EX-99.Q REDEEM EXEMP 6 proxy.htm REVISED PROXY VOTING POLICY proxy.htm
 UNIFIED SERIES TRUST
PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
(Adopted June 9, 2003, as revised December 7, 2003 and May 23, 2011)


Unified Series Trust (the “Trust”) is a registered as an open-end investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”).  The Trust offers multiple series (each a “Fund” and, collectively, the “Funds”).  Consistent with its fiduciary duties and pursuant to Rule 30b1-4 under the 1940 Act (the “Proxy Rule”), the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) has adopted this proxy voting policy on behalf of the Trust (the “Policy”) to reflect its commitment to ensure that proxies are voted in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Funds’ shareholders.

Delegation of Proxy Voting Authority to Fund Advisers

The Board believes that the investment advisor or sub-advisor(s) of each Fund (each an “Advisor” and, collectively, the “Advisors”), as the entity that selects the individual securities that comprise its portfolio, is the most knowledgeable and best-suited to make decisions on how to vote proxies of portfolio companies held by that Fund.  The Trust shall therefore defer to, and rely on, the Advisor of each Fund to make decisions on how to cast proxy votes on behalf of such Fund.

The Trust hereby designates the Advisor of each Fund as the entity responsible for exercising proxy voting authority with regard to securities held in the Fund’s investment portfolio.  Consistent with its duties under this Policy, each Advisor shall monitor and review corporate transactions of corporations in which the Fund has invested, obtain all information sufficient to allow an informed vote on all proxy solicitations, ensure that all proxy votes are cast in a timely fashion, and maintain all records required to be maintained by the Fund under the Proxy Rule and the 1940 Act.  Each Advisor shall perform these duties in accordance with the Advisor’s proxy voting policy, a copy of which shall be presented to this Board for its review.  Each Advisor shall promptly provide to the Board updates to its proxy voting policy as they are adopted and implemented.

Conflict of Interest Transactions
 
In some instances, an Advisor may be asked to cast a proxy vote that presents a conflict between the interests of a Fund’s shareholders, and those of the Advisor or an affiliated person of the Adviser.  In such case, the Advisor is instructed to abstain from making a voting decision and to forward all necessary proxy voting materials to the Trust to enable the Board to make a voting decision.  When the Board is required to make a proxy voting decision, only the Trustees without a conflict of interest with regard to the security in question or the matter to be voted upon shall be permitted to participate in the decision of how the Fund’s vote will be cast.  In the event that the Board is required to vote a proxy because an Advisor has a conflict of interest with respect to the proxy, the Board will vote such proxy in accordance with the Advisor’s proxy voting policy, to the extent consistent with the shareholders’ best interests, as determined by the Board in its discretion.  The Board shall notify the Advisor of its final decision on the matter and the Advisor shall vote in accordance with the Board’s decision.
 
Oversight of the Advisors’ Proxy Voting Compliance Activities
 
Each Advisor shall forward to the Trust’s Administrator, Huntington Asset Services, Inc., a quarterly report summarizing its proxy voting compliance activities for the preceding quarter.  The Administrator shall promptly inform the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) in the event that the Advisor fails to provide the quarterly report.  Annually, the CCO shall review each Fund’s report on Form N-PX and compare the Fund’s voting record against the Advisor’s proxy voting policy.  In the event of a conflict of interest with respect to a proxy solicitation, the CCO shall ensure that the Advisor has voted in accordance with Board decisions with respect to any conflict of interest transactions. The CCO shall also review for compliance with the Proxy Rule, this Policy, and the applicable Advisor’s proxy voting policy any decisions made by the Board for such conflict of interest transactions.  The Chief Compliance Officer shall determine the steps and procedures, if any, that must be undertaken or adopted by the Trust and any Advisor to ensure further compliance with the relevant laws.
 

Availability of Proxy Voting Policy and Records Available to Fund Shareholders
 
If a Fund has a website, the Fund may post of copy of its Advisor’s proxy voting policy and this Policy on such website.  A copy of such policies and of each Fund’s proxy voting record shall also be made available, without charge, upon request of any shareholder of the Fund, by calling the applicable Fund’s toll-free telephone number as printed in the Fund’s prospectus.  The Trust’s Administrator shall reply to any Fund shareholder request within three business days of receipt of the request, by first-class mail or other means designed to ensure equally prompt delivery.
 
Each Advisor shall provide a complete voting record, as required by the Proxy Rule, for each Fund for which it acts as adviser, to the Trust’s Administrator within 15 days following the end of each calendar quarter.  The Trust’s Administrator will file a report based on such record on Form N-PX on an annual basis with the Securities and Exchange Commission no later than August 31st of each year.