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2.1
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Lending of Available Securities. The Client authorizes the Lending Agent to lend, on the Client’s behalf, those securities (“Available Securities”) which are held in accounts maintained under the supervision of the Client’s custodian (the “Custodian”) or any sub-custodian (each a “Custody Account”), other than securities which the Client’s investment advisor (the “Advisor”), on behalf of the
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2.2
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Lending to Approved Borrowers. The Client authorizes the lending of Available Securities to any one or more of the institutions approved by the Client, the Client’s Board of Directors/Trustees and/or the Client’s Advisor, in accordance with the Funds’ Guidelines and Procedures for Lending of Securities (“Securities Lending Guidelines”) (each, an “Approved Borrower”). The Client’s Advisor, on behalf of the Client, may request that the Lending Agent change the Approved Borrowers by delivering an updated list to the Lending Agent, provided that the Advisor shall report to the Board of Directors/Trustees at its next quarterly meeting any addition or removal of an Approved Borrower to or from the “approved list” made by the Advisor since the Board of Directors/Trustees prior quarterly meeting.
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2.3
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Securities Loan Agreement. The Lending Agent is authorized to execute securities loan agreements (each an “SLA”) as the Client’s agent on a disclosed basis with Approved Borrowers. The SLA will be in substantially a form or forms set forth in Schedule B hereto, as such form or forms may be materially amended from time to time with prior written approval of the Client. The Client specifically approves such form of agreement and agrees, upon request of the Lending Agent, to cause the Advisor to promptly furnish to the Lending Agent the Client’s financial statements or other documents or information reasonably requested by the Lending Agent in order to enable the Lending Agent to satisfy reasonable credit and legal requests by Approved Borrowers in connection with any SLA or loan transaction.
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2.4
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Lending under Approved Terms. All loans arranged by the Lending Agent on behalf of a Client shall comply with applicable Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) guidelines for securities lending, any applicable SEC exemptive orders, no-action positions taken by the staff of the SEC with respect to securities lending transactions, and the investment restrictions and/or guidelines for the Client, all of which shall be provided to the Lending Agent by the Client or the Advisor, and shall be subject to the terms of an SLA substantially similar to Schedule B. The Client may, at the request of the Lending Agent, approve changes to the approved terms by delivering an amended Schedule B to the Lending Agent. The Lending Agent shall negotiate on behalf of the Client with
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2.5
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Authorizations by Client. The Client authorizes and empowers the Lending Agent to execute in the Client’s name all agreements and documents as may be necessary or appropriate in the Lending Agent’s judgment to carry out the purposes of this Agreement. It is understood and agreed that the Lending Agent is authorized to supply any information regarding the Client that is required by an SLA or under applicable law.
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3.1
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Limits on Return of Loaned Securities. The Client acknowledges that, under the applicable SLA, Approved Borrowers will not be required to return loaned securities immediately upon receipt of notice from the Lending Agent terminating the applicable loan, but instead will be required to return such loaned securities within the earlier of (i) such period of time following such notice which is the standard settlement period for trades of the loaned securities entered into on the date of such notice in the principal market therefor, or from the giving of such notice or (ii) the third business day following such notice.
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3.2
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Recall of Loaned Securities. Upon receiving a notice from the Advisor that Available Securities which have been lent to an Approved Borrower should no longer be considered Available Securities (whether because of the sale of such securities or otherwise), the Lending Agent shall notify promptly thereafter the Approved Borrower which has borrowed such securities that the loan of such securities is terminated and that such securities are to be returned within the time specified by the applicable SLA, provided that the Lending Agent may alternatively determine that it is in the best interests of another lending client of the Lending Agent to renew and restate such loan transaction on behalf, and in the name, of such other lending client and cause to be delivered to the Client an equivalent amount of such security from the assets of such other lending client (in which event such renewal and restatement of the loan shall constitute separate transactions between each lending client of the Lending Agent and the borrower shall not be construed as a transaction between such clients).
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3.3
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Notification of Sales of Loaned Securities. The Client acknowledges its obligation to the Lending Agent, as applicable, to cause and require the Advisor
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3.4
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Termination. The Lending Agent is authorized in its discretion to terminate any securities loan entered into with an Approved Borrower without prior notice to the Client, subject to the conditions of the relevant SLA. The Advisor, on behalf of a Client, may instruct the Lending Agent to terminate any loan on any date, subject to the conditions of the relevant SLA. The Lending Agent agrees to comply with any such instruction.
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3.5
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Lending Agent Subject to Supervision of Advisor. The Lending Agent shall at all times be subject to the supervision of the Advisor.
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4.1
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Receipt of Collateral. At the commencement of any loan, the Lending Agent shall instruct the Approved Borrower to transfer to the Lending Agent the required Collateral. Collateral will be received from an Approved Borrower prior to or simultaneous with delivery of the securities loaned. If the Approved Borrower does not provide Collateral to the Lending Agent, as previously agreed, then the Lending Agent will cancel the corresponding loan instruction prior to delivery.
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4.2
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Holding and Administration of Collateral.
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(a)
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Cash Collateral. All Cash Collateral shall be received, held and administered by the Lending Agent for the benefit of the Client in the applicable account maintained by the Lending Agent. The Lending Agent is hereby authorized and directed, without obtaining any further approval from the Client or the Advisor, to invest and reinvest all Cash Collateral in accordance with the Securities Lending Guidelines (“Permitted Investments”).
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(b)
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Non-Cash Collateral. All Non-Cash Collateral shall be received, held and administered by the Lending Agent for the benefit of the Client in the applicable Custody Account or other account established for the purpose of holding Non-Cash Collateral.
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4.3
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Maintenance of Collateral Margin. In respect of loans of securities entered into on behalf of the Client, the Lending Agent will value on a daily basis under
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4.4
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Substitution of Collateral. To the extent the Client’s Board of Directors/Trustees permits the use of Non-Cash Collateral, the Client acknowledges and agrees that, pursuant to any SLA, the Lending Agent may permit an Approved Borrower to substitute Collateral of any type specified in Section 4 hereof during the term of any loan so long as the required margin in respect of such loan continues to be satisfied at the time of such substitution.
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4.5
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Return of Collateral. Upon termination of the loan, the Lending Agent shall instruct the Approved Borrower to return the loaned securities to the applicable Clearing Account. The Lending Agent will instruct any custodian or sub-custodian of the Client to accept such return delivery of loaned securities. The Lending Agent shall monitor the return of loaned securities. Once the Lending Agent has confirmed settlement of the return of the loaned securities, the Lending Agent shall effect, on behalf of the Client, the redemption of any Permitted Investment, if applicable, and effect the return of Collateral due the Approved Borrower in accordance with the Approved Borrower’s transfer instructions with respect thereto, without obtaining any further approval from the Client.
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5.1
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Cash Collateral Investment Direction. The Client authorizes and directs the Lending Agent, subject to oversight by the Advisor, to cause to be invested, on the Client’s behalf and at the Client’s sole risk, all Cash Collateral by effecting purchases and sales and/or subscriptions and redemptions of such Collateral in accordance with the Securities Lending Guidelines. The Lending Agent shall, where applicable, send timely instructions to the transfer agent of the Permitted Investment with respect to any cash transfers required to be completed in conjunction with any subscription or redemption in a Permitted Investment, and cause the Advisor and the Custodian to be notified of such investment. To facilitate the Lending Agent’s ability to effect investments of Cash Collateral authorized by this Agreement, the Client appoints the Lending Agent as its true and lawful attorney-in-fact, with full power of substitution and revocation, in its name, place and stead to take action in the Client’s name to the extent necessary or desirable to fulfill the purposes of this Agreement, including, without limitation, (i) to establish trading accounts in a Client’s name, (ii) to execute and
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5.2
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Cash Collateral Investment Risk. Any investment of Cash Collateral shall be at the sole risk of the Client. Any income or gains and losses from investing and reinvesting any Cash Collateral delivered by an Approved Borrower pursuant to an SLA shall be at the Client’s risk, and the Client agrees that to the extent any such losses reduce the amount of cash below the amount required to be returned to the Approved Borrower upon the termination of any loan (including any Cash Collateral Fee as defined in the SLA), the Client will, on demand of the Lending Agent, immediately pay or cause to be paid to such Approved Borrower an equivalent amount in cash.
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6.1
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Replacement of Loaned Securities. If the Lending Agent declares an event of default pursuant to the SLA with a Borrower (a “Default Event”), then the Lending Agent shall use the Collateral or the proceeds of the liquidation of Collateral to purchase for the affected Client’s account, for settlement in the normal course, replacement securities of the same issue, type, class and series as that of the loaned securities (“Buy-In”). The Lending Agent shall purchase an amount of replacement securities having a value equal to the value of the securities on loan for which a Default Event has been declared. If the cost of fully replacing the loaned securities is greater than the value of the Collateral (or liquidated damages calculated under Section 6.2), the Lending Agent shall be responsible for using its funds, at its expense, to satisfy the shortfall, but only to the extent that such shortfall is not due to any diminution in the value of the Collateral due to reinvestment risk that is borne by the Client pursuant to Section 5 of this Agreement. For purposes of this Section, value of the Collateral shall be calculated as follows:
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6.1.1
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Value of Cash Collateral. In the case of loans collateralized solely by Cash Collateral, the value of the Collateral shall be the market value of such Cash Collateral.
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6.1.2
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Value of Securities Collateral. In the case of loans collateralized solely by securities Collateral, the value of the Collateral shall be the market value of such Collateral.
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6.1.3
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Valuation Date. The value of the Collateral shall be determined on the date of the Buy-In (or the payment made pursuant to Section 6.2 below).
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6.1.4
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Market Value. Market value shall be determined by the Lending Agent, where applicable, based upon the valuation policies adopted by the Client’s Board of Directors/Trustees.
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6.1.5
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Multiple Forms of Collateral. Where a loan is collateralized by more than one type of Collateral, the aggregate market value of Collateral securing such loan (for the purpose of computing the indemnity) shall be the sum of the market values for each relevant type of Collateral.
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6.2
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Impossibility of Replacement/Liquidated Damages. If the Lending Agent determines that a Buy-In is commercially impracticable (for any reason other than price), the Lending Agent shall, in lieu of effecting a Buy-In, pay to the affected Client an amount equal to the market value of the loaned securities determined at the close of business on the date of the Default Event to be reduced by any shortfall diminution in the value of the Collateral due to reinvestment risk that is borne by the Client pursuant to Section 5.
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6.3
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Replacement of Distributions. In addition to making the purchases or payments required above, the Lending Agent shall pay from the proceeds of Collateral to the Client the value of all distributions on the Loaned Securities, the record dates for which occur before the date that the Lending Agent executes a Buy-In or makes the payments to the Client required pursuant to Section 6.2 and that have not otherwise been credited to the Client’s Custody Account. For purposes of this Section, the value of such distributions shall be calculated net of taxes, expenses or other deductions that would normally accrue to such distributions. The Lending Agent shall use Collateral or the proceeds of such Collateral to the extent available to make such payments of distributions.
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6.4
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Collateral not in Possession or Control of the Lending Agent. If, on the date of the Default Event, by reason of the Client’s request or actions, the Lending Agent is not in possession or control of the Collateral allocated to the defaulted Loan, the Client shall promptly cause such Collateral to be transferred to the Lending Agent for application against the cost of any Buy-In. In such event, the replacement provisions of this Section 6 shall not apply, and the compensation of the Client shall be limited to the value of the Collateral on the date that Buy-In or replacement payment may be affected.
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6.5
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Subrogation and Assignment of Rights in Collateral. In the event that the Lending Agent is required to perform or make any payment under this Section, the Client agrees that, to the extent of such performance or payment, the Lending Agent shall be subrogated to the Client, and the Client shall assign, and be deemed to have assigned, to the Lending Agent all of such Client’s rights in, to and against the Borrower in respect of the related loan, any Collateral pledged by such Borrower in respect of such loan and all proceeds of such Collateral to the extent permitted by applicable law. In the event that the Client receives or is credited with any payment, benefit or value from or on behalf of the Borrower in respect of rights to which the Lending Agent is subrogated as provided herein, the
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7.1
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Income and Related Payments to Borrower. Payments to an Approved Borrower shall be made in accordance with the terms of the applicable SLA.
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7.2
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Income and Related Payments to Client. The Lending Agent shall instruct each Approved Borrower which is a party to a SLA to remit any payment in-lieu-of the interest or other distribution on loaned securities (“Loan Substitute Payment”) for the account of the Client. The Lending Agent shall also instruct each Approved Borrower which is a party to a SLA to remit any other fees payable on loaned securities to the Lending Agent for the account of the Client, and the Lending Agent shall receive, hold and administer the same for the account of the Client.
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7.3
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Corporate Actions and Proxy Rights. The Client acknowledges that, with respect to securities which are out on loan over the applicable record date for such action, unless otherwise agreed hereto, it will not be entitled to participate in any dividend reinvestment program or vote any proxies; provided, however, that the Client may recall such securities upon sufficient notice to exercise proxy rights. Corporate actions will otherwise be processed in accordance with the SLA.
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10.1
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The Lending Agent may not disclose or supply any information regarding the Client or Fund unless required by any law or governmental regulation now or hereafter in effect or requested to do so by the Client; provided that the Lending Agent may disclose or supply information regarding the Client and/or Fund and any transactions authorized by this Agreement as necessary in the sole discretion of the Lending Agent in order to facilitate, effect or continue any securities loans hereunder or to assist in the analysis of the performance of the securities lending program.
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13.1
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Subject to Section 6, the Client shall indemnify and hold harmless the Lending Agent (which, for purposes of this paragraph shall include its respective officers, directors, partners, managers, employees and agents) from and against any and all claims, damages, liabilities, losses, costs or expenses, including the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel (each, a “Loss”) incurred, suffered or sustained by the Lending Agent, which arise from the Lending Agent’s actions or failure to act, in either case taken in good faith in performance of this Agreement, except to the extent that such claims, damages, liabilities, losses, costs or expenses were caused by the willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence or reckless disregard of the Lending Agent, provided that the Client’s indemnification obligation with respect to the acts or omissions of the Advisor shall not exceed the indemnification provided by such Advisor to the Client. This indemnity shall survive the termination of this Agreement and the resignation or removal of the Lending Agent as agent.
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13.2
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The Lending Agent shall indemnify and hold harmless the Client and each Fund, its Board of Directors/Trustees and the Advisor (which for purposes of this paragraph shall include its officers, directors, partners, managers, employees and agents) and any other investment advisor for the Clients and Funds from any and all Losses to the extent that any such Loss arises out of the material breach of this Agreement by or the willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence or reckless disregard of the Lending Agent, its officers, directors or employees in connection with the securities lending activities undertaken pursuant to this Agreement, provided that the Lending Agent’s indemnification obligation with respect to the acts or omissions of its subcustodians shall not exceed the indemnification provided by the applicable subcustodian to the Lending Agent. This indemnity shall survive the termination of this Agreement and the resignation or removal of the Lending Agent.
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21.1
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Any notice or other instrument in writing, authorized or required by this Agreement to be given to the Lending Agent, shall be sufficiently given if addressed to BlackRock Investment Management LLC and received by it at its offices at 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540, Attention: Howard Surloff, with a copy to BlackRock Investment Management, LLC, 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, Attention: Securities Lending Group, or at such other place as the Lending Agent may from time to time designate in writing.
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21.2
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Any notice or other instrument in writing, authorized or required by this Agreement to be given to the Client shall be sufficiently given if addressed to the Client and received by it at its offices at 100 Bellevue Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware 19809 and received by: Neal Andrews, or at such other place as the Client may from time to time designate in writing.
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BLACKROCK ADVISORS, LLC, on behalf of the investment companies indicated on Schedule A
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By:
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/s/ Neal J. Andrews
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Name:
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Neal J. Andrews
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Title:
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Managing Director
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BLACKROCK INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, LLC, as Lending Agent
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By:
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/s/ Michael Weaver
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Name:
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Michael Weaver
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Title:
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Managing Director
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1.
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For the Funds in each of the BlackRock Equity-Liquidity Complex listed on Schedule A hereto and the BlackRock Closed-End Complex (each, a “Lending Complex”), the Lending Agent Fee Percentage is twenty percent (20%).
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2.
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For the Funds in the Closed-End Complex, notwithstanding paragraph 1 above, if at any point during a calendar year, the aggregate gross revenues earned by such Funds and any other funds in such Lending Complex (and any future fund in such Lending Complex) prior to payment of compensation to the Lending Agent exceed $850,000 (the “CE Breakpoint”), the Lending Agent Fee Percentage set forth above shall be reduced to fifteen percent (15%) in allocating net income after gross revenues for the calendar year equal the CE Breakpoint. The adjusted allocation shall become effective on incremental gross income starting on the next business day after the CE Breakpoint is reached.
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3.
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For the Funds in the Equity-Liquidity Complex listed on Schedule A hereto, notwithstanding paragraph 1, if at any point during a calendar year, the aggregate gross revenues earned by such Funds and the funds listed below on Appendix B which are advised by BlackRock or its affiliates, including any future funds in such Lending Complex that have a Specials Only Securities lending program (the “Specials Only Funds”), prior to payment of compensation to the applicable lending agent, exceed $6,790,000 (the “EL Breakpoint”), the Lending Agent Fee Percentage set forth above shall be reduced to fifteen percent (15%) in allocating net income after gross revenues for the calendar year equal the EL Breakpoint. The adjusted allocation shall become effective on incremental gross income starting on the next business day after the EL Breakpoint is reached.
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4.
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The Client and the Lending Agent agree and acknowledge that no advisory fee is payable with respect to management and investment of a Fund’s Cash Collateral in any joint account, fund or similar vehicle. The Lending Agent has agreed to cap the Cash Management Costs in respect of the investment of Cash Collateral in Money Market Series on an annualized basis at 0.04% of the daily net asset value of Money Market Series. The cap on the Cash Management Costs may be raised or reduced upon mutual agreement between the Lending Agent and the Client. In the event that a Fund directly or indirectly bears any Cash Management Costs, as computed at least monthly by the Lending Agent or its designee, in excess of such cap, then such excess shall, without limitation, be deemed a transaction fee or other operational cost for which the Lending Agent shall be responsible.
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5.
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For the Funds in the BlackRock Equity-Bond Complex (a “Lending Complex”), the Lending Agent Fee Percentage shall be as set forth below:
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(a)
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With respect to a Fund that is identified as a “U.S. Equity Fund” in accordance with a methodology agreed to between the Lending Agent and the Client, the Lending Agent Fee Percentage is twenty-eight and a half percent (28.5%).
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(b)
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With respect to a Fund that is identified as an “International Equity Fund” in accordance with a methodology agreed to between the Lending Agent and the Client, the Lending Agent Fee Percentage is twenty percent (20%).
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(c)
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With respect to a Fund that is identified as a “Fund of Funds” in accordance with a methodology agreed to between the Lending Agent and the Client, the Lending Agent Fee Percentage is twenty percent (20%).
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(d)
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With respect to a Fund that is identified as a “Fixed Income Fund” in accordance with a methodology agreed to between the Lending Agent and the Client, the Lending Agent Fee Percentage is twenty percent (20%).
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6.
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Notwithstanding the foregoing, if at any point during a calendar year, the aggregate gross revenues earned by the Funds in such Lending Complex (and any future Fund in such Lending Complex) prior to payment of compensation to the Lending Agent exceed $12,120,000 (the “EB Breakpoint”), the Lending Agent Fee Percentage shall be reduced as follows in allocating net income after the gross revenues for the calendar year equal the EB Breakpoint:
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(a)
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With respect to a Fund that is identified as a “U.S. Equity Fund” in accordance with a methodology agreed to between the Lending Agent and the Client, the Lending Agent Fee Percentage shall be twenty-five percent (25%).
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(b)
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With respect to a Fund that is identified as an “International Equity Fund” in accordance with a methodology agreed to between the Lending Agent and the Client, the Lending Agent Fee Percentage shall be fifteen percent (15%).
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(c)
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With respect to a Fund that is identified as a “Fund of Funds” in accordance with a methodology agreed to between the Lending Agent and the Client, the Lending Agent Fee Percentage shall be fifteen percent (15%).
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(d)
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With respect to a Fund that is identified as a “Fixed Income Fund” in accordance with a methodology agreed to between the Lending Agent and the Client, the Lending Agent Fee Percentage shall be fifteen percent (15%).
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7.
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The Client and the Lending Agent agree and acknowledge that no advisory fee is payable with respect to management and investment of a Fund’s Cash Collateral in any joint account, fund or similar vehicle. The Lending Agent has agreed to cap the Cash Management Costs in respect of the investment of Cash Collateral in Money Market Series on an annualized basis at 0.04% of the daily net asset value of Money Market Series. The cap on the Cash Management Costs may be raised or reduced upon mutual agreement between the Lending Agent and the Client. In the event that a Fund directly or indirectly bears any Cash Management Costs, as computed at least monthly by the Lending Agent or its designee, in excess of such cap, then such excess shall, without limitation, be deemed a transaction fee or other operational cost for which the Lending Agent shall be responsible.
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8.
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Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, if the fee calculated pursuant to paragraphs 5, 6 and 7 above would result in an effective fee split for a Fund that is identified as a U.S. Equity Fund in such Lending Complex of less than sixty-five percent (65%) of the sum of such Fund’s securities lending income (after deducting the rebate to the Approved Borrowers) and Cash Management Costs for any day (the “U.S. Equity Funds Effective Fee Split Floor”), then the Lending Agent’s fees for such day shall be reduced to the extent necessary to provide such Fund with the U.S. Equity Funds Effective Fee Split Floor.
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9.
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Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, if the fee calculated pursuant to paragraphs 5, 6 and 7 above would result in an effective fee split for a Fund that is identified as a Fixed Income Fund, International Equity Fund or a Fund of Funds in such Lending Complex of less than seventy percent (70%) of the sum of such Fund’s securities lending income (after deducting the rebate to the Approved Borrowers) and Cash Management Costs for any day (the “Effective Fee Split Floor”), then the Lending Agent’s fees for such day shall be reduced to the extent necessary to provide such Fund with the Effective Fee Split Floor.
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