EX-99.(H)(2) 8 ea023027601-ex99h2.htm EXHIBIT 99.(H)(2)

Exhibit (h)(2)

 

ETF FUND ACCOUNTING SERVICING AGREEMENT

 

THIS AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of the last day written on the signature page by and between TORTOISE CAPITAL SERIES TRUST, a Maryland statutory trust (the “Trust”), and U.S. BANCORP FUND SERVICES, LLC d/b/a U.S. BANK GLOBAL FUND SERVICES, a Wisconsin limited liability company (“Fund Services”).

 

WHEREAS, the Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company, and is authorized to issue shares of beneficial interest in separate series, with each such series representing interests in a separate portfolio of securities and other assets; and

 

WHEREAS, Fund Services is, among other things, in the business of providing mutual fund accounting services to investment companies; and

 

WHEREAS, the Trust desires to retain Fund Services to provide accounting services to each series of the Trust listed on Exhibit A hereto (as amended from time to time) (each a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”).

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises and covenants herein contained, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, do hereby agree as follows:

 

1.Appointment of Fund Services as Fund Accountant

 

The Trust hereby appoints Fund Services as fund accountant of the Trust on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, and Fund Services hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the services and duties set forth in this Agreement. The services and duties of Fund Services shall be confined to those matters expressly set forth herein, and no implied duties are assumed by or may be asserted against Fund Services hereunder.

 

Fund Services may use its affiliates to provide any of the services set forth in this Agreement. Any such affiliate shall be held to the same standard of care and confidentiality as Fund Services would be under this Agreement, and Fund Services shall be responsible for the provision of such Services to the same extent as if provided by Fund Services. The Trust consents to the use of such affiliates and to Fund Services providing to such affiliates any information regarding the Trust or its shareholders as may be required to provide such Services.

 

2.Services and Duties of Fund Services

 

Fund Services shall provide the following accounting services to the Trust with respect to each Fund:

 

A.           Portfolio Accounting Services:

 

(1)Maintain portfolio records on a trade date+1 basis using security trade information communicated from the Fund’s investment adviser.

 

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(2)For each valuation date, obtain prices from a pricing source approved by the board of trustees of the Trust (the “Board of Trustees”) and apply those prices to the portfolio positions. For those securities where market quotations are not readily available, the Board of Trustees shall approve, in good faith, procedures for determining the fair value for such securities.

 

(3)Identify interest and dividend accrual balances as of each valuation date and calculate gross earnings on investments for each accounting period.

 

(4)Determine gain/loss on security sales and identify them as short-term or long-term; account for periodic distributions of gains or losses to shareholders and maintain undistributed gain or loss balances as of each valuation date.

 

(5)On a daily basis, reconcile portfolio holdings and cash of the Fund with the Fund’s custodian and/or prime brokerage account(s).

 

(6)Transmit a copy of the portfolio valuation to the Fund’s investment adviser daily.

 

(7)Review the impact of current day’s activity on a per share basis, and review changes in market value.

 

B.           Expense Accrual and Payment Services:

 

(1)For each valuation date, monitor the expense accrual amounts as directed by the Fund as to methodology, rate or dollar amount.

 

(2)Process and record payments for Fund expenses.

 

(3)Account for Fund expenditures and maintain expense accrual balances at the level of accounting detail, as agreed upon by Fund Services and the Trust.

 

(4)Provide expense accrual and payment reporting.

 

C.           Fund Valuation and Financial Reporting Services:

 

(1)Account for Fund share purchases, sales, exchanges, transfers, dividend reinvestments, and other Fund share activity as reported by the Fund’s transfer agent on a timely basis.

 

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(2)Determine net investment income (earnings) for the Fund as of each valuation date. Account for periodic distributions of earnings to shareholders and maintain undistributed net investment income balances as of each valuation date.

 

(3)Maintain a general ledger and other accounts, books, and financial records for the Fund.

 

(4)Determine the net asset value of the Fund according to the accounting policies and procedures set forth in the Fund's current prospectus.

 

(5)Calculate per share net asset value, per share net earnings, and other per share amounts reflective of Fund operations at such time as required by the nature and characteristics of the Fund.

 

(6)Prepare monthly reconciliations of sub-ledger reports to month-end ledger balances.

 

D.           Tax Accounting Services:

 

(1)Maintain accounting records for the investment portfolio of the Fund to support the tax reporting required for “regulated investment companies” under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).

 

(2)Maintain tax lot detail for the Fund’s investment portfolio.

 

(3)Calculate taxable gain/loss on security sales using the tax lot relief method designated by the Fund.

 

E.           Compliance Control Services:

 

(1)Support reporting to regulatory bodies and financial statement preparation by making the Fund's accounting records available to the Trust, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), and the independent accountants.

 

(2)Maintain accounting records for the Fund as required by the 1940 Act and regulations provided thereunder.

 

(3)Perform its duties hereunder in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations and provide any sub-certifications reasonably requested by the Trust in connection with any certification required of the Trust pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “SOX Act”) or any rules or regulations promulgated by the SEC thereunder, provided the same shall not be deemed to change Fund Services’ standard of care as set forth herein.

 

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(4)In order to assist the Trust in satisfying the requirements of Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act (the “Rule”), Fund Services will provide the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer with reasonable access to Fund Services’ fund records relating to the services provided by it under this Agreement, and will provide quarterly compliance reports and related certifications regarding any Material Compliance Matter (as defined in the Rule) involving Fund Services that affects or could affect the Trust.

 

(5)Cooperate with the Trust’s independent accountants and take all reasonable action in the performance of its obligations under this Agreement to ensure that the necessary information is made available to such accountants for the expression of their opinion on the Fund’s financial statements without any qualification as to the scope of their examination.

 

3.License of Data; Warranty; Termination of Rights

 

A.The valuation information and evaluations being provided to the Trust by Fund Services pursuant hereto (collectively, the “Data”) are being licensed, not sold, to the Trust. The Trust has a limited license to use the Data only for purposes necessary to valuing the Trust’s assets and reporting to regulatory bodies (the “License”). The Trust does not have any license nor right to use the Data for purposes beyond the intentions of this Agreement including, but not limited to, resale to other users or use to create any type of historical database, and maintaining appropriate records, including those required to document Fund performance. The License is non-transferable and not sub-licensable. The Trust’s right to use the Data cannot be passed to or shared with any other entity.

 

The Trust acknowledges the proprietary rights that Fund Services and its suppliers have in the Data.

 

B.THE TRUST HEREBY ACCEPTS THE DATA AS IS, WHERE IS, WITH NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE OR ANY OTHER MATTER.

 

C.Fund Services may stop supplying some or all Data to the Trust if Fund Services’ suppliers terminate any agreement to provide Data to Fund Services. Also, Fund Services may stop supplying some or all Data to the Trust if Fund Services reasonably believes that the Trust is using the Data in violation of the License, or breaching its duties of confidentiality provided for hereunder, or if any of Fund Services’ suppliers demand that the Data be withheld from the Trust. Fund Services will provide notice to the Trust of any termination of provision of Data as soon as reasonably possible.

 

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4.Pricing of Securities

 

A.For each valuation date, Fund Services shall obtain prices from a pricing source approved by the Board of Trustees or its delegate pursuant to Rule 2a-5 and apply those prices to the portfolio positions of the Fund. For those securities where market quotations are not readily available, the Board of Trustees or its delegate pursuant to Rule 2a-5 shall approve, in good faith, procedures for determining the fair value for such securities.

 

If the Trust desires to provide a price that varies from the price provided by the pricing source, the Trust shall promptly notify and supply Fund Services with the price of any such security on each valuation date. All pricing changes made by the Trust will be in writing and must specifically identify the securities to be changed by CUSIP, name of security, new price or rate to be applied, and, if applicable, the time period for which the new price(s) is/are effective.

 

B.In the event that the Trust at any time receives Data containing evaluations, rather than market quotations, for certain securities or certain other data related to such securities, the following provisions will apply: (i) the Trust acknowledges that evaluated prices may relate to complicated financial instruments. There are many methodologies (including computer-based analytical modeling and individual security evaluations) available to generate approximations of the market value of such securities, and there is significant professional disagreement about which method is best. No evaluated pricing method, including those used by Fund Services and its suppliers, may consistently generate approximations that correspond to actual “traded” prices of the securities; (ii) methodologies used to provide pricing portion of certain Data may rely on evaluations; however, the Trust acknowledges that there may be errors or defects in the software, databases, or methodologies generating the evaluations that may cause resultant evaluations to be inappropriate for use in certain applications; and (iii) the Trust assumes all responsibility for edit checking, external verification of evaluations, and ultimately the appropriateness of using Data containing evaluations, regardless of any efforts made by Fund Services and its suppliers in this respect.

 

C.Fund Services shall not have any obligation to verify the accuracy or appropriateness of any prices, evaluations, market quotations, or other data or pricing related inputs received from the Trust, the Fund, any of their affiliates, or any third-party source. Fund Services may perform certain tests on pricing data received each day, on a limited basis, which may include day over day tolerance breaks, NAV impact price analysis, and stale price testing, based on the availability of data from data vendors.  However, such tests are limited, are not intended or designed to determine whether any price is fair or appropriate, and do not replace the valuation designee’s responsibility for the appropriateness of prices used in calculating the NAV of each Fund. Notwithstanding anything else in this Agreement to the contrary, Fund Services and its affiliates shall not be responsible or liable for any mistakes, errors, or mispricing, or any losses related thereto, resulting from any inaccurate, inappropriate, or fraudulent prices, evaluations, market quotations, or other data or pricing related inputs received from the Trust, the Fund, any of their affiliates, or any third-party source.

 

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5.Changes in Accounting Procedures

 

Any resolution passed by the Board of Trustees that affects accounting practices and procedures under this Agreement shall be effective upon written notice to Fund Services.

 

6.Changes in Equipment, Systems, Etc.

 

Fund Services reserves the right to make changes from time to time, as it deems advisable, relating to its systems, programs, rules, operating schedules and equipment, so long as such changes do not adversely affect the services provided to the Trust under this Agreement.

 

7.Compensation

 

Fund Services shall be compensated for providing the services set forth in this Agreement in accordance with the fee schedule set forth on Exhibit B hereto (as amended from time to time). Fund Services shall also be reimbursed for such miscellaneous expenses (set forth in Exhibit B as are reasonably incurred by Fund Services in performing its duties hereunder. The Trust shall pay all such fees and reimbursable expenses within 30 calendar days following receipt of the billing notice, except for any fee or expense subject to a good-faith dispute. The Trust shall notify Fund Services in writing within 30 calendar days following receipt of each invoice if the Trust is disputing any amounts in good faith. The Trust shall pay such disputed amounts within 10 calendar days of the day on which the parties agree to the amount to be paid. With the exception of any fee or expense the Trust is disputing in good faith as set forth above, unpaid invoices shall accrue a finance charge of 1½% per month after the due date. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, amounts owed by the Trust to Fund Services shall only be paid out of the assets and property of the Fund involved.

 

8.Representations and Warranties

 

A.The Trust hereby represents and warrants to Fund Services, which representations and warranties shall be deemed to be continuing throughout the term of this Agreement, that:

 

(1)It is duly organized and existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with full power to carry on its business as now conducted, to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder;

 

(2)This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Trust in accordance with all requisite action and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Trust, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and secured parties;

 

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(3)It is conducting its business in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws and regulations, both state and federal, and has obtained all regulatory approvals necessary to carry on its business as now conducted; there is no statute, rule, regulation, order or judgment binding on it and no provision of its charter, bylaws or any contract binding it or affecting its property which would prohibit its execution or performance of this Agreement;

 

(4)A registration statement under the 1940 Act and, if applicable, the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, will be made effective prior to the effective date of this Agreement and will remain effective during the term of this Agreement, and appropriate state securities law filings will be made prior to the effective date of this Agreement and will continue to be made during the term of this Agreement as necessary to enable the Trust to make a continuous public offering of its shares; and

 

(5)All records of the Trust provided to Fund Services by the Trust or by a prior service provider of the Trust are accurate and complete and Fund Services is entitled to rely on all such records in the form provided.

 

B.Fund Services hereby represents and warrants to the Trust, which representations and warranties shall be deemed to be continuing throughout the term of this Agreement, that:

 

(1)It is duly organized and existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with full power to carry on its business as now conducted, to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder;

 

(2)This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by Fund Services in accordance with all requisite action and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of Fund Services, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and secured parties; and

 

(3)It is conducting its business in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws and regulations, both state and federal, and has obtained all regulatory approvals necessary to carry on its business as now conducted; there is no statute, rule, regulation, order or judgment binding on it and no provision of its charter, bylaws or any contract binding it or affecting its property which would prohibit its execution or performance of this Agreement.

 

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9.Standard of Care; Indemnification; Limitation of Liability

 

A.Fund Services shall exercise reasonable care in the performance of its duties under this Agreement. Neither Fund Services nor any of its affiliates shall be liable for any error of judgment; mistake of law; fraud or misconduct by the Trust, any Fund, the adviser or any other service provider to the Trust or a Fund, or any employee of the foregoing; or for any loss suffered by the Trust, a Fund, or any third party in connection with Fund Services’ duties under this Agreement, including losses resulting from mechanical breakdowns or the failure of communication or power supplies beyond Fund Services’ reasonable control, except a loss arising out of or relating to Fund Services’ refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement (other than where such compliance would violate applicable law) or from its bad faith, negligence, or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties under this Agreement. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, if Fund Services has exercised reasonable care in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Trust shall indemnify and hold harmless Fund Services and its affiliates from and against any and all claims, demands, losses, expenses, and liabilities of any and every nature (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) that Fund Services or its affiliates may sustain or incur or that may be asserted against Fund Services or its affiliates by any third party arising out of or related to (X) any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in performing the services hereunder (i) in accordance with the foregoing standards, or (ii) in reliance upon any written or oral instruction provided to Fund Services by any duly authorized officer of the Trust, as approved by the Board of Trustees of the Trust, or (Y) the Data, or any information, service, report, analysis or publication derived therefrom, except for any and all claims, demands, losses, expenses, and liabilities arising out of or relating to Fund Services’ refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement (other than where such compliance would violate applicable law) or from its bad faith, negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties under this Agreement. This indemnity shall be a continuing obligation of the Trust, its successors and assigns, notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement. As used in this paragraph, the term “Fund Services” shall include Fund Services’ directors, officers and employees.

 

The Trust acknowledges that the Data is intended for use as an aid to institutional investors, registered brokers or professionals of similar sophistication in making informed judgments concerning securities. The Trust accepts responsibility for, and acknowledges it exercises its own independent judgment in, its selection of the Data, its selection of the use or intended use of such, and any results obtained. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to be a waiver of any rights existing under applicable law for the protection of investors.

 

Fund Services shall indemnify and hold the Trust harmless from and against any and all claims, demands, losses, expenses, and liabilities of any and every nature (including reasonable attorneys' fees) that the Trust may sustain or incur or that may be asserted against the Trust by any person arising out of any action taken or omitted to be taken by Fund Services as a result of Fund Services’ refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement, or from Fund Services’ bad faith, negligence, or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties under this Agreement. This indemnity shall be a continuing obligation of Fund Services, its successors and assigns, notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement. As used in this paragraph, the term “Trust” shall include the Trust’s trustees, officers and employees.

 

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In the event of a mechanical breakdown or failure of communication or power supplies beyond its reasonable control, Fund Services shall take all reasonable steps to minimize service interruptions for any period that such interruption continues. Fund Services will make every reasonable effort to restore any lost or damaged data and correct any errors resulting from such a breakdown at the expense of Fund Services. Fund Services agrees that it shall, at all times, have reasonable business continuity and disaster contingency plans with appropriate parties, making reasonable provision for emergency use of electrical data processing equipment to the extent appropriate equipment is available. Representatives of the Trust shall be entitled to inspect Fund Services’ premises and operating capabilities at any time during regular business hours of Fund Services, upon reasonable notice to Fund Services. Moreover, Fund Services shall provide the Trust, at such times as the Trust may reasonably require, copies of reports rendered by independent accountants on the internal controls and procedures of Fund Services relating to the services provided by Fund Services under this Agreement.

 

Notwithstanding the above, Fund Services reserves the right to reprocess and correct administrative errors at its own expense.

 

In no case shall either party be liable to the other for (i) any special, indirect or consequential damages, loss of profits or goodwill (even if advised of the possibility of such); (ii) any delay by reason of circumstances beyond its control, including acts of civil or military authority, national emergencies, labor difficulties, fire, mechanical breakdown, flood or catastrophe, acts of God, insurrection, war, riots, or failure beyond its control of transportation or power supply; or (iii) any claim that was discovered more than one year prior to the institution of suit therefor.

 

B.In order that the indemnification provisions contained in this Section 9 shall apply, it is understood that if in any case the indemnitor may be asked to indemnify or hold the indemnitee harmless, the indemnitor shall be fully and promptly advised of all pertinent facts concerning the situation in question, and it is further understood that the indemnitee will use all reasonable care to notify the indemnitor promptly concerning any situation that presents or appears likely to present the probability of a claim for indemnification. The indemnitor shall have the option to defend the indemnitee against any claim that may be the subject of this indemnification. If the indemnitor so elects, it will so notify the indemnitee and thereupon the indemnitor shall take over complete defense of the claim, and the indemnitee shall in such situation initiate no further legal or other expenses for which it shall seek indemnification under this Section 9. The indemnitee shall in no case confess any claim or make any compromise in any case in which the indemnitor will be asked to indemnify the indemnitee except with the indemnitor’s prior written consent.

 

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C.The indemnity and defense provisions set forth in this Section 9 shall indefinitely survive the termination and/or assignment of this Agreement.

 

D.If Fund Services is acting in another capacity for the Trust pursuant to a separate agreement, nothing herein shall be deemed to relieve Fund Services of any of its obligations in such other capacity.

 

10.Notification of Error

 

The Trust will notify Fund Services of any discrepancy between Fund Services and the Trust, including, but not limited to, failing to account for a security position in the Fund’s portfolio, upon the later to occur of: (i) three business days after receipt of any reports rendered by Fund Services to the Trust; (ii) three business days after discovery of any error or omission not covered in the balancing or control procedure; or (iii) three business days after receiving notice from any shareholder regarding any such discrepancy.

 

11.Data Necessary to Perform Services

 

The Trust or its agent shall furnish to Fund Services the data necessary to perform the services described herein at such times and in such form as mutually agreed upon.

 

12.Proprietary and Confidential Information

 

A.Fund Services agrees on behalf of itself and its directors, officers, and employees to treat confidentially and as proprietary information of the Trust, all records and other information relative to the Trust and prior, present, or potential shareholders of the Trust (and clients of said shareholders), and not to use such records and information for any purpose other than the performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except (i) after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Trust, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld and may not be withheld where Fund Services may be exposed to civil or criminal contempt proceedings for failure to comply, (ii) when requested to divulge such information by duly constituted authorities, or (iii) when so requested by the Trust. Records and other information which have become known to the public through no wrongful act of Fund Services or any of its employees, agents or representatives, and information that was already in the possession of Fund Services prior to receipt thereof from the Trust or its agents or service providers, shall not be subject to this paragraph.

 

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Further, Fund Services will adhere to the privacy policies adopted by the Trust pursuant to Title V of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, as may be modified from time to time. In this regard, Fund Services shall have in place and maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards reasonably designed to protect the security, confidentiality and integrity of, and to prevent unauthorized access to or use of, records and information relating to the Trust and its shareholders.

 

B.The Trust agrees on behalf of itself and its trustees, officers, and employees to treat confidentially and as proprietary information of Fund Services, all non-public information relative to Fund Services (including, without limitation, the Data and information regarding Fund Services’ pricing, products, services, customers, suppliers, financial statements, processes, know-how, trade secrets, market opportunities, past, present or future research, development or business plans, affairs, operations, systems, computer software in source code and object code form, documentation, techniques, procedures, designs, drawings, specifications, schematics, processes and/or intellectual property), and not to use such information for any purpose other than in connection with the services provided under this Agreement, except (i) after prior notification to and approval in writing by Fund Services, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld and may not be withheld where the Trust may be exposed to civil or criminal contempt proceedings for failure to comply, (ii) when requested to divulge such information by duly constituted authorities, or (iii) when so requested by Fund Services. Information which has become known to the public through no wrongful act of the Trust or any of its employees, agents or representatives, and information that was already in the possession of the Trust prior to receipt thereof from Fund Services, shall not be subject to this paragraph.

 

C.Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, (i) the Trust shall be permitted to disclose the identity of Fund Services as a service provider, redacted copies of this Agreement, and such other information as may be required in the Trust’s registration or offering documents, or as may otherwise be required by applicable law, rule, or regulation, and (ii) Fund Services shall be permitted to include the name of the Trust in lists of representative clients in due diligence questionnaires, RFP responses, presentations, and other marketing and promotional purposes.

 

13.Records

 

Fund Services shall keep records relating to the services to be performed hereunder in the form and manner, and for such period, as it may deem advisable and is agreeable to the Trust, but not inconsistent with the rules and regulations of appropriate government authorities, in particular, Section 31 of the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder. Fund Services agrees that all such records prepared or maintained by Fund Services relating to the services to be performed by Fund Services hereunder are the property of the Trust and will be preserved, maintained, and made available in accordance with such applicable sections and rules of the 1940 Act and will be promptly surrendered to the Trust or its designee on and in accordance with its request; provided, however, that Fund Services may retain such copies of such records in such form as may be required to comply with any applicable law, rule, regulation, or order of any governmental, regulatory, or judicial authority of competent jurisdiction. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Trust acknowledges and agrees that if the Trust elects to use an FTP or other electronic transmission method to communicate trade instructions to Fund Services the Trust shall be responsible for maintaining the Trust’s records as they relate to the Trust’s review and approval of individuals authorized to place trading instructions as described in Rule 31a-1(b)(10) promulgated under the 1940 Act.

 

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14.Compliance with Laws

 

A.The Trust has and retains primary responsibility for all compliance matters relating to the Funds, including but not limited to compliance with the 1940 Act, the Code, the SOX Act, the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 and the policies and limitations of the Fund relating to its portfolio investments as set forth in its current prospectus and statement of additional information (or similar disclosure documents) included in its registration statement on Form N-1A filed with the SEC. Fund Services’ duties hereunder shall not relieve the Trust of its responsibilities for assuring such compliance or the Board of Trustees’ oversight responsibility with respect thereto. Further, the Trust agrees that it complies with any and all applicable local, state, federal, and international data protection laws, and confirms necessary and appropriate consents, disclosures and notices are in place to enable collection and processing of personal data by Fund Services. Fund Services’ functions hereunder shall not relieve the Trust of their primary day-to-day responsibility for assuring such compliance.

 

B.The Trust shall promptly notify Fund Services if the investment strategy of any Fund materially changes or deviates from the investment strategy disclosed in the current prospectus, or if it (or any Fund) becomes subject to any new law, rule, regulation, or order of a governmental or judicial authority of competent jurisdiction that materially impacts the operations of the Trust or any Fund or the services provided under this Agreement.

 

15.Term of Agreement; Amendment

 

A.This Agreement shall become effective as of the last date written on the signature page and will continue in effect for a period of two (2) years. Following the initial term, this Agreement shall automatically renew for successive one (1) year terms unless either party provides written notice at least 90 days prior to the end of the then-current term that it will not be renewing the Agreement.

 

B.Subject to Section 16, this Agreement may be terminated by either party (in whole or with respect to one or more Funds) upon giving 90 days’ prior written notice to the other party or such shorter notice period as is mutually agreed upon by the parties.

 

C.Fund Services may terminate this Agreement immediately (in whole or with respect to one or more Funds) if the continued service of such Funds or the Trust would cause Fund Services or any of its affiliates to be in violation of any applicable law, rule, regulation, or order of any governmental, regulatory or judicial authority of competent jurisdiction, or if the Funds or the Trust (or any affiliate thereof) commits any act, or becomes involved in any situation or occurrence, tending to bring itself into public disrepute, contempt, scandal, or ridicule, or such that the continued association with the Funds or the Trust would reflect unfavorably upon Fund Services’ reputation; provided that in such event Fund Services shall, to the extent it is legally permitted and able to do so, provide reasonable assistance to transition such Funds or the Trust to a successor service provider.

 

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D.This Agreement may be terminated by any party upon the breach of the other party of any material term of this Agreement if such breach is not cured within 15 days of notice of such breach to the breaching party.

 

E.This Agreement may not be amended or modified in any manner except by written agreement executed by Fund Services and the Trust, and authorized or approved by the Trust’s Board of Trustees.

 

16.Early Termination

 

In the absence of any material breach of this Agreement, should the Trust elect to terminate this Agreement (in whole or with respect to one or more Funds) prior to the end of the then-current term, the Trust agrees to pay the following fees with respect to each Fund subject to the termination:

 

a.all monthly fees through the remaining term of this Agreement (provided that no such fees shall be paid with respect to any Fund following the liquidation of such Fund);
b.all reasonable and documented fees associated with converting services to a successor service provider;
c.all reasonable and documented fees associated with any record retention and/or tax reporting obligations that may not be eliminated due to the conversion to a successor service provider;
d.all reasonable and documented miscellaneous costs associated with a. to c. above.

 

17.Duties in the Event of Termination

 

In the event that, in connection with termination, a successor to any of Fund Services’ duties or responsibilities hereunder is designated by the Trust by written notice to Fund Services, Fund Services will promptly, upon such termination and at the expense of the Trust, transfer to such successor all relevant books, records, correspondence and other data established or maintained by Fund Services under this Agreement in a form reasonably acceptable to the Trust (if such form differs from the form in which Fund Services has maintained the same, the Trust shall pay any expenses associated with transferring the data to such form), and will cooperate in the transfer of such duties and responsibilities, including provision for assistance from Fund Services’ personnel in the establishment of books, records and other data by such successor. If no such successor is designated, then such books, records and other data shall be returned to the Trust. The Trust shall also pay any fees associated with record retention and/or tax reporting obligations that Fund Services is obligated under applicable law, regulation, or rule to continue following the termination.

 

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18.Assignment

 

This Agreement shall extend to and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns; provided, however, that this Agreement shall not be assignable by the Trust without the written consent of Fund Services, or by Fund Services without the written consent of the Trust accompanied by the authorization or approval of the Trust’s Board of Trustees.

 

19.Governing Law

 

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to conflicts of law principles. To the extent that the applicable laws of the State of Delaware, or any of the provisions herein, conflict with the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, the latter shall control, and nothing herein shall be construed in a manner inconsistent with the 1940 Act or any rule or order of the SEC thereunder.

 

20.No Agency Relationship

 

Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize or empower either party to act as agent for the other party to this Agreement, or to conduct business in the name, or for the account, of the other party to this Agreement.

 

21.Services Not Exclusive

 

Nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict Fund Services from providing services to other parties that are similar or identical to some or all of the services provided hereunder.

 

22.Invalidity

 

Any provision of this Agreement which may be determined by competent authority to be prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction. In such case, the parties shall in good faith modify or substitute such provision consistent with the original intent of the parties.

 

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23.Notices

 

Any notice required or permitted to be given by either party to the other shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been given on the date delivered personally or by courier service, or three days after sent by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, or on the date sent and confirmed received by facsimile transmission to the other party’s address set forth below:

 

Notice to Fund Services shall be sent to:

 

U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, LLC

615 East Michigan Street

Milwaukee, WI 53202

Attn: President

 

Notice to the Trust shall be sent to:

 

Tortoise Capital Series Trust

c/o Tortoise Capital Advisors, L.L.C.

6363 College Boulevard, Suite 100A

Overland Park, KS 66211

Attn: Tom Florence

 

24.No Third-Party Rights

 

Nothing expressed or referred to in this Agreement will be construed to give any third party (including, without limitation, shareholders of any Fund) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or with respect to this Agreement.

 

25.Multiple Originals

 

This Agreement may be executed on two or more counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original, but such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.

 

26.Limitation of Liability

 

The Trust is a Maryland statutory trust organized in series of which each Fund constitutes one such series. Pursuant to the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of the Trust and Section 12-501(d) of the Maryland Statutory Trust Act, there is a limitation on liabilities of each series such that (a) the debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses incurred, contracted for or otherwise existing with respect to each Fund are enforceable against the assets of such Fund only, and not against the assets of the Trust generally or the assets of any other series thereof and (b) none of the debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses incurred, contracted for or otherwise existing with respect to the Trust generally or any other series thereof are enforceable against the assets of such Fund.

 

SIGNATURES ON NEXT PAGE

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed by a duly authorized officer on one or more counterparts as of the last date written below.

 

TORTOISE CAPITAL SERIES TRUST, on behalf of each series set forth in Exhibit A individually and not jointly

 

By: /s/ Thomas Florence  
Name:  Thomas Florence  
Title: Trustee  
Date: 12/16/24  

 

U.S. BANCORP FUND SERVICES, LLC  
     
By: /s/ Gregory Farley  
Name: Gregory Farley  
Title: Sr Vice President  
Date: 12/16/24  

 

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Exhibit A

Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement

 

Separate Series of Tortoise Capital Series Trust

 

Name of Series

 

Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund

 

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Exhibit B

Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement Fee Schedule

 

Base Fee for Accounting, Administration, Transfer Agent & Account Services

 

The following reflects the greater of the basis point fee or annual minimum where Tortoise Capital Advisors, L.L.C. (the “Adviser”) acts as investment adviser to the fund(s) in the same registered investment company.

 

Annual Minimum per Fund1   Basis Points on Trust AUM1
$65,000   First $1b 3.5 bps
    Balance 2 bps

 

See Appendix A for Services and Associated Fees in addition to the Base Fee

 

See Appendix B for Optional Supplemental Services and Associated in addition to the Base Fee

 

Once a Fund is operational, should this service agreement with U.S. Bank be terminated prior to the end of the initial two-year period, Adviser will be responsible for the balance of the minimum fees for the remainder of the initial two-year period. Following the initial two-year period, this fee schedule will automatically renew (unless otherwise amended or terminated) for successive two-year periods, and should this service agreement with U.S. Bank be terminated prior to the end of such a two-year period, Adviser will be responsible for the balance of the minimum fees for the remainder of such two-year period.

 

Additional services not included herein shall be mutually agreed upon at the time of the service being added. In addition to the fees described above, additional fees may be charged to the extent that changes to applicable laws, rules or regulations require additional work or expenses related to services provided (e.g., compliance with new derivatives risk management and reporting requirements).

 

1 Subject to annual CPI increase: All Urban Consumers – U.S. City Average” index, provided that the CPI adjustment will not decrease the base fees (even if the cumulative CPI rate at any point in time is negative).

 

All annual fees described in this fee schedule (including appendices) are calculated pro rata and billed monthly.

 

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Appendix A

 

Accounting, Administration, Transfer Agent Services (in addition to the Base Fee)

 

Data Services

 

Pricing and Security Setup Services

 

For daily pricing, setup, and maintenance of each security (estimated 252 pricing days annually)

 

$0.08 – Listed Equity Instruments and rates including but not limited to: Domestic Equities, Options, ADRs, Foreign Equities, Futures, Forwards, Currency Rates, Total Return Swaps

$0.50 – Lower Tier Cost Fixed Income Instruments including but not limited to: Domestic Corporate and Governments Agency Bonds, Mortgage Backed Securities, and Municipal Bonds

$0.80 – Higher Tier Cost Fixed Income Instruments including but not limited to: CMO and Asset Backed Securities; Money Market Instruments; Foreign Bonds; and High Yield Bonds

$1.00- Bank Loans

 

Derivative Instruments are generally charged at the following rates:

 

o$0.90 – Interest Rate Swaps, Foreign Currency Swaps

 

o$1.50 – Swaptions

 

o$3.00 – Credit Default Swaps

 

$1.50 Intraday money market funds pricing, up to 3 times per day

 

$500 per Month Manual Security Pricing (>25per day)

 

Note: Prices are based on using U.S. Bank primary pricing service which may vary by security type and are subject to change. Prices do not include set-up fees which may be charged on certain derivative instruments such as swaps. Use of alternative and/or additional sources may result in additional fees. Pricing vendors may designate certain securities as hard to value or as a non-standard security types, such as CLOs, CDOs and complex derivative instruments, which may result in additional fees. All schedules subject to change depending upon the use of unique security type requiring special pricing or accounting arrangements.

 

Third Party Administrative Data Charges (descriptive data for analytics, reporting and compliance)

 

$1.00 per security per month for fund administrative data (based upon U.S. Bancorp standard data services and are subject to change)

 

Index Service Fees

 

·$50 per month per fund: Tier 0 for maintenance of data for performance calculations where the client is supplying the Index data

 

·$100 per month per fund: Tier 1 including but not limited to: ICE Indexes, Morningstar, Bloomberg, S&P, Dow Jones, CBOE, and HFRI Indexes

 

·$250 per month per fund: Tier 2 including but not limited to: MSCI Indexes, FTSE Russell

 

·$500 per month per fund: Tier 3 including but not limited to: Wilshire Indexes, Lipper JPM

 

·$200 per month per fund additional fee for creation of a blended index, in addition to Tier index fees.

 

Note: Rates are tiered based upon rates charged by the index provider and are subject to change. S&P Global and Dow Jones are their standard packages only, specialized packages from all index providers will result in a higher fee. Use of other, custom, and blended indexes may result in additional fee. Index providers may require a direct contract in addition to the above service contract, which may result in additional fees payable to the index provider.

 

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All Data Service charges are subject to change based on cost increases from underlying data providers.

 

Corporate Action, Factor (security paydown & prepayment time series), and ETF Income Projection Services

 

$2.00 per Foreign Equity Security per Month for Corporate Action Services

$1.00 per Domestic Equity Security per Month for Corporate Action Services

$4.00 per CMO and Asset Backed Security per Month/ $2.50 for ETF Funds per month for Factor Services

$1.50 per Mortgage Backed Security per Month for Factor Services/ no charge for ETF Funds

$2.00 per Fixed Income Security per Month for ETF funds only for ETF income projections

 

SEC Modernization Requirements

Form N-PORT – $9,000 per year, per Fund

Form N-CEN – $250 per year, per Fund

 

Expense Processing and Budgeting Services – Non-Unitary Fee ETFs:

Fund administration payment of fund expenses and quarterly budgeting on behalf of ETFs not utilizing a unitary fee structure:

·$3,000 per year, per Fund

 

Chief Compliance Officer Support Fee

CCO support annual fee of $3,000 per trust for each U.S. Bank service selected (administration, accounting, transfer agent, custodian)

This fee includes:

Access to the CCO Portal including business line Critical Procedures, Compliance Controls, Reporting on Testing of Compliance Controls, Annual U.S. Bank Global Fund Services CCO Review, SOC1 audits of business lines

Quarterly 38a-1 certifications to the CCO regarding any changes to critical policies, procedures and controls and compliance events as required under Rule 38a-1 of the Investment Company Act

Quarterly CCO teleconferences and other periodic events and webinars

CCO forums held periodically throughout the year in major cities

Annual client conference which includes CCO roundtable discussions

Note: the CCO Support team does NOT serve as the Fund CCO

 

Core Tax Services

 

§M-1 book-to-tax adjustments at fiscal and excise year-end

 

§Prepare tax footnotes in conjunction with fiscal year-end audit

 

§Prepare Form 1120-RIC federal income tax return and relevant schedules

 

§Prepare Form 8613 and relevant schedules

 

§Prepare Form 1099-MISC Forms

 

§Prepare Annual TDF FBAR (Foreign Bank Account Reporting) filing

 

§Prepare state returns (Limited to two) and Capital Gain Dividend Estimates (Limited to two).

 

Miscellaneous Expenses

 

All other miscellaneous fees and expenses, including but not limited to the following, will be separately billed as incurred: Charges associated with accelerated effectiveness at DTCC, Portfolio Composition File (PCF) management services, SWIFT processing, customized reporting, third-party data provider costs, postage, stationary, programming, special reports, proxies, insurance, EDGAR/XBRL filing, retention of records, federal and state regulatory filing fees, liquidity classification fees, expenses related to and including travel to and from Board of Trustee meetings, third party auditing and legal expenses, wash sales reporting (GainsKeeper), tax e-filing, PFIC monitoring, conversion expenses (if necessary), and travel related costs.

 

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Appendix B

 

OPTIONAL Services for Fund Accounting, Fund Administration & Portfolio Compliance (provided by U.S. Bank upon client need and/or request)

 

Daily Compliance Services

 

$ 20,000 per fund group per year - Base fee

 

Additional fee of $2,500 per fund per year (first fund included in base fee)

 

SEC Derivatives Rule 18f-4 Confluence Technologies Offering

 

Offering Price per Fund per Month*
Limited Derivatives User $200
Full Derivatives User (no OTC derivatives) $300
Full Derivative User (with 1-5 OTC derivatives) $400
Full Derivative User (with 5 or more OTC derivatives) $500
Closed Fund Data Maintenance Fee $50

 

*Additional fees may apply from index providers

 

Section 15(c) Reporting

 

$2,000 per fund per standard reporting package*

*Standard reporting packages for annual 15(c) meeting

Expense reporting package: 2 peer comparison reports (adviser fee) and (net expense ratio with classes on one report) OR Full 15(c) report

Performance reporting package: Peer Comparison Report

Additional 15(c) reporting is subject to additional charges

Data source – Morningstar; other data sources may incur additional charges by a third-party source. The creation of the reporting package involving other data sources is to be created by the third-party source and client.

 

Fees for Special Situation:

 

Fee will be assessed.

 

Rule 2a-5 Supplemental Services:

 

Percentage of individual level 2 instruments held by a Fund Monthly Fee for Such Fund1
5% or less $100
More than 5% but less than 25% $200
25% or more $300

 

Note:    The availability of the Rule 2a-5 Supplemental Services and the associated fees are subject to Fund Services’ ability to obtain comparison prices from its chosen comparison third-party pricing sources at reasonable cost. The reports provided as part of the Rule 2a-5 Supplemental Services may, in Fund Services’ sole discretion, exclude information for instruments for which an alternative comparison price is unavailable or difficult or costly to obtain. In addition, the reports provided may cease to include instruments that were previously included if alternative prices are no longer available from third-party sources or if the fees for such alternative prices rise.

 

 
1NOTE: The Rule 2a-5 Supplemental Services and the associated fees are dependent on comparison prices from Fund Services’ chosen comparison third-party pricing source. The Fund may choose to perform comparison pricing with a different comparison pricing vendor under an alternative service with different associated costs.

 

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Digital Board Materials:

 

Comprehensive Digital Services

 

Comprehensive Digital Services
Description Annual Price1 (USD)
Base Fee $4,500
Per User Fee2 $500
Per Separate Committee3 Fee $500

 

1 Subject to an annual increase, provided that the annual increase will not exceed 4.5% through October 2025

 

2 Per user fee applies to all users excluding any Fund Services employee who is not an officer in a Multiple Series Trust sponsored by Fund Services.

 

3 A committee consists of a separate space on Diligent’s board portal that can be used to host and organize materials outside of the main board meeting, such as audit committees, governance committees, and executive committees.

 

Light Digital Offering

 

Light Digital Offering
Description Annual Price1 (USD)
Base Fee $2,000

 

1 Subject to annual “CPI increase – All Urban Consumers – U.S. City Average” index, provided that the CPI adjustment will not decrease the base fees (even if the cumulative CPI rate at any point in time is negative).

 

Controlled Foreign Corporation (CFC)

 

U.S. Bank Fee Schedule plus $15,000

 

C- Corp Administrative Services

 

1940 Act C-Corp – U.S. Bank Fee Schedule plus $15,000

 

1933 Act C-Corp – U.S. Bank Fee Schedule plus $25,000

 

Optional Tax Services

 

Additional services excluded from the Base Fee are:

Prepare book-to-tax adjustments & Form 5471 for Controlled Foreign Corporations (CFCs) – $5,000 per year

Additional Capital Gain Dividend Estimates – (First two included in core services) – $1,000 per additional estimate

State tax returns - (First two included in core services) – $1,500 per additional return

 

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Tax Reporting – C-Corporations

 

Federal Tax Returns

 

Prepare corporate Book to tax calculation, average cost analysis and cost basis role forwards, and federal income tax returns for investment fund (Federal returns & 1099 Breakout Analysis) – $25,000

Prepare Federal and State extensions (If Applicable) – Included in the return fees

Prepare provision estimates – $2,000 Per estimate

 

State Tax Returns

 

Prepare state income tax returns for funds and blocker entities – $1,500 per state return

Sign state income tax returns – $2,000 per state return

Assist in filing state income tax returns – Included with preparation of returns

State tax notice consultative support and resolution – $1,000 per fund

 

Additional services not included above shall be mutually agreed upon at the time of the service being added. In addition to the fees described above, additional fees may be charged to the extent that changes to applicable laws, rules or regulations require additional work or expenses related to services provided.

 

ESG Compliance Reporting Services

 

·Monthly Investor Transparency Reporting $12,000 per annum per fund.

 

Global Fund Services will provide a portfolio level ESG risk rating – across several criteria – to either the investment manager or the underlying investors as needed monthly. The ESG risk rating will be derived from leading market vendor data received in respect of those equity or equity derived portfolio investments where the corresponding risk data can be sourced. The risk rating will be assigned at a portfolio level based on its month end holdings and will be expressed as either a percentage of Net Asset Value or as a percentage of total portfolio holdings.

 

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