PURPOSE: To provide an amine-functional polymer which is useful in high- performance coatings, etc., by copolymerizing a vinyl ester monomer and a vinylamide, hydrolyzing the resultant copolymer under acidic conditions, and removing a by-product salt by precipitation or by extraction into an inmiscible phase.

CONSTITUTION: The objective copolymer is prepd. by copolymerizing (A) at least one vinyl ester monomer selected from among vinyl sec-alkylcarboxylates, vinyl tert-alkylcarboxylates, and their mixtures and (B) a vinylamide, hydrolyzing the resultant co- or terpolymer under acidic conditions, at least partially basifying the polymer into a free-base amine, and removing a by-product salt. Pref., monomer B is N-vinylformamide; and monomer A is vinyl 2- ethylhexanoate or a neoacid vinyl ester.