Ex. 99.CODE ETH
Coventry Funds Trust
Code of Ethics for Principal Executive and Senior Financial Officers
Dated: August 27, 2003, as amended
In accordance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Act”) and the rules promulgated
thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Variable Insurance Funds (the
“Trust”) is required to file reports pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended, and must disclose whether it has adopted a code of ethics applicable to
certain of its officers. The Trust’s Board of Trustees (“Board”), including a majority of the
Trustees that are not interested persons of the Trust, as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the
Investment Company Act of 1940 (“Investment Company Act”), has approved this Code as compliant with
the requirements of the Act and related SEC rules.
I. Covered Officers/Purpose of the Code
This Code of Ethics (the “Code”) of the Trust applies to the Trust’s Principal Executive Officer,
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer (the “Covered Officers,” each of whom are set
forth in Exhibit A) for the purpose of promoting:
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honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts
of interest between personal and professional relationships; |
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full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in reports and documents that a
registrant files with, or submits to, the SEC and in other public communications made by the
Trust; |
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compliance with applicable laws and governmental rules and regulations; |
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the prompt internal reporting of violations of the Code to an appropriate person or persons
identified in the Code; and |
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accountability for adherence to the Code. |
Each Covered Officer should adhere to a high standard of business ethics and should be
sensitive to situations that may give rise to actual as well as apparent conflicts of interest.
II. Covered Officers Should Handle Ethically Actual and Apparent Conflicts of Interest
A “conflict of interest” occurs when a Covered Officer’s private interest interferes with the
interests of, or his or her service to, the Trust. For example, a conflict of interest would arise
if a Covered Officer receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position with
the Trust.
Certain conflicts of interest may arise out of the relationships between Covered Officers and the
Trust and already are subject to conflict of interest provisions in the Investment Company Act and
the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Investment Advisers Act”). For
example, Covered Officers may not individually engage in certain transactions (such as the purchase
or sale of securities or other property) with the Trust because of their status as “affiliated
persons” of the Trust. The Trust’s and certain of its service providers’ compliance programs and
procedures are designed to prevent, or identify and correct, violations of these provisions. This
Code does not, and is not intended to, repeat or replace these programs and procedures, and such
conflicts fall outside the parameters of this Code.
Although typically not presenting an opportunity for improper personal benefit, conflicts may arise
from, or as a result of, the contractual relationship between the Trust and its investment
advisers,1 and between the Trust and the Trust’s administrator, BISYS Fund Services
Ohio, Inc. (the “Administrator”), of which the Covered Officers may be officers or employees. As a
result, this Code recognizes that the Covered Officers will, in the normal course of their duties
(whether for the Trust, the Advisers or the Administrator), be involved in establishing policies
and implementing decisions that will have different effects on the Advisers, Administrator and the
Trust. The participation of the Covered Officers in such activities is inherent in the contractual
relationships between the Trust and the Advisers and Administrator and is consistent with the
performance by the Covered Officers of their duties as officers of the Trust. Thus, if performed
in conformity with the provisions of the Investment Company Act and the Investment Advisers Act,
such activities normally will be deemed to have been handled ethically. In addition, it is
recognized by the Board that the Covered Officers may also be officers or employees of one or more
other investment companies covered by this or other codes of ethics.
Other conflicts of interest are covered by the Code, even if such conflicts of interest are not
subject to provisions in the Investment Company Act and the Investment Advisers Act. The following
list provides examples of conflicts of interest under the Code, but Covered Officers should keep in
mind that these examples are not exhaustive. The overarching principle is that the personal
interest of a Covered Officer should not be placed improperly before the interest of the Trust.
Each Covered Officer must:
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not use his or her personal influence or personal relationships improperly to influence
investment decisions or financial reporting by the Trust whereby the Covered Officer would
benefit personally to the detriment of the Trust; |
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not cause the Trust to take action, or fail to take action, for the individual personal
benefit of the Covered Officer rather than the benefit of the Trust; |
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not use material non-public knowledge of portfolio transactions made or contemplated for
the Trust to trade personally or cause others to trade personally in contemplation of the
market effect of such transactions; and |
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report at least annually the information elicited in the Trust’s Trustee and Officer
Questionnaire relating to potential conflicts of interest. |
There are some conflict of interest situations that must be discussed with the Trust’s Audit
Committee if material. Some examples of such situations include:
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1 AmSouth Investment Management Company, LLC,
OakBrook Investments, LLC, AmSouth Asset Management, Inc., Dimensional Fund
Advisors Inc., BB&T Asset Management LLC, Choice Investment Management, LLC,
and Fifth Third Asset Management (collectively, the “Advisers”). |
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service as a director on the board of any company (public or
private), other than a management investment company; |
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the receipt of any non-nominal gifts; |
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the receipt of any entertainment from any company with which
the Trust has current or prospective business dealings
unless such entertainment is business related, reasonable in
cost, appropriate as to time and place, and not so frequent
as to raise any question of impropriety; |
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any ownership interest in, or any consulting or employment
relationship with, any of the Trust’s service providers,
other than its Advisers, Administrator or any affiliated
person thereof; and |
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a direct or indirect financial interest in commissions,
transaction charges or spreads paid by the Trust for
effecting portfolio transactions or for selling or redeeming shares other than an interest arising from the Covered
Officer’s employment, such as compensation or equity
ownership. |
III. Disclosure and Compliance
Each Covered Officer:
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should familiarize himself or herself with the disclosure
requirements generally applicable to the Trust; |
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should not knowingly misrepresent, or cause others to
misrepresent, facts about the Trust to others, whether
within or outside the Trust, including to the Trustees and
auditors, governmental regulators or self-regulatory
organizations; |
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should, to the extent appropriate within his or her area of
responsibility, consult with other officers and employees of
the Trust, the Advisers, the Trust’s administrator, and
other Trust service providers, with the goal of promoting
full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure
in the reports and documents the Trust files with, or
submits to, the SEC and in other public communications made
by the Trust; and |
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has the responsibility to promote compliance with the
standards and restrictions imposed by applicable laws, rules
and regulations. |
IV. Reporting and Accountability by Covered Officers
Each Covered Officer must:
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upon adoption of the Code (or thereafter as applicable, upon
becoming a Covered Officer), affirm in writing (in the form
attached hereto as Exhibit B) to the Board that he or she
has received, read, and understands the Code; |
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annually thereafter affirm (in the form attached hereto as
Exhibit B) to the Board that he or she has complied with the
requirements of the Code; |
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not retaliate against any other Covered Officer or any
employee or agent of an affiliated person of the Trust for
reports of potential violations that are made in good faith;
and |
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notify the Trust’s Audit Committee promptly if he or she
knows of any violation of this Code. Failure to do so is
itself a violation of this Code. |
V. Enforcement
The Audit Committee is responsible for applying this Code to specific situations in which
questions are presented under it and has the authority to interpret this Code in any particular
situation. The Audit Committee is authorized to consult, as appropriate, with counsel to the
Trust. However, any approvals or waivers sought by a Covered Officer will be considered by the
Audit Committee.
The Trust will follow these procedures in investigating and enforcing this Code:
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The Audit Committee will take all appropriate action to investigate any potential violations reported to the Audit
Committee; |
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if, after such investigation, the Audit Committee believes that no violation has occurred, the Audit Committee is not
required to take any further action; |
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any matter that the Audit Committee believes is a material violation will be promptly reported to the Board of Trustees
of the Trust. The Trustees, with the exception of any person whose matter is under consideration for a waiver, shall
take such actions as they consider appropriate, including imposition of any sanctions that they consider appropriate; |
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no person shall participate in a determination of whether he or she has committed a violation of this Code or in the
imposition of any sanction against himself or herself. |
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the Audit Committee will be responsible for granting waivers, as appropriate; and |
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any amendments to or waivers of this Code will, to the extent required, be disclosed as provided by SEC rules. |
VI. Other Policies and Procedures
This Code shall be the sole code of ethics adopted by the Trust for purposes of Section 406 of the
Act and the rules and forms applicable to registered investment companies thereunder. Insofar as
other policies or procedures of the Trust, the Administrator, the Advisers or other service
providers govern or purport to govern the behavior or activities of the Covered Officers who are
subject to this Code, they are superseded by this Code to the extent that they overlap or conflict
with the provisions of this Code. The Trust’s and the Advisers’ codes of ethics under Rule 17j-1
under the Investment Company Act are separate requirements applying to the Covered Officers and
others, and are not part of this Code.
V. Amendment; Interpretation of Provisions
The Trustees may from time to time amend this Code of Ethics or adopt such interpretations of this
Code of Ethics as they deem appropriate.
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VI. Confidentiality
All reports and records prepared or maintained pursuant to this Code shall be treated as
confidential and shall not be disclosed to any one other than the Board of Trustees, the Covered
Officers and Trust counsel, except as otherwise requested by applicable law.
VII. Internal Use
The Code is intended solely for the internal use by the Trust and does not constitute an admission,
by or on behalf of the Trust, as to any fact, circumstance, or legal conclusion.
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Exhibit A
Persons Covered by this Code of Ethics
C. David Bunstine
Robert W. Silva
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