(a) On or before January 31st of the year following the year in which the Purchaser accepts Shares for payment, Mellon shall prepare and mail to each tendering stockholder whose Shares were accepted, other than stockholders who demonstrate their status as nonresident aliens in accordance with United States Treasury Regulations (“Foreign Stockholders”), a Form 1099-B reporting the purchase of Shares as of the date such Shares are accepted for payment. Mellon shall also prepare and file copies of such Forms 1099-B by magnetic tape with the Internal Revenue Service in accordance with Treasury Regulations on or before February 28th of the year following the year in which the Shares are accepted for payment.
(b) Mellon shall deduct and withhold the appropriate backup withholding tax from the purchase price payable with respect to Shares tendered by any stockholder, other than a Foreign Stockholder, who has not properly provided Mellon with a taxpayer identification number, in accordance with Treasury Regulations. Mellon shall forward such withholding taxes to the Internal Revenue Service with the appropriate required documentation customarily required to discharge the Purchaser’s applicable withholding obligation with respect to such transactions.
(c) Should any issue arise regarding federal income tax reporting or withholding, Mellon shall take such action as the Purchaser may reasonably request in writing. Such action may be subject to additional fees.
(a) shall have no duties or obligations other than those specifically set forth herein (including any exhibits hereto), or as may subsequently be agreed to in writing by Mellon and the Purchaser;
(b) shall have no obligation to make payment for any tendered Shares unless the Purchaser shall have provided the necessary federal or other immediately available funds to pay in full amounts due and payable with respect thereto;
(c) shall be regarded as making no representations and having no responsibilities as to the validity, sufficiency, value, or genuineness of any certificates or the Shares represented thereby deposited with Mellon or tendered through an Agent's Message hereunder and will not be required to and will make no representations as to or be responsible for the validity, sufficiency, value, or genuineness of the Offer;
(d) shall not be obligated to take any legal action hereunder; if, however, Mellon determines to take any legal action hereunder, and, where the taking of such action might in Mellon’s judgment subject or expose it to any expense or liability, Mellon shall not be required to act unless it shall have been furnished with an indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it;
(e) may rely on and shall be authorized and protected in acting or failing to act upon any certificate, instrument, opinion, notice, letter, telegram, telex, facsimile transmission, Agent's Message or other document or security delivered to Mellon and reasonably believed by Mellon to be genuine and to have been signed by the proper party or parties;
(f) may rely on and shall be authorized and protected in acting or failing to act upon the written, telephonic, electronic and oral instructions, with respect to any matter relating to Mellon’s actions as depositary specifically covered by this Agreement (or supplementing or qualifying any such actions) of officers of the Purchaser ;
(g) may consult counsel satisfactory to it, and the advice of such counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered, or omitted by Mellon hereunder in good faith and in accordance with the advice of such counsel;
(h) shall not be called upon at any time to, and shall not, advise any person tendering or considering tendering pursuant to the Offer as to the wisdom of making such tender or as to the market value of any security tendered thereunder or as to any other financial or legal aspect of the Offer or any transactions related thereto;
(i) may perform any of its duties hereunder either directly or by or through agents or attorneys;
(j) shall not be liable or responsible for any recital or statement contained in the Offer or any other documents relating thereto;
(k) shall not be liable or responsible for any failure of the Purchaser to comply with any of their respective obligations relating to the Offer, including without limitation obligations under applicable securities laws;
(l) is not authorized, and shall have no obligation, to pay any brokers, dealers, or soliciting fees to any person, including without limitation the Dealer-Manager; and
(m) shall not be liable or responsible for any delay, failure, malfunction, interruption or error in the transmission or receipt of communications or messages through electronic means to or from a Book-Entry Transfer Facility, or for the actions of any other person in connection with any such message or communication.
18.Indemnification. The Purchaser agrees to indemnify Mellon for, and hold it harmless from and against, any loss, liability, claim or expense (“Loss”) arising out of or in connection with its duties under this Agreement or this appointment, including the costs and expenses of defending itself against any Loss or enforcing this Agreement, except to the extent that such Loss shall have been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be a result of Mellon’s gross negligence or intentional misconduct.
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19.Limitation of Liability.
(a) In the absence of gross negligence or intentional misconduct on its or its agent’s or attorney’s part, Mellon shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered, or omitted by it or its agents or attorneys or for any error of judgment made by it or its agents or attorneys in the performance of its or its agent’s or attorney’s duties under this Agreement. Anything in this agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, in no event shall Mellon be liable for special, indirect, incidental or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including but not limited to lost profits), even if Mellon has been advised of the likelihood of such damages and regardless of the form of action. Any liability of Mellon will be limited to the amount of fees paid by Purchaser hereunder.
(b) In the event any question or dispute arises with respect to the proper interpretation of this Agreement or Mellon’s duties hereunder or the rights of the Purchaser or of any stockholders surrendering certificates for Shares pursuant to the Offer, Mellon shall not be required to act and shall not be held liable or responsible for refusing to act until the question or dispute has been judicially settled (and Mellon may, if it deems it advisable, but shall not be obligated to, file a suit in interpleader or for a declaratory judgment for such purpose) by final judgment rendered by a court of competent jurisdiction, binding on all stockholders and parties interested in the matter, which is no longer subject to review or appeal, or settled by a written document in form and substance satisfactory to Mellon and executed by the Purchaser and each such stockholder and party. In addition, Mellon may require for such purpose, but shall not be obligated to require, the execution of such written settlement by all the stockholders and all other parties that may have an interest in the settlement.
20.Representations, Warranties and Covenants. Purchaser represents, warrants and covenants that (a) it is duly incorporated, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation, (b) the making and consummation of the Offer and the execution, delivery and performance of all transactions contemplated thereby (including, without limitation, this Agreement) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and will not result in a breach of or constitute a default under the charter or bylaws of the Purchaser or any indenture, agreement or instrument to which it is a party or is bound, (c) this Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Purchaser and constitutes the legal, valid, binding and enforceable obligation of the Purchaser, (d) the Offer will comply in all material respects with all applicable requirements of law and (e) to the best of its knowledge, there is no material litigation pending or threatened as of the date hereof in connection with the Offer.
21.Notices. All notices, demands and other communications given pursuant to the terms and provisions hereof shall be in writing, shall be deemed effective on the date of receipt, and may be sent by facsimile, overnight delivery services, or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested to:
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If to Purchaser : Delaware Investments Dividend and Income Fund, Inc. One Commerce Square Philadelphia, PA 19103 Attn: Michael E. Dresnin, Esq. Tel: 215.255.1511 Fax: 215.255.1640 medresnin@delinvest.com If to Mellon:
Mellon Investor Services LLC 480 Washington Blvd, 27th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07310 Attn: Keelan Deshields Event Manager, Corporate Actions Tel: 201-680-3796 Fax: 201-680-4665 | with an additional copy to: David P. O’Connor, Esquire General Counsel Delaware Management Company One Commerce Square Philadelphia, PA 19103 Tel: 215.255.1360 Fax: 215.255. 1640 dpoconnor@delinvest.com with an additional copy to:
Mellon Investor Services LLC 480 Washington Blvd, 29th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07310 Attn: Legal Department Tel: 201-680-2198 Fax: 201-680-4610 |
22Specimen Signatures. Set forth in Exhibit E hereto is a list of the names and specimen signatures of the persons authorized to act for the Purchaser under this Agreement. TheSecretary or any Assistant Secretary of the Purchaser shall, from time to time, certify to Mellon the names and signatures of any other persons authorized to act for the Purchaser under this Agreement.
23.Fees. Whether or not any Shares are tendered or the Offer is consummated, for Mellon’s services as depositary hereunder Purchaser shall pay to Mellon compensation in accordance with the fee schedule attached as Exhibit F hereto, together with reimbursement for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, including reasonable fees and disbursements of Mellon’s counsel that are reasonably documented. Purchaser shall reimburse Mellon for any bank fees resulting from a bounced check. All amounts owed to Mellon hereunder are due upon receipt of the invoice. Delinquent payments are subject to a late payment charge of one and one half percent commencing forty-five days from the date the invoice is received.
24.Termination. Either party may terminate this Agreement upon 30 days prior written notice to the other party. Unless so terminated, this Agreement shall continue in effect until all Shares have been received and paid for. In the event of such termination, the Purchaser will appoint a successor depositary and inform Mellon of the name and address of any successor depositary so appointed, provided that no failure by the Purchaser to appoint such a successor
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depositary shall affect the termination of this Agreement or the discharge of Mellon as depositary hereunder. Upon any such termination, Mellon shall be relieved and discharged of any further responsibilities with respect to its duties hereunder. Upon payment of all outstanding fees and expenses hereunder, Mellon shall promptly forward to the Purchaser or its designee any certificate for Shares, Letter of Transmittal or other document that Mellon may hold or receive after its appointment has so terminated.
25.Force Majeure.Mellon shall not be liable for any failure or delay arising out of conditions beyond its reasonable control including, but not limited to, work stoppages, fires, civil disobedience, riots, rebellions, storms, electrical, mechanical, computer or communications facilities failures, acts of God or similar occurrences.
25A.Disaster Recovery.During the term of this Agreement, Mellon shall maintain commercially reasonable disaster recovery facilities and procedures.
26.Miscellaneous.
a) This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without giving effect to conflict of laws rules or principles.
b) No provision of this Agreement may be amended, modified or waived, except in a writing signed by all of the parties hereto.
c) In the event that any claim of inconsistency between this Agreement and the terms of the Offer arise, as they may from time to time be amended, the terms of the Offer shall control, except with respect to Mellon’s duties, liabilities and rights, including without limitation compensation and indemnification, which shall be controlled by the terms of this Agreement.
d) If any provision of this Agreement shall be held illegal, invalid, or unenforceable by any court, this Agreement shall be construed and enforced as if such provision had not been contained herein and shall be deemed an Agreement among the parties hereto to the full extent permitted by applicable law.
e) This Agreement shall be binding upon, inure to the benefit of, and be enforceable by, the respective successors and assigns of the parties hereto.
f) This Agreement may not be assigned by any party without the prior written consent of all parties.
g) Sections 17, 18, 19, and 23 hereof shall survive termination of this Agreement.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement by their duly authorized officers as of the day and year above written.
DELAWARE INVESTMENTS DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND, INC. | |
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By: | | |
Name: | |
Title: | |
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MELLON INVESTOR SERVICES LLC | |
| |
By: | | |
Name: | Jaddiel Ramos | |
Title: | Event Manager, Corporate Actions | |
Exhibit A | | Offer to Purchase |
Exhibit B | | Letter of Transmittal |
Exhibit C | | Notice of Guaranteed Delivery |
Exhibit D | | List of Affiliates |
Exhibit E | | List of Authorized Representatives |
Exhibit F | | Schedule of Fees |
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EXHIBIT A
OFFER TO PURCHASE
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EXHIBIT B
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
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EXHIBIT C
NOTICE OF GUARANTEED DELIVERY
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EXHIBIT D
LIST OF AFFILIATES
Shareholder | Certificate Numbers of Shares |
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EXHIBIT E
LIST OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVES
Name | | Title | | Specimen Signature |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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EXHIBIT F
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