Exhibit 4(a)
FORM OF AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION
THIS AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION (the "Agreement") is made as of
this _____ day of _____________, 2001, by and between Pilgrim Funds Trust, a
Delaware business trust (the "Trust"), with its principal place of business at
7337 East Doubletree Ranch Road, Scottsdale, Arizona 85258-2034, on behalf of
the ING Global Technology Fund (the "Acquiring Fund"), a separate series of the
Trust, and Pilgrim Funds Trust, on behalf of the Pilgrim Global Communications
Fund (the "Acquired Fund"), another separate series of the Trust.
This Agreement is intended to be and is adopted as a plan of reorganization
and liquidation within the meaning of Section 368(a)(1) of the United States
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). The reorganization (the
"Reorganization") will consist of the transfer of all of the assets of the
Acquired Fund to the Acquiring Fund in exchange solely for Class A, Class B and
Class C voting shares of beneficial interest (no par value per share) of the
Acquiring Fund (the "Acquiring Fund Shares"), the assumption by the Acquiring
Fund of all liabilities of the Acquired Fund, and the distribution of the
Acquiring Fund Shares to the shareholders of the Acquired Fund in complete
liquidation of the Acquired Fund as provided herein, all upon the terms and
conditions hereinafter set forth in this Agreement.
WHEREAS, the Acquired Fund and the Acquiring Fund are separate series of
the Trust, an open-end, registered investment company of the management type,
and the Acquired Fund owns securities which generally are assets of the
character in which the Acquiring Fund is permitted to invest;
WHEREAS, the Trustees of the Trust have determined, with respect to the
Acquiring Fund, that the exchange of all of the assets of the Acquired Fund for
Acquiring Fund Shares and the assumption of all liabilities of the Acquired Fund
by the Acquiring Fund is in the best interests of the Acquiring Fund and its
shareholders and that the interests of the existing shareholders of the
Acquiring Fund would not be diluted as a result of this transaction; and
WHEREAS, the Trustees of the Company, have determined, with respect to the
Acquired Fund, that the exchange of all of the assets of the Acquired Fund for
Acquiring Fund Shares and the assumption of all liabilities of the Acquired Fund
by the Acquiring Fund is in the best interests of the Acquired Fund and its
shareholders and that the interests of the existing shareholders of the Acquired
Fund would not be diluted as a result of this transaction;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and of the covenants and
agreements hereinafter set forth, the parties hereto covenant and agree as
follows:
1. TRANSFER OF ASSETS OF THE ACQUIRED FUND TO THE ACQUIRING FUND IN EXCHANGE
FOR THE ACQUIRING FUND SHARES, THE ASSUMPTION OF ALL ACQUIRED FUND
LIABILITIES AND THE LIQUIDATION OF THE ACQUIRED FUND
1.1 Subject to the requisite approval of the Acquired Fund shareholders and
the other terms and conditions herein set forth and on the basis of the
representations and warranties contained herein, the Acquired Fund agrees to
transfer all of the Acquired Fund's assets, as set forth in paragraph 1.2, to
the Acquiring Fund, and the Acquiring Fund agrees in exchange therefor: (i) to
deliver to the Acquired Fund the number of full and fractional Class A, Class B
and Class C Acquiring Fund Shares, determined by dividing the value of the
Acquired Fund's net assets, computed in the manner and as of the time and date
set forth in paragraph 2.1, by the net asset value of one Acquiring Fund Share
of the same class, computed in the manner and as of the time and date set forth
in paragraph 2.2; and (ii) to assume all liabilities of the Acquired Fund, as
set forth in paragraph 1.3. Such transactions shall take place at the closing
provided for in paragraph 3.1 (the "Closing Date").
1.2 The assets of the Acquired Fund to be acquired by the Acquiring Fund
shall consist of all assets and property, including, without limitation, all
cash, securities, commodities and futures interests and dividends or interests
receivable, that are owned by the Acquired Fund, and any deferred or prepaid
expenses shown as an asset on the books of the Acquired Fund, on the Closing
Date (collectively, the "Assets").
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1.3 The Acquired Fund will endeavor to discharge all of its known
liabilities and obligations prior to the Closing Date. The Acquiring Fund shall
also assume all of the liabilities of the Acquired Fund, whether accrued or
contingent, known or unknown, existing at the Valuation Date, as defined in
paragraph 2.1 (collectively, "Liabilities"). On or as soon as practicable prior
to the Closing Date, the Acquired Fund will declare and pay to its shareholders
of record one or more dividends and/or other distributions so that it will have
distributed substantially all (and in no event less than 98%) of its investment
company taxable income (computed without regard to any deduction for dividends
paid) and realized net capital gain, if any, for the current taxable year
through the Closing Date.
1.4 Immediately after the transfer of Assets provided for in paragraph 1.1,
the Acquired Fund will distribute to the Acquired Fund's shareholders of record,
determined as of immediately after the close of business on the Closing Date
(the "Acquired Fund Shareholders"), on a PRO RATA basis, the Acquiring Fund
Shares received by the Acquired Fund pursuant to paragraph 1.1, and will
completely liquidate. Such distribution and liquidation will be accomplished,
with respect to the Acquired Fund's shares, by the transfer of the Acquiring
Fund Shares then credited to the account of the Acquired Fund on the books of
the Acquiring Fund to open accounts on the share records of the Acquiring Fund
in the names of the Acquired Fund Shareholders. The aggregate net asset value of
Class A, Class B and Class C Acquiring Fund Shares to be so credited to Class A,
Class B and Class C Acquired Fund Shareholders shall be equal to the aggregate
net asset value of the Acquired Fund shares owned by such shareholders on the
Closing Date. All issued and outstanding shares of the Acquired Fund will
simultaneously be canceled on the books of the Acquired Fund.
1.5 Ownership of Acquiring Fund Shares will be shown on the books of the
Acquiring Fund's transfer agent, as defined in paragraph 3.3.
1.6 Any reporting responsibility of the Acquired Fund including, but not
limited to, the responsibility for filing of regulatory reports, tax returns, or
other documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"Commission"), any state securities commission, and any federal, state or local
tax authorities or any other relevant regulatory authority, is and shall remain
the responsibility of the Acquired Fund.
2. VALUATION
2.1 The value of the Assets shall be the value computed as of immediately
after the close of business of the New York Stock Exchange and after the
declaration of any dividends on the Closing Date (such time and date being
hereinafter called the "Valuation Date"), using the valuation procedures in the
then-current prospectus and statement of additional information with respect to
the Acquiring Fund, and valuation procedures established by the Acquiring Fund's
Board of Trustees.
2.2 The net asset value of Class A, Class B and Class C Acquiring Fund
Shares shall be the net asset value per share computed with respect to that
class as of the Valuation Date, using the valuation procedures set forth in the
Acquiring Fund's then-current prospectus and statement of additional
information, and valuation procedures established by the Acquiring Fund's Board
of Trustees.
2.3 The number of Class A, Class B and Class C Acquiring Fund Shares to be
issued (including fractional shares, if any) in exchange for the Acquired Fund's
Assets shall be determined by dividing the value of the net assets with respect
to the Class A, Class B and Class C shares of the Acquired Fund determined using
the same valuation procedures referred to in paragraph 2.1, by the net asset
value of an Acquiring Fund Share, determined in accordance with paragraph 2.2.
2.4 All computations of value shall be made by ING Pilgrim Group, Inc., in
its capacity as administrator for the Trust, and State Bank and Trust Company,
in its capacity as accounting agent for the Trust, and shall be subject to
review by the Trust's independent accountants.
3. CLOSING AND CLOSING DATE
3.1 The Closing Date shall be April 19, 2002, or such other date as the
parties may agree. All acts taking place at the closing of the transaction (the
"Closing") shall be deemed to take place simultaneously as of immediately after
the close of business on the Closing Date unless otherwise agreed to by the
parties. The close of business on the Closing Date shall be as of 4:00 p.m.,
Eastern Time. The Closing shall be held at the offices of the Trust or at such
other time and/or place as the parties may agree.
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3.2 The Trust shall direct Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., as custodian for
the Acquired Fund (the "Custodian"), to deliver, at the Closing, a certificate
of an authorized officer stating that (i) the Assets shall have been delivered
in proper form to the Acquiring Fund within two business days prior to or on the
Closing Date, and (ii) all necessary taxes in connection with the delivery of
the Assets, including all applicable federal and state stock transfer stamps, if
any, have been paid or provision for payment has been made. The Acquired Fund's
portfolio securities represented by a certificate or other written instrument
shall be presented by the Acquired Fund Custodian to the custodian for the
Acquiring Fund for examination no later than five business days preceding the
Closing Date, and shall be transferred and delivered by the Acquired Fund as of
the Closing Date for the account of the Acquiring Fund duly endorsed in proper
form for transfer in such condition as to constitute good delivery thereof. The
Custodian shall deliver as of the Closing Date by book entry, in accordance with
the customary practices of such depositories and the Custodian, the Acquired
Fund's portfolio securities and instruments deposited with a securities
depository, as defined in Rule 17f-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940,
as amended (the "1940 Act"). The cash to be transferred by the Acquired Fund
shall be delivered by wire transfer of federal funds on the Closing Date.
3.3 The Trust shall direct DST Systems, Inc. (the "Transfer Agent"), on
behalf of the Acquired Fund, to deliver at the Closing, a certificate of an
authorized officer stating that its records contain the names and addresses of
the Acquired Fund Shareholders, and the number and percentage ownership of
outstanding shares owned by each such shareholder immediately prior to the
Closing. The Acquiring Fund shall issue and deliver a confirmation evidencing
the Acquiring Fund Shares to be credited on the Closing Date to the Secretary of
the Acquiring Fund, or provide evidence satisfactory to the Acquired Fund that
such Acquiring Fund Shares have been credited to the Acquired Fund's account on
the books of the Acquiring Fund. At the Closing each party shall deliver to the
other such bills of sale, checks, assignments, share certificates, if any,
receipts or other documents as such other party or its counsel may reasonably
request.
3.4 In the event that on the Valuation Date (a) the New York Stock Exchange
or another primary trading market for portfolio securities of the Acquiring Fund
or the Acquired Fund shall be closed to trading or trading thereupon shall be
restricted, or (b) trading or the reporting of trading on such Exchange or
elsewhere shall be disrupted so that, in the judgment of the Board of Trustees
of the Trust, accurate appraisal of the value of the net assets of the Acquiring
Fund or the Acquired Fund, respectively, is impracticable, the Closing Date
shall be postponed until the first business day after the day when trading shall
have been fully resumed and reporting shall have been restored.
4. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
4.1 The Trust, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, represents and warrants as
follows:
(a) The Acquired Fund is duly organized as a series of the Trust, which is
a business Trust duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the
laws of the State of Delaware with power under the Trust's Declaration of Trust,
as amended ("Declaration of Trust") to own all of its Assets and to carry on its
business as it is now being conducted;
(b) The Trust is a registered investment company classified as a management
company of the open-end type, and its registration with the Commission as an
investment company under the 1940 Act, and the registration of shares of the
Acquired Fund under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("1933 Act"), is in
full force and effect;
(c) No consent, approval, authorization, or order of any court or
governmental authority is required for the consummation by the Acquired Fund of
the transactions contemplated herein, except such as have been obtained under
the 1933 Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "1934 Act")
and the 1940 Act and such as may be required by state securities laws;
(d) The current prospectus and statement of additional information of the
Acquired Fund and each prospectus and statement of additional information of the
Acquired Fund used at all times previous to the date of this Agreement conforms
or conformed at the time of its use in all material respects to the applicable
requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations of
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the Commission thereunder; and does not or did not at the time of its use
include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material
fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein,
in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not materially
misleading;
(e) On the Closing Date, the Trust, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, will
have good and marketable title to the Assets and full right, power, and
authority to sell, assign, transfer and deliver such Assets hereunder free of
any liens or other encumbrances, and upon delivery and payment for such Assets;
the Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, will acquire good and marketable
title thereto, subject to no restrictions on the full transfer thereof,
including such restrictions as might arise under the 1933 Act, other than as
disclosed to the Acquiring Fund;
(f) The Acquired Fund is not engaged currently, and the execution, delivery
and performance of this Agreement will not result, in (i) a material violation
of the Trust's Declaration of Trust or By-Laws or of any agreement, indenture,
instrument, contract, lease or other undertaking to which the Company on behalf
of the Acquired Fund is a party or by which it is bound, or (ii) the
acceleration of any obligation, or the imposition of any penalty, under any
agreement, indenture, instrument, contract, lease, judgment or decree to which
the Trust on behalf of the Acquired Fund is a party or by which it is bound;
(g) All material contracts or other commitments of the Acquired Fund (other
than this Agreement and certain investment contracts, including options, futures
and forward contracts) will terminate without liability to the Acquired Fund on
or prior to the Closing Date;
(h) Except as otherwise disclosed in writing to and accepted by the Trust,
on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, no litigation or administrative proceeding or
investigation of or before any court or governmental body is presently pending
or, to its knowledge, threatened against the Company on behalf of the Acquired
Fund or any of its properties or assets that, if adversely determined, would
materially and adversely affect its financial condition or the conduct of its
business. The Trust, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, knows of no facts which
might form the basis for the institution of such proceedings and is not a party
to or subject to the provisions of any order, decree or judgment of any court or
governmental body which materially and adversely affects its business or its
ability to consummate the transactions herein contemplated;
(i) The Statement of Assets and Liabilities, Statements of Operations and
Changes in Net Assets, and Schedule of Investments of the Acquired Fund at
October 31, 2001, have been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent
accountants, and are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles
("GAAP") consistently applied, and such statements (copies of which have been
furnished to the Acquiring Fund) present fairly, in all material respects, the
financial condition of the Acquired Fund as of such date in accordance with
GAAP, and there are no known contingent liabilities of the Acquired Fund
required to be reflected on a balance sheet (including the notes thereto) in
accordance with GAAP as of such date not disclosed therein;
(j) Since October 31, 2001, there has not been any material adverse change
in the Acquired Fund's financial condition, assets, liabilities or business,
other than changes occurring in the ordinary course of business, or any
incurrence by the Acquired Fund of indebtedness maturing more than one year from
the date such indebtedness was incurred, except as otherwise disclosed to and
accepted by the Acquiring Fund. For the purposes of this subparagraph (j), a
decline in net asset value per share of the Acquired Fund due to declines in
market values of securities in the Acquired Fund's portfolio, the discharge of
Acquired Fund liabilities, or the redemption of Acquired Fund Shares by
shareholders of the Acquired Fund shall not constitute a material adverse
change;
(k) On the Closing Date, all Federal and other tax returns, dividend
reporting forms, and other tax-related reports of the Acquired Fund required by
law to have been filed by such date (including any extensions) shall have been
filed and are or will be correct in all material respects, and all Federal and
other taxes shown as due or required to be shown as due on said returns and
reports shall have been paid or provision shall have been made for the payment
thereof, and to the best of the Acquired Fund's knowledge, no such return is
currently under audit and no assessment has been asserted with respect to such
returns;
(l) For each taxable year of its operation (including the taxable year
ending on the Closing Date), the Acquired Fund has met (or will meet) the
requirements of Subchapter M of the Code for qualification as a regulated
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investment company, has been (or will be) eligible to and has computed (or will
compute) its federal income tax under Section 852 of the Code, and will have
distributed all of its investment company taxable income and net capital gain
(as defined in the Code) that has accrued through the Closing Date, and before
the Closing Date will have declared dividends sufficient to distribute all of
its investment company taxable income and net capital gain for the period ending
on the Closing Date;
(m) All issued and outstanding shares of the Acquired Fund are, and on the
Closing Date will be, duly and validly issued and outstanding, fully paid and
non-assessable by the Company and have been offered and sold in every state and
the District of Columbia in compliance in all material respects with applicable
registration requirements of the 1933 Act and state securities laws. All of the
issued and outstanding shares of the Acquired Fund will, at the time of Closing,
be held by the persons and in the amounts set forth in the records of the
Transfer Agent, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, as provided in paragraph 3.3.
The Acquired Fund does not have outstanding any options, warrants or other
rights to subscribe for or purchase any of the shares of the Acquired Fund, nor
is there outstanding any security convertible into any of the Acquired Fund
shares;
(n) The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement will have
been duly authorized prior to the Closing Date by all necessary action, if any,
on the part of the Trustees of the Trust, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, and,
subject to the approval of the shareholders of the Acquired Fund, this Agreement
will constitute a valid and binding obligation of the Acquired Fund, enforceable
in accordance with its terms, subject, as to enforcement, bankruptcy,
insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws relating to or affecting
creditors' rights and to general equity principles;
(o) The information to be furnished by the Acquired Fund for use in
registration statements, proxy materials and other documents filed or to be
filed with any federal, state or local regulatory authority (including the
National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.), which may be necessary in
connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, shall be accurate and
complete in all material respects and shall comply in all material respects with
Federal securities and other laws and regulations thereunder applicable thereto;
and
(p) The proxy statement of the Acquired Fund (the "Proxy Statement") to be
included in the Registration Statement referred to in paragraph 5.6, insofar as
it relates to the Acquired Fund, will, on the effective date of the Registration
Statement and on the Closing Date (i) not contain any untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under
which such statements were made, not materially misleading provided, however,
that the representations and warranties in this subparagraph (p) shall not apply
to statements in or omissions from the Proxy Statement and the Registration
Statement made in reliance upon and in conformity with information that was
furnished by the Acquiring Fund for use therein, and (ii) comply in all material
respects with the provisions of the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act and the 1940 Act and
the rules and regulations thereunder.
4.2 The Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, represents and warrants to
the Company as follows:
(a) The Acquiring Fund is duly organized as a series of the Trust, which is
a business trust duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the
laws of the State of Delaware with power under the Trust's Declaration of Trust
to own all of its Assets and to carry on its business as it is now being
conducted;
(b) The Trust is a registered investment company classified as a management
company of the open-end type, and its registration with the Commission as an
investment company under the 1940 Act and the registration of shares of the
Acquiring Fund under the 1933 Act, is in full force and effect;
(c) No consent, approval, authorization, or order of any court or
governmental authority is required for the consummation by the Acquiring Fund of
the transactions contemplated herein, except such as have been obtained under
the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act and the 1940 Act and such as may be required by state
securities laws;
(d) The current prospectus and statement of additional information of the
Acquiring Fund and each prospectus and statement of additional information of
the Acquiring Fund used during the three years previous to the date of this
Agreement conforms or conformed at the time of its use in all material respects
to the applicable requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act and the rules
and regulations of the Commission thereunder and does not or did not at the time
of its use include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any
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material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
materially misleading;
(e) On the Closing Date, the Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund will
have good and marketable title to the Acquiring Fund's assets, free of any liens
of other encumbrances, except those liens or encumbrances as to which the
Acquired Fund has received notice and necessary documentation at or prior to the
Closing;
(f) The Acquiring Fund is not engaged currently, and the execution,
delivery and performance of this Agreement will not result, in (i) a material
violation of the Trust's Declaration of Trust or By-Laws or of any agreement,
indenture, instrument, contract, lease or other undertaking to which the Trust
on behalf of the Acquiring Fund is a party or by which it is bound, or (ii) the
acceleration of any obligation, or the imposition of any penalty, under any
agreement, indenture, instrument, contract, lease, judgment or decree to which
the Trust on behalf of the Acquiring Fund is a party or by which it is bound;
(g) Except as otherwise disclosed in writing to and accepted by the Trust,
on behalf of the Acquired Fund, no litigation or administrative proceeding or
investigation of or before any court or governmental body is presently pending
or, to its knowledge, threatened against the Trust on behalf of the Acquiring
Fund or any of the Acquiring Fund's properties or assets that, if adversely
determined, would materially and adversely affect the Acquiring Fund's financial
condition or the conduct of the Acquiring Fund's business. The Trust on behalf
of the Acquiring Fund knows of no facts which might form the basis for the
institution of such proceedings and is not a party to or subject to the
provisions of any order, decree or judgment of any court or governmental body
which materially and adversely affects the Acquiring Fund's business or the
Acquiring Fund's ability to consummate the transactions herein contemplated;
(h) The Statement of Assets and Liabilities, Statements of Operations and
Changes in Net Assets and Schedule of Investments of the Acquiring Fund at
October 31, 2001, have been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent
accountants, and are in accordance with GAAP consistently applied, and such
statements (copies of which have been furnished to the Acquired Fund) present
fairly, in all material respects, the financial condition of the Acquiring Fund
as of such date in accordance with GAAP, and there are no known contingent
liabilities of the Acquiring Fund required to be reflected on a balance sheet
(including the notes thereto) in accordance with GAAP as of such date not
disclosed therein;
(i) Since October 31, 2001, there has not been any material adverse change
in the Acquiring Fund's financial condition, assets, liabilities or business,
other than changes occurring in the ordinary course of business, or any
incurrence by the Acquiring Fund of indebtedness maturing more than one year
from the date such indebtedness was incurred, except as otherwise disclosed to
and accepted by the Acquired Fund. For purposes of this subparagraph (i), a
decline in net asset value per share of the Acquiring Fund due to declines in
market values of securities in the Acquiring Fund's portfolio, the discharge of
Acquiring Fund liabilities, or the redemption of Acquiring Fund Shares by
shareholders of the Acquiring Fund, shall not constitute a material adverse
change;
(j) On the Closing Date, all Federal and other tax returns, dividend
reporting forms, and other tax-related reports of the Acquiring Fund required by
law to have been filed by such date (including any extensions) shall have been
filed and are or will be correct in all material respects, and all Federal and
other taxes shown as due or required to be shown as due on said returns and
reports shall have been paid or provision shall have been made for the payment
thereof, and to the best of the Acquiring Fund's knowledge no such return is
currently under audit and no assessment has been asserted with respect to such
returns;
(k) For each taxable year of its operation (including the taxable year
including the Closing Date), the Acquiring Fund has met (or will meet) the
requirements of Subchapter M of the Code for qualification as a regulated
investment company has been eligible to and has computed (or will compute) its
federal income tax under Section 852 of the Code, and has distributed all of its
investment company taxable income and net capital gain (as defined in the Code)
for periods ending prior to the Closing Date;
(l) All issued and outstanding Acquiring Fund Shares are, and on the
Closing Date will be, duly and validly issued and outstanding, fully paid and
non-assessable (recognizing that, under Delaware law, it is theoretically
possible that shareholders of the Acquired Fund could, under certain
circumstances, be held personally liable for obligations of the Acquired Fund)
and have been offered and sold in every state and the District of Columbia in
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compliance in all material respects with applicable registration requirements of
the 1933 Act and state securities laws. The Acquiring Fund does not have
outstanding any options, warrants or other rights to subscribe for or purchase
any Acquiring Fund Shares, nor is there outstanding any security convertible
into any Acquiring Fund Shares;
(m) The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement will have
been fully authorized prior to the Closing Date by all necessary action, if any,
on the part of the Trustees of the Trust on behalf of the Acquiring Fund and
this Agreement will constitute a valid and binding obligation of the Trust on
behalf of the Acquiring Fund, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject,
as to enforcement, bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other
laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights and to general equity
principles;
(n) Acquiring Fund Shares to be issued and delivered to the Acquired Fund,
for the account of the Acquired Fund Shareholders, pursuant to the terms of this
Agreement, will on the Closing Date have been duly authorized and, when so
issued and delivered, will be duly and validly issued Acquiring Fund Shares, and
will be fully paid and non-assessable (recognizing that, under Delaware law, it
is theoretically possible that shareholders of the Acquired Fund could, under
certain circumstances, be held personally liable for obligations of the Acquired
Fund);
(o) The information to be furnished by Trust for use in the registration
statements, proxy materials and other documents that may be necessary in
connection with the transactions contemplated hereby shall be accurate and
complete in all material respects and shall comply in all material respects with
Federal securities and other laws and regulations applicable thereto; and
(p) That insofar as it relates to the Acquiring Fund, the Registration
Statement relating to the Acquiring Fund Shares issuable hereunder, and the
proxy materials of the Acquired Fund to be included in the Registration
Statement, and any amendment or supplement to the foregoing, will, from the
effective date of the Registration Statement through the date of the meeting of
shareholders of the Acquired Fund contemplated therein (i) not contain any
untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to
be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading provided,
however, that the representations and warranties in this subparagraph (p) shall
not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement made in
reliance upon and in conformity with information that was furnished by the
Acquired Fund for use therein, and (ii) comply in all material respects with the
provisions of the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act and the 1940 Act and the rules and
regulations thereunder.
5. COVENANTS OF THE ACQUIRING FUND AND THE ACQUIRED FUND
5.1 The Acquiring Fund and the Acquired Fund each will operate its business
in the ordinary course between the date hereof and the Closing Date, it being
understood that such ordinary course of business will include the declaration
and payment of customary dividends and distributions, and any other distribution
that may be advisable.
5.2 The Trust will call a meeting of the shareholders of the Acquired Fund
to consider and act upon this Agreement and to take all other action necessary
to obtain approval of the transactions contemplated herein.
5.3 The Acquired Fund covenants that the Class A, Class B and Class C
Acquiring Fund Shares to be issued hereunder are not being acquired for the
purpose of making any distribution thereof, other than in accordance with the
terms of this Agreement.
5.4 Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, the Acquiring Fund and the
Acquired Fund will each take, or cause to be taken, all action, and do or cause
to be done, all things reasonably necessary, proper or advisable to consummate
and make effective the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
5.5 As soon as is reasonably practicable after the Closing, the Acquired
Fund will make a liquidating distribution to its shareholders consisting of the
Class A, Class B and Class C Acquiring Fund Shares received at the Closing.
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5.6 The Acquiring Fund and the Acquired Fund shall each use its reasonable
best efforts to fulfill or obtain the fulfillment of the conditions precedent to
effect the transactions contemplated by this Agreement as promptly as
practicable.
5.7 The Trust, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, covenants that the Company
will, from time to time, as and when reasonably requested by the Trust on behalf
of the Acquiring Fund, execute and deliver or cause to be executed and delivered
all such assignments and other instruments, and will take or cause to be taken
such further action as the Trust on behalf of the Acquiring Fund may reasonably
deem necessary or desirable in order to vest in and confirm (a) the Company's on
behalf of the Acquired Fund's title to and possession of the Acquiring Fund
Shares to be delivered hereunder, and (b) the Trust's on behalf of the Acquiring
Fund's title to and possession of all the assets, and to carry out the intent
and purpose of this Agreement.
5.8 The Acquiring Fund will use all reasonable efforts to obtain the
approvals and authorizations required by the 1933 Act, the 1940 Act and such of
the state blue sky or securities laws as may be necessary in order to continue
its operations after the Closing Date.
6. CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO OBLIGATIONS OF THE ACQUIRED FUND
The obligations of the Trust, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, to consummate
the transactions provided for herein shall be subject, at the Trust's election,
to the performance by the Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, of all the
obligations to be performed by it hereunder on or before the Closing Date, and,
in addition thereto, the following further conditions:
6.1 All representations and warranties of the Trust, on behalf of the
Acquiring Fund, contained in this Agreement shall be true and correct in all
material respects as of the date hereof and, except as they may be affected by
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, as of the Closing Date, with
the same force and effect as if made on and as of the Closing Date;
6.2 The Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, shall have performed all of
the covenants and complied with all of the provisions required by this Agreement
to be performed or complied with by the Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund
on or before the Closing Date;
6.3 The Acquired Fund and the Acquiring Fund shall have agreed on the
number of full and fractional Acquiring Fund Shares to be issued in connection
with the Reorganization after such number has been calculated in accordance with
paragraph 1.1.
7. CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO OBLIGATIONS OF THE ACQUIRING FUND
The obligations of the Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, to complete
the transactions provided for herein shall be subject, at the Trust's election,
to the performance by the Trust, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, of all of the
obligations to be performed by it hereunder on or before the Closing Date and,
in addition thereto, the following conditions:
7.1 All representations and warranties of the Trust, on behalf of the
Acquired Fund, contained in this Agreement shall be true and correct in all
material respects as of the date hereof and, except as they may be affected by
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, as of the Closing Date, with
the same force and effect as if made on and as of the Closing Date;
7.2 The Trust shall have delivered to the Acquiring Fund a statement of the
Acquired Fund's assets and liabilities, as of the Closing Date, certified by the
Treasurer of the Trust;
7.3. The Trust, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, shall have performed all of
the covenants and complied with all of the provisions required by this Agreement
to be performed or complied with by Trust, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, on or
before the Closing Date;
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7.4 The Acquired Fund and the Acquiring Fund shall have agreed on the
number of full and fractional Acquiring Fund Shares of each class to be issued
in connection with the Reorganization after such number has been calculated in
accordance with paragraph 1.1; and
7.5 The Acquired Fund shall have declared and paid a distribution or
distributions prior to the Closing that, together with all previous
distributions, shall have the effect of distributing to its shareholders (i) all
of its investment company taxable income and all of its net realized capital
gains, if any, for the period from the close of its last fiscal year to 4:00
p.m. Eastern time on the Closing; and (ii) any undistributed investment company
taxable income and net realized capital gains from any period to the extent not
otherwise already distributed.
8. FURTHER CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO OBLIGATIONS OF THE ACQUIRING FUND AND THE
ACQUIRED FUND
If any of the conditions set forth below have not been satisfied on or
before the Closing Date with respect to the Trust, on behalf of the Acquired
Fund, or the Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, the other party to this
Agreement shall, at its option, not be required to consummate the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement:
8.1 The Agreement and the transactions contemplated herein shall have been
approved by the requisite vote of the holders of the outstanding shares of the
Acquired Fund in accordance with the provisions of the Trust's Declaration of
Trust, the Trust's By-Laws, applicable Delaware law and the 1940 Act.
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, neither the Trust may waive the
conditions set forth in this paragraph 8.1;
8.2 On the Closing Date no action, suit or other proceeding shall be
pending or, to its knowledge, threatened before any court or governmental agency
in which it is sought to restrain or prohibit, or obtain damages or other relief
in connection with, this Agreement or the transactions contemplated herein;
8.3 All consents of other parties and all other consents, orders and
permits of Federal, state and local regulatory authorities deemed necessary by
the Trust to permit consummation, in all material respects, of the transactions
contemplated hereby shall have been obtained, except where failure to obtain any
such consent, order or permit would not involve a risk of a material adverse
effect on the assets or properties of the Acquiring Fund or the Acquired Fund,
provided that either party hereto may for itself waive any of such conditions;
8.4 The Registration Statement shall have become effective under the 1933
Act and no stop orders suspending the effectiveness thereof shall have been
issued and, to the best knowledge of the parties hereto, no investigation or
proceeding for that purpose shall have been instituted or be pending, threatened
or contemplated under the 1933 Act; and
8.5 The parties shall have received the opinion of Dechert, counsel to the
Trust, addressed to the Trust substantially to the effect that, based upon based
upon certain facts, assumptions, and representations, the transaction
contemplated by this Agreement shall constitute a tax-free reorganization for
Federal income tax purposes. The delivery of such opinion is conditioned upon
receipt by Dechert of representations it shall request of the Trust.
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, neither the Trust may waive the
condition set forth in this paragraph 8.5.
9. BROKERAGE FEES AND EXPENSES
9.1 The Company on behalf of the Acquired Fund and the Trust on behalf of
the Acquiring Fund represent and warrant to each other that there are no brokers
or finders entitled to receive any payments in connection with the transactions
provided for herein.
9.2 The expenses relating to the proposed Reorganization will be shared so
that (1) half of such costs are borne by the investment adviser to the Acquired
and Acquiring Funds, and (2) half are borne by the Acquired and Acquiring Funds
and will be paid by the Acquired Fund and Acquiring Fund PRO RATA based upon the
relative net assets of the Acquired Fund and Acquiring Fund as of the close of
business on the record date for determining the shareholders of the Acquired
Fund entitled to vote on the Reorganization. The costs of the Reorganization
shall include, but not be limited to, costs associated with obtaining any
necessary order of exemption from the 1940 Act, preparation of the Registration
Statement, printing and distributing the Acquiring Fund's prospectus and the
Acquired Fund's proxy materials, legal fees, accounting fees, securities
registration fees, and expenses of holding shareholders' meetings.
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Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, expenses will in any event be paid by the
party directly incurring such expenses if and to the extent that the payment by
another person of such expenses would result in the disqualification of such
party as a "regulated investment company" within the meaning of Section 851 of
the Code.
10. ENTIRE AGREEMENT; SURVIVAL OF WARRANTIES
10.1 The Trust has not made any representation, warranty or covenant not
set forth herein and that this Agreement constitutes the entire agreement
between the parties.
10.2 The representations, warranties and covenants contained in this
Agreement or in any document delivered pursuant hereto or in connection herewith
shall survive the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereunder. The
covenants to be performed after the Closing shall survive the Closing.
11. TERMINATION
This Agreement may be terminated and the transactions contemplated hereby
may be abandoned by either party by (i) mutual agreement of the parties, or (ii)
by either party if the Closing shall not have occurred on or before ___________
__, 200_, unless such date is extended by mutual agreement of the parties, or
(iii) by either party if the other party shall have materially breached its
obligations under this Agreement or made a material and intentional
misrepresentation herein or in connection herewith. In the event of any such
termination, this Agreement shall become void and there shall be no liability
hereunder on the part of any party or their respective Directors/Trustees or
officers, except for any such material breach or intentional misrepresentation,
as to each of which all remedies at law or in equity of the party adversely
affected shall survive.
12. AMENDMENTS
This Agreement may be amended, modified or supplemented in such manner as
may be deemed necessary or advisable by the authorized officers of the Company
and the Trust; provided, however, that following the meeting of the shareholders
of the Acquired Fund called by the Acquired Fund pursuant to paragraph 5.2 of
this Agreement, no such amendment may have the effect of changing the provisions
for determining the number of the Class A Acquiring Fund Shares to be issued to
the Acquired Fund Shareholders under this Agreement to the detriment of such
shareholders without their further approval.
13. NOTICES
Any notice, report, statement or demand required or permitted by any
provisions of this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be given by
facsimile, personal service or prepaid or certified mail addressed to the Trust,
7337 East Doubletree Ranch Road, Scottsdale, Arizona 85258-2034, attn: James M.
Hennessy, in each case with a copy to Dechert, 1775 Eye Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20006, attn: Jeffrey S. Puretz.
14. HEADINGS; COUNTERPARTS; GOVERNING LAW; ASSIGNMENT; LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
14.1 The Article and paragraph headings contained in this Agreement are for
reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or
interpretation of this Agreement.
14.2 This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of
which shall be deemed an original.
14.3 This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with
the laws of the State of Delaware without regard to its principles of conflicts
of laws.
14.4 This Agreement shall bind and inure to the benefit of the parties
hereto and their respective successors and assigns, but no assignment or
transfer hereof or of any rights or obligations hereunder shall be made by any
party without the written consent of the other party. Nothing herein expressed
or implied is intended or shall be construed to confer upon or give any person,
firm or corporation, other than the parties hereto and their respective
successors and assigns, any rights or remedies under or by reason of this
Agreement.
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14.5 It is expressly agreed that the obligations of the parties hereunder
shall not be binding upon any of the Directors/Trustees, shareholders, nominees,
officers, agents, or employees of the Trust personally, but shall bind only the
trust property of the Acquiring Fund, as provided in the Declaration of Trust of
the Trust. The execution and delivery by such officers shall not be deemed to
have been made by any of them individually or to impose any liability on any of
them personally, but shall bind only the trust property of such party as
provided in the Declaration of Trust.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties hereto has caused this Agreement to
be executed by its President or Vice President and its seal to be affixed
thereto and attested by its Secretary or Assistant Secretary.
PILGRIM FUNDS TRUST ON BEHALF OF ITS
Attest: ING GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY FUND SERIES
By:
- ---------------------------------- ------------------------------------
SECRETARY
Title:
---------------------------------
PILGRIM FUNDS TRUST ON BEHALF OF ITS
PILGRIM GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS
Attest: FUND SERIES
By:
- ---------------------------------- ------------------------------------
SECRETARY
Title:
---------------------------------
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