, in determining whether approval should be given, will take into account, among other factors, whether the investment opportunity should be reserved for clients and whether the opportunity is being offered to the TCG Employee by virtue of his or her position with the Adviser.
F. | Service on Boards of Directors; Other Business Activities |
A TCG Employee shall not serve as a director (or similar position) on the board or a member of a creditors committee of any company unless the TCG Employee has received written approval from the Compliance Officer and the Adviser has adopted policies to address such service. The Compliance Officer shall maintain all Outside Business Activities Request forms. Authorization will be based upon a determination that the board service would not be inconsistent with the interest of any Client Account. At the time a TCG Employee submits the initial holdings report in accordance with this Code of Ethics, the TCG Employee will submit to the Compliance Officer a description of any business activities in which the TCG Employee has a significant role. A form of report on Outside Business Activities is included on the CMS. Any outside business activities of a TCG Employee must be approved by the Compliance Officer.
G. | Short Term Trading |
The Adviser believes that short term personal trading by its TCG Employees can raise compliance and conflicts issues. Accordingly, TCG Employees will generally not be approved to initiate a personal securities transaction and liquidate such transaction (with respect to the securities initiated) within 60 days. For clarification purposes, if an employee purchases 100 shares of Company X on January 1 and purchases an additional 100 shares of Company X on February 1, such employee may sell up to 100 shares of Company X on March 1 and all shares on April 1.
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H. | Management of Non-Adviser Accounts |
TCG Employees are prohibited from managing accounts for third parties who are not clients of the Adviser or serving as a trustee for third parties.
IV. | Exceptions from Preclearance Provisions |
This section sets forth exceptions from the preclearance requirements. The reporting obligations of the Code of Ethics will continue to apply to any transaction exempted from preclearance pursuant to this Section. Accordingly, the following transactions will be exempt only from the preclearance requirements set forth in Section IV:
A. | Purchases or sales that are non-volitional on the part of the TCG Employee such as purchases that are made pursuant to a merger, tender offer or exercise of rights; |
B. | Purchases or sales pursuant to an Automatic Investment Plan; and |
C. | With respect to Personal Accounts that are eligible to hold Reportable Securities, transactions in securities that are not Reportable Securities. |
D. | Transactions in certain Personal Accounts in which a TCG Employee has no discretion to direct transactions in Reportable Securities, subject to the approval of the Compliance Officer. In such case, the TCG Employee will be required to execute written certifications to such effect. |
V. | Reporting |
A. | Account Statements to Adviser |
All TCG Employees must direct their brokers or custodians or any persons managing the TCG Employee's Personal Account in which any Reportable Securities are eligible to be held to supply the Compliance Officer with the TCG Employee’s monthly and quarterly brokerage statements at least quarterly. With respect to Personal Accounts that are ineligible to hold Reportable Securities (e.g .., certain 529 Plan Accounts, IRA accounts), account statements are not required to be provided to the Adviser.
If during any calendar quarter there is a transaction with respect to a TCG Employee’s direct or indirect beneficial ownership of a Reportable Security and such transaction is not described in a brokerage or account statement delivered to the Compliance Officer within 30 days after the end of such quarter, then the TCG Employee must deliver a quarterly transaction report to the Compliance Officer within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter setting out for each such transaction:
1. | the date of the transaction, the title, and, as applicable, interest rate and maturity date, number of shares, and principal amount of each Reportable Security involved; |
2. | the nature of the transaction (purchase, sale or any other type of acquisition or disposition); |
3. | the price of the security at which the transaction was effected; |
4. | the name of the broker, dealer or bank with or through which the transaction was effected; and |
5. | the date the TCG Employee submits the report. |
B. | New Personal Accounts |
Each TCG Employee must notify the Compliance Officer promptly if the TCG Employee opens any new Personal Account in which any Reportable Securities may be held with a broker or custodian or moves an existing Personal Account to a different broker or custodian.
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With respect to any account established by the TCG Employee in which any securities were held during the previous quarter for the direct or indirect benefit of the TCG Employee, the TCG Employee must include in his or her quarterly transaction report (described below) the name of the broker, dealer or bank with whom the TCG Employee established the account; the date on which the account was established; and the date the report is submitted.
C. | Disclosure of Securities Holdings |
1. | Initial Holdings Report . All TCG Employees will, within 10 days after commencement of becoming a TCG Employee of the Adviser, execute the Acknowledgment and Initial and Annual Brokerage Certification included on the CMS, and return it to the Compliance Officer along with a report listing: |
a. | all Personal Accounts in which the TCG Employee has any beneficial ownership and the Reportable Securities contained therein, including title and exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, type of security, number of shares and principal amount (if applicable) of each Reportable Security in which the TCG Employee has or had when becoming a TCG Employee any direct or indirect beneficial ownership; |
b. | the name of any broker, dealer or bank with whom the TCG Employee maintained an account in which any securities were held for his or her direct or indirect benefit as of the date he or she became a TCG Employee; and |
c. | the date that the report is submitted by the TCG Employee. |
The report must be dated the day the TCG Employee submits it, and must contain information that is current as of a date no more than 45 days prior to the date the person becomes a TCG Employee of the Adviser. TCG Employees will annually submit to the Compliance Officer an updated certification, which must be current as of a date no more than 45 days prior to the date the report was submitted.
2. | Annual Holdings Reports . Each TCG Employee shall, no later than 30 days after the end of each calendar year, submit to the Compliance Officer an updated holdings report, or a report containing the equivalent information, which must be current as of a date no more than 45 days prior to the date the report was submitted. Each annual holdings report must include the following information: |
a. | the title, number of shares and principal amount of each security in which the TCG Employee had any direct or indirect beneficial ownership; |
b. | the name of any broker, dealer or bank with whom the TCG Employee maintains an account in which any securities are held for the direct or indirect benefit of the TCG Employee; and |
c. | the date that the report is submitted by the TCG Employee. |
3. | Quarterly Reports . Each TCG Employee must submit the quarterly reports described in Sections V.A and V.B of this Code of Ethics. |
D. | Certifications |
Upon commencing as an employee with Tremblant and on an annual basis thereafter, all TCG Employees are required to execute the Acknowledgment and Initial and Annual Brokerage Certification included on the CMS.
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VI. | Recordkeeping |
The Compliance Officer will keep in an easily accessible place for at least five (5) years copies of this Code of Ethics and each code of ethics that at any time within the past five years was in effect, all brokerage statements and reports of TCG Employees or other holdings or transaction reports described herein; copies of all preclearance forms; records of violations and actions taken as a result of violations; a record of all persons, currently or within the past five years, who are or were required to make the holdings or transaction reports described herein or who are or were responsible for reviewing such reports; a record of any decision, and the reasons supporting the decision, to approve an acquisition of any securities in an Initial Public Offering or in a Private Placement (for at least five (5) years after such approval was provided); and acknowledgments and other memoranda relating to the administration of this Code of Ethics. All brokerage statements and preclearance forms of TCG Employees may be kept in physical form or electronically in a computer database.
Pursuant to Rule 204A-1, the Adviser will maintain a list of all current access persons (all TCG Employees) of the Adviser and for the last five (5) years or since the Adviser became registered.
VII. | Oversight of Code of Ethics |
A. | Acknowledgment |
The Compliance Officer will distribute a copy of the Code of Ethics to all TCG Employees when they become employed and upon any material amendment thereafter. All TCG Employees are required annually to affirm their compliance with this Code of Ethics by signing the annual certification included on the CMS website.
With respect to any registered investment company (or series thereof) for which the Adviser serves as investment adviser or subadviser, no less frequently than annually, the Compliance Officer shall submit a written report to the board of directors/trustees of such company (i) describing any issues arising under this Code of Ethics or procedures since the last report to the board, including information about material violations of the Code of Ethics or procedures, and the sanctions imposed in response to the material violations, and (ii) certifying that the Adviser has adopted procedures reasonably necessary to prevent TCG Employees from violating this Code of Ethics.
B. | Review of Transactions |
Each TCG Employee's transactions in his/her Personal Account will be reviewed on a regular basis and compared with transactions for the clients and against the list of Restricted Securities. Any TCG Employee transactions that are believed to be a violation of this Code of Ethics will be reported promptly to the management of the Adviser.
C. | Sanctions |
Adviser’s management, at their discretion, will consider reports made to them and upon determining that a violation of this Code of Ethics has occurred, may impose such sanctions or remedial action as they deem appropriate or to the extent required by law. These sanctions may include, among other things, disgorgement of profits, suspension or termination of employment and/or criminal or civil penalties.
D. | ADV Disclosure |
The Compliance Officer will ensure that the Brochure describes the Code of Ethics on Schedule F of Part 2A and offers to provide (or provides) a copy of the Code of Ethics to any client or prospective client upon request.
VIII. | Confidentiality |
All reports of personal securities transactions and any other information filed pursuant to this Code of Ethics will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.
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POWER OF ATTORNEY
I, Gilbert G. Alvarado , Trustee of the American Beacon Funds and the American Beacon Select Funds (collectively, the “Trusts”), hereby constitute and appoint Rosemary K. Behan, Trinh N. Lai, and Teresa A. Oxford, each of them with the power to act without any other and with full power of substitution, my true and lawful attorney with full power to sign for me in my capacity as Trustee for the Trusts any Registration Statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933 and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940 and any amendments thereto of the Trusts and all instruments necessary or desirable in connection therewith, hereby ratifying and confirming my signature as it may be signed by said attorney to any and all amendments to said Registration Statements.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this instrument has been signed below by the following in my capacity and on the 2nd day of June, 2015.
/s/ Gilbert G. Alvarado | |
Gilbert G. Alvarado, Trustee |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
I, Joseph B. Armes , Trustee of the American Beacon Funds and the American Beacon Select Funds (collectively, the “Trusts”), hereby constitute and appoint Rosemary K. Behan, Trinh N. Lai, and Teresa A. Oxford, each of them with the power to act without any other and with full power of substitution, my true and lawful attorney with full power to sign for me in my capacity as Trustee for the Trusts any Registration Statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933 and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940 and any amendments thereto of the Trusts and all instruments necessary or desirable in connection therewith, hereby ratifying and confirming my signature as it may be signed by said attorney to any and all amendments to said Registration Statements.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this instrument has been signed below by the following in my capacity and on the 2nd day of June, 2015.
/s/ Joseph B. Armes | |
Joseph B. Armes, Trustee |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
I, Gerard J. Arpey , Trustee of the American Beacon Funds and the American Beacon Select Funds (collectively, the “Trusts”), hereby constitute and appoint Rosemary K. Behan, Trinh N. Lai, and Teresa A. Oxford, each of them with the power to act without any other and with full power of substitution, my true and lawful attorney with full power to sign for me in my capacity as Trustee for the Trusts any Registration Statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933 and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940 and any amendments thereto of the Trusts and all instruments necessary or desirable in connection therewith, hereby ratifying and confirming my signature as it may be signed by said attorney to any and all amendments to said Registration Statements.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this instrument has been signed below by the following in my capacity and on the 2nd day of June, 2015.
/s/ Gerard J. Arpey | |
Gerard J. Arpey, Trustee |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
I, W. Humphrey Bogart , Trustee of the American Beacon Funds and the American Beacon Select Funds (collectively, the “Trusts”), hereby constitute and appoint Rosemary K. Behan, Trinh N. Lai, and Teresa A. Oxford, each of them with the power to act without any other and with full power of substitution, my true and lawful attorney with full power to sign for me in my capacity as Trustee for the Trusts any Registration Statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933 and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940 and any amendments thereto of the Trusts and all instruments necessary or desirable in connection therewith, hereby ratifying and confirming my signature as it may be signed by said attorney to any and all amendments to said Registration Statements.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this instrument has been signed below by the following in my capacity and on the 2nd day of June, 2015.
/s/ W. Humphrey Bogart | |
W. Humphrey Bogart, Trustee |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
I, Brenda A. Cline , Trustee of the American Beacon Funds and the American Beacon Select Funds (collectively, the “Trusts”), hereby constitute and appoint Rosemary K. Behan, Trinh N. Lai, and Teresa A. Oxford, each of them with the power to act without any other and with full power of substitution, my true and lawful attorney with full power to sign for me in my capacity as Trustee for the Trusts any Registration Statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933 and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940 and any amendments thereto of the Trusts and all instruments necessary or desirable in connection therewith, hereby ratifying and confirming my signature as it may be signed by said attorney to any and all amendments to said Registration Statements.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this instrument has been signed below by the following in my capacity and on the 2nd day of June, 2015.
/s/ Brenda A. Cline | |
Brenda A. Cline, Trustee |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
I, Eugene J. Duffy , Trustee of the American Beacon Funds and the American Beacon Select Funds (collectively, the “Trusts”), hereby constitute and appoint Rosemary K. Behan, Trinh N. Lai, and Teresa A. Oxford, each of them with the power to act without any other and with full power of substitution, my true and lawful attorney with full power to sign for me in my capacity as Trustee for the Trusts any Registration Statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933 and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940 and any amendments thereto of the Trusts and all instruments necessary or desirable in connection therewith, hereby ratifying and confirming my signature as it may be signed by said attorney to any and all amendments to said Registration Statements.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this instrument has been signed below by the following in my capacity and on the 2nd day of June, 2015.
/s/ Eugene J. Duffy | |
Eugene J. Duffy, Trustee |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
I, Thomas M. Dunning , Trustee of the American Beacon Funds and the American Beacon Select Funds (collectively, the “Trusts”), hereby constitute and appoint Rosemary K. Behan, Trinh N. Lai, and Teresa A. Oxford, each of them with the power to act without any other and with full power of substitution, my true and lawful attorney with full power to sign for me in my capacity as Trustee for the Trusts any Registration Statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933 and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940 and any amendments thereto of the Trusts and all instruments necessary or desirable in connection therewith, hereby ratifying and confirming my signature as it may be signed by said attorney to any and all amendments to said Registration Statements.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this instrument has been signed below by the following in my capacity and on the 2nd day of June, 2015.
/s/ Thomas M. Dunning | |
Thomas M. Dunning, Trustee |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
I, Alan D. Feld , Trustee of the American Beacon Funds and the American Beacon Select Funds (collectively, the “Trusts”), hereby constitute and appoint Rosemary K. Behan, Trinh N. Lai, and Teresa A. Oxford, each of them with the power to act without any other and with full power of substitution, my true and lawful attorney with full power to sign for me in my capacity as Trustee for the Trusts any Registration Statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933 and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940 and any amendments thereto of the Trusts and all instruments necessary or desirable in connection therewith, hereby ratifying and confirming my signature as it may be signed by said attorney to any and all amendments to said Registration Statements.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this instrument has been signed below by the following in my capacity and on the 2nd day of June, 2015.
/s/ Alan D. Feld | |
Alan D. Feld, Trustee |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
I, Richard A. Massman , Trustee of the American Beacon Funds and the American Beacon Select Funds (collectively, the “Trusts”), hereby constitute and appoint Rosemary K. Behan, Trinh N. Lai, and Teresa A. Oxford, each of them with the power to act without any other and with full power of substitution, my true and lawful attorney with full power to sign for me in my capacity as Trustee for the Trusts any Registration Statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933 and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940 and any amendments thereto of the Trusts and all instruments necessary or desirable in connection therewith, hereby ratifying and confirming my signature as it may be signed by said attorney to any and all amendments to said Registration Statements.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this instrument has been signed below by the following in my capacity and on the 2nd day of June, 2015.
/s/ Richard A. Massman | |
Richard A. Massman, Trustee |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
I, Barbara J. McKenna , Trustee of the American Beacon Funds and the American Beacon Select Funds (collectively, the “Trusts”), hereby constitute and appoint Rosemary K. Behan, Trinh N. Lai, and Teresa A. Oxford, each of them with the power to act without any other and with full power of substitution, my true and lawful attorney with full power to sign for me in my capacity as Trustee for the Trusts any Registration Statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933 and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940 and any amendments thereto of the Trusts and all instruments necessary or desirable in connection therewith, hereby ratifying and confirming my signature as it may be signed by said attorney to any and all amendments to said Registration Statements.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this instrument has been signed below by the following in my capacity and on the 2nd day of June, 2015.
/s/ Barbara J. McKenna | |
Barbara J. McKenna, Trustee |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
I, R. Gerald Turner , Trustee of the American Beacon Funds and the American Beacon Select Funds (collectively, the “Trusts”), hereby constitute and appoint Rosemary K. Behan, Trinh N. Lai, and Teresa A. Oxford, each of them with the power to act without any other and with full power of substitution, my true and lawful attorney with full power to sign for me in my capacity as Trustee for the Trusts any Registration Statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933 and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940 and any amendments thereto of the Trusts and all instruments necessary or desirable in connection therewith, hereby ratifying and confirming my signature as it may be signed by said attorney to any and all amendments to said Registration Statements.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this instrument has been signed below by the following in my capacity and on the 2nd day of June, 2015.
/s/ R. Gerald Turner | |
R. Gerald Turner, Trustee |