FORM OF AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION
This AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION (the "Agreement") is made as
of this 15th day of January, 2001 by and between Nations Fund Trust (the
"Trust"), a Massachusetts business trust, for itself and on behalf of its
Nations Balanced Assets Fund, and Nations Funds Trust ("Funds Trust"), a
Delaware business trust, for itself and on behalf of its Nations Asset
Allocation Fund.
WHEREAS, the Trust and Funds Trust are open-end management investment
companies registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC")
under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act");
WHEREAS, the parties desire that the Fund Assets and Liabilities (as
defined below) of the Trust's Nations Asset Allocation Fund (the "Acquired
Fund") be conveyed to and be acquired and assumed, by Funds Trust's Nations
Asset Allocation Fund (the "Acquiring Fund") in exchange for shares of equal
U.S. dollar value of such Acquiring Fund which shall thereafter promptly be
distributed to the shareholders of the Acquired Fund in connection with its
liquidation as described in this Agreement and set forth in Schedule A attached
hereto (such acquisition and assumption of the Acquired Fund's Fund Assets and
Liabilities by the Acquiring Fund the "Reorganization"); and
WHEREAS, the parties intend that the Reorganization qualify as a
"reorganization," within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), and that the Acquiring Fund and the
Acquired Fund will each be a "party to a reorganization," within the meaning of
Section 368(b) of the Code, with respect to the Reorganization.
NOW, THEREFORE, in accordance with the terms and conditions described
herein, the Acquired Fund and Acquiring Fund shall be consolidated as follows:
1. Conveyance of Fund Assets and Liabilities of the Acquired Fund.
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(a) Except as provided below, at the Effective Time of the
Reorganization (as defined in Section 8) all assets of every
kind, and all interests, rights, privileges and powers of the
Acquired Fund (the "Fund Assets"), subject to all liabilities
of the Acquired Fund existing as of the Effective Time of the
Reorganization (the "Liabilities"), shall be transferred by
the Acquired Fund to the Acquiring Fund and shall be accepted
and assumed by the Acquiring Fund, as more particularly set
forth in this Agreement, such that at and after the Effective
Time of the Reorganization: (i) all Fund Assets of the
Acquired Fund shall become the assets of the Acquiring Fund;
and (ii) all Liabilities of the Acquired Fund shall attach to
the Acquiring Fund, enforceable against the Acquiring Fund to
the same extent as if originally incurred by such Acquiring
Fund.
(b) It is understood and agreed that the Fund Assets shall include
all property and assets of any nature whatsoever, including,
without limitation, all cash, cash equivalents, securities,
claims (whether absolute or contingent, known or unknown,
accrued or unaccrued) and receivables (including dividend and
interest receivables) owned or exercisable by the Acquired
Fund, and any deferred or prepaid expenses shown as an asset
on such Acquired Fund's books, that the Liabilities of an
Acquired Fund shall include all liabilities, whether known or
unknown, accrued or unaccrued, absolute or contingent, in all
cases, existing at the Effective Time of the Reorganization.
(c) At least fifteen (15) business days prior to the Closing Date
(as defined in Section 8), the Acquired Fund will provide to,
or cause to be provided to, the Acquiring Fund, a schedule of
its securities, other assets and its known liabilities. It is
understood and agreed that such Acquired Fund may sell any of
the securities or other assets shown on such schedule prior to
the Effective Time of the Reorganization but will not, without
the prior approval of the Acquiring Fund, acquire any
additional securities other than
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securities that the Acquiring Fund is permitted to purchase in
accordance with its stated investment objective and policies.
At least ten (10) business days prior to the Closing Date, the
Acquiring Fund will advise the Acquired Fund of any
investments of such Acquired Fund shown on such schedule that
the Acquiring Fund would not be permitted to hold, pursuant to
its stated investment objective and policies or otherwise. The
Acquired Fund, if requested by the Acquiring Fund, will
dispose of any such securities prior to the Closing Date to
the extent practicable and consistent with applicable legal
requirements. In addition, if it is determined that the
investment portfolios of the Acquired Fund and Acquiring Fund,
when aggregated, would contain investments exceeding certain
percentage limitations applicable to the Acquiring Fund, the
Acquired Fund, if requested by the Acquiring Fund, will
dispose of a sufficient amount of such investments as may be
necessary to avoid violating such limitations as of the
Effective Time of the Reorganization.
(d) The Fund Assets shall be transferred and conveyed to the
Acquiring Fund on the following basis:
(1) In exchange for the transfer of the Fund Assets, the
Acquiring Fund shall simultaneously issue to the Acquired
Fund at the Effective Time of the Reorganization full and
fractional Shares of the Acquiring Fund, as set forth in
Schedule A attached hereto, having an aggregate net asset
value equal to the net value of the Fund Assets minus
Liabilities so conveyed and assumed, all determined in
accordance with this Agreement. In this regard, the number
of full and fractional shares of the Acquiring Fund
delivered to the Acquired Fund shall be determined by
dividing the value of the Fund Assets minus Liabilities,
computed in the manner and as of the time and date set
forth in this Agreement, by the net asset value of one
Acquiring Fund share of such designated class, computed in
the manner and as of the time and date set forth in this
Agreement.
(2) The net asset value of shares to be delivered by the
Acquiring Fund, and the net value of the Fund Assets minus
Liabilities to be conveyed by the Acquired Fund and
assumed by the Acquiring Fund, shall, in each case, be
determined as of the Valuation Time as defined in Section
3. The net asset value of Shares of the Acquiring Fund
shall be computed in accordance with its then current
valuation procedures. In determining the value of the Fund
Assets, each security to be included in the Fund Assets
shall be priced in accordance with the Acquiring Fund's
then current valuation procedures.
2. Liquidation of the Acquired Fund. At the Effective Time of the
Reorganization, the Acquired Fund shall make a liquidating
distribution to its shareholders as follows: Shareholders of
record of the Acquired Fund shall be credited with full and
fractional shares of the respective Shares that are issued by the
Acquiring Fund in connection with the Reorganization
corresponding to the Acquired Fund shares that are held of record
by the shareholder at the Effective Time of the Reorganization.
Each such shareholder also shall have the right to receive any
unpaid dividends or other distributions which were declared
before the Effective Time of the Reorganization with respect to
the Acquired Fund shares that are held of record by the
shareholder at the Effective Time of the Reorganization, and
Funds Trust shall record on its books the ownership of the
Acquiring Fund shares by such shareholders (the "Transferor
Record Holders"). All of the issued and outstanding shares of the
Acquired Fund at the Effective Time of the Reorganization shall
be redeemed and canceled on the books of the Trust at such time.
As soon as reasonably possible after the Effective Time of the
Reorganization, the Trust shall wind up the affairs of the
Acquired Fund and shall file any final regulatory reports,
including but not limited to any Form N-SAR and Rule 24f-2
filings, with respect to the Acquired Fund, and also shall take
all other steps as are necessary and
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proper to effect the termination or declassification of the
Acquired Fund in accordance with all applicable laws.
3. Valuation Time. The "Valuation Time" shall be the time as of which
the net asset value of each class of shares of the Acquired Fund
and the Acquiring Fund is determined pursuant to their respective
valuation procedures on the Closing Date or such earlier or later
time as may be mutually agreed to in writing by the parties
hereto.
4. Certain Representations, Warranties and Agreements of the Trust on
behalf of the Acquired Fund. The Trust, on behalf of itself and,
where appropriate, the Acquired Fund, represents and warrants to,
and agrees with, Funds Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund as
follows, with such representations, warranties and agreements made
on behalf of the Acquired Fund on a several (and not joint, or
joint and several) basis:
(a) The Trust is a business trust, duly established, validly
existing and in good standing under the laws of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Trust is registered with
the SEC as an open-end management investment company under the
1940 Act, and such registration is in full force and effect.
(b) The Trust has the power to own all of its properties and
assets and to consummate the transactions contemplated herein,
and has all necessary federal, state and local authorizations
to carry on its business as now being conducted and to
consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(c) This Agreement has been duly authorized by the Board of
Trustees of the Trust on behalf of the Acquired Fund, and has
been executed and delivered by duly authorized officers of the
Trust, and represents a valid and binding contract,
enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject as to
enforcement to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization,
arrangement, moratorium, and other similar laws of general
applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights and
to general equity principles. The execution and delivery of
this Agreement does not, and, subject to the approval of
shareholders referred to in Section 7, the consummation of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement will not, violate
the Declaration of Trust or the By-Laws of the Trust, or any
material agreement or arrangement to which the Trust is a
party or by which it is bound.
(d) The Acquired Fund has elected to qualify and has qualified as
a regulated investment company under Part I of Subchapter M of
Subtitle A, Chapter 1, of the Code, as of and since its first
taxable year; it has been a regulated investment company under
such Part of the Code at all times since the end of its first
taxable year when it so qualified; and it qualifies and shall
continue to qualify as a regulated investment company for its
taxable year ending upon its liquidation.
(e) The Trust has valued, and will continue to value, the
portfolio securities and other assets of the Acquired Fund in
accordance with applicable legal requirements.
(f) The combined proxy statement/prospectus and form of proxy
included within Funds Trust's registration statement on Form
N-14 (the "N-14 Registration Statement"), from its effective
date with the SEC through the time of the shareholders meeting
referred to in Section 6 and the Effective Time of the
Reorganization, insofar as they relate to the Trust, or the
Acquired Fund (i) shall comply in all material respects with
the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"1933 Act"), the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
(the "1934 Act") and the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations
thereunder, and applicable state securities laws, and (ii)
shall 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 made therein not misleading.
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(g) All of the issued and outstanding shares of the Trust's
Acquired Fund have been validly issued and are fully paid and
non-assessable, and were offered for sale and sold in
conformity with the registration requirements of all
applicable federal and state securities laws.
(h) The Trust shall operate the business of the Acquired Fund in
the ordinary course between the date hereof and the Effective
Time of the Reorganization, except that the Trust shall
complete all measures in respect of the Acquired Fund prior to
the Effective Time of the Reorganization to ensure that the
Reorganization qualifies as a "reorganization" within the
meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, regardless of whether
such measures are in the ordinary course. It is understood
that such ordinary course of business will include the
declaration and payment of customary dividends and
distributions and any other dividends and distributions deemed
advisable in anticipation of the Reorganization.
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Trust
shall take all appropriate action necessary in order for the
Trust to receive the opinion provided for in Sections 9(f),
(g) and (h).
(i) At the Effective Time of the Reorganization, the Trust's
Acquired Fund will have good and marketable title to the Fund
Assets and full right, power and authority to assign, deliver
and otherwise transfer such assets.
(j) At the Effective Time of the Reorganization, all federal and
other tax returns and reports of the Acquired Fund required by
law to have been filed by such time shall have been filed, and
all federal and other taxes shall have been paid so far as
due, or provision shall have been made for the payment thereof
and, to the best knowledge of management of the Trust, no such
return or report shall be currently under audit and no
assessment shall have been asserted with respect to such
returns or reports.
5. Certain Representations, Warranties and Agreements of Funds
Trust on behalf of the Acquiring Fund. Funds Trust, on behalf
of itself and where appropriate, the Acquiring Fund, represents
and warrants to, and agrees with, the Trust on behalf of the
Acquired Fund as follows, with such representations, warranties
and agreements made on behalf of the Acquiring Fund on a
several (and not joint, or joint and several) basis:
(a) Funds Trust is a business trust duly formed, validly existing
and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware
and is registered with the SEC as an open-end management
investment company under the 1940 Act and such registration is
in full force and effect.
(b) Funds Trust has the power to own all of its properties and
assets and to consummate the transactions contemplated herein,
and has all necessary federal, state and local authorizations
to carry on its business as now being conducted and to
consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(c) This Agreement has been duly authorized by the Board of
Trustees of Funds Trust on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, and
executed and delivered by duly authorized officers of Funds
Trust, and represents a valid and binding contract,
enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject as to
enforcement to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization,
arrangement, moratorium and other similar laws of general
applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights and
to general equity principles. The execution and delivery of
this Agreement does not, and the consummation of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement will not, violate
the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of Funds Trust
or any material agreement or arrangement to which it is a
party or by which it is bound.
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(d) The Acquiring Fund has elected to qualify and has qualified as
a regulated investment company under Part I of Subchapter M of
Subtitle A, Chapter 1, of the Code, as of and since its first
taxable year; has been a regulated investment company under
such Part of the Code at all times since the end of its first
taxable year when it so qualified; and qualifies and shall
continue to qualify as a regulated investment company for its
current taxable year.
(e) Funds Trust has valued, and will continue to value, the
portfolio securities and other assets of the Acquiring Fund in
accordance with applicable legal requirements.
(f) The N-14 Registration Statement, from its effective date with
the SEC through the time of the shareholders meeting referred
to in Section 7 and at the Effective Time of the
Reorganization, insofar as it relates to Funds Trust, or the
Acquiring Fund, or the Primary A Shares, Investor A Shares,
Investor B Shares or Investor C Shares of the Acquiring Fund
to be issued pursuant thereto (i) shall comply in all material
respects with the provisions of the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act and
the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder, and state
securities laws, and (ii) shall 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 made therein not misleading.
(g) The shares of the Acquiring Fund to be issued and delivered to
the Acquired Funds for the account of the shareholders of the
Acquired Fund, pursuant to the terms hereof, shall have been
duly authorized as of the Effective Time of the Reorganization
and, when so issued and delivered, shall be duly and validly
issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and no shareholder of
the Acquiring Fund shall have any preemptive right of
subscription or purchase in respect thereto.
(h) All of the issued and outstanding shares of the Acquiring Fund
have been validly issued and are fully paid and
non-assessable, and were offered for sale and sold in
conformity with the registration requirements of all
applicable federal and state securities laws.
(i) Funds Trust shall operate the business of the Acquiring Fund
in the ordinary course between the date hereof and the
Effective Time of the Reorganization, it being understood that
such ordinary course of business will include the declaration
and payment of customary dividends and distributions and any
other dividends and distributions deemed advisable in
anticipation of the Reorganization. Notwithstanding anything
herein to the contrary, Funds Trust shall take all appropriate
action necessary in order for Funds Trust to receive the
opinion provided for in Sections 10(d), (e) and (f).
(j) At the Effective Time of the Reorganization, all federal and
other tax returns and reports of the Acquiring Fund required
by law to have been filed by such time shall have been filed,
and all federal and other taxes shall have been paid so far as
due, or provision shall have been made for the payment thereof
and, to the best knowledge of management of Funds Trust, no
such return or report shall be currently under audit and no
assessment shall have been asserted with respect to such
returns or reports.
6. Regulatory Filings. As soon as practicable, Funds Trust shall file
the N-14 Registration Statement with the SEC, and, where required,
with appropriate state securities regulatory authorities.
7. Shareholder Action. After the effective date of the N-14
Registration Statement the Trust shall hold a meeting(s) of the
shareholders of the Acquired Fund for the purpose of considering
and voting upon:
(a) approval of this Agreement and the Reorganization contemplated
hereby; and
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(b) such other matters as may be determined by the Board of
Trustees of the Trust.
8. Closing Date, Effective Time of the Reorganization. The "Closing
Date" shall be June 8, 2001, or such earlier or later date as may
be mutually agreed in writing by the parties hereto. Delivery of
the Fund Assets and the shares of the Acquiring Fund to be issued
pursuant to Section 1 and the liquidation of the Acquired Fund
pursuant to Section 2 shall occur on the day following the Closing
Date, whether or not such day is a business day, or on such other
date, and at such place and time, as may be mutually agreed in
writing, by the parties hereto. The date and time at which such
actions are taken are referred to herein as the "Effective Time of
the Reorganization." To the extent any Fund Assets are, for any
reason, not transferred at the Effective Time of the
Reorganization, the Trust shall cause such Fund Assets to be
transferred in accordance with this Agreement at the earliest
practicable date thereafter.
9. Conditions to Funds Trust's Obligations on Behalf of the Acquiring
Fund. The obligations of Funds Trust hereunder shall be subject to
the following conditions precedent:
(a) This Agreement and the Reorganization shall have been
approved by the Board of Trustees of the Trust and by a
requisite vote of the shareholders of the Acquired Fund in
the manner required by the Trust's Declaration of Trust,
By-Laws, applicable law and this Agreement.
(b) All representations and warranties of the Trust made in this
Agreement shall be true and correct in all material respects
as if made at and as of the Valuation Time and the Effective
Time of the Reorganization.
(c) The Trust shall have delivered to Funds Trust a statement of
assets and liabilities of the Acquired Fund, showing the tax
basis of such assets for federal income tax purposes by lot
and the holding periods of such assets, as of the Valuation
Time.
(d) The Trust shall have duly executed and delivered to Funds
Trust such bills of sale, assignments, certificates and
other instruments of transfer ("Transfer Documents") as
Funds Trust may deem necessary or desirable to transfer all
of the Acquired Fund's rights, title and interest in and to
the Fund Assets.
(e) The Trust shall have delivered a certificate executed in its
name executed by an appropriate officer, in a form
reasonably satisfactory to Funds Trust and dated as of the
Closing Date, to the effect that the representations and
warranties of the Trust on behalf of the Acquired Fund made
in this Agreement are true and correct at and as of the
Valuation Time and that, to the best of its knowledge, the
Fund Assets include only assets which the Acquiring Fund may
properly acquire under its investment objectives, policies
and limitations and may otherwise be lawfully acquired by
such Acquiring Fund.
(f) The Trust shall have received an opinion of Morrison &
Foerster LLP, as counsel to the Trust in form reasonably
satisfactory to Funds Trust and dated the Closing Date,
substantially to the effect that (i) the Trust is a business
trust duly established and validly existing under the laws
of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; (ii) the Agreement has
been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Trust
and such execution and delivery of the Agreement did not,
and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement will not, violate the Declaration of Trust or
By-Laws of the Trust or any material contract known to such
counsel to which the Trust is a party or by which it is
bound; and (iii) no consent, approval, authorization or
order of any court or governmental authority is required for
the consummation by the Trust of the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement, except such as have been
obtained under the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act, the 1940 Act, the
rules and regulations
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under those Acts and such as may be required under the state
securities laws or such as may be required subsequent to the
Effective Time of the Reorganization.
(g) The Trust shall have received an opinion of Richards, Layton
& Finger P.A., as special Delaware counsel to the Trust, in
form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Funds Trust
and dated as of the Closing Date, substantially to the
effect that this Agreement has been duly authorized by Funds
Trust, and, assuming due authorization, execution and
delivery of this Agreement by the Trust, represents a legal,
valid and binding contract, enforceable in accordance with
its terms, subject to the effect of bankruptcy, insolvency,
moratorium, fraudulent conveyance and transfer and similar
laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally
and court decisions with respect thereto, and further
subject to the application of equitable principles in any
proceeding whether at law or in equity or with respect to
the enforcement of provisions of the Agreement and the
effect of judicial decisions which have held that certain
provisions are unenforceable when their enforcement would
violate an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing
or would be commercially unreasonable or when default under
the Agreement is not material. In rendering such opinion,
such counsel may (i) make assumptions regarding the
authenticity, genuineness and/or conformity of documents and
copies thereof without independent verification thereof,
(ii) limit such opinion to applicable state law, and (iii)
rely on certificates officers or Trustees of the Trust.
(h) The Trust shall have received an opinion of Morrison &
Foerster LLP, upon which the Acquiring Fund and its
shareholders may rely, based upon representations made in
certificates provided by the Trust, and/or its affiliates
and/or principal shareholders of the Acquired Fund to
Morrison & Foerster LLP, addressed to the Trust in a form
reasonably satisfactory to it, and dated as of the Closing
Date, substantially to the effect that, for federal income
tax purposes, the Reorganization will qualify as a
"reorganization" within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the
Code, and the Acquired Fund and the Acquiring Fund will be a
party to a "reorganization," within the meaning of Section
368(b) of the Code, with respect to the Reorganization.
(i) The N-14 Registration Statement shall have become effective
under the 1933 Act and no stop order suspending the
effectiveness shall have been instituted, or to the
knowledge of the Trust, contemplated by the SEC.
(j) No action, suit or other proceeding shall be threatened or
pending 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.
(k) The SEC shall not have issued any unfavorable advisory
report under Section 25(b) of the 1940 Act nor instituted
any proceeding seeking to enjoin consummation of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement under Section
25(c) of the 1940 Act.
(l) The Trust on behalf of the Acquired Fund shall have
performed and complied in all material respects with each of
its agreements and covenants required by this Agreement to
be performed or complied with by it prior to or at the
Valuation Time and the Effective Time of the Reorganization.
(m) The Trust shall have received a duly executed instrument
whereby the Acquiring Fund assumes all of the liabilities of
the Trust's Acquired Fund.
(n) Prior to the Valuation Time, the Acquired Fund shall have
declared a dividend or dividends, with a record date and
ex-dividend date prior to the Valuation Time, which,
together with all previous dividends, shall have the effect
of distributing to its shareholders all of its "net
investment company taxable income" (as defined in the Code
and computed without regard to any deduction for dividends
paid), if any, for all
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taxable periods or years ending on or before the Effective
Time of the Reorganization, and all of its net capital gain,
if any, realized in taxable periods of years ending on or
before Effective Time of the Reorganization.
10. Conditions to the Trust's Obligations on behalf of the Acquired
Fund. The obligations of the Trust hereunder shall be subject to
the following conditions precedent:
(a) This Agreement and the Reorganization shall have been
approved by the Board of Trustees of Funds Trust on behalf
of the Acquiring Fund and by a vote of the shareholders of
the Acquired Fund in the manner required by its Amended and
Restated Declaration of Trust, applicable law and this
Agreement.
(b) All representations and warranties of Funds Trust made in
this Agreement shall be true and correct in all material
respects as if made at and as of the Valuation Time and the
Effective Time of the Reorganization.
(c) Funds Trust shall have delivered a certificate executed in
its name by an appropriate officer, in a form reasonably
satisfactory to the Trust and dated as of the Closing Date,
to the effect that the representations and warranties of the
Acquiring Fund made in this Agreement are true and correct
at and as of the Valuation Time.
(d) Funds Trust shall have received an opinion of Morrison &
Foerster LLP, as counsel to the Trust in form reasonably
satisfactory to the Trust and dated the Closing Date,
substantially to the effect that (i) Funds Trust is a
business trust duly created and validly existing under the
laws of the State of Delaware; (ii) the shares of the
Acquiring Fund to be delivered to the Trust's Acquired Fund
as provided for by this Agreement are duly authorized and
upon delivery will be validly issued, fully paid and
non-assessable by Funds Trust; (iii) this Agreement has been
duly authorized, executed and delivered by Funds Trust and
the authorization, execution and delivery of this Agreement
did not, and the consummation of the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement will not, violate the Amended
and Restated Declaration of Trust of Funds Trust or any
material contract known to such counsel to which Funds Trust
is a party or by which it is bound; and (v) no consent,
approval, authorization or order of any court or
governmental authority is required for the consummation by
Funds Trust of the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement, except such as have been obtained under the 1933
Act, the 1934 Act, the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations
under those Acts and such as may be required by state
securities laws or such as may be required subsequent to the
Effective Time of the Reorganization.
(e) Funds Trust shall have received an opinion of Richards,
Layton & Finger P.A., as special Delaware counsel to Funds
Trust, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the
Trust and dated as of the Closing Date, substantially to the
effect that this Agreement has been duly authorized by Funds
Trust, and, assuming due authorization, execution and
delivery of this Agreement by the Trust, represents a legal,
valid and binding contract, enforceable in accordance with
its terms, subject to the effect of bankruptcy, insolvency,
moratorium, fraudulent conveyance and transfer and similar
laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally
and court decisions with respect thereto, and further
subject to the application of equitable principles in any
proceeding whether at law or in equity or with respect to
the enforcement of provisions of the Agreement and the
effect of judicial decisions which have held that certain
provisions are unenforceable when their enforcement would
violate an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing
or would be commercially unreasonable or when default under
the Agreement is not material. In rendering such opinion,
such counsel may (i) make assumptions regarding the
authenticity, genuineness and/or conformity of documents and
copies thereof without independent verification thereof,
(ii) limit such opinion to applicable state law, and (iii)
rely on certificates officers or Trustees of Funds Trust.
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(f) Funds Trust shall have received an opinion of Morrison &
Foerster LLP, upon which the Acquired Fund and its
shareholders may rely, based upon representations made in
certificates provided by Funds Trust, and/or its affiliates
and/or principal shareholders of the Acquiring Fund to
Morrison & Foerster LLP, addressed to Funds Trust in a form
reasonably satisfactory to it, and dated as of the Closing
Date, substantially to the effect that, for federal income
tax purposes, the Reorganization will qualify as a
"reorganization" within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the
Code, and the Acquired Fund and the Acquiring Fund will each
be a party to a "reorganization," within the meaning of
Section 368(b) of the Code, with respect to the
Reorganization.
(g) The N-14 Registration Statement shall have become effective
under the 1933 Act and no stop order suspending such
effectiveness shall have been instituted or, to the
knowledge of Funds Trust, contemplated by the SEC.
(h) No action, suit or other proceeding shall be threatened or
pending 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.
(i) The SEC shall not have issued any unfavorable advisory
report under Section 25(b) of the 1940 Act nor instituted
any proceeding seeking to enjoin consummation of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement under Section
25(c) of the 1940 Act.
(j) Funds Trust on behalf of the Acquiring Fund shall have
performed and complied in all material respects with each of
its agreements and covenants required by this Agreement to
be performed or complied with by it prior to or at the
Valuation Time and the Effective Time of the Reorganization.
11. Tax Matters
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(a) The Trust and Funds Trust hereby represent and warrant and
that each shall use its best efforts to cause the
Reorganization to qualify, and will not (whether before or
after consummation of the Reorganization) take any actions
that could prevent the Reorganization from qualifying, as a
"reorganization" under the provisions of Section 368 of the
Code.
(b) Except where otherwise required by law, the parties shall
not take a position on any tax returns inconsistent with the
treatment of the Reorganization for tax purposes as a
"reorganization," within the meaning of Section 368(a) of
the Code and the Acquiring Fund and the Acquired Fund will
comply with the record keeping and information filing
requirements of Section 1.368-3 of the Treasury Regulation
in accordance therewith.
12. Survival of Representations and Warranties. The representations
and warranties of Funds Trust on behalf of the Acquiring Fund set
forth in this Agreement shall survive the delivery of the Fund
Assets to the Acquiring Fund and the issuance of the shares of the
Acquiring Fund at the Effective Time of the Reorganization to
Acquired Fund shareholders.
13. Termination of Agreement. This Agreement may be terminated by a
party at or, in the case of Subsection 13(c), below, at any time
prior to, the Effective Time of the Reorganization by a vote of a
majority of its Board members as provided below:
(a) By Funds Trust on behalf of the Acquiring Fund if the
conditions set forth in Section 9 are not satisfied as
specified in said Section;
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(b) By the Trust on behalf of its Acquired Fund if the conditions
set forth in Section 10 are not satisfied as specified in said
Section;
(c) By mutual written consent of Funds Trust and the Trust.
14. Governing Law. This Agreement and the transactions contemplated
hereby shall be governed, construed and enforced in accordance
with the laws of the State of Delaware, except to the extent
preempted by federal law.
15. Brokerage Fees and Expenses.
---------------------------
(a) Funds Trust represents and warrants that there are no brokers
or finders entitled to receive any payments in connection with
the transactions provided for herein.
(b) Banc of America Advisors, Inc. and/or its affiliates will be
responsible for the expenses related to entering into and
carrying out the provisions of this Agreement, whether or not
the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated.
16. Amendments
This Agreement may be amended, modified or supplemented in such
manner as may be mutually agreed upon in writing by the authorized
officers of the Trust, acting on behalf of the Acquired Fund or
Funds Trust, acting on behalf of the Acquiring Fund; provided,
however, that following the meeting of the shareholders of the
Acquired Fund, no such amendment may have the effect of changing
the provisions for determining the number of shares of the
Acquiring Fund to be issued to the Transferor Record Holders under
this Agreement to the detriment of such Transferor Record Holders,
or otherwise materially and adversely affecting the Acquired Fund,
without such Acquired Fund obtaining its shareholders' further
approval:
(a) At any time prior to or (to the fullest extent permitted by
law) after approval of this Agreement by the shareholders of
the Acquired Fund, the Trust on behalf of the Acquired Fund,
may waive any breach by Funds Trust, on behalf of the
Acquiring Fund, or the failure to satisfy any of the
conditions to its obligations (such waiver to be in writing
and signed by an officer of such registered investment
companies);
(b) At any time prior to or (to the fullest extent permitted by
law) after approval of this Agreement by the shareholders of
the Acquired Fund, Funds Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring
Fund, may waive any breach by the Trust on behalf of the
Acquired Fund, or the failure to satisfy any of the conditions
to either of their obligations (such waiver to be in writing
and signed by an officer of such registered investment
companies).
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<PAGE>
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be
executed by their duly authorized officers designated below as of the date first
written above.
NATIONS FUND TRUST
On behalf of the Acquired Fund identified on Schedule A
By:____________________________________________
Richard H. Blank, Jr.
Secretary and Treasurer
NATIONS FUNDS TRUST
On behalf of the Acquiring Fund identified on Schedule A
By:____________________________________________
Richard H. Blank, Jr.
Secretary and Treasurer
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<PAGE>
SCHEDULE A
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C>
SHAREHOLDERS OWNING SHARES OF THE FOLLOWING WOULD RECEIVE SHARES OF THE FOLLOWING
ACQUIRED FUND AND CLASSES OF THE TRUST: ACQUIRING FUND AND CLASSES OF FUNDS TRUST:
Nations Balanced Assets Fund -> Nations Asset Allocation Fund
Primary A Shares Primary A Shares
Investor A Shares Investor A Shares
Investor B Shares Investor B Shares
Investor C Shares Investor C Shares
</TABLE>
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