Interest Rate Adjustment The interest rate payable will be subject to adjustments from time to time if either Moody’s or S&P or, if applicable, Fitch or any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” within the meaning of Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act selected by the Company (as certified by a resolution of the Company’s board of directors) as a replacement for Moody’s or S&P, as the case may be (each, a “Substitute Rating Agency”) downgrades (or downgrades and subsequently upgrades) the credit rating assigned to the Notes, in the manner described below. Each of Moody’s, S&P and any Substitute Rating Agency is an “Interest Rate Rating Agency,” and together they are “Interest Rate Rating Agencies.”
(a) If the rating assigned by Moody’s (or, if applicable, any Substitute Rating Agency) of the Notes is decreased to a rating set forth in the immediately following table, the interest rate on the Notes will increase such that it will equal the interest rate payable on the Notes of such series on the date of their initial issuance plus the percentage set forth opposite the rating in the table below (plus, if applicable, the percentage set forth opposite the rating in the table under Section 108(b) below): Ba1 0.25 % Ba2 0.50 % Ba3 0.75 % B1 or below 1.00 % * Including the equivalent ratings of any Substitute Rating Agency.
(b) If the rating assigned by S&P (or, if applicable, any Substitute Rating Agency) of a series of Notes is decreased to a rating set forth in the immediately following table, the interest rate on the Notes of such series will increase such that it will equal the interest rate payable on the Notes of such series on the date of their initial issuance plus the percentage set forth opposite the rating in the table below (plus, if applicable, the percentage set forth opposite the rating in the table under Section 108(a) above): BB+ 0.25 % BB 0.50 % BB- 0.75 % B+ or below 1.00 % * Including the equivalent ratings of any Substitute Rating Agency. If at any time the interest rate on the Notes of a series has been increased and any of the Interest Rate Rating Agencies subsequently upgrades its rating of the Notes of such series, the interest rate on the Notes of such series will be decreased such that the interest rate for the Notes of such series equals the interest rate payable on the Notes of such series on the date of their initial issuance plus the percentages set forth opposite the ratings from the tables above in effect immediately following the upgrade in rating. If Moody’s (or any Substitute Rating Agency) subsequently upgrades its rating of the Notes of such series to Baa3 (or its equivalent, in the case of a Substitute Rating Agency) or higher, and S&P (or any Substitute Rating Agency) upgrades its rating to BBB- (or its equivalent, in the case of a Substitute Rating Agency) or higher, the interest rate on the Notes of such series will be decreased to the interest rate payable on the Notes of such series on the date of their initial issuance (and if one such upgrade occurs and the other does not, the interest rate on the Notes of such series will be decreased so that it does not reflect any increase attributable to the upgrading Interest Rate Rating Agency). In addition, the interest rates on the Notes of a series will permanently cease to be subject to any adjustment described above (notwithstanding any subsequent downgrade in the ratings by any of the Interest Rate Rating Agencies) if the Notes of such series become rated Baa1 and BBB+ (or, in either case, the equivalent thereof, in the case of a Substitute Rating Agency) or higher by Moody’s and S&P (or, in either case, any Substitute Rating Agency), respectively (or one of these ratings if the Notes of such series are only rated by one rating agency). Each adjustment required by any downgrade or upgrade in a rating set forth above, whether occasioned by the action of Moody’s or S&P (or, in either case, any Substitute Rating Agency), shall be made independent of any and all other adjustments. In no event shall (1) the interest rate on the Notes of a series be reduced to below the interest rate payable on the Notes of such series on the date of their initial issuance or (2) the total increase in the interest rate on the Notes of such series exceed 2.00% above the interest rate payable on the Notes of such series on the date of their initial issuance. No adjustments in the interest rate of the Notes of a series shall be made solely as a result of an Interest Rate Rating Agency ceasing to provide a rating on the Notes of such series. If at any time less than two Interest Rate Rating Agencies provide a rating of the Notes of such series for reasons beyond the Company’s control, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to obtain a rating of the Notes of such series from a Substitute Rating Agency, if one exists, in which case, for purposes of determining any increase or decrease in the interest rate on the Notes of such series pursuant to the tables above (a) such Substitute Rating Agency will be substituted for the last Interest Rate Rating Agency to provide a rating of the Notes of such series but which has since ceased to provide such rating, (b) the relative rating scale used by such Substitute Rating Agency to assign ratings to senior unsecured debt will be determined in good faith by an independent investment banking institution of national standing appointed by the Company and, for purposes of determining the applicable ratings included in the applicable table above with respect to such Substitute Rating Agency, such ratings will be deemed to be the equivalent ratings used by Moody’s or S&P, as applicable, in such table and (c) the interest rate on the Notes of a series will increase or decrease, as the case may be, such that the interest rate equals the interest rate payable on the Notes of a series on the date of their initial issuance plus the appropriate percentage, if any, set forth opposite the deemed equivalent rating from such Substitute Rating Agency in the applicable table above (taking into account the provisions of clause (b) above) (plus any applicable percentage resulting from a decreased rating by the other Interest Rate Rating Agency). For so long as only one Interest Rate Rating Agency provides a rating of the Notes of a series, any subsequent increase or decrease in the interest rate of the Notes of such series necessitated by a reduction or increase in the rating by the Interest Rate Rating Agency providing the rating shall be twice the applicable percentage set forth in the applicable table above. For so long as no Interest Rate Rating Agency provides a rating of the Notes of a series, the interest rate on the Notes of such series will increase to, or remain at, as the case may be, 2.00% above the interest rate payable on the Notes of such series on the date of their initial issuance. Any interest rate increase or decrease described above will take effect from the first day of the interest period commencing after the date on which a rating change occurs that requires an adjustment in the interest rate. If any Interest Rate Rating Agency changes its rating of the Notes of a series more than once prior to any particular interest payment date, the last change by such agency prior to such interest payment date will control for purposes of any interest rate increase or decrease with respect to the Notes of a series described above relating to such rating agency’s action. If the interest rate payable on the Notes of a series is increased as described above, the term “interest,” as used with respect to the Notes of such series, will be deemed to include any such additional interest unless the context otherwise requires.
