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P R O S P E C T U S
________________________________________________________________________________
INSTITUTIONAL SHARES
CLASSIC INSTITUTIONAL CASH MANAGEMENT
MONEY MARKET FUND
DECEMBER 11, 1996
ADVISOR TO THE FUNDS: TRUSCO CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC.
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CLASSIC INSTITUTIONAL CASH MANAGEMENT MONEY MARKET FUND
CLASSIC INSTITUTIONAL U.S. TREASURY SECURITIES
MONEY MARKET FUND
INVESTMENT ADVISOR TO THE FUNDS:
TRUSCO CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC.
The STI Classic Funds (the "Trust") is a mutual fund that offers shares in a
number of separate investment portfolios. This Prospectus sets forth concisely
the information about the Shares of the Classic Institutional Cash Management
Money Market Fund and the Classic Institutional U.S. Treasury Securities Money
Market Fund (each a "Fund" and, together, the "Classic Institutional Money
Market Funds"). THE CLASSIC INSTITUTIONAL U.S. TREASURY SECURITIES MONEY MARKET
FUND SEEKS TO MANAGE ITS INVESTMENTS IN A MANNER CONSISTENT WITH THE CRITERIA
FOR OBTAINING AN AAA RATING BY MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE AND/OR AN AAA RATING BY
STANDARD & POOR'S CORPORATION. Investors are advised to read this Prospectus and
retain it for future reference.
A Statement of Additional Information relating to the Funds dated the same
date as this Prospectus has been filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission and is available without charge through the Distributor, SEI
Financial Services Company, 680 East Swedesford Road, Wayne, Pennsylvania
19087-1658 or by calling 1-800-428-6970. The Statement of Additional Information
is incorporated into this Prospectus by reference.
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION NOR HAS THE SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE
ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A
CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
AN INVESTMENT IN A MONEY MARKET FUND IS NEITHER INSURED NOR GUARANTEED BY
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. THERE CAN BE NO ASSURANCE THAT A MONEY MARKET FUND WILL BE
ABLE TO MAINTAIN A STABLE NET ASSET VALUE OF $1.00 PER SHARE.
THE TRUST'S SHARES ARE NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED, OR GUARANTEED BY, AND DO NOT
CONSTITUTE OBLIGATIONS OR DEPOSITS OF, THE ADVISOR OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES OR
CORRESPONDENTS INCLUDING SUNTRUST BANKS, INC., ARE NOT GUARANTEED OR INSURED BY
THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION, THE FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD OR ANY
OTHER GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY, AND INVOLVE INVESTMENT RISKS, INCLUDING THE POSSIBLE
LOSS OF THE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT INVESTED.
DECEMBER 11, 1996
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3
No person has been authorized to give any information or to make any
representations not contained in this Prospectus, or in the Trust's Statement of
Additional Information in connection with the offering made by this Prospectus
and, if given or made, such information or representations must not be relied
upon as having been authorized by the Trust or SEI Financial Services Company
(the "Distributor"). This Prospectus does not constitute an offering by the
Trust or by the Distributor in any jurisdiction in which such offering may not
lawfully be made.
Shares of the Classic Institutional Money Market Funds are offered primarily to
various types of institutional investors ("Shareholders"), including SunTrust
Banks, Inc. and its affiliates and correspondents, for the investment of funds
for which they act in a fiduciary, agency, investment advisory or custodial
capacity.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
<TABLE>
<S> <C>
Expense Summary...................... 4
The Trust............................ 5
Funds and Investment Objectives...... 5
Investment Policies and Strategies... 5
General Investment Policies and
Strategies.......................... 6
Investment Risks..................... 6
Investment Limitations............... 7
Performance Information.............. 8
Purchase of Fund Shares.............. 8
Redemption of Fund Shares............ 9
Dividends and Distributions.......... 9
Tax Information...................... 10
STI Classic Funds Information........ 11
The Trust............................ 11
Board of Trustees.................... 11
Investment Advisor................... 11
Banking Laws......................... 12
Distribution......................... 12
Administration....................... 13
Transfer Agent and Dividend
Disbursing Agent.................... 13
Custodian............................ 13
Legal Counsel........................ 13
Independent Public Accountants....... 13
Other Information.................... 13
Voting Rights........................ 13
Reporting............................ 13
Shareholder Inquiries................ 14
Description of Permitted
Investments......................... 14
Appendix............................. A-1
</TABLE>
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4
EXPENSE SUMMARY
Below is a summary of the estimated annual operating expenses for shares of each
Classic Institutional Money Market Fund. A hypothetical example based on the
summary is also shown. Actual expenses may vary.
ANNUAL OPERATING EXPENSES
(as a percentage of average net assets)
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
CLASSIC
INSTITUTIONAL CLASSIC INSTITUTIONAL
CASH MANAGEMENT U.S. TREASURY SECURITIES
MONEY MARKET FUND MONEY MARKET FUND
<S> <C> <C>
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Management Fees (after voluntary reductions)(1)............. .05% .05%
All Other Expenses (after voluntary reductions)(2).......... .15% .15%
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Operating Expenses (after voluntary reductions)(3).... .20% .20%
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
(1) The Advisor is waiving, on a voluntary basis, a portion of its fee from each
Fund. The Advisor reserves the right to terminate its waiver at any time in
its sole discretion. Absent such waivers and reimbursements, Advisory Fees
for the Funds would be as follows: Classic Institutional Cash Management
Money Market Fund--.20%, Classic Institutional U.S. Treasury Securities
Money Market Fund-- .20%. See "Investment Advisors." A person that purchases
shares through an account with a financial institution may be charged
separate fees by the financial institution.
(2) Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
(3) Absent the voluntary waivers described above, Total Operating Expenses for
the Funds would be as follows: Classic Institutional Cash Management Money
Market Fund--.35%, Classic Institutional U.S. Treasury Securities Money
Market Fund--.35%.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
CLASSIC
INSTITUTIONAL CLASSIC INSTITUTIONAL
CASH MANAGEMENT U.S. TREASURY SECURITIES
MONEY MARKET FUND MONEY MARKET FUND
<S> <C> <C>
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An investor would pay the following expenses on a $1,000
investment assuming: (1) a 5% annual return and (2)
redemption at the end of each time period:
One Year................................................ $ 2 $ 2
Three Years............................................. 6 6
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
THE EXAMPLE IS BASED UPON THE ESTIMATED TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES OF A FUND AND
SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A REPRESENTATION OF PAST OR FUTURE EXPENSES. ACTUAL
EXPENSES MAY BE GREATER OR LESS THAN THOSE SHOWN. The purpose of this table is
to assist the investor in understanding the various costs and expenses that may
be directly or indirectly borne by investors in the Trust.
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5
THE TRUST
STI CLASSIC FUNDS (the "Trust") is a diversified, open-end management investment
company that provides a convenient and economical means of investing in several
professionally managed portfolios of securities. The Trust currently offers
units of beneficial interest ("shares") in a number of separate Funds. This
Prospectus relates to the Classic Institutional Money Market Funds described
below.
FUNDS AND INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES
THE CLASSIC INSTITUTIONAL CASH MANAGEMENT MONEY MARKET FUND seeks to provide as
high a level of current income as is consistent with preservation of capital and
liquidity by investing exclusively in high quality money market instruments
issued by corporations and the U.S. Government.
THE CLASSIC INSTITUTIONAL U.S. TREASURY SECURITIES MONEY MARKET FUND seeks to
provide as high a level of current income as is consistent with preservation of
capital and liquidity by investing exclusively in bills, notes and bonds issued
by the U.S. Treasury and repurchase agreements ("U.S. Treasury obligations")
with approved dealers collateralized by U.S. Treasury obligations.
It is a fundamental policy of each Classic Institutional Money Market Fund to
use its best efforts to maintain a constant net asset value of $1.00 per share.
There can be no assurance that either Fund will achieve its investment objective
or maintain a net asset value of $1.00 per share on a continuous basis.
Each Classic Institutional Money Market Fund intends to comply with federal
regulations applicable to money market funds using the amortized cost method for
calculating net asset value, which require each Fund to invest only in U.S.
dollar denominated obligations, to maintain an average maturity on a
dollar-weighted basis of 90 days or less and to acquire eligible securities that
present minimal credit risk and have a maturity of 397 days or less. The Classic
Institutional U.S. Treasury Securities Money Market Fund seeks to manage its
investments in a manner consistent with the criteria for obtaining an Aaa rating
by Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") and/or an AAA rating by Standard &
Poor's Corporation ("S&P"). These requirements will also limit the Classic
Institutional U.S. Treasury Securities Money Market Fund's ability to generate
high current income. For a further discussion of these rules, see "Description
of Permitted Investments."
INVESTMENT POLICIES AND STRATEGIES
CLASSIC INSTITUTIONAL CASH MANAGEMENT MONEY MARKET FUND
The Classic Institutional Cash Management Money Market Fund will invest in money
market instruments denominated in U.S. dollars consisting of: (i) U.S. Treasury
obligations; (ii) receipts; (iii) obligations issued or guaranteed as to
principal and interest by agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government;
(iv) commercial paper issued by domestic and foreign issuers rated in the
highest short-term rating category by one or more nationally recognized
statistical rating organizations (an "NRSRO") as described in the "Appendix" or,
if not rated, determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality; (v) high
quality obligations (including certificates of deposit, time deposits, bankers'
acceptances, Eurodollar and Yankee bank obligations) of U.S. commercial banks
(including foreign branches of such banks), and U.S. and London branches of
foreign banks or savings and loan and thrift institutions that are
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6
members of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation, or savings and loan associations; (vi) high quality short-term
corporate obligations issued by companies with commercial paper meeting the
ratings indicated in (iv) above, or, if not rated, determined by the Advisor to
be of comparable quality; (vii) repurchase agreements involving such
obligations; (viii) high quality obligations of supranational entities
satisfying the credit ratings described in (iv) above, or, if not rated,
determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality; (ix) high quality medium
term notes; (x) municipal securities; (xi) mortgage-backed securities and (xii)
asset-backed securities. The Fund may not invest more than 25% of its total
assets in obligations issued by foreign branches of U.S. banks and London
branches of foreign banks. The Fund may purchase securities subject to standby
commitments. The Fund may also purchase restricted securities. As a money market
fund, the Fund is subject to limitations on the percentage of its assets that
may be invested in any one issuer and on the percentage that may be invested in
securities carrying the second highest rating assigned by the requisite NRSROs.
CLASSIC INSTITUTIONAL U.S. TREASURY SECURITIES MONEY MARKET FUND
The Classic U.S. Treasury Securities Money Market Fund will invest exclusively
in U.S. Treasury obligations and any repurchase agreements with dealers will be
selected pursuant to guidelines adopted by the Trust's Board of Trustees and
collateralized by U.S. Treasury obligations.
The Fund, however, seeks to invest exclusively in securities that would qualify
to be rated in the highest ratings category of an NRSRO, such as S&P or Moody's.
As a result, the Fund's ability to maintain an average dollar-weighted portfolio
maturity to the maximum extent permitted by Rule 2a-7 will be limited, and the
Fund's performance may be affected adversely.
GENERAL INVESTMENT POLICIES AND STRATEGIES
In the event that a security owned by a Fund is downgraded below the stated
rating categories, the Advisor will review and take appropriate action with
regard to the security.
Each of the Funds may engage in securities lending and will limit such practice
to 33 1/3% of its total assets. No Fund may purchase additional securities while
its outstanding borrowings exceed 5% of its assets.
It is a non-fundamental policy of each Fund to invest no more than 10% of its
net assets in illiquid securities. An illiquid security is a security which
cannot be disposed of in the usual course of business within seven days at a
price approximating its carrying value. Rule 144A securities and Section 4(2)
commercial paper that meet the criteria established by the Board of Trustees of
the Trust may be considered liquid.
For additional information regarding permitted investments, see "Description of
Permitted Investments" in this Prospectus and in the Statement of Additional
Information.
INVESTMENT RISKS
FOREIGN SECURITIES
Investing in the securities of foreign companies involves special risks and
considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. companies. These
risks and considerations include differences in accounting, auditing and
financial reporting standards, generally higher commission rates on foreign
portfolio
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7
transactions, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, adverse
changes in investment or exchange control regulations, political instability
which could affect U.S. investment in foreign countries and potential
restrictions of the flow of international capital and currencies. Foreign
companies may also be subject to less government regulation than U.S. companies.
Moreover, the dividends payable on the foreign securities may be subject to
foreign withholding taxes, thus reducing the net amount of income available for
distribution to the Fund's Shareholders. Foreign securities often trade with
less frequency and volume than domestic securities and, therefore, may exhibit
greater price volatility.
GOVERNMENT SECURITIES
Guarantees of a Fund's securities by the U.S. Government, its agencies or
instrumentalities guarantee only the payment of principal and interest on the
guaranteed securities, and do not guarantee the securities' yield or value or
the yield or value of a Fund's shares.
MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES
Mortgage-backed securities are subject to the risk of prepayment of the
underlying mortgages. During periods of declining interest rates, prepayment of
mortgages underlying these securities can be expected to accelerate. When the
mortgage-backed securities held by a Fund are prepaid, the Fund generally will
reinvest the proceeds in securities with a yield that reflects prevailing
interest rates, which may be lower than the prepaid security.
ZERO COUPON OBLIGATIONS
Each Fund may invest, subject to its investment objective and policies, in zero
coupon obligations. Zero coupon obligations are sold at original issue discount
and do not make periodic payments. Zero coupon obligations may be subject to
greater fluctuations in value due to interest rate changes than interest bearing
obligations. A Fund will be required to include the imputed interest in zero
coupon obligations in its current income. Because each Fund distributes all of
its net investment income to Shareholders, the Fund may have to sell portfolio
securities to distribute the income attributable to these obligations and
securities at a time when the Advisor would not have chosen to sell such
obligations or securities.
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS
The following investment limitations constitute fundamental policies of each
Fund. Fundamental policies cannot be changed with respect to a Fund without the
consent of the holders of a majority of the Fund's outstanding shares. The term
"majority of the outstanding shares" means the vote of (i) 67% or more of a
Fund's shares present at a meeting, if more than 50% of the outstanding shares
of the Fund are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of a
Fund's outstanding shares, whichever is less.
Each Fund may not:
1. Purchase securities of any issuer (except securities issued or guaranteed by
the United States, its agencies or instrumentalities and repurchase agreements
involving such securities) if as a result more than 5% of the total assets of a
Fund would be invested in the securities of such issuer; provided, however, that
a Fund may invest up to 25% of its assets in "first tier" securities of a single
issuer for a period of up to three business days.
2. Purchase any securities which would cause more than 25% of the total assets
of a Fund to be invested in the securities of one or more
<PAGE>
8
issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry,
provided that this limitation does not apply to investments in obligations
issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities,
repurchase agreements involving such securities and, with respect to only the
Classic Institutional Cash Management Money Market Fund, obligations issued by
domestic branches of U.S. banks or U.S. branches of foreign banks subject to the
same regulations as U.S. banks. For purposes of this limitation, (i) utility
companies will be divided according to their services, for example, gas, gas
transmission, electric and telephone will each be considered a separate
industry; (ii) financial service companies will be classified according to the
end users of their services, for example, automobile finance, bank finance and
diversified finance will each be considered a separate industry; and (iii)
supranational entities will be considered to be a separate industry.
The foregoing percentages will apply at the time of the purchase of a security.
Additional investment limitations are set forth in the Statement of Additional
Information.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
From time to time each Classic Institutional Money Market Fund may advertise its
"current yield" and "effective yield." Both yield figures are based on
historical earnings and are not intended to indicate future performance. The
"current yield" of a Fund refers to the income generated by an investment in the
Fund over a seven-day period (which period will be stated in the advertisement).
This income is then "annualized." That is, the amount of income generated by the
investment during that week is assumed to be generated each week over a 52-week
period and is shown as a percentage of the investment. The "effective yield" is
calculated similarly but, when annualized, the income earned by an investment in
a Fund is assumed to be reinvested. The "effective yield" will be slightly
higher than the "current yield" because of the compounding effect of this
assumed reinvestment.
PURCHASE OF FUND SHARES
Shares of the Fund are sold primarily to various types of institutional
investors, including subsidiaries of SunTrust Banks, Inc. ("SunTrust"), for the
investment of funds for which they act in a fiduciary, agency, investment
advisory or custodial capacity. Shares are sold without a sales charge, although
the institutional investors may charge their customer accounts for services
provided in connection with the purchase of shares. The minimum initial
investment is $10,000,000. Institutional investors may impose an earlier cut-off
time for receipt of purchase orders directed through them to allow for
processing and transmittal of the reorders to Federated Services Company (the
"Transfer Agent") for effectiveness the same day. Information concerning these
services and any charges will be provided to customers by the institutional
investors. Shares will be held of record by the institutional investors,
although customers may have or be given the right to vote the shares depending
upon the terms of their relationship with the institutional investor.
Confirmations of share purchases and redemptions will be sent to the
institutional investor as the shareholder of record.
Shares may be purchased on days on which the New York Stock Exchange is open for
business (a "Business Day"). However, shares cannot be purchased or redeemed for
same day settlement on days the Federal Reserve is closed.
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9
Purchase orders for the Funds will be effective as of the Business Day received
by the Transfer Agent and eligible to receive dividends declared the same day if
the Transfer Agent receives the order before 1:00 p.m. Eastern time, and the
Custodian receives federal funds before 4:00 p.m. Eastern time on such day.
Otherwise, purchase orders for the Funds will be effective the next Business Day
provided the Custodian receives readily available funds before 4:00 p.m. Eastern
time on the next such Business Day. The purchase price is the net asset value
per share next computed after the order is received and accepted by the Trust.
The net asset value per share is calculated as of the close of business of the
New York Stock Exchange (currently 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) each Business Day
based on the amortized cost method described in the Statement of Additional
Information and is expected to remain constant at $1.00 per share.
The Trust reserves the right to reject a purchase order when the Distributor
determines that it is not in the best interest of the Trust and/or
Shareholder(s).
Neither the Trust's Transfer Agent nor the Trust will be responsible for any
loss, liability, cost or expense for acting upon telephone or wire instructions
reasonably believed to be genuine. The Trust maintains procedures, including
identification methods and other means, for ascertaining the identity of callers
and authenticity of instructions.
Shares of the Funds are offered only to residents of states in which the shares
are eligible for purchase. Investors in certain states may be required to
purchase shares through institutions registered as brokers/dealers in such
states.
REDEMPTION OF FUND SHARES
An order to redeem shares must be transmitted to the Transfer Agent by the
institutional investor as the record owner of shares. Institutional investors
may establish procedures for their customers to request redemption of shares
held in their account with the institutional investor. Customers should contact
their institutional investor for information concerning these procedures.
Redemption orders must be received by the Transfer Agent on a Business Day
before 1:00 p.m. Eastern time. Redemption orders received after the time noted
above will be executed the following day. The Trust reserves the right to wire
redemption proceeds within five Business Days after receiving the redemption
orders if, in the judgment of the Advisor, an earlier payment could adversely
impact a Fund.
The Trust intends to pay cash for all shares redeemed, but under abnormal
conditions which make payment in cash unwise, payment may be made wholly or
partly in liquid portfolio securities with a market value equal to the
redemption price. In such circumstances, an investor may incur brokerage costs
in converting such securities to cash.
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
Dividends from net investment income (exclusive of capital gains) of each of the
Classic Institutional Money Market Funds are declared on each Business Day to
Shareholders at the close of business on the day of declaration. Net income for
dividend purposes consists of: (i) interest accrued and original issue discount
earned on the Fund's assets, (ii) plus the amortization of market discount and
minus the amortization of market premium on such assets, (iii) less accrued
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10
expenses directly attributable to the Fund and the general expenses of the Trust
prorated to the Fund on the basis of its relative net assets. Shares begin
earning dividends on the Business Day the purchase order is effective and
continue earning dividends through and including the Business Day before the
redemption order is effective. Dividends are paid within ten Business Days after
the end of each month in the form of additional shares of the same Fund unless
the Shareholder has elected prior to the date of distribution to receive payment
in cash. Such election, or any revocation thereof, must be made in writing at
least 15 days prior to the date of distribution to the Transfer Agent and will
become effective with respect to dividends paid after its receipt. Dividends are
paid within ten Business Days after a Shareholder's complete redemption of its
shares in a Fund.
TAX INFORMATION
The following summary of federal income tax consequences is based on current tax
laws and regulations, which may be changed by legislative, judicial or
administrative action. No attempt has been made to present a detailed
explanation of the federal, state, or local income tax treatment of each Fund or
its Shareholders. Accordingly, Shareholders are urged to consult their tax
advisors regarding specific questions as to federal, state and local income
taxes.
TAX STATUS OF EACH FUND
Each Fund is treated as a separate entity for federal tax purposes, and is not
combined with the Trust's other Funds. Each Fund intends to qualify for the
special tax treatment afforded regulated investment companies by the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), so that it will be relieved of
federal income tax on that part of its net investment income and net capital
gains (the excess of long-term capital gains over net short-term capital loss)
which is distributed to Shareholders. Each Fund intends to make sufficient
distributions prior to the end of each calendar year to avoid liability for the
federal excise tax applicable to regulated investment companies.
TAX STATUS OF DISTRIBUTIONS
The Institutional Money Market Funds will each distribute all of their net
investment income (including, for this purpose, net short-term capital gains) to
Shareholders. Dividends from net investment income will be taxable to
Shareholders as ordinary income whether received in cash or in additional
shares. Each Fund will make annual reports to Shareholders of the federal income
tax status of all distributions. Dividends declared by a Fund in October,
November or December of any year and payable to Shareholders of record on a date
in that month will be deemed to have been paid by the Fund and received by the
Shareholders on December 31, of that year, if paid by the Fund any time during
the following January.
Income received on direct U.S. obligations is exempt from tax at the state level
when received directly by a Fund and may be exempt, depending on the state, when
received by a Shareholder provided certain state specific conditions are
satisfied. Not all states permit such income dividends to be tax-exempt and some
require that a certain minimum percentage of an investment company's income be
derived from state tax-exempt interest. Each Fund will inform Shareholders
annually of the percentage of income and distributions derived from direct U.S.
obligations. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine whether
any portion
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11
of the income dividends received from a Fund is considered tax exempt in their
particular states.
A sale, exchange or redemption of Fund shares is a taxable event to the
Shareholder.
STI CLASSIC FUNDS INFORMATION
THE TRUST
The Trust was organized as a Massachusetts Business Trust under a Declaration of
Trust dated January 15, 1992. The Declaration of Trust permits the Trust to
offer separate portfolios of shares and different classes of each Fund. All
consideration received by the Trust for shares of any Fund and all assets of
such Fund belong to that Fund and would be subject to liabilities related
thereto.
The Trust pays its expenses, including fees of its service providers, audit and
legal expenses, expenses of preparing prospectuses, proxy solicitation material
and reports to Share-
holders, costs of custodial services and registering the shares under federal
and state securities laws, pricing, insurance expenses, litigation and other
extraordinary expenses, brokerage costs, interest charges, taxes and
organization expenses.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The management and affairs of the Trust are supervised by the Trustees under the
laws governing business trusts in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The
Trustees have approved contracts under which, as described below, certain
companies provide essential management services to the Trust.
INVESTMENT ADVISOR
Trusco Capital Management, Inc. ("Trusco") serves as the Advisor to the
Institutional Money Market Funds. As of June 30, 1996, Trusco had approximately
$13.7 billion in assets under management. The principal business address of
Trusco is 50 Hurt Plaza, Suite 1400, Atlanta, Georgia 30303.
The Advisor is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of SunTrust Banks, Inc.
("SunTrust"), a southeastern regional bank holding company with assets of $66
billion as of December 31, 1995. SunTrust ranks among the twenty largest U.S.
banking companies. Its three principal subsidiaries-- SunTrust Banks of Florida,
Inc., SunTrust Banks of Georgia, Inc. and SunTrust Banks of Tennessee,
Inc.--provide a wide range of personal and corporate banking, trust, and
investment services through more than 600 locations in the three-state area.
Total discretionary assets under management with SunTrust Banks, Inc. equalled
approximately $47 billion as of December 31, 1995.
The Trust and the Advisor have entered into an advisory agreement (the "Advisory
Agreement"). Under the Advisory Agreement, the Advisor makes the investment
decisions for the assets of the Funds and continuously reviews, supervises and
administers each Fund's investment program. The Advisor discharges its
responsibilities subject to the supervision of, and policies established by, the
Trustees of the Trust. STI CLASSIC FUNDS ARE NOT DEPOSITS, ARE NOT INSURED OR
GUARANTEED BY THE FDIC OR ANY OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCY, AND ARE NOT ENDORSED OR
GUARANTEED BY AND DO NOT CONSTITUTE OBLIGATIONS OF SUNTRUST BANKS, INC. OR ANY
OF ITS AFFILIATES. INVESTMENTS IN THE FUNDS INVOLVE RISK, INCLUDING THE POSSIBLE
LOSS OF PRINCIPAL. RETURNS AND PRINCIPAL VALUES WILL FLUCTUATE AND SHARES AT
REDEMPTION MAY BE
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12
WORTH MORE OR LESS THAN THEIR ORIGINAL COST. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT ANY STI
CLASSIC FUND WILL ACHIEVE ITS INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE. With respect to each Fund,
the Advisor may execute brokerage or other agency transactions through
affiliates of the Advisor.
For the services provided and expenses incurred pursuant to the Advisory
Agreement: Trusco is entitled to receive advisory fees computed daily and paid
monthly at the annual rate of .20% of the average daily net assets of each Fund.
From time to time, the Advisor may waive (either voluntarily or pursuant to
applicable state limitations) advisory fees payable by a Fund. Currently, the
Advisor has agreed to voluntary reductions in its fees in amounts necessary to
maintain the total operating expenses at the amounts set forth in the Expense
Summary. Voluntary reductions of fees may be terminated at anytime.
BANKING LAWS
Banking laws and regulations, including the Glass-Steagall Act as presently
interpreted by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, currently
(a) prohibit a bank holding company registered under the Federal Bank Holding
Company Act of 1956 or its affiliates from sponsoring, organizing, controlling,
or distributing the shares of a registered, open-end investment company
continuously engaged in the issuance of its shares, and generally prohibit banks
from underwriting securities, but (b) do not prohibit such a bank holding
company or affiliate or banks generally from acting as an investment advisor,
transfer agent, or custodian to such an investment company or from purchasing
shares of such a company as agent for and upon the order of a customer. The
Advisor believes that it may perform the services for STI Classic Funds
contemplated by its Advisory Agreement described in this Prospectus without
violation of applicable banking laws or regulations. However, future changes in
legal requirements relating to the permissible activities of banks and their
affiliates, as well as future interpretations of present requirements, could
prevent the Advisor from continuing to perform services for the Funds. If the
Advisor was prohibited from providing services to the Funds, the Board of
Trustees would consider selecting another qualified firm. Any new investment
advisory agreements would be subject to Shareholder approval.
If current restrictions preventing a bank or its affiliates from legally
sponsoring, organizing, controlling, or distributing shares of an investment
company were relaxed, the Advisor, or its affiliates, would consider the
possibility of offering to perform additional services for STI Classic Funds. It
is not possible, of course, to predict whether or in what form such legislation
might be enacted or the terms upon which the Advisor, or such affiliates, might
offer to provide such services.
In addition, state securities laws on this issue may differ from the
interpretations of federal law expressed herein and banks and financial
institutions may be required to register as dealers pursuant to state law.
DISTRIBUTION
SEI Financial Services Company (the "Distributor"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of
SEI Corporation ("SEI"), and the Trust are parties to a distribution agreement
(the "Distribution Agreement"). No compensation is paid to the Distributor for
distribution services. Shares of the Classic Institutional Money Market Funds
are offered primarily to institutional investors,
<PAGE>
13
including affiliates and correspondents for the investment of funds in which
they act in a fiduciary, agency or custodial capacity.
Each Fund may execute brokerage or other agency transactions through the
Distributor for which the Distributor receives compensation.
ADMINISTRATION
SEI Fund Resources (the "Administrator") serves as Administrator to the Trust.
The Administrator provides the Trust with certain administrative services, other
than investment advisory services, including regulatory reporting, all necessary
office space, equipment, personnel, and facilities.
The Administrator is entitled to a fee, which is calculated daily and paid
monthly, at an annual rate as follows:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
AVERAGE AGGREGATE DAILY NET ASSETS FEE
- --------------------------------------------- ---------
<S> <C>
$1 - $1 billion .10%
over $1 billion to $5 billion .07%
over $5 billion to $8 billion .05%
over $8 billion to $10 billion .045%
over $10 billion .04%
</TABLE>
From time to time, the Administrator may waive (either voluntarily or pursuant
to applicable state limitations) all or a portion of the administration fee
payable with respect to a Fund.
TRANSFER AGENT AND DIVIDEND DISBURSING AGENT
Federated Services Company, Federated Investors Tower, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
15222-3779 is the transfer agent for the shares of the Trust and dividend
disbursing agent for the Trust.
CUSTODIAN
SunTrust Bank, Atlanta, c/o STI Trust & Investment Operations, Inc., 303
Peachtree Street N.E., 14th Floor, Atlanta, Georgia 30308 serves as custodian of
the assets of each Fund. The custodian holds cash, securities and other assets
of the Funds as required by the Investment Company Act of 1940.
LEGAL COUNSEL
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, serves as legal counsel
to the Trust.
INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
The independent public accountants to the Trust are Arthur Andersen LLP,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
OTHER INFORMATION
VOTING RIGHTS
Each share held entitles the Shareholder of record to one vote. Each Fund or
class of a Fund will vote separately on matters relating solely to that Fund or
class. As a Massachusetts business trust, the Trust is not required to hold
annual meetings of Shareholders but approval will be sought for certain changes
in the operation of the Trust and for the election of Trustees under certain
circumstances. In addition, a Trustee may be removed by the remaining Trustees
or by Shareholders at a special meeting called upon written request of
Shareholders owning at least 10% of the outstanding shares of the Trust. In the
event that such a meeting is requested the Trust will provide appropriate
assistance and information to the Shareholders requesting the meeting.
REPORTING
The Trust issues unaudited financial information and audited financial
statements annually. The Trust furnishes proxy statements and other reports to
Shareholders of record.
<PAGE>
14
SHAREHOLDER INQUIRIES
Shareholders may contact their financial institution's representative in order
to obtain information on account statements, procedures and other related
information.
DESCRIPTION OF PERMITTED INVESTMENTS
The following is a description of the permitted investments for the Funds.
Further discussion is contained in the Statement of Additional Information.
ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES -- Asset-backed securities are securities secured by
non-mortgage assets such as company receivables, truck and auto loans, leases
and credit card receivables. Such securities are generally issued as
pass-through certificates, which represent undivided fractional ownership
interests in the underlying pools of assets. Such securities also may be debt
instruments, which are also known as collateralized obligations and are
generally issued as the debt of a special purpose entity, such as a trust,
organized solely for the purpose of owning such assets and issuing such debt.
Asset-backed securities are not issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or
its agencies or instrumentalities, however, the payment of principal and
interest on such obligations may be guaranteed up to certain amounts and for a
certain period by a letter of credit issued by a financial institution (such as
a bank or insurance company) unaffiliated with the issuers of such securities.
The purchase of asset-backed securities raises risk considerations peculiar to
the financing of the instruments underlying such securities. For example, there
is a risk that another party could acquire an interest in the obligations
superior to that of the holders of the asset-backed securities. There also is
the possibility that recoveries on repossessed collateral may not, in some
cases, be available to support payments on those securities. Asset-backed
securities entail prepayment risk, which may vary depending on the type of
asset, but is generally less than the prepayment risk associated with
mortgage-backed securities. In addition, credit card receivables are unsecured
obligations of the card holder.
The market for asset-backed securities is at a relatively early stage of
development. Accordingly, there may be a limited secondary market for such
securities.
BANKERS' ACCEPTANCES -- Bankers' acceptances are bills of exchange or time
drafts drawn on and accepted by a commercial bank. Bankers' acceptances are used
by corporations to finance the shipment and storage of goods. Maturities are
generally six months or less.
CERTIFICATES OF DEPOSIT -- Certificates of deposit are interest bearing
instruments with a specific maturity. They are issued by banks and savings and
loan institutions in exchange for the deposit of funds and normally can be
traded in the secondary market prior to maturity. Certificates of deposit with
penalties for early withdrawal will be considered illiquid.
COMMERCIAL PAPER -- Commercial paper is a term used to describe unsecured
short-term promissory notes issued by banks, municipalities, corporations and
other entities. Maturities on these issues vary from a few to 270 days.
EURODOLLAR AND YANKEE BANK OBLIGATIONS -- Eurodollar bank obligations are U.S.
dollar-denominated certificates of deposit or time deposits issued outside the
United States by foreign branches of U.S. banks or by foreign banks. Yankee bank
<PAGE>
15
obligations are U.S. dollar denominated obligations issued in the United States
by foreign banks.
ILLIQUID SECURITIES -- Illiquid securities are securities that cannot be
disposed of within seven business days at approximately the price at which they
are being carried on the Fund's books. An illiquid security includes a demand
instrument with a demand notice period exceeding seven days, where there is no
secondary market for such security, and repurchase agreements with durations (or
maturities) over seven days in length.
MEDIUM TERM NOTES -- Medium term notes are periodically or continuously offered
corporate or agency debt that differs from traditionally underwritten corporate
bonds only in the process by which they are issued.
MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES -- Mortgage-backed securities are instruments that
entitle the holder to a share of all interest and principal payments from
mortgages underlying the security. The mortgages backing these securities
include conventional thirty-year fixed rate mortgages, graduated payment
mortgages, and adjustable rate mortgages. During periods of declining interest
rates, prepayment of mortgages underlying mortgage-backed securities can be
expected to accelerate. Prepayment of mortgages which underlie securities
purchased at a premium often results in capital losses, while prepayment of
mortgages purchased at a discount often results in capital gains. Because of
these unpredictable prepayment characteristics, it is often not possible to
predict accurately the average life or realized yield of a particular issue.
GOVERNMENT PASS-THROUGH SECURITIES: These are securities that are issued or
guaranteed by a U.S. Government agency representing an interest in a pool of
mortgage loans. The primary issuers or guarantors of these mortgage-backed
securities are GNMA, FNMA and FHLMC. FNMA and FHLMC obligations are not backed
by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government as GNMA certificates are,
but FNMA and FHLMC securities are supported by the instrumentalities' right to
borrow from the U.S. Treasury. GNMA, FNMA and FHLMC each guarantees timely
distributions of interest to certificate holders. GNMA and FNMA also each
guarantees timely distributions of scheduled principal. FHLMC has in the past
guaranteed only the ultimate collection of principal of the underlying mortgage
loan; however, FHLMC now issues mortgage-backed securities (FHLMC Gold PCs)
which also guarantee timely payment of monthly principal reductions. Government
and private guarantees do not extend to the securities' value, which is likely
to vary inversely with fluctuations in interest rates.
COLLATERALIZED MORTGAGE OBLIGATIONS ("CMOS"): CMOs are debt obligations or
multiclass pass-through certificates issued by agencies or instrumentalities of
the U.S. Government or by private originators or investors in mortgage loans. In
a CMO, series of bonds or certificates are usually issued in multiple classes.
Principal and interest paid on the underlying mortgage assets may be allocated
among the several classes of a series of a CMO in a variety of ways. Each class
of a CMO, often referred to as a "tranche," is issued with a specific fixed or
floating coupon rate and has a stated maturity or final distribution date.
Principal payments on the underlying mortgage assets may cause CMOs to be
retired substantially earlier than their stated maturities or final distribution
dates, resulting in a loss of all or part of any premium paid.
REMICS: A REMIC is a CMO that qualifies for special tax treatment under the
Internal Revenue Code and investes in certain mortgages principally secured by
interests in
<PAGE>
16
real property. Investors may purchase beneficial interests in REMICs, which are
known as "regular" interests, or "residual" interests. Guaranteed REMIC
pass-through certificates ("REMIC Certificates") issued by FNMA or FHLMC
represent beneficial ownership interests in a REMIC trust consisting principally
of mortgage loans or FNMA, FHLMC or GNMA-guaranteed mortgage pass-through
certificates. For FHLMC REMIC Certificates, FHLMC guarantees the timely payment
of interest, and also guarantees the payment of principal as payments are
required to be made on the underlying mortgage participation certificates. FNMA
REMIC Certificates are issued and guaranteed as to timely distribution of
principal and interest by FNMA.
MUNICIPAL SECURITIES -- Municipal securities consist of (i) debt obligations
issued by or on behalf of public authorities to obtain funds to be used for
various public facilities, for refunding outstanding obligations, for general
operating expenses, and for lending such funds to other public institutions and
facilities, and (ii) certain private activity and industrial development bonds
issued by or on behalf of public authorities to obtain funds to provide for the
construction, equipment, repair or improvement of privately operated facilities.
Municipal securities include both municipal notes and municipal bonds. Municipal
notes include general obligation notes, tax-exempt commercial paper tax
anticipation notes, revenue anticipation notes, bond anticipation notes,
certificates of indebtedness, demand notes and construction loan notes and
participation interests in municipal notes. Municipal bonds include general
obligation bonds, revenue or special obligation bonds, private activity and
industrial development bonds and participation interests in municipal bonds.
General obligation bonds are backed by the taxing power of the issuing
municipality. Revenue bonds are backed by the revenues of a project or facility
(tolls from a bridge, for example). Certificates of participation represent an
interest in an underlying obligation or commitment, such as an obligation issued
in connection with a leasing arrangement. The payment of principal and interest
on private activity and industrial development bonds generally is dependent
solely on the ability of a facility's user to meet its financial obligations and
the pledge, if any, of real and personal property as security for such payment.
TAXABLE MUNICIPAL SECURITIES -- Taxable municipal securities are municipal
securities the interest on which is not exempt from federal income tax. Taxable
municipal securities include "private activity bonds" that are issued by or on
behalf of states or political subdivisions thereof to finance privately-owned or
operated facilities for business and manufacturing, housing, sports, and
pollution control and to finance activities of and facilities for charitable
institutions. Private activity bonds are also used to finance public facilities
such as airports, mass transit systems, ports, parking lots, and low income
housing. The payment of the principal and interest on private activity bonds is
not backed by a pledge of tax revenues, and is dependent solely on the ability
of the facility's user to meet its financial obligations, and may be secured by
a pledge of real and personal property so financed. Interest on these bonds may
not be exempt from federal income tax.
OBLIGATIONS OF SUPRANATIONAL ENTITIES -- Supranational entities are entities
established through the joint participation of several governments, and include
the Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, International Bank
for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank),
<PAGE>
17
African Development Bank, European Economic Community, European Investment Bank
and Nordic Investment Bank.
RECEIPTS -- Receipts are interests in separately traded interest and principal
component parts of U.S. Treasury obligations that are issued by banks and
brokerage firms and are created by depositing U.S. Treasury obligations into a
special account at a custodian bank. The custodian holds the interest and
principal payments for the benefit of the registered owners of the certificates
or receipts. The custodian arranges for the issuance of the certificates or
receipts evidencing ownership and maintains the register. Receipts are sold as
zero coupon securities which means that they are sold at a substantial discount
and redeemed at face value at their maturity date without interim cash payments
of interest or principal. This discount is amortized over the life of the
security and such amortization will constitute the income earned on the security
for both accounting and tax purposes. Because of these features, receipts may be
subject to greater price volatility than interest paying U.S. Treasury
obligations. See also "Taxes".
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS -- Repurchase agreements are agreements by which a Fund
obtains a security and simultaneously commits to return the security to the
seller at an agreed upon price on an agreed upon date within a number of days
from the date of purchase. The custodian will hold the security as collateral
for the repurchase agreement. A Fund bears a risk of loss in the event the other
party defaults on its obligations and the Fund is delayed or prevented from
exercising its right to dispose of the collateral or if the Fund realizes a loss
on the sale of the collateral. A Fund will enter into repurchase agreements only
with financial institutions deemed to present minimal risk of bankruptcy during
the term of the agreement based on established guidelines. Repurchase agreements
are considered loans under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
RESTRAINTS ON INVESTMENTS BY MONEY MARKET FUNDS -- Investments by a money market
fund are subject to limitations imposed under regulations adopted by the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Under these regulations, money market funds
may only acquire obligations that present minimal credit risk and that are
"eligible securities," which means they are (i) rated, at the time of
investment, by at least two NRSROs organizations (one if it is the only
organization rating such obligation) in the highest rating category or, if
unrated, determined to be of comparable quality (a "first tier security"), or
(ii) rated according to the foregoing criteria in the second highest rating
category or, if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality ("second tier
security"). A security is not considered to be unrated if its issuer has
outstanding obligations of comparable priority and securities that have a
short-term rating. In the case of taxable money market funds, investments in
second tier securities are subject to the further constraints in that (i) no
more than 5% of a Fund's assets may be invested in second tier securities and
(ii) any investment in securities of any one such issuer is limited to the
greater of 1% of the Fund's total assets or $1 million. A taxable money market
fund may also hold more than 5% of its assets in first tier securities of a
single issuer for three "business days" (that is, any day other than a Saturday,
Sunday or customary business holiday).
RESTRICTED SECURITIES -- Restricted securities are securities that may not be
sold freely to the public absent registration under the Securities Act of 1933
or an exemption from registration. Rule 144A securities are securities that have
not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933 but which may be traded
<PAGE>
18
between certain institutional investors including investment companies. The
Trust's Board of Trustees is responsible for developing guidelines and
procedures for determining the liquidity of restricted securities, and for
monitoring the Advisor's implementation of the guidelines and procedures.
SECURITIES LENDING -- In order to generate additional income, a Fund may lend
securities which it owns pursuant to agreements requiring that the loan be
continuously secured by collateral consisting of cash, securities of the U.S.
Government or its agencies equal to at least 100% of the market value of the
securities lent. A Fund continues to receive interest on the securities lent
while simultaneously earning interest on the investment of cash collateral.
Collateral is marked to market daily. There may be risks of delay in recovery of
the securities or even loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of
the securities fail financially or become insolvent.
STANDBY COMMITMENTS AND PUTS -- Securities subject to standby commitments or
puts permit the holder thereof to sell the securities at a fixed price prior to
maturity. Securities subject to a standby commitment or put may be sold at any
time at the current market price. However, unless the standby commitment or put
was an integral part of the security as originally issued, it may not be
marketable or assignable; therefore, the standby commitment or put would only
have value to the Fund owning the security to which it relates. In certain
cases, a premium may be paid for a standby commitment or put, which premium will
have the effect of reducing the yield otherwise payable on the underlying
security. The Fund will limit standby commitment or put transactions to
institutions believed to present minimal credit risk.
TIME DEPOSITS -- Time deposits are non-negotiable receipts issued by a bank in
exchange for the deposit of funds. Like a certificate of deposit, it earns a
specified rate of interest over a definite period of time; however, it cannot be
traded in the secondary market. Time deposits are considered to be illiquid
securities.
U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES -- Obligations issued or guaranteed by agencies of the
U.S. Government, including, among others, the Federal Farm Credit Bank, the
Federal Housing Administration and the Small Business Administration, and
obligations issued or guaranteed by instrumentalities of the U.S. Government,
including, among others, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal
Land Banks and the U.S. Postal Service. Some of these securities are supported
by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury (e.g., Government National
Mortgage Association securities), others are supported by the right of the
issuer to borrow from the Treasury (e.g., Federal Farm Credit Bank securities),
while still others are supported only by the credit of the instrumentality
(e.g., Federal National Mortgage Association securities). Guarantees of
principal by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government may be a
guarantee of payment at the maturity of the obligation so that in the event of a
default prior to maturity there might not be a market and thus no means of
realizing on the obligation prior to maturity. Guarantees as to the timely
payment of principal and interest do not extend to the value or yield of these
securities nor to the value of the Fund's shares.
U.S. TREASURY OBLIGATIONS -- U.S. Treasury obligations consist of bills, notes
and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury and separately traded interest and
principal component parts of such obligations that are transferable through the
Federal book-entry system known as Separately Traded Registered
<PAGE>
19
Interest and Principal Securities ("STRIPS") and Coupon Under Book Entry
Safekeeping ("CUBES").
VARIABLE AND FLOATING RATE INSTRUMENTS -- Certain obligations may carry variable
or floating rates of interest, and may involve a conditional or unconditional
demand feature. Such instruments bear interest at rates which are not fixed, but
which vary with changes in specified market rates or indices. The interest rates
on these securities may be reset daily, weekly, quarterly or some other reset
period, and may have a floor or ceiling on interest rate changes. There is a
risk that the current interest rate on such obligations may not accurately
reflect existing market interest rates. A demand instrument with a demand notice
exceeding seven days may be considered illiquid if there is no secondary market
for such security.
WHEN-ISSUED AND DELAYED DELIVERY SECURITIES -- When-issued or delayed delivery
basis transactions involve the purchase of an instrument with payment and
delivery taking place in the future. Delivery of and payment for these
securities may occur a month or more after the date of the purchase commitment.
A Fund will segregate liquid high grade debt securities or cash in an amount at
least equal to these commitments. The interest rate realized on these securities
is fixed as of the purchase date and no interest accrues to the Fund before
settlement. These securities are subject to market fluctuation due to changes in
market interest rates and it is possible that the market value at the time of
settlement could be higher or lower than the purchase price if the general level
of interest rates has changed. Although a Fund generally purchases securities on
a when-issued or forward commitment basis with the intention of actually
acquiring securities for its portfolio, a Fund may dispose of a when-issued
security or forward commitment prior to settlement if it deems appropriate.
ZERO COUPON OBLIGATIONS -- Zero coupon obligations are debt securities that do
not bear any interest, but instead are issued at a deep discount from par. The
value of a zero coupon obligation increases over time to reflect the interest
accreted. Such obligations will not result in the payment of interest until
maturity, and will have greater price volatility than similar securities that
are issued at par and pay interest periodically.
<PAGE>
A-1
APPENDIX
X. COMMERCIAL PAPER AND SHORT-TERM RATINGS
The following descriptions of commercial paper ratings have been published by
Standard & Poor's Corporation ("S&P"), Moody's Investors Services, Inc.
("Moody's"), Fitch Investors Service, Inc. ("Fitch"), Duff and Phelps ("Duff")
and IBCA Limited ("IBCA"), respectively.
Commercial paper rated A by S&P is regarded by S&P as having the greatest
capacity for timely payment. Issues rated A are further refined by use of the
numbers 1+ and 1. Issues rated A-1+ are those with an "overwhelming degree" of
credit protection. Those rated A-1 reflect a "very strong" degree of safety
regarding timely payment. Those rated A-2 reflect a safety regarding timely
payment but not as high as A-1.
Commercial paper issues rated Prime-1 and Prime-2 by Moody's are judged by
Moody's to have superior ability and strong ability for repayment, respectively.
The rating Fitch-1 (Highest Grade) is the highest commercial rating assigned by
Fitch. Paper rated Fitch-1 is regarded as having the strongest degree of
assurance for timely payment. The rating Fitch-2 (Very Good Grade) is the second
highest commercial paper rating assigned by Fitch which reflects an assurance of
timely payment only slightly less in degree than the strongest issues.
The rating Duff-1 is the highest commercial paper rating assigned by Duff. Paper
rated Duff-1 is regarded as having very high certainty of timely payment with
excellent liquidity factors which are supported by ample asset protection. Risk
factors are minor. Paper rated Duff-2 is regarded as having good certainty of
timely payment, good access to capital markets and sound liquidity factors and
company fundamentals. Risk factors are small.
The designation A1 by IBCA indicates that the obligation is supported by a very
strong capacity for timely repayment. Those obligations rated A1+ are supported
by the highest capacity for timely repayment. Obligations rated A2 are supported
by a strong capacity for timely repayment, although such capacity may be
susceptible to adverse changes in business, economic or financial conditions.
<PAGE>
(THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK)
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<S> <C> <C>
STI CLASSIC FUNDS ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW
* INVESTMENT ADVISOR
Trusco Capital Management, Inc. 50 Hurt Plaza
Suite 1400
Atlanta, GA 30303
* DISTRIBUTOR
SEI Financial Services Company 680 E. Swedesford Road
Wayne, PA 19087
* ADMINISTRATOR
SEI Fund Resources 680 E. Swedesford Road
Wayne, PA 19087
* TRANSFER AGENT
Federated Services Company Federated Investors Tower
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779
* CUSTODIAN
SunTrust Bank, Atlanta c/o STI Trust & Investment
Operations, Inc.
303 Peachtree Street N.E.
14th Floor
Atlanta, GA 30308
* LEGAL COUNSEL
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP 2000 One Logan Square
Philadelphia, PA 19103
* INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
Arthur Andersen, LLP 1601 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
</TABLE>
<PAGE>
DISTRIBUTOR
SEI Financial Services
Company
PROSPECTUS
CLASSIC INSTITUTIONAL
CASH MANAGEMENT
MONEY MARKET FUND
CLASSIC INSTITUTIONAL
U.S. TREASURY SECURITIES
MONEY MARKET FUND
INVESTMENT ADVISOR
TRUSCO CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC.
DECEMBER 11, 1996
[LOGO]
<PAGE>
STI CLASSIC FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISOR:
TRUSCO CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC.
This Statement of Additional Information is not a prospectus. It is intended to
provide additional information regarding the activities and operations of the
Trust and should be read in conjunction with the Trust's Classic Institutional
Cash Management and Classic Institutional U.S. Treasury Securities Money Market
Fund prospectus dated December 11, 1996. The prospectus may be obtained through
the Distributor, SEI Financial Services Company, 680 E. Swedesford Road, Wayne,
Pennsylvania 19087-1658.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
THE TRUST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-
DESCRIPTION OF PERMITTED INVESTMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-
INVESTMENT ADVISORS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-
THE ADMINISTRATOR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-
THE DISTRIBUTOR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS OF THE TRUST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-
ADVERTISING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-
CALCULATION OF TOTAL RETURN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-
PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF SHARES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-
TAXES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-
FUND TRANSACTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-
TRADING PRACTICES AND BROKERAGE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-
SHAREHOLDER LIABILITY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-
LIMITATION OF TRUSTEES' LIABILITY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-
December 11, 1996
<PAGE>
THE TRUST
STI Classic Funds (the "Trust") is a diversified, open-end management investment
company established under Massachusetts law as a Massachusetts business trust
under a Declaration of Trust dated January 15, 1992. The Declaration of Trust
permits the Trust to offer separate series ("Funds") of units of beneficial
interest ("shares") and different classes of shares of each Fund. This
Statement of Additional Information relates to the Trust's Classic Institutional
Cash Management Money Market Fund and Classic Institutional U.S. Treasury
Securities Money Market Fund (collectively, the "Funds"), each of which
currently offers one class of shares.
DESCRIPTION OF PERMITTED INVESTMENTS
FOREIGN SECURITIES
The Institutional Cash Management Money Market Fund may invest in U.S. dollar
denominated obligations or securities of foreign issuers. Possible investments
include equity securities of foreign entities, obligations of foreign branches
of U.S. banks and of foreign banks, including, without limitation, European
Certificates of Deposit, European Time Deposits, European Bankers' Acceptances,
Canadian Time Deposits and Yankee Certificates of Deposit, and investments in
Canadian Commercial Paper, Europaper and foreign securities. These instruments
may subject the Fund to investment risks that differ in some respects from those
related to investments in obligations of U.S. domestic issuers. Such risks
include future adverse political and economic developments, the possible
imposition of withholding taxes on interest or other income, possible seizure,
nationalization, or expropriation of foreign deposits, the possible
establishment of exchange controls or taxation at the source, greater
fluctuations in value due to changes in exchange rates, or the adoption of other
foreign governmental restrictions which might adversely affect the payment of
principal and interest on such obligations. Such investments may also entail
higher custodial fees and sales commissions than domestic investments. Foreign
issuers of securities or obligations are often subject to accounting treatment
and engage in business practices different from those respecting domestic
issuers of similar securities or obligations. Foreign branches of U.S. banks
and foreign banks may be subject to less stringent reserve requirements than
those applicable to domestic branches of U.S. banks.
INVESTMENT COMPANY SHARES
Investment companies typically incur fees that are separate from those fees
incurred directly by the Funds. A Fund's purchase of such investment company
securities results in the layering of expenses, such that Shareholders would
indirectly bear a proportionate share of the operating expenses of such
investment companies, including advisory fees.
B-2
<PAGE>
MUNICIPAL SECURITIES
The Funds may invest in municipal securities. The two principal classifications
of municipal securities are "general obligation" and "revenue" issues. General
obligation issues are issues involving the credit of an issuer possessing taxing
power and are payable from the issuer's general unrestricted revenues, although
the characteristics and method of enforcement of general obligation issues may
vary according to the law applicable to the particular issue. Revenue issues
are payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class
of facilities or other specific revenue source. A Fund may also invest in
"moral obligation" issues, which are normally issued by special purpose
authorities. Moral obligation issues are not backed by the full faith and
credit of the state and are generally backed by the agreement of the issuing
authority to request appropriations from the state legislative body. Municipal
securities include debt obligations issued by governmental entities to obtain
funds for various public purposes, such as the construction of a wide range of
public facilities, the refunding of outstanding obligations, the payment of
general operating expenses, and the extension of loans to other public
institutions and facilities. Certain private activity bonds that are issued by
or on behalf of public authorities to finance various privately-owned or
operated facilities are included within the term "Municipal Securities."
Private activity bonds are industrial development bonds are generally revenue
bonds, the credit and quality of which are directly related to the credit of the
private user of the facilities.
Municipal securities may also include general obligation notes, tax anticipation
notes, bond anticipation notes, revenue anticipation notes, project notes,
certificates of indebtedness, demand notes, tax-exempt commercial paper,
construction loan notes and other forms of short-term, tax-exempt loans. Such
instruments are issued with a short-term maturity in anticipation of the receipt
of fax funds, the proceeds of bond placements or other revenues. Project notes
are issued by a state or local housing agency and are sold by the Department of
Housing and Urban Development. While the issuing agency has the primary
obligation with respect to its project notes, they are also secured by the full
faith and credit of the United States through agreements with the issuing
authority which provide that, if required, the federal government will end the
issuer an amount equal to the principal of and interest on the project notes.
The quality of municipal securities, both within a particular classification and
between classifications, will vary, and the yields on municipal securities
depend upon a variety of factors, including general money market conditions, the
financial condition of the issuer (or other entity whose financial resources are
supporting the securities), general conditions of the municipal bond market, the
size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating(s)
of the issue. In this regard, it should be emphasized that the ratings of any
NRSRO are general and are not absolute standards of quality. Municipal
securities with the same maturity, interest rate and rating(s) may have
different yields, while municipal securities of the same maturity and interest
rate with different rating(s) may have the same yield.
An issuer's obligations under its municipal securities are subject to the
provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency, and other laws affecting the rights and
remedies of creditors, such as the Federal Bankruptcy Code, and laws, if any,
which may be enacted by Congress or state legislatures extending the time for
payment of principal or interest, or both, or imposing other constraints upon
the enforcement of such
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obligations or upon the ability of municipalities to levy taxes. The power or
ability of an issuer to meet its obligations for the payment of interest on and
principal of its municipal securities may be materially adversely affected by
litigation or other conditions.
MUNICIPAL NOTE RATINGS: Moody's highest rating for state and municipal and
other short-term notes is MIG-1 and VMIG-1. Short-term municipal securities
rated MIG-1 or VMIG-1 are of the best quality. They have strong protection from
established cash flows of funds for their servicing or from established and
broad-based access to the market for refinancing or both. Short-term municipal
securities rated MIG-2 and VMIG-2 are of high quality. Margins of protection
are ample although not so large as in the preceding group.
An S&P note rating reflects the liquidity concerns and market access risks
unique to notes. Notes due in 3 years or less will likely receive a long-term
debt rating. The following criteria will be used in making that assessment.
- Amortization schedule (the larger the final maturity relative to other
maturities the more likely it will be treated as a note).
- Source of payment (the more dependent the issue is on the market for
its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note).
Note rate symbols are as follows:
SP-1. Very strong or strong capacity to pay principal and interest. Those
issues determined to possess overwhelming safety characteristics will be given a
plus (+) designation.
SP-2. Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest.
OBLIGATIONS OF SUPRANATIONAL AGENCIES
The Institutional Cash Management Money Market Fund may purchase obligations of
supranational agencies. Currently the Fund intends to invest only in
obligations issued or guaranteed by the Asian Development Bank, Inter-American
Development Bank, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World
Bank), African Development Bank, European Coal and Steel Community, European
Economic Community, European Investment Bank and the Nordic Investment Bank.
OTHER INVESTMENTS
The Trust is not prohibited from investing in obligations of banks which are
clients of SEI Corporation ("SEI"), the parent company of the Administrator and
the Distributor. The purchase of shares of the Trust by such banks or by their
customers will not be a consideration in determining which bank obligations the
Trust will purchase. However, the Trust will not purchase obligations issued by
the Advisor.
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REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS
Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements are
agreements by which a person (E.G., a Fund) obtains a security and
simultaneously commits to return the security to the seller (a primary
securities dealer as recognized by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or a
national member bank as defined in Section 3(d)(1) of the Federal Deposit
Insurance Act, as amended) at an agreed-upon price (including principal and
interest) on an agreed-upon date within a number of days (usually not more than
seven) from the date of purchase. The resale price reflects the purchase price
plus an agreed upon market rate of interest which is unrelated to the coupon
rate or maturity of the underlying security. A repurchase agreement involves
the obligation of the seller to pay the agreed upon price, which obligation is,
in effect, secured by the value of the underlying security.
Repurchase agreements are considered to be loans by a Fund for purposes of its
investment limitations. The repurchase agreements entered into by a Fund will
provide that the underlying security at all times shall have a value at least
equal to 102% of the resale price stated in the agreement (the Advisor monitors
compliance with this requirement). Under all repurchase agreements entered into
by a Fund, the Custodian or its agent must take possession of the underlying
collateral. However, if the seller defaults, a Fund could realize a loss on the
sale of the underlying security to the extent that the proceeds of the sale
including accrued interest are less than the resale price provided in the
agreement including interest. In addition, even though the Bankruptcy Code
provides protection for most repurchase agreements, if the seller should be
involved in bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, a Fund may incur delay and
costs in selling the underlying security or may suffer a loss of principal and
interest if a Fund is treated as an unsecured creditor and required to return
the underlying security to the seller's estate.
RESTRICTED SECURITIES
Restricted securities are securities that may not be sold to the public without
registration under the Securities Act of 1933 (the "1933 Act") absent an
exemption from registration. PERMITTED INVESTMENTS FOR THE FUNDS INCLUDE
RESTRICTED SECURITIES, AND EACH FUND MAY INVEST UP TO 10% OF ITS TOTAL NET
ASSETS IN illiquid securities, subject to each Fund's investment limitations on
the purchase of illiquid securities. Restricted securities, including
securities eligible for re-sale under 1933 Act Rule 144A, that are determined to
be liquid are not subject to this limitation. This determination is to be made
by the Fund's Advisor pursuant to guidelines adopted by the Board of Trustees.
Under these guidelines, the Advisor will consider the frequency of trades and
quotes for the security, the number of dealers in, and potential purchasers for,
the securities, dealer undertakings to make a market in the security, and the
nature of the security and of the marketplace trades. In purchasing such
Restricted Securities, the Advisor intends to purchase securities that are
exempt from registration under Rule 144A under the 1933 Act.
SECURITIES LENDING
The Funds may lend securities pursuant to agreements which require that the
loans be continuously secured by collateral at all times equal to 100% of the
market value of the loaned securities which
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consists of cash, securities of the U.S. Government or its agencies, or any
combination of cash and such securities. Such loans will not be made if, as a
result, the aggregate amount of all outstanding securities loans for a Fund
exceed one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets taken at fair market
value. A Fund will continue to receive interest on the securities lent while
simultaneously earning interest on the investment of the cash collateral in U.S.
Government securities. However, a Fund will normally pay lending fees to such
broker-dealers and related expenses from the interest earned on invested
collateral. There may be risks of delay in receiving additional collateral or
risks of delay in recovery of the securities or even loss of rights in the
collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially. However,
loans are made only to borrowers deemed by the Advisor to be of good standing
and when, in the judgment of the Advisor, the consideration which can be earned
currently from such securities loans justifies the attendant risk. Any loan may
be terminated by either party upon reasonable notice to the other party. The
Funds may use the Distributor or a broker-dealer affiliate of the Advisor as a
broker in these transactions.
STANDBY COMMITMENTS AND PUTS
The Institutional Cash Management Money Market Fund may purchase securities at a
price which would result in a yield-to-maturity lower than that generally
offered by the seller at the time of purchase when it can simultaneously acquire
the right to sell the securities back to the seller, the issuer, or a third
party (the "writer") at an agreed-upon price at any time during a stated period
or on a certain date. Such a right is generally denoted as a "standby
commitment" or a "put." The purpose of engaging in transactions involving puts
is to maintain flexibility and liquidity to permit the Fund to meet redemptions
and remain as fully invested as possible in municipal securities. The Fund
reserves the right to engage in put transactions. The right to put the
securities depends on the writer's ability to pay for the securities at the time
the put is exercised. The Institutional Cash Management Money Market Fund would
limit its put transactions to institutions which the Advisor believes present
minimal credit risks, and the Advisor would use its best efforts to initially
determine and continue to monitor the financial strength of the sellers of the
options by evaluating their financial statements and such other information as
is available in the marketplace. It may, however be difficult to monitor the
financial strength of the writers because adequate current financial information
may not be available. In the event that any writer is unable to honor a put
for financial reasons, the Fund would be a general creditor (I.E., on a parity
with all other unsecured creditors) of the writer. Furthermore, particular
provisions of the contract between the Fund and the writer may excuse the writer
from repurchasing the securities; for example, a change in the published rating
of the underlying securities or any similar event that has an adverse effect on
the issuer's credit or a provision in the contract that the put will not be
exercised except in certain special cases, for example, to maintain portfolio
liquidity. The Fund could, however, at any time sell the underlying portfolio
security in the open market or wait until the portfolio security matures, at
which time it should realize the full par value of the security.
The securities purchased subject to a put may be sold to third persons at any
time, even though the put is outstanding, but the put itself, unless it is an
integral part of the security as originally issued, may not be marketable or
otherwise assignable. Therefore, the put would have value only to the Fund.
Sale of the securities to third parties or lapse of time with the put
unexercised may terminate the right to put the
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securities. Prior to the expiration of any put option, the Fund could seek to
negotiate terms for the extension of such an option. If such a renewal cannot
be negotiated on terms satisfactory to the Fund, the Fund could, of course, sell
the portfolio security. The maturity of the underlying security will generally
be different from that of the put. There will be no limit to the percentage of
portfolio securities that the Fund may purchase subject to a standby commitment
or put, but the amount paid directly or indirectly for all standby commitments
or puts which are not integral parts of the security as originally issued held
in the Fund will not exceed 1/2 of 1% of the value of its total assets of such
Fund calculated immediately after any such put is acquired.
STRIPS
Each Fund may invest in Separately Traded Interest and Principal Securities
("STRIPS"), which are component parts of U.S. Treasury Securities traded through
the Federal Book-Entry System. The Advisor will only purchase STRIPS that it
determines are liquid or, if illiquid, do not violate each Fund's investment
policy concerning investments in illiquid securities. Consistent with Rule 2a-7
under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, (the "1940 Act"), the
Advisor will only purchase STRIPS for the Funds that have a remaining maturity
of 397 days or less; therefore, the Funds currently may only purchase interest
component parts of U.S. Treasury Securities. While there is no limitation on
the percentage of a Fund's assets that may be comprised of STRIPS, the Advisor
will monitor the level of such holdings to avoid the risk of impairing
Shareholders' redemption rights and of deviations in the value of shares of the
Funds.
U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCY SECURITIES
Certain investments of the Institutional Cash Management Money Market Fund may
include U.S. Government Agency Securities. Agencies of the United States
Government which issue obligations consist of, among others, the Export Import
Bank of the United States, Farmers Home Administration, Federal Farm Credit
Bank, Federal Housing Administration, Government National Mortgage Association
("GNMA"), Maritime Administration, Small Business Administration, and The
Tennessee Valley Authority. Obligations of instrumentalities of the United
States Government include securities issued by, among others, Federal Home Loan
Banks, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Federal Intermediate Credit
Banks, Federal Land Banks, Federal National Mortgage Association ("FNMA") and
the United States Postal Service as well as government trust certificates. Some
of these securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the United
States Treasury (E.G., GNMA securities), others are supported by the right of
the issuer to borrow from the Treasury and still others are supported only by
the credit of the instrumentality (E.G., FNMA securities). Guarantees of
principal by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government may be a
guarantee of payment at the maturity of the obligation so that in the event of a
default prior to maturity there might not be a market and thus no means of
realizing the value of the obligation prior to maturity.
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VARIABLE RATE MASTER DEMAND NOTES
The Institutional Cash Management Money Market Fund may invest in variable rate
master demand notes which may or may not be backed by bank letters of credit.
These notes permit the investment of fluctuating amounts at varying market rates
of interest pursuant to direct arrangements between the Fund, as lender, and the
borrower. Such notes provide that the interest rate on the amount outstanding
varies on a daily, weekly or monthly basis depending upon a stated short-term
interest rate index. Both the lender and the borrower have the right to reduce
the amount of outstanding indebtedness at any time. There is no secondary
market for the notes and it is not generally contemplated that such instruments
will be traded. The quality of the note or the underlying credit must, in the
opinion of the Advisor, be equivalent to the ratings applicable to permitted
investments for the Fund. The Advisor will monitor on an ongoing basis the
earning power, cash flow and liquidity ratios of the issuers of such instruments
and will similarly monitor the ability of an issuer of a demand instrument to
pay principal and interest on demand.
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS
The following are fundamental policies of each Fund and cannot be changed with
respect to a Fund without the consent of the holders of a majority of a Fund's
outstanding shares.
The term "a majority of the outstanding shares" of a Fund means the vote of the
lesser of (i) 67% or more of the shares of such Fund present at a meeting, if
the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of such Fund are present
or represented by proxy or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of such
Fund.
A Fund may not:
1. Acquire more than 10% of the voting securities of any one issuer.
2. Invest in companies for the purpose of exercising control.
3. Borrow money except for temporary or emergency purposes and then only in an
amount not exceeding one-third of the value of total assets. Any borrowing
will be done from a bank and, to the extent that such borrowing exceeds 5%
of the value of the Fund's assets, asset coverage of at least 300% is
required. In the event that such asset coverage shall at any time fall
below 300%, the Fund shall, within three days thereafter or such longer
period as the Securities and Exchange Commission may prescribe by rules and
regulations, reduce the amount of its borrowings to such an extent that the
asset coverage of such borrowings shall be at least 300%. This borrowing
provision is included solely to facilitate the orderly sale of portfolio
securities to accommodate heavy redemption requests if they should occur
and is not for investment purposes. All borrowings in excess of 5% of the
value of a Fund's total assets will be repaid before making additional
investments and any interest paid on such borrowings will reduce income.
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4. Make loans, except that (a) a Fund may purchase or hold debt instruments in
accordance with its investment objective and policies; (b) a Fund may enter
into repurchase agreements, and (c) a Fund may engage in securities lending
as described in the Prospectus and in this Statement of Additional
Information.
5. Pledge, mortgage or hypothecate assets except to secure temporary
borrowings permitted by (3) above in aggregate amounts not to exceed 10% of
the Fund's total assets, taken at current value at the time of the
incurrence of such loan, except as permitted with respect to securities
lending.
6. Purchase or sell real estate, real estate limited partnership interests,
commodities or commodities contracts and interests in a pool of securities
that are secured by interests in real estate. However, subject to their
permitted investment spectrum, any Fund may invest in companies which
invest in real estate commodities or commodities contracts.
7. Make short sales of securities, maintain a short position or purchase
securities on margin, except that the Trust may obtain short-term credits
as necessary for the clearance of security transactions.
8. Act as an underwriter of securities of other issuers except as it may be
deemed an underwriter in selling a security.
9. Purchase securities of other investment companies except for money market
funds and CMOs and REMICs deemed to be investment companies and then only
as permitted by the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Under these rules and regulations, a Fund is prohibited from acquiring the
securities of other investment companies if, as a result of such
acquisition, the Fund owns more than 3% of the total voting stock of the
company; securities issued by any one investment company represent more
than 5% of the total assets of a Fund; or securities (other than treasury
stock) issued by all investment companies represent more than 10% of the
total assets of the Fund.
10. Issue senior securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) except in connection
with permitted borrowings as described above or as permitted by rule,
regulation or order of the SEC.
NON-FUNDAMENTAL POLICIES
No Fund may purchase or retain securities of an issuer if, to the knowledge of
the Trust, an officer, trustee, partner or director of the Trust or any
investment advisor of the Trust owns beneficially more than 1/2 of 1% of the
shares or securities of such issuer and all such officers, trustees, partners
and directors owning more than 1/2 of 1% of such shares or securities together
own more than 5% of such shares or securities.
No Fund may invest in warrants.
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No Fund may hold illiquid securities in an amount exceeding, in the aggregate,
10% of a Fund's assets. An illiquid security is a security which cannot be
disposed of promptly (within seven days), and in the usual course of business
without a loss, and includes repurchase agreements maturing in excess of seven
days, time deposits with a withdrawal penalty, non-negotiable instruments and
instruments for which no market exists.
No Fund may invest in interests in oil, gas or other mineral exploration or
development programs and oil, gas or mineral leases.
No Fund may write or purchase puts, calls, options or combinations thereof,
except that the Institutional Cash Management Money Market Fund may purchase
putable securities.
No Fund may invest in securities of issuers which together with predecessors
have a record of less than three years continuous operation or equity securities
of issuers which are not readily marketable if such investments will exceed 5%
of the Fund's total assets.
The foregoing percentages, except with respect to holding illiquid securities,
will apply at the time of the purchase of a security and shall not be considered
violated unless an excess occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of
a purchase of such security.
INVESTMENT ADVISOR
The Trust and Trusco Capital Management, Inc. (the "Advisor") have entered into
an advisory agreement (the "Advisory Agreement"). The Advisory Agreement
provides that the Advisor shall not be protected against any liability to the
Trust or its Shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross
negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless
disregard of its obligations or duties thereunder.
The Advisory Agreement provides that if, for any fiscal year, the ratio of
expenses of a Fund (including amounts payable to the Advisor but excluding
interest, taxes, brokerage, litigation, and other extraordinary expenses)
exceeds limitations established by certain states, the Advisor and/or the
Administrator will bear the amount of such excess. The Advisor will not be
required to bear expenses of the Trust to an extent which would result in a
Fund's inability to qualify as a regulated investment company under provisions
of the Internal Revenue Code.
The continuance of the Advisory Agreement, after the first two years, must be
specifically approved at least annually (i) by the vote of the Trustees, and
(ii) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to each
Agreement or "interested persons" of any party thereto, cast in person at a
meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Advisory
Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment, and is
terminable at any time without penalty by the Trustees of the Trust or, with
respect to the Funds, by a majority of the outstanding shares of the Funds, on
not less than 30 days' nor more than 60 days' written notice to the Advisor, or
by the Advisor on 90 days' written notice to the Trust.
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THE ADMINISTRATOR
The Trust and SEI Fund Resources (the "Administrator"), a wholly-owned
subsidiary of SEI Corporation ("SEI") have entered into an Administration
Agreement (the "Administration Agreement") dated May 29, 1992. The
Administration Agreement provides that the Administrator shall not be liable for
any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Trust in
connection with the matters to which the Administration Agreement relates,
except a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence
on the part of the Administrator in the performance of its duties or from
reckless disregard by it of its duties and obligations thereunder.
The Administrator, a Delaware business trust, has its principal business offices
at 680 East Swedesford Road, Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087-1658. SEI Financial
Management Corporation ("SFM"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SEI Corporation
("SEI"), is the owner of all beneficial interest in the Administrator. SEI and
its subsidiaries and affiliates, including the Administrator, are leading
providers of funds evaluation services, trust accounting systems, and brokerage
and information services to financial institutions, institutional investors and
money managers. The Administrator and its affiliates also serve as
administrator to the following other mutual funds: The Achievement Funds Trust;
The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund; The Arbor Fund; ARK Funds; Bishop Street Funds;
CoreFunds, Inc.; CrestFunds, Inc.; CUFUND; FMB Funds, Inc.; First American
Funds, Inc.; First American Investment Funds, Inc.; Inventor Funds, Inc; Marquis
Funds-Registered Trademark-; Monitor Funds; Morgan Grenfell Investment Trust;
The PBHG Funds, Inc.; The Pillar Funds; Rembrandt Funds-Registered Trademark-;
1784 Funds-Registered Trademark-; SEI Asset Allocation Trust; SEI Daily Income
Trust; SEI Index Funds; SEI Institutional Investments Trust; SEI Institutional
Managed Trust; SEI International Trust; SEI Liquid Asset Trust; SEI Tax Exempt
Trust; Stepstone Funds; and Turner Funds.
THE DISTRIBUTOR
SEI Financial Services Company (the "Distributor"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of
SEI, and the Trust have entered into a distribution agreement (the "Distribution
Agreement") dated May 29, 1992. The Distributor will receive no compensation
for distribution of Shares.
The Distribution Agreement is renewable annually and may be terminated by the
Distributor, the Qualified Trustees (as defined in the Distribution Agreement),
or by a majority vote of the outstanding securities of the Trust upon not more
than 60 days' written notice by either party.
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS OF THE TRUST
The management and affairs of the Trust are supervised by the Trustees under the
laws governing business trusts in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The
Trustees and executive officers of the Trust, their respective dates of birth
and principal occupations for the last five years are set forth below. Unless
otherwise noted, the principal business address for each officer listed below is
680 East Swedesford Road, Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087-1658.
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DANIEL S. GOODRUM (7/11/26) - Trustee - 48 Cayuga Road, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
33308. Chairman & CEO, SunBank/South Florida, N.A., 1985-1991; Chairman Audit
Committee and Director, Holy Cross Hospital; Executive Committee Member and
Director, Honda Classic Foundation; Director, Broward Community College
Foundation.
WILTON LOONEY (4/18/19) - Trustee - 2999 Circle 75 Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia
30339. President of Genuine Parts Company, 1961-1964; Chairman of the Board,
1964-1990; Honorary Chairman of the Board, 1990 to present. Director, Rollins,
Inc.; Director, RPC Energy Services, Inc.
CHAMPNEY A. MCNAIR (10/30/24) - Trustee - 1405 Trust Co. of Georgia Building,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303. Director and Chairman of Investment Committee and
member of Executive Committee, Cotton States Life and Health Insurance Company;
Director and Chairman of Investment Committee and member of Executive Committee,
Cotton States Mutual Insurance Company; Chairman, Trust Company of Georgia
Advisory Council.
F. WENDELL GOOCH (12/3/32) - Trustee - P.O. Box 190, Paoli, Indiana 47454.
President, Orange County Publishing Co., Inc., since October 1981. Publisher of
the Paoli News and the Paoli Republican and Editor of the Paoli Republican since
January 1981, President, H & W Distribution, Inc. since July 1984. Current
Trustee on the Board of Trustees for the SEI Family of Funds and The Capitol
Mutual Funds. Executive Vice President, Trust Department, Harris Trust and
Savings Bank and Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Harris Trust Company
of Arizona before January 1981.
T. GORDY GERMANY (11/28/25) -Trustee - 17 Windy Point, Alexander City, Alabama
35010. Retired President, Chairman, and CEO of Crawford & Company; held these
positions, 1973-1987. Member of the Board of Directors, 1970-1990, joined
company in 1948; spent entire career at Crawford, currently serves on Boards of
Norrell Corporation and Mercy Health Services, the latter being the holding
company of St. Joseph's Hospitals.
DR. BERNARD F. SLIGER (9/30/24) - Trustee - Florida State University, The Gus A.
Stavros Center, 250 South Woodward Avenue, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4035.
Currently on sabbatical leave from Florida State University (1991-92); now
serves as visiting professor at the University of New Orleans. President of
Florida State University, 1976-91; previous four years EVP and Chief Academic
Officer. During educational career, taught at Florida State, Michigan State,
Louisiana State and Southern University. Spent 19 years as faculty member and
administrator at Louisiana State University and served as Head of Economics
Department, member and Chairman of the Graduate Council, Dean of Academic
Affairs and Vice Chancellor. Member of Board of Directors of Federal Reserve
Bank of Atlanta, 1983-1988.
JESSE HALL (9/26/29) - Trustee* - 988 Winall Down Road, NE, Atlanta, Georgia
30318. Executive Vice President, SunTrust Banks, Inc., 1985-1994; Director of
Crawford & Company since 1979; Member, Atlanta Estate Planning Council, 1988-
1993.
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DAVID G. LEE (4/16/52) - President, Chief Executive Officer - Senior Vice
President of the Administrator and Distributor since 1993. Vice President of
the Administrator and Distributor (1991-1993). President, GW Sierra Trust Funds
before 1991.
STEPHEN G. MEYER (7/12/65) - Controller, Chief Financial Officer - Vice
President & Controller of SEI Corporation since 1994. Director, Internal Audit
and Risk Management, SEI Corporation, 1992-1994. Senior Associate, Coopers &
Lybrand, 1990-1992. Internal Audit, Vanguard Group of Investment Prior to 1992.
RICHARD W. GRANT (10/25/45) - Secretary - 2000 One Logan Square, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania 19103. Partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP (law firm). Counsel
to the Trust, Administrator and Distributor.
SANDRA K. ORLOW (10/18/53) - Vice President, Assistant Secretary - Vice
President and Assistant Secretary of the Administrator and Distributor since
1983.
KEVIN P. ROBINS (4/15/61) - Vice President, Assistant Secretary - Senior Vice
President & General Counsel of SEI, the Administrator and the Distributor since
1994. Vice President of SEI, the Administrator and the Distributor, 1992-1994.
Associate, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP (law firm) prior to 1992.
KATHRYN L. STANTON (11/19/58) - Vice President, Assistant Secretary - Vice
President, Assistant Secretary of SEI, the Administrator and Distributor since
1994. Associate, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP (law firm), 1989-1994.
JOSEPH M. LYDON (9/27/59) - Vice President - Director of Business Administration
of Fund Resources, SEI Coporation since 1995. Vice President of Fund Group and
Vice President of the Adviser, Dreman Value Management and President of Dremen
Financial Services, Inc. prior to 1995.
TODD CIPPERMAN (2/14/66) - Vice President, Assistant Secretary - Vice President
and Assistant Secretary of the Administrator and the Distributor since 1995.
Associate, Dewey Ballantine (law firm), 1994-1995. Associate, Winston & Strawn
(law firm), 1991-1994.
BARBARA NUGENT (6/18/56) - Vice President, Assistant Secretary - Vice President
and Assistant Secretary of SEI Corporation, the Distributor and Administrator,
Associate, Drinker Biddle & Reath (law firm), 1994-1996. Assistant Vice
President/Administration, Delaware Service Company, Inc., 1981-1994.
MARC H. CAHN (6/19/57) - Vice President, Assistant Secretary - Vice President
and Assistant Secretary of SEI Corporation, the Distributor and Administrator,
Associate General Counsel, Barclays Bank PLC., 1995-1996. Counsel for First
Fidelity Bancorporation prior to 1995.
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JOHN H. GRADY, JR. (6/1/61) - Assistant Secretary - 1800 M Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20036. Partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP (law firm) since
1995. Associate, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, 1993-1995. Associate, Ropes &
Gray (law firm), 1988-1993.
- -------------------------
* Jesse S. Hall may be deemed to be an "interested person" of the Trust as
defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940.
The Trustees and officers of the Trust own, in the aggregate, less than 1% of
the outstanding shares of the Trust.
For the fiscal year end May 31, 1996, the Trust paid the following amounts to
Trustees and Officers of the Trust:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aggregate Pension or Total Compensation from
Compensation Retirement Registrant and Fund
From Registrant Benefits Accrued Estimated Annual Complex Paid to Directors
Name of Person, Position for Fiscal Year as Part of Fund Benefits Upon for Fiscal Year Ended
Ended 1996 Expenses Retirement 1996
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Daniel S. Goodrum, Trustee $13,500 N/A N/A $13,500 for service on
one board
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wilton Looney, Trustee $16,000 N/A N/A $16,000 for service on
one board
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Champney A. McNair, Trustee $13,500 N/A N/A $13,500 for service on
one board
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F. Wendell Gooch, Trustee $13,500 N/A N/A $13,500 for service on
one board
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T. Gordy Germany, Trustee $13,500 N/A N/A $13,500 for service on
one board
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Bernard F. Sliger, Trustee $13,500 N/A N/A $13,500 for service on
one board
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jesse S. Hall, Trustee $13,500 $N/A N/A $13,500 for service on
one board
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
COMPUTATION OF YIELD
The current yield of the Funds will be calculated daily based upon the seven
days ending on the date of calculation ("base period"). The yield is computed
by determining the net change (exclusive of capital changes) in the value of a
hypothetical pre-existing shareholder account having a balance of one share at
the beginning of the period, subtracting a hypothetical charge reflecting
deductions from shareholder accounts, and dividing such net change by the value
of the account at the beginning of the same period to obtain the base period
return and multiplying the result by (365/7). Realized and unrealized gains and
losses are not included in the calculation of the yield. The effective
compound yield of the Funds is
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<PAGE>
determined by computing the net change, exclusive of capital changes, in the
value of a hypothetical pre-existing account having a balance of one share at
the beginning of the period, subtracting a hypothetical charge reflecting
deductions from shareholder accounts, and dividing the difference by the value
of the account at the beginning of the base period to obtain the base period
return, and then compounding the base period return by adding 1, raising the sum
to a power equal to 365 divided by 7, and subtracting 1 from the result,
according to the following formula: Effective Yield = [Base Period Return + 1)
365/7] - 1. The current and the effective yields reflect the reinvestment of
net income earned daily on portfolio assets.
The yield of these Funds fluctuates, and the annualization of a week's dividend
is not a representation by the Trust as to what an investment in the Fund will
actually yield in the future. Actual yields will depend on such variables as
asset quality, average asset maturity, the type of instruments the Fund invests
in, changes in interest rates on money market instruments, changes in the
expenses of the Fund and other factors.
Yields are one basis upon which investors may compare the Funds with other money
market funds; however, yields of other money market funds and other investment
vehicles may not be comparable because of the factors set forth above and
differences in the methods used in valuing portfolio instruments.
ADVERTISING
From time to time, the Trust may include the names of clients of the Advisor in
advertisements and/or sales literature for the Trust.
PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF SHARES
Purchases and redemptions of shares of the Funds may be made on any day the New
York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") is open for business. Currently, the NYSE is
closed on the days following holidays are observed: New Year's Day, Presidents'
Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day
and Christmas Day.
It is currently the Trust's policy to pay for all redemptions in cash. The
Trust retains the right, however, to alter this policy to provide for
redemptions in whole or in part by a distribution in-kind of readily marketable
securities held by the Funds in lieu of cash. Shareholders may incur brokerage
charges on the sale of any such securities so received in payment of
redemptions. A Shareholder will at all times be entitled to aggregate cash
redemptions from all Funds of the Trust during any 90-day period of up to the
lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Trust's net assets.
The Trust reserves the right to suspend the right of redemption and/or to
postpone the date of payment upon redemption for any period on which trading on
the NYSE is restricted, or during the existence of an emergency (as determined
by the Securities and Exchange Commission by rule or regulation) as a result of
disposal or valuation of a Fund's securities is not reasonably practicable, or
for such other periods as
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<PAGE>
the Securities and Exchange Commission has by order permitted. The Trust also
reserves the right to suspend sales of shares of a Fund for any period during
which the NYSE, an Advisor, the Administrator and/or the Custodian are not open
for business. Investors will receive written notification at least thirty days
prior to any change in a Fund's investment objective.
Certain state securities laws may require those financial institutions providing
certain distribution services to the Trust to register as dealers pursuant to
state law.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
The net asset value per share of the Funds is calculated daily by the
Administrator by adding the value of securities and other assets, subtracting
liabilities and dividing by the number of outstanding shares. Securities will
be valued by the amortized cost method which involves valuing a security at its
cost on the date of purchase and thereafter (absent unusual circumstances)
assuming a constant amortization to maturity of any discount or premium,
regardless of the impact of fluctuations in general market rates of interest on
the value of the instrument. While this method provides certainty in valuation,
it may result in periods during which a security's value, as determined by this
method, is higher or lower than the price a Fund would receive if it sold the
instrument. During periods of declining interest rates, the daily yield of a
Fund may tend to be higher than a like computation made by a company with
identical investments utilizing a method of valuation based upon market prices
and estimates of market prices for all of its portfolio securities. Thus, if
the use of amortized cost by a Fund resulted in a lower aggregate portfolio
value on a particular day, a prospective investor in a Fund would be able to
obtain a somewhat higher yield than would result from investment in a company
utilizing solely market values, and existing investors in a Fund would
experience a lower yield. The converse would apply in a period of rising
interest rates.
A Fund's use of amortized cost and the maintenance of a Fund's net asset value
at $1.00 are permitted by regulations promulgated by Rule 2a-7 under the 1940
Act, provided that certain conditions are met. The regulations also require the
Trustees to establish procedures which are reasonably designed to stabilize the
net asset value per share at $1.00 for the Funds. Such procedures include the
determination of the extent of deviation, if any, of the Funds current net asset
value per share calculated using available market quotations from the Funds
amortized cost price per share at such intervals as the Trustees deem
appropriate and reasonable in light of market conditions and periodic reviews of
the amount of the deviation and the methods used to calculate such deviation.
In the event that such deviation exceeds 1/2 of 1%, the Trustees are required
to consider promptly what action, if any, should be initiated, and, if the
Trustees believe that the extent of any deviation may result in material
dilution or other unfair results to Shareholders, the Trustees are required to
take such corrective action as they deem appropriate to eliminate or reduce such
dilution or unfair results to the extent reasonably practicable. Such actions
may include the sale of portfolio instruments prior to maturity to realize
capital gains or losses or to shorten average portfolio maturity; withholding
dividends; redeeming shares in kind; or establishing a net asset value per share
by using available market quotations. In addition, if the Funds incur a
significant loss or liability, the Trustees have the authority to reduce pro
rata the number of shares of the Funds in each Shareholder's account and to
offset each Shareholder's pro rata portion of such loss or liability from the
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<PAGE>
Shareholder's accrued but unpaid dividends or from future dividends while each
other Fund must annually distribute at least 90% of its investment company
taxable income.
TAXES
FEDERAL INCOME TAX
In order to qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company ("RIC")
under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended ("Code"), each Fund must
distribute annually to its Shareholders at least the sum of 90% of its net
interest income excludable from gross income plus 90% of its investment company
taxable income (generally, net investment income plus net short-term capital
gain) ("Distribution Requirement") and also must meet several additional
requirements. Among these requirements are the following: (i) at least 90% of
a Fund's gross income each taxable year must be derived from dividends,
interest, payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or
other disposition of stock or securities, or certain other income, (ii) a Fund
must derive less than 30% of its gross income each taxable year from the sale or
other disposition of stocks or securities held for less than three months; (iii)
at the close of each quarter of a Fund's taxable year, at least 50% of the value
of its total assets must be represented by cash and cash items, U.S. Government
securities, securities of other RIC's and other securities, with such other
securities limited, in respect to any one issuer, to an amount that does not
exceed 5% of the value of a Fund's assets and that does not represent more than
10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer; and (iv) at the close
of each quarter of a Fund's taxable year, not more than 25% of the value of its
assets may be invested in securities (other than U.S. Government securities or
the securities of other RIC's) of any one issuer, or of two or more issuers
engaged in same or similar businesses if the Fund owns at least 20% of the
voting power of such issuers.
Notwithstanding the Distribution Requirement described above, which only
requires a Fund to distribute at least 90% of its annual investment company
taxable income and does not require any minimum distribution of net capital
gains (the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital
loss), a Fund will be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax to the extent it
fails to distribute by the end of any calendar year 98% of its ordinary income
for that year and 98% of its capital gain net income for the one-year period
ending on October 31 of that calendar year, plus certain other amounts.
Any gain or loss recognized on a sale or redemption of Shares of a Fund by a
Shareholder who is not a dealer in securities will generally be treated as a
long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than twelve
months and otherwise will be generally treated as a short-term capital gain or
loss. Any loss recognized by a Shareholder upon the sale or redemption of
shares of a tax-free Fund held for six months or less, however, will be
disallowed to the extent of any exempt-interest dividends received by the
Shareholder with respect to such shares. If shares on which a net capital gain
distribution has been received are subsequently sold or redeemed and such shares
have been held for six months or less, any loss recognized will be treated as a
long-term capital loss to the extent of the long-term capital gain distribution.
STATE TAXES
B-17
<PAGE>
A Fund is not liable for any income or franchise tax in Massachusetts if it
qualifies as a RIC for federal income tax purposes. Distributions by the Funds
to Shareholders and the ownership of shares may be subject to state and local
taxes.
FUND TRANSACTIONS
The Trust has no obligation to deal with any dealer or group of dealers in the
execution of transactions in portfolio securities. Subject to policies
established by the Trustees, the Advisor is responsible for placing the orders
to execute transactions for a Fund. In placing orders, it is the policy of the
Trust to seek to obtain the best net results taking into account such factors as
price (including the applicable dealer spread), the size, type and difficulty of
the transaction involved, the firm's general execution and operational
facilities, and the firm's risk in positioning the securities involved. While
the Advisor generally seeks reasonably competitive spreads or commissions, the
Trust will not necessarily be paying the lowest spread or commission available.
The money market securities in which the Funds invest are traded primarily in
the over-the-counter market. Bonds and debentures are usually traded
over-the-counter, but may be traded on an exchange. Where possible, the Advisor
will deal directly with the dealers who make a market in the securities involved
except in those circumstances where better prices and execution are available
elsewhere. Such dealers usually are acting as principal for their own account.
On occasion, securities may be purchased directly from the issuer. Money market
securities are generally traded on a net basis and do not normally involve
either brokerage commissions or transfer taxes. The cost of executing portfolio
securities transactions of the Trust will primarily consist of dealer spreads
and underwriting commissions.
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES
The Declaration of Trust authorizes the issuance of an unlimited number of
shares and classes of shares of the Funds each of which represents an equal
proportionate interest in that Fund with each other share. Shares are entitled
upon liquidation to a PRO RATA share in the net assets of the Funds.
Shareholders have no preemptive rights. The Declaration of Trust provides that
the Trustees of the Trust may create additional series of shares or classes of
series. All consideration received by the Trust for shares of any additional
series and all assets in which such consideration is invested would belong to
that series and would be subject to the liabilities related thereto. Share
certificates representing shares will not be issued.
SHAREHOLDER LIABILITY
The Trust is an entity of the type commonly known as a "Massachusetts business
trust." Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of such a trust could, under
certain circumstances, be held personally liable as partners for the obligations
of the trust. Even if, however, the Trust were held to be a partnership, the
possibility of the Shareholders' incurring financial loss for that reason
appears remote because the Trust's Declaration of Trust contains an express
disclaimer of Shareholder liability for obligations of the Trust and requires
that notice of such disclaimer be given in each agreement, obligation or
instrument entered into or executed by or on behalf of the Trust or the
Trustees, and because the
B-18
<PAGE>
Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification out of the Trust property for
any Shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Trust.
LIMITATION OF TRUSTEES' LIABILITY
The Declaration of Trust provides that a Trustee shall be liable only for his
own willful defaults and, if reasonable care has been exercised in the selection
of officers, agents, employees or investment advisors, shall not be liable for
any neglect or wrongdoing of any such person. The Declaration of Trust also
provides that the Trust will indemnify its Trustees and officers against
liabilities and expenses incurred in connection with actual or threatened
litigation in which they may be involved because of their offices with the Trust
unless it is determined in the manner provided in the Declaration of Trust that
they have not acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that their actions
were in the best interests of the Trust. However, nothing in the Declaration of
Trust shall protect or indemnify a Trustee against any liability for his willful
misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of his duties.
B-19
