Proxy Statement (a) Parent shall prepare and file with the SEC, as promptly as practicable after the date of this Agreement (and will use reasonable best efforts to do so no later than thirty (30) days after the date of this Agreement), a preliminary Proxy Statement and each of Parent and Buyer shall, or shall cause their respective Affiliates to, prepare and file with the SEC all other documents required by the Exchange Act in connection with the Sale, and Buyer and Parent shall cooperate with each other in connection with the preparation of the Proxy Statement and any such other filings.
(b) Subject to applicable Law, and notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, prior to the filing of the preliminary Proxy Statement (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or any dissemination thereof to Parent shareholders, or responding to any comments from the SEC with respect thereto, Parent shall provide Buyer and its counsel with a reasonable opportunity to review and to comment on such document or response, which Parent shall consider in good faith and include in such filing, document or response any reasonable comments reasonably proposed by Buyer and its Representatives. Buyer shall furnish to Parent the information relating to it required by the Exchange Act to be set forth in the Proxy Statement. Parent shall promptly notify Buyer upon the receipt of any comments from the SEC or its staff or any request from the SEC or its staff for amendments or supplements to the Proxy Statement and shall provide Buyer with copies of (1) all material correspondence between it and its Representatives, on the one hand, and the SEC and its staff, on the other hand, relating to the Proxy Statement and (2) all written comments with respect to the Proxy Statement received from the SEC. Parent shall use its reasonable best efforts to resolve all SEC comments with respect to the Proxy Statement as promptly as practicable after receipt thereof, and Buyer shall cooperate to provide responses to such SEC comments. Parent shall cause the Proxy Statement to be mailed to Parent’s shareholders as promptly as practicable after the earlier of (i) receiving notification that the SEC or its staff is not reviewing the Proxy Statement or (ii) the conclusion of any SEC or staff review of the Proxy Statement. Parent and Seller agree that any material breach of their obligations under Section 5.02(a) or Section 5.02(b) shall be deemed to be a willful and material breach of this Agreement by Parent; provided that Buyer has provided to Parent written notice of such material breach within ten (10) Business Days of first becoming aware of such material breach and Parent and Seller fail to cure such breach by ten (10) Business Days after such notice is provided.
(c) If at any time prior to the Shareholders Meeting, any information relating to Parent or Buyer, or any of their respective Affiliates, is discovered by a Party, which information should be set forth in an amendment or supplement to the Proxy Statement, the Party that discovers such information shall promptly notify the other Party, and Parent shall prepare (with the assistance of Buyer) and mail to its shareholders such an amendment or supplement, in each case, to the extent required by applicable Law. Parent and Buyer each agrees to promptly (1) correct any information provided by it specifically for use in the Proxy Statement if and to the extent that such information shall have become false or misleading in any material respect and (2) supplement the information provided by it specifically for use in the Proxy Statement to include any information that shall become necessary in order to make the statements in the Proxy Statement, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Parent further agrees to cause the Proxy Statement as so corrected or supplemented promptly to be filed with the SEC and to be disseminated to its shareholders of record as of the record date established for the Shareholders Meeting, in each case, as and to the extent required by applicable Law.
Offer Documents; Proxy Statement Neither the Offer Documents nor any of the information supplied by Purchaser or Parent for inclusion in the Schedule 14D-9 shall, at the respective times such Offer Documents and Schedule 14D-9 are filed with the SEC or are first published, sent or given to shareholders, as the case may be, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated or incorporated by reference therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Proxy Statement shall not, at the date the Proxy Statement (or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto) is first mailed to Company Shareholders and Parent Stockholders and at the time of the Company Shareholders Meeting or the Parent Stockholders Meeting, be false or misleading with respect to any material fact, or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading or necessary to correct any statement in any earlier communication with respect to the solicitation of proxies for the Company Shareholders Meeting or the Parent Stockholders Meeting which has become false or misleading. The Registration Statement will not, at the time the Registration Statement becomes effective under the Securities Act, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Parent and Purchaser make no representation or warranty with respect to any information supplied by the Company or any of its representatives which is contained in the Offer Documents, the Proxy Statement or the Registration Statement. The Offer Documents, as amended and supplemented, the Proxy Statement and the Registration Statement will comply in all material respects as to form with the requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder and the Securities Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, as applicable.
Registration Statement; Proxy Statement (a) As promptly as practicable after the execution of this Agreement, Parent and the Company shall prepare and file with the SEC a joint proxy statement relating to the Company Stockholders’ Meeting and the Parent Stockholders’ Meeting (together with any amendments thereof or supplements thereto, the “Proxy Statement”) and Parent shall prepare and file with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4 (together with all amendments thereto, the “Registration Statement”; the prospectus contained in the Registration Statement together with the Proxy Statement, the “Joint Proxy/Prospectus”), in which the Proxy Statement shall be included, in connection with the registration under the Securities Act of the shares of Parent Common Stock to be issued to the stockholders of the Company in the Merger. Each of Parent and the Company shall use reasonable best efforts to cause the Registration Statement to become effective as promptly as practicable, and, prior to the effective date of the Registration Statement, Parent shall take all or any action reasonably required under any applicable federal or state securities Laws in connection with the issuance of shares of Parent Common Stock in the Merger. Each of Parent and the Company shall furnish all information concerning it and the holders of its capital stock as the other may reasonably request in connection with such actions and the preparation of the Registration Statement and Proxy Statement. As promptly as reasonably practicable after the Registration Statement shall have become effective and the Proxy Statement shall have been cleared by the SEC, the Company and Parent shall mail the Joint Proxy/Prospectus to their respective stockholders; provided, however, that the parties shall consult and cooperate with each other in determining the appropriate time for mailing the Joint Proxy/Prospectus in light of the date set for the Company Stockholders’ Meeting and the Parent Stockholders’ Meeting. No filing of, or amendment or supplement to, the Proxy Statement shall be made by Parent or the Company, and no filing of, or amendment or supplement to, the Registration Statement shall be made by Parent, in each case, without the prior written consent of the other party, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld. Parent and the Company each shall advise the other, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when the Registration Statement has become effective or any supplement or amendment has been filed, of the issuance of any stop order, the suspension of the qualification of the Parent Common Stock issuable in connection with the Merger for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or any request by the SEC for amendment of the Proxy Statement or the Registration Statement or comments thereon and responses thereto or requests by the SEC for additional information.
(b) The information supplied by the Company and Parent for inclusion or incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement and the Proxy Statement shall not, at (i) the time the Registration Statement is declared effective, (ii) the time the Proxy Statement (or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto) is first mailed to the stockholders of the Company, (iii) the time the Proxy Statement (or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto) is first mailed to stockholders of Parent, (iv) the time of the Company Stockholders’ Meeting, and (v) the time of the Parent Stockholders’ Meeting, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading. If at any time prior to the Effective Time any event or circumstance relating to the Company or Parent, or any of their respective Subsidiaries, or their respective officers or directors, is discovered by such party which should be set forth in an amendment or a supplement to the Registration Statement or Proxy Statement, such party shall promptly inform the other party. All documents that either the Company or Parent is responsible for filing with the SEC in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby will comply as to form and substance in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder and the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Preparation of Proxy Statement; Stockholders Meeting (a) As promptly as reasonably practicable, but in any event within 45 days, following the date of this Agreement, the Company shall, with the assistance of Parent, prepare the Proxy Statement and file the Proxy Statement with the SEC. Parent, HoldCo, Merger Sub and the Company will cooperate with each other in the preparation of the Proxy Statement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each of Parent, HoldCo and Merger Sub will furnish to the Company in writing the information relating to it required by the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder to be set forth in the Proxy Statement. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to resolve all SEC comments with respect to the Proxy Statement as promptly as practicable after receipt thereof. The Company and each Parent Entity will promptly correct any information provided by it for use in the Proxy Statement, if and to the extent that it shall have become false or misleading in any material respect prior to the Company Stockholders’ Meeting. The Company shall cause the Proxy Statement, as so corrected, to be filed with the SEC and to be disseminated to its stockholders, in each case, as and to the extent required by applicable federal securities laws. Parent and its counsel shall be given a reasonable opportunity to review and comment on the Proxy Statement before it is filed with the SEC, and the Company shall give good faith and reasonable consideration to any comments made by Parent or its counsel. The Company shall promptly notify and provide to Parent and its counsel any comments the Company or its counsel receives from the SEC with respect to the Proxy Statement and any request by the SEC for any amendment to the Proxy Statement or for additional information.
(b) As promptly as reasonably practicable and, in any event, no later than 40 days following the clearance of the Proxy Statement by the SEC, the Company, acting through the Company Board, shall (i) take all action necessary to duly call, give notice of, convene and hold a meeting of its stockholders for the purpose of obtaining the Company Stockholder Approval (the “Company Stockholders’ Meeting”) and (ii) except to the extent that the Company Board shall have effected an Adverse Recommendation Change in accordance with Section 5.4(c), include in the Proxy Statement a statement to the effect that the Company Board (A) has unanimously determined that the Merger and this Agreement are advisable and (B) unanimously recommends that the Company’s stockholders vote to adopt this Agreement at the Company Stockholders’ Meeting; provided, however, that the Company shall be permitted to delay, postpone or cancel the Company Stockholders’ Meeting (but not beyond the Termination Date) if in the good faith judgment of the Company Board or any committee thereof (after consultation with its legal counsel) the failure to do so would reasonably be expected to breach the Company Board’s fiduciary duties under applicable Law.
Proxy Statements, Etc Promptly after the sending or filing thereof, copies of all proxy statements, financial statements and reports which Borrower or General Partner sends to its respective shareholders, and copies of all regular, periodic and special reports, and all registration statements, which Borrower or General Partner files with the SEC or any Governmental Authority which may be substituted therefor, or with any national securities exchange;
Preparation of the Proxy Statement; Stockholders Meeting (a) As promptly as practicable following the date of this Agreement, the Company and Parent shall prepare and file with the SEC the Proxy Statement and the Company shall use its reasonable efforts to respond as promptly as practicable to any comments of the SEC with respect thereto and to cause the Proxy Statement to be mailed to the Company's stockholders as promptly as practicable following the date of this Agreement. The Company shall promptly notify Parent upon the receipt of any comments from the SEC or its staff or any request from the SEC or its staff for amendments or supplements to the Proxy Statement and shall provide Parent with copies of all correspondence between the Company and its representatives, on the one hand, and the SEC and its staff, on the other hand. Notwithstanding the foregoing, prior to filing or mailing the Proxy Statement (or any amendment or supplement thereto) or responding to any comments of the SEC with respect thereto, the Company (i) shall provide Parent an opportunity to review and comment on such document or response, (ii) shall include in such document or response all comments reasonably proposed by Parent and (iii) shall not file or mail such document or respond to the SEC prior to receiving Parent's approval, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.
(b) The Company shall, as promptly as practicable following the date of this Agreement, establish a record date (which will be as promptly as reasonably practicable following the date of this Agreement) for, duly call, give notice of, convene and hold a meeting of its stockholders (the "Stockholders Meeting") for the purpose of obtaining the Stockholder Approval, regardless of whether an Adverse Recommendation Change has occurred at any time after the date of this Agreement. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause the Stockholders Meeting to be held as promptly as practicable following the date of this Agreement. The Company shall, through its Board of Directors, recommend to its stockholders that they adopt this Agreement, and shall include such recommendation in the Proxy Statement, in each case subject to its rights under Section 4.02(b)(i). Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company agrees that its obligations pursuant to this Section 5.01(b) shall not be affected by the commencement, public proposal, public disclosure or communication to the Company or any other person of any Takeover Proposal.
Registration Statement and Proxy Statement (a) None of the information supplied or to be supplied by or on behalf of WPL for inclusion or incorporation by reference in:
(i) the registration statement on Form S-4 to be filed with the SEC by WPL in connection with the issuance of shares of WPL Common Stock in the Merger (the "Registration Statement") will, at the time the Registration Statement is filed with the SEC and at the time it becomes effective under the Securities Act, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; and
(ii) the joint proxy statement, in definitive form, relating to the meetings of WPL, IES and Interstate shareholders to be held in connection with the Merger (the "Proxy Statement") will, at the date(s) mailed to shareholders and at the times of the meetings of shareholders to be held in connection with the Merger, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading.
(b) The Registration Statement and the Proxy Statement will comply as to form in all material respects with the provisions of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, respectively, and the applicable rules and regulations thereunder.
Registration Statement; Joint Proxy Statement (a) As promptly as practicable after the date of this Agreement, Parent and the Company shall prepare and cause to be filed with the SEC the Joint Proxy Statement and simultaneously or thereafter Parent shall prepare and cause to be filed with the SEC the Form S-4 Registration Statement, in which the Joint Proxy Statement will be included as a prospectus. Each of Parent and the Company shall use all reasonable efforts to cause the Form S-4 Registration Statement and the Joint Proxy Statement to comply with the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC, to respond promptly to any comments of the SEC or its staff and to have the Form S-4 Registration Statement declared effective under the Securities Act as promptly as practicable after it is filed with the SEC. Parent will use all reasonable efforts to cause the Joint Proxy Statement to be mailed to Parent's stockholders, and the Company will use all reasonable efforts to cause the Joint Proxy Statement to be mailed to the Company's shareholders, as promptly as practicable after the Form S-4 Registration Statement is declared effective under the Securities Act. Each of the Company and Parent shall promptly furnish to the other all information concerning the Acquired Corporations and the Company's shareholders and the Parent Corporations, respectively, that may be required or reasonably requested in connection with any action contemplated by this Section 5.1. Each of the Company and Parent shall notify the other promptly of the receipt of any comments from the SEC or its staff and of any request by the SEC or its staff for any amendment or supplement to the Form S-4 Registration Statement or Joint Proxy Statement or for any other information and shall supply the other with copies of all correspondence between such party and the SEC or its staff or other governmental officials with respect to the S-4 Registration Statement or Joint Proxy Statement. The information supplied by each of Parent and the Company for inclusion in the Form S-4 Registration Statement and the Joint Proxy Statement shall not (i) at the time the Form S-4 Registration Statement is declared effective, (ii) at the time the Joint Proxy Statement is first mailed to the shareholders and shareholders of Parent and the Company, respectively, (iii) at the time of the Company Shareholders' Meeting and at the time of the Parent Stockholders' Meeting, and (iv) at the Effective Time, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. If Parent or the Company becomes aware of any information, that should be disclosed in an amendment or supplement to the Form S-4 Registration Statement or the Joint Proxy Statement, then Parent or the Company, as the case may be, shall promptly inform the Company or Parent thereof and shall cooperate with the other in filing such amendment or supplement with the SEC and, if appropriate, in mailing such amendment or supplement to the shareholders of the Company or the stockholders of Parent.
(b) Prior to the Effective Time, Parent shall use reasonable efforts to obtain all regulatory approvals needed to ensure that the Parent Common Stock to be issued in the Merger (i) will be registered or qualified under the securities law of every jurisdiction of the
PROSPECTUS AND PROXY STATEMENTS; VOTING 3.1. At least annually, the Trust or its designee shall provide the Company, free of charge, with as many copies of the current prospectus (describing only the Portfolios listed in Schedule A hereto) for the Shares as the Company may reasonably request for distribution to existing Policy owners whose Policies are funded by such Shares. The Trust or its designee shall provide the Company, at the Company's expense, with as many copies of the current prospectus for the Shares as the Company may reasonably request for distribution to prospective purchasers of Policies. If requested by the Company in lieu thereof, the Trust or its designee shall provide such documentation (including a "camera ready" copy of the new prospectus as set in type or, at the request of the Company, as a diskette in the form sent to the financial printer) and other assistance as is reasonably necessary in order for the parties hereto once each year (or more frequently if the prospectus for the Shares is supplemented or amended) to have the prospectus for the Policies and the prospectus for the Shares printed together in one document; the expenses of such printing to be apportioned between (a) the Company and (b) the Trust or its designee in proportion to the number of pages of the Policy and Shares' prospectuses, taking account of other relevant factors affecting the expense of printing, such as covers, columns, graphs and charts; the Trust or its designee to bear the cost of printing the Shares' prospectus portion of such document for distribution to owners of existing Policies funded by the Shares and the Company to bear the expenses of printing the portion of such document relating to the Accounts; provided, however, that the Company shall bear all printing expenses of such combined documents where used for distribution to prospective purchasers or to owners of existing Policies not funded by the Shares. In the event that the Company requests that the Trust or its designee provides the Trust's prospectus in a "camera ready" or diskette format, the Trust shall be responsible for providing the prospectus in the format in which it or MFS is accustomed to formatting prospectuses and shall bear the expense of providing the prospectus in such format (e.g., typesetting expenses), and the Company shall bear the expense of adjusting or changing the format to conform with any of its prospectuses.
3.2. The prospectus for the Shares shall state that the statement of additional information for the Shares is available from the Trust or its designee. The Trust or its designee, at its expense, shall print and provide such statement of additional information to the Company (or a master of such statement suitable for duplication by the Company) for distribution to any owner of a Policy funded by the Shares. The Trust or its designee, at the Company's expense, shall print and provide such statement to the Company (or a master of such statement suitable for duplication by the Company) for distribution to a prospective purchaser who requests such statement or to an owner of a Policy not funded by the Shares.
3.3. The Trust or its designee shall provide the Company free of charge copies, if and to the extent applicable to the Shares, of the Trust's proxy materials, reports to Shareholders and other communications to Shareholders in such quantity as the Company shall reasonably require for distribution to Policy owners.
3.4. Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3 above, or of Article V below, the Company shall pay the expense of printing or providing documents to the extent such cost is considered a distribution expense. Distribution expenses would include by way of illustration, but are not limited to, the printing of the Shares' prospectus or prospectuses for distribution to prospective purchasers or to owners of existing Policies not funded by such Shares.
3.5. The Trust hereby notifies the Company that it may be appropriate to include in the prospectus pursuant to which a Policy is offered disclosure regarding the potential risks of mixed and shared funding.
3.6. If and to the extent required by law, the Company shall:
(a) solicit voting instructions from Policy owners;
(b) vote the Shares in accordance with instructions received from Policy owners; and
(c) vote the Shares for which no instructions have been received in the same proportion as the Shares of such Portfolio for which instructions have been received from Policy owners; so long as and to the extent that the SEC continues to interpret the 1940 Act to require pass through voting privileges for variable contract owners. The Company will in no way recommend action in connection with or oppose or interfere with the solicitation of proxies for the Shares held for such Policy owners. The Company reserves the right to vote shares held in any segregated asset account in its own right, to the extent permitted by law. Participating Insurance Companies shall be responsible for assuring that each of their separate accounts holding Shares calculates voting privileges in the manner required by the Mixed and Shared Funding Exemptive Order. The Trust and MFS will notify the Company of any changes of interpretations or amendments to the Mixed and Shared Funding Exemptive Order.
Proxy Statement/Prospectus 8.2.1. For the purposes (a) of registering SR Bancorp Common Stock to be offered to holders of Regal Bancorp Common Stock in connection with the Merger with the SEC under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, and (b) of holding the Regal Bancorp Stockholders Meeting, SR Bancorp shall draft and prepare, and Regal Bancorp shall cooperate in the preparation of, the Merger Registration Statement, including a combined proxy statement and prospectus or statements, satisfying all applicable requirements of state securities and banking laws, and of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations thereunder (such proxy statement/prospectus in the form mailed by Regal Bancorp to the Regal Bancorp stockholders, together with any and all amendments or supplements thereto, being herein referred to as the “Proxy Statement-Prospectus”). SR Bancorp shall file the Merger Registration Statement, including the Proxy Statement-Prospectus, with the SEC. Each of SR Bancorp and Regal Bancorp shall use their best efforts to have the Merger Registration Statement declared effective under the Securities Act as promptly as practicable after such filing, and Regal Bancorp shall thereafter promptly mail the Proxy Statement-Prospectus to its stockholders; provided, such mailing shall not occur until the Conversion Registration Statement has been declared effective by the SEC. SR Bancorp shall also use its best efforts to obtain all necessary state securities law or “Blue Sky” permits and approvals required to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and Regal Bancorp shall furnish all information concerning Regal Bancorp and the holders of Regal Bancorp Common Stock as may be reasonably requested in connection with any such action. SR Bancorp shall use reasonable best efforts to keep the Merger Registration Statement effective as long as is necessary to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby.
8.2.2. Regal Bancorp shall provide SR Bancorp with any information concerning itself that Somerset Bank may reasonably request in connection with the drafting and preparation of the Proxy Statement-Prospectus, and Somerset Bank shall notify Regal Bancorp promptly of the receipt of any comments of the SEC with respect to the Proxy Statement-Prospectus and of any requests by the SEC for any amendment or supplement thereto or for additional information and shall provide to Regal Bancorp promptly copies of all correspondence between SR Bancorp, Somerset Bank or any of their representatives and the SEC. The information to be provided by Regal Bancorp, Regal Bank, SR Bancorp and Somerset Bank for inclusion in the Proxy-Statement Prospectus and the Conversion Prospectus will, at the time such documents are filed, be accurate in all material aspects and shall not contain any untrue statement of material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. SR Bancorp and Somerset Bank shall give Regal Bancorp and its counsel the opportunity to review, comment on and approve the Proxy Statement-Prospectus prior to its being filed with the SEC and shall give Regal Bancorp and its counsel the opportunity to review, comment on and approve all amendments and supplements to the Proxy Statement-Prospectus and all responses to requests for additional information and replies to comments prior to their being filed with, or sent to, the SEC, provided that the requirement to provide the opportunity to review, comment on and approve pursuant to this Section 8.2.2 shall be, subject to Section 12.13, limited to information with respect to Regal Bancorp, Regal Bank, the Merger and this Merger Agreement. Each of Somerset Bank, SR Bancorp and Regal Bancorp agrees to use all reasonable efforts, after consultation with the other Party hereto, to respond promptly to all such comments of and requests by the SEC.
8.2.3. Each Party hereto shall promptly notify the other Party if at any time it becomes aware that the Proxy Statement-Prospectus or the Merger Registration Statement contains any untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. In such event, the Parties shall cooperate in the preparation of a supplement or amendment to such Proxy Statement-Prospectus that corrects such misstatement or omission, and SR Bancorp shall file an amended Merger Registration Statement with the SEC, and Regal Bancorp shall mail an amended Proxy Statement-Prospectus to Regal Bancorp’s stockholders.
