SPECIAL PURPOSE STATEMENT OF FEES AND EXPENSES PAID BY SABINE ROYALTY TRUST TO
ARGENT TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE AND ESCROW AGENT,
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023
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Trustees Fee |
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$ |
545,594 |
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Escrow agent fee paid to Trustee |
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1,636,786 |
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Total fees and expenses |
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$ |
2,182,380 |
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The accompanying notes are an integral part of this special purpose statement.
Notes
1. Sabine Royalty Trust (the Trust) is an express trust formed under the laws of Texas by the Sabine
Corporation Royalty Trust Agreement (as amended, the Trust Agreement) made and entered into effective as of December 31, 1982, between Sabine Corporation (Sabine), as trustor, and InterFirst Bank Dallas, N.A., as
trustee. Argent Trust Company (Argent) became trustee (Trustee) effective December 30, 2022. Contemporaneously with the execution of the Trust Agreement, Sabine, the initial trustee and the predecessor of Argent, as
escrow agent (the Escrow Agent), entered into an escrow agreement which establishes an escrow (the Escrow). Prior to distribution of units of beneficial interest (the Units) in the Trust to Sabines
shareholders, Sabine transferred to the Trust royalty and mineral interests, including landowners royalties, overriding royalty interests, minerals (other than executive rights, bonuses and delay rentals), production payments and other
similar, non-participatory interests, in certain producing and proved undeveloped oil and gas properties in six states (the Royalty Properties).
In May 1988, Sabine was acquired by Pacific Enterprise (Pacific), a California corporation. Through a series of
mergers, Sabine was merged into Pacific Enterprises Oil Company (USA) (Pacific (USA)), which in turn was merged and consolidated into Sempra Energy, effective January 1, 1993. As of August 1, 2006, Sempra sold its various
interests and rights to Providence Energy Corporation (PEC). PEC in turn transferred its interests and rights to RJ Holdings, Inc. (RJ Holdings) as of June 1, 2021. These transactions had no effect on the Units. RJ
Holdings, as successor to Sabine, has assumed by operation of law all of Sabines rights and obligations with respect to the Trust.
Effective May 30, 2014, Southwest Bank became the trustee of the Trust. Effective October 19, 2017, Simmons First
National Corporation (SFNC) completed its acquisition of First Texas BHC, Inc., the parent company of Southwest Bank, the trustee of the Trust. SFNC is the parent of Simmons Bank. SFNC operated Southwest Bank as a separate bank
subsidiary for an interim period, after which Southwest Bank was merged with Simmons Bank effective February 20, 2018.
On November 4, 2021, Simmons Bank, as trustee of the Trust, announced that it had entered into an agreement with Argent,
pursuant to which Simmons Bank would resign as trustee of the Trust and would nominate Argent as successor trustee of the Trust. Simmons Banks resignation as trustee, and Argents appointment as successor trustee became effective
December 30, 2022.
The compensation agreement under the Trust Agreement provides for a cost plus fee
payable to Argent for all services rendered in its capacities as Trustee and Escrow Agent. These costs generally include an allocation of salaries and benefits, occupancy expenses, technology and other general and administration expenses. The
amounts allocated are based on estimates by the Trustee. Generally, the fees payable to Argent are calculated by dividing the expenses incurred by Argent, as Trustee and as Escrow Agent, solely for services provided by Argent in the administration
of the Trust and the Escrow by seven-tenths (0.7). Professional and other noncontributing (out-of-pocket) expenses incurred by Argent, as Trustee or Escrow Agent, as the
case may be, in the performance of its duties in the foregoing capacities are charged to the Trust or the Escrow, as the case may be, at cost. These expenses do not contribute to the fees payable to Argent described above. Annually, the Trustee must
estimate Trust and Escrow expenses contributing to the fee for the forthcoming year and publish this amount in the Trusts first quarterly report to Unit holders. The Trustee can earn a bonus by administering the Trust for total costs that