Purchasers’ Reliance Seller acknowledges that the Purchasers are entering into the transactions contemplated by this Agreement in reliance upon Seller’s identity as a legal entity that is separate from the Originator. Therefore, from and after the date of execution and delivery of this Agreement, Seller shall take all reasonable steps, including, without limitation, all steps that the Collateral Agent, any Managing Agent or any Purchaser may from time to time reasonably request, to maintain Seller’s identity as a separate legal entity and to make it manifest to third parties that Seller is an entity with assets and liabilities distinct from those of the Originator and any Affiliates thereof and not just a division of the Originator. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing and in addition to the other covenants set forth herein, Seller shall:
(A) conduct its own business in its own name and require that all full-time employees of Seller, if any, identify themselves as such and not as employees of the Originator;
(B) if applicable, compensate all employees, consultants and agents directly, from Seller’s bank accounts, for services provided to Seller by such employees, consultants and agents and, to the extent any employee, consultant or agent of Seller is also an employee, consultant or agent of the Originator, allocate the compensation of such employee, consultant or agent between Seller and the Originator on a basis that reflects the services rendered to Seller and the Originator;
(C) clearly identify its offices (by signage or otherwise) as its offices, if any, and, if any such office is located in the offices of the Originator, Seller shall lease such office at a fair market rent;
(D) if applicable, have separate stationery, invoices and checks in its own name;
(E) conduct all transactions with the Originator and the Servicer (including, without limitation, any delegation of its obligations hereunder as Servicer) strictly on an arm’s-length basis, allocate all overhead expenses (including, without limitation, telephone and other utility charges), if any, for items shared between Seller and the Originator on the basis of actual use to the extent practicable, if any, and, to the extent such allocation is not practicable, on a basis reasonably related to actual use;
(F) at all times have a Board of Directors consisting of at least three members, at least one member of which is an Independent Director;
(G) observe all organizational formalities as a distinct entity, and ensure that all corporate or limited liability company actions relating to (A) the selection, maintenance or replacement of the Independent Director, (B) the dissolution or liquidation of Seller or (C) the initiation of, participation in, acquiescence in or consent to any bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar proceeding involving Seller, are duly authorized by unanimous vote of its Board of Directors (including the Independent Director);
(H) maintain Seller’s books and records separate from those of the Originator and otherwise readily identifiable as its own assets rather than assets of the Originator;
(I) prepare its financial statements, if any, separately from those of the Originator and ensure that any consolidated financial statements of the Originator or any Affiliate thereof that include Seller and that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission or any other governmental agency have notes stating to the effect that Seller is a separate corporate entity and that its assets will be available to satisfy the claims of the creditors of Seller and of no other Person;
(J) except as herein specifically otherwise provided, maintain the funds or other assets of Seller separate from, and not commingled with, those of the Originator and only maintain bank accounts or other depository accounts to which the Seller alone is the account party, into which the Seller alone makes deposits and from which the Seller alone (or the Collateral Agent or Managing Agents hereunder) has the power to make withdrawals;
(K) pay all of Seller’s operating expenses, if any, from the Seller’s own assets (except for certain payments by the Originator or other Persons pursuant to allocation arrangements that comply with the requirements of this Section 6.1(i));
(L) operate its business and activities such that: it does not engage in any business or activity of any kind, or enter into any transaction or indenture, mortgage, instrument, agreement, contract, lease or other undertaking, other than the transactions contemplated and authorized by this Agreement and the Receivables Sale Agreement; and does not create, incur, guarantee, assume or suffer to exist any indebtedness or other liabilities, whether direct or contingent, other than (1) as a result of the endorsement of negotiable instruments for deposit or collection or similar transactions in the ordinary course of business, (2) the incurrence of obligations under this Agreement, (3) the incurrence of obligations, as expressly contemplated in the Receivables Sale Agreement, to make payment to the Originator for the purchase of Receivables from the Originator under the Receivables Sale Agreement, and (4) the incurrence of operating expenses in the ordinary course of business of the type otherwise contemplated by this Agreement;
(M) maintain its organizational documents in conformity with this Agreement, such that it does not amend, restate, supplement or otherwise modify its organizational documents in any respect that would impair its ability to comply with the terms or provisions of any of the Transaction Documents, including, without limitation, Section 6.1(i) of this Agreement;
(N) maintain the effectiveness of, and continue to perform under the Receivables Sale Agreement, such that it does not amend, restate, supplement, cancel, terminate or otherwise modify the Receivables Sale Agreement, or give any consent, waiver, directive or approval thereunder or waive any default, action, omission or breach under the Receivables Sale Agreement or otherwise grant any indulgence thereunder, without (in each case) the prior written consent of the Collateral Agent and each Managing Agent;
(O) maintain its corporate separateness such that it does not merge or consolidate with or into, or convey, transfer, lease or otherwise dispose of (whether in one transaction or in a series of transactions, and except as otherwise contemplated herein) all or substantially all of its assets (whether now owned or hereafter acquired) to, or acquire all or substantially all of the assets of, any Person, nor at any time create, have, acquire, maintain or hold any interest in any Subsidiary;
(P) maintain at all times the Required Capital Amount and refrain from making any dividend, distribution, redemption of capital stock or payment of any subordinated indebtedness which would cause the Required Capital Amount to cease to be so maintained; and
(Q) take such other actions as are necessary on its part to ensure that the facts and assumptions set forth in the opinion issued on the date hereof by Xxxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxx LLP as counsel for Seller and the Originator relating to substantive consolidation issues, and in the certificates accompanying such opinion, remain true and correct in all material respects at all times.
