Redemption of the Notes SECTION 3.01.
Authorization of the Notes The Notes to be purchased by the Underwriters from the Company are in the form contemplated by the Indenture, have been duly authorized for issuance and sale pursuant to this Agreement and the Indenture and, at the Closing Date, will have been duly executed by the Company and, when authenticated in the manner provided for in the Indenture and delivered against payment of the purchase price therefor, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors or by general equitable principles, and will be entitled to the benefits of the Indenture.
Terms of the Notes Section 1.01. The following terms relating to the Notes are hereby established:
(a) The Notes shall constitute a series of Senior Securities having the title “2.625% Notes due 2027”. The Notes shall bear a CUSIP number of 302635 AH0 and an ISIN number of US302635AH04.
(b) The aggregate principal amount of the Notes that may be initially authenticated and delivered under the Indenture (except for Notes authenticated and delivered upon registration of, transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of, other Notes pursuant to Sections 304, 305, 306, 906, 1107 or 1305 of the Base Indenture, and except for any Securities that, pursuant to Section 303 of the Base Indenture, are deemed never to have been authenticated and delivered under the Indenture) shall be $400,000,000. Under a Board Resolution, Officers’ Certificate pursuant to Board Resolutions or an indenture supplement, the Company may from time to time, without the consent of the Holders of Notes, issue additional Notes (in any such case “Additional Notes”) having the same ranking and the same interest rate, maturity and other terms as the Notes; provided that, if such Additional Notes are not fungible with the Notes (or any other tranche of Additional Notes) for U.S. federal income tax purposes, then such Additional Notes will have different CUSIP numbers from the Notes (and any such other tranche of Additional Notes). Any Additional Notes and the existing Notes will constitute a single series under the Indenture and all references to the relevant Notes herein shall include the Additional Notes unless the context otherwise requires.
(c) The entire outstanding principal of the Notes shall be payable on January 15, 2027, unless earlier redeemed or repurchased in accordance with the provisions of this Eighth Supplemental Indenture.
(d) The rate at which the Notes shall bear interest shall be 2.625% per annum (the “Applicable Interest Rate”). The date from which interest shall accrue on the Notes shall be June 17, 2021, or the most recent Interest Payment Date to which interest has been paid or provided for; the Interest Payment Dates for the Notes shall be January 15 and July 15 of each year, commencing January 15, 2022 (if an Interest Payment Date falls on a day that is not a Business Day, then the applicable interest payment will be made on the next succeeding Business Day and no additional interest will accrue as a result of such delayed payment); the initial interest period will be the period from and including June 17, 2021 (or the most recent Interest Payment Date to which interest has been paid or provided for), to, but excluding, the initial Interest Payment Date, and the subsequent interest periods will be the periods from and including an Interest Payment Date to, but excluding, the next Interest Payment Date or the Stated Maturity, as the case may be. Interest so payable, and punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date, will be paid to the Person in whose name the Note (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at 5:00 p.m. New York City time, or the close of business, on the Regular Record Date for such interest, which shall be January 1 and July 1 (whether or not a Business Day), as the case may be, next preceding such Interest Payment Date. Payment of principal of (and premium, if any, on) and any such interest on the Notes will be made at the office of the Trustee located at Xxx Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, 00xx Xxxxx, Xxxxxx, XX 00000 and at such other address as designated by the Trustee, in such coin or currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and private debts; provided, however, that at the option of the Company, payment of interest may be made by check mailed to the address of the Person entitled thereto as such address shall appear in the Security Register. Interest on the Notes will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months.
(e) The Notes shall be initially issuable in global form (each such Note, a “Global Note”). The Global Notes and the Trustee’s certificate of authentication thereon shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A to this Eighth Supplemental Indenture. Each Global Note shall represent the outstanding Notes as shall be specified therein and each shall provide that it shall represent the aggregate amount of outstanding Notes from time to time endorsed thereon and that the aggregate amount of outstanding Notes represented thereby may from time to time be reduced or increased, as appropriate, to reflect exchanges and redemptions. Any endorsement of a Global Note to reflect the amount of any increase or decrease in the amount of outstanding Notes represented thereby shall be made by the Trustee or the Security Registrar, in accordance with Sections 203 and 305 of the Base Indenture.
(f) The depositary for such Global Notes (the “Depositary”) shall be The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, until a successor shall have been appointed and becomes such person, and thereafter, Depositary shall mean or include such successor. The Security Registrar with respect to the Global Notes shall be the Trustee.
(g) The Notes shall be defeasible pursuant to Section 1402 or Section 1403 of the Base Indenture. Covenant defeasance contained in Section 1403 of the Base Indenture shall apply to the covenants contained in Sections 1007 and 1008 of the Indenture.
(h) The Notes shall be redeemable pursuant to Section 1101 of the Base Indenture and as follows:
(i) The Notes will be redeemable, in whole or in part, at any time, or from time to time, at the option of the Company, at a Redemption Price equal to the greater of the following amounts, plus, in each case, accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the Redemption Date:
(A) 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed, or
(B) the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest (exclusive of accrued and unpaid interest to the Redemption Date) on the Notes to be redeemed through the Par Call Date, discounted to the Redemption Date on a semi-annual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) using the applicable Treasury Rate plus 30 basis points.
(ii) Notwithstanding the foregoing, at any time on or after December 15, 2026, the Company may redeem some or all of the Notes at any time, or from time to time, at a Redemption Price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed plus, in each case, accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the Redemption Date. For purposes of calculating the Redemption Price in connection with the redemption of the Notes, on any Redemption Date, the following terms have the meanings set forth below:
Registration of the Notes The Agent shall keep or cause to be kept at the Agent Office books (the “Note Register”) for the registration and transfer of the Notes. The Agent shall serve as the initial Note registrar and the Agent hereby accepts such appointment. The names and addresses of the holders of the Notes and the names and addresses of any transferee of any Note of which the Agent has received notice, in the form of a copy of the assignment and assumption agreement referred to in Section 15, and the principal amounts (and stated interest) of the Note owing to each such Noteholder, shall be registered in the Note Register. The Person in whose name a Note is so registered shall be deemed and treated as the sole owner and holder thereof for all purposes of this Agreement, except in the case of the Initial Noteholders who may hold their Notes through a nominee. Upon request of a Noteholder, the Agent shall provide such party with the names and addresses of the Noteholders. To the extent another party is appointed as Agent hereunder, the Noteholders hereby designate such person as its agent under this Section 16 solely for purposes of maintaining the Note Register. The parties intend for the Notes to be in registered form for federal income tax purposes under Section 5f.103-1(c) of the United States Treasury Regulations.
Limitation on Designations of Unrestricted Subsidiaries Level 3 shall not designate (1) the Borrower or Level 3 LLC as an Unrestricted Subsidiary or (2) any other Subsidiary (other than a newly created Subsidiary in which no Investment has previously been made) as an “Unrestricted Subsidiary” under this Agreement (a “Designation”) unless in the case of this clause (2):
(a) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing at the time of or after giving effect to such Designation;
(b) immediately after giving effect to such Designation, Level 3 would be able to Incur $1.00 of Indebtedness under paragraph (a) of Section 6.01; and
(c) Level 3 would not be prohibited under any provision of this Agreement from making an Investment at the time of Designation (assuming the effectiveness of such Designation) in an amount (the “Designation Amount”) equal to the portion (proportionate to Level 3’s equity interest in such Restricted Subsidiary) of the Fair Market Value of the net assets of such Restricted Subsidiary on such date. In the event of any such Designation, Level 3 shall be deemed to have made an Investment constituting a Restricted Payment pursuant to Section 6.03 for all purposes of this Agreement in the Designation Amount; provided, however, that, upon a Revocation of any such Designation of a Subsidiary, Level 3 shall be deemed to continue to have a permanent “Investment” in an Unrestricted Subsidiary of an amount (if positive) equal to (i) Level 3’s “Investment” in such Subsidiary at the time of such Revocation less (ii) the portion (proportionate to Level 3’s equity interest in such Subsidiary) of the Fair Market Value of the net assets of such Subsidiary at the time of such Revocation. At the time of any Designation of any Subsidiary as an Unrestricted Subsidiary, such Subsidiary shall not own any Capital Stock of Level 3 or any Restricted Subsidiary. In addition, neither Level 3 nor any Restricted Subsidiary shall at any time (x) provide credit support for, or a Guarantee of, any Indebtedness of any Unrestricted Subsidiary (including any undertaking, agreement or instrument evidencing such Indebtedness); provided, however, that Level 3 or a Restricted Subsidiary may pledge Capital Stock or Indebtedness of any Unrestricted Subsidiary on a nonrecourse basis such that the pledgee has no claim whatsoever against Level 3 other than to obtain such pledged Capital Stock or Indebtedness, (y) be directly or indirectly liable for any Indebtedness of any Unrestricted Subsidiary or (z) be directly or indirectly liable for any Indebtedness which provides that the holder thereof may (upon notice, lapse of time or both) declare a default thereon or cause the payment thereof to be accelerated or payable prior to its final scheduled maturity upon the occurrence of a default with respect to any Indebtedness, Lien or other obligation of any Unrestricted Subsidiary (including any right to take enforcement action against such Unrestricted Subsidiary), except in the case of clause (x) or (y) to the extent permitted under Sections 6.03 and 6.09. Unless Designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary, any Person that becomes a Subsidiary of Level 3 will be classified as a Restricted Subsidiary; provided, however, that such Subsidiary shall not be designated as a Restricted Subsidiary and shall be automatically classified as an Unrestricted Subsidiary if either of the requirements set forth in clauses (a) and (b) of the immediately following paragraph will not be satisfied immediately following such classification. Except as provided in the first sentence of this Section 6.10, no Restricted Subsidiary may be redesignated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary. A Designation may be revoked (a “Revocation”) by a Board Resolution of Level 3 delivered to the Administrative Agent, provided that Level 3 will not make any Revocation unless:
(a) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing at the time of and after giving effect to such Revocation; and
(b) all Liens and Indebtedness of such Unrestricted Subsidiary outstanding immediately following such Revocation would, if Incurred at such time, have been permitted to be Incurred at such time for all purposes of this Agreement. All Designations and Revocations must be evidenced by Board Resolutions of Level 3 delivered to the Administrative Agent (i) certifying compliance with the foregoing provisions and (ii) giving the effective date of such Designation or Revocation. Upon Designation of a Restricted Subsidiary as an Unrestricted Subsidiary in compliance with this Section 6.10, such Restricted Subsidiary shall, by delivery of documentation providing for such release in form satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, be released from any Guarantee (in the case of a Guarantor) and its obligations under the Collateral Agreement (in the case of a Grantor) previously made by such Subsidiary.
Establishment and Designation of Series The establishment and designation of any Series or class of Shares shall be effective upon the resolution by a majority of the then Board of Trustees, adopting a resolution which sets forth such establishment and designation and the relative rights and preferences of such Series or class. Each such resolution shall be incorporated herein by reference upon adoption. Each Series shall be separate and distinct from any other Series and shall maintain separate and distinct records on the books of the Trust, and the assets and liabilities belonging to any such Series shall be held and accounted for separately from the assets and liabilities of the Trust or any other Series. Shares of each Series or class established pursuant to this Section 6, unless otherwise provided in the resolution establishing such Series, shall have the following relative rights and preferences:
(a) Assets Held with Respect to a Particular Series. All consideration received by the Trust for the issue or sale of Shares of a particular Series, together with all assets in which such consideration is invested or reinvested, all income, earnings, profits, and proceeds thereof from whatever source derived, including, without limitation, any proceeds derived from the sale, exchange or liquidation of such assets, and any funds or payments derived from any reinvestment of such proceeds in whatever form the same may be, shall irrevocably be held with respect to that Series for all purposes, subject only to the rights of creditors with respect to that Series, and shall be so recorded upon the books of account of the Trust. Such consideration, assets, income, earnings, profits and proceeds thereof, from whatever source derived, including, without limitation, any proceeds derived from the sale, exchange or liquidation of such assets, and any funds or payments derived from any reinvestment of such proceeds, in whatever form the same may be, are herein referred to as "assets held with respect to" that Series. In the event that there are any assets, income, earnings, profits and proceeds thereof, funds or payments which are not readily identifiable as assets held with respect to any particular Series (collectively "General Assets"), the Board of Trustees shall allocate such General Assets to, between or among any one or more of the Series in such manner and on such basis as the Board of Trustees, in its sole discretion, deems fair and equitable, and any General Asset so allocated to a particular Series shall be held with respect to that Series. Each such allocation by the Board of Trustees shall be conclusive and binding upon the Shareholders of all Series for all purposes.
Optional Redemption of the Notes (a) The Company may redeem at its election, at any time or from time to time, some or all of the Notes before they mature at a redemption price equal to the sum of (x) 100% of the principal amount of Notes redeemed plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but not including, the date of redemption (the “Redemption Date”), subject to the rights of Holders of record of Notes on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant Interest Payment Date plus (y) the Make-Whole Premium.
(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Notes are redeemed on or after the First Par Call Date, the redemption price will not include the Make-Whole Premium.
(c) Neither the Trustee nor any Paying Agent shall have any obligation to calculate or verify the calculation of the Make-Whole Premium.
(d) The provisions of Section 3.01 through Section 3.06 of the Base Indenture shall not apply to the Notes, and the following provisions shall apply in lieu thereof:
(i) In the event that the Company chooses to redeem less than all of the Notes, selection of the Notes for redemption will be made by the Trustee:
(A) by a method that complies with the requirements, as certified to the Trustee by the Company, of the principal securities exchange, if any, on which the Notes are listed at such time, and in compliance with the requirements of the relevant clearing system; or
(B) if the Notes are not listed on a securities exchange, or such securities exchange prescribes no method of selection and the Notes are not held through a clearing system or the clearing system prescribes no method of selection, by lot.
(ii) No Notes of a principal amount of $2,000 or less shall be redeemed in part.
(iii) Notice of redemption will be delivered at least 15 but not more than 60 days before the redemption date to each Holder of Notes to be redeemed, the Trustee and the Paying Agent; provided that, if the redemption notice is issued in connection with a defeasance of the Notes or satisfaction and discharge of the Indenture governing the Note in accordance with the Indentures, the notice of redemption may be delivered more than 60 calendar days before the date of redemption. If any Note is to be redeemed in part only, then the notice of redemption that relates to such Note must state the portion of the principal amount thereof to be redeemed. A new Note in a principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion thereof will be issued in the name of the Holder thereof upon cancellation of the original Note (or appropriate adjustments to the amount and beneficial interests in a Global Note will be made). On and after the redemption date, interest will cease to accrue on Notes or portions thereof called for redemption as long as the Company has deposited with the Paying Agent funds in satisfaction of the applicable redemption price.
(e) Any redemption or notice of redemption, may, at the Company’s discretion, be subject to one or more conditions precedent.
Registration of the Notes and Each Note Holder The Agent shall keep or cause to be kept at the Agent Office books (the “Note Register”) for the registration and transfer of the Notes. The Agent shall serve as the initial note registrar and the Agent hereby accepts such appointment. The names and addresses of the holders of the Notes and the names and addresses of any transferee of any Note of which the Agent has received notice, in the form of a copy of the assignment and assumption agreement referred to in this Section 15, shall be registered in the Note Register. The Person in whose name a Note is so registered shall be deemed and treated as the sole owner and holder thereof for all purposes of this Agreement. Upon request of a Note Holder, the Agent shall provide such party with the names and addresses of each other Note Holder. To the extent the Trustee or another party is appointed as Agent hereunder, each Note Holder hereby designates such person as its agent under this Section 15 solely for purposes of maintaining the Note Register. In connection with any Transfer of a Note (but excluding any Pledgee unless and until it realizes on its Pledge), a transferee shall execute an assignment and assumption agreement (unless the transferee is a Securitization Trust and the related pooling and servicing agreement requires the parties thereto to comply with this Agreement), whereby such transferee assumes all of the obligations of the applicable Note Holder hereunder with respect to such Note thereafter accruing and agrees to be bound by the terms of this Agreement, including the applicable restriction on Transfers set forth in Section 14, from and after the date of such assignment. No transfer of a Note may be made unless it is registered on the Note Register, and the Agent shall not recognize any attempted or purported transfer of any Note in violation of the provisions of Section 14 and this Section 15. Any such purported transfer shall be absolutely null and void and shall vest no rights in the purported transferee. Each Note Holder desiring to effect such transfer shall, and does hereby agree to, indemnify the Agent and each other Note Holder against any liability that may result if the transfer is not made in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.
Establishment and Designation of Series and Classes The establishment and designation of any Series or Class shall be effective, without the requirement of Shareholder approval, upon the adoption of a resolution by not less than a majority of the then Board of Trustees, which resolution shall set forth such establishment and designation and may provide, to the extent permitted by the DSTA, for rights, powers and duties of such Series or Class (including variations in the relative rights and preferences as between the different Series and Classes) otherwise than as provided herein. Each such resolution shall be incorporated herein by reference upon adoption. Any such resolution may be amended by a further resolution of a majority of the Board of Trustees, and if Shareholder approval would be required to make such an amendment to the language set forth in this Declaration of Trust, such further resolution shall require the same Shareholder approval that would be necessary to make such amendment to the language set forth in this Declaration of Trust. Each such further resolution shall be incorporated herein by reference upon adoption. Each Series shall be separate and distinct from any other Series, separate and distinct records on the books of the Trust shall be maintained for each Series, and the assets and liabilities belonging to any such Series shall be held and accounted for separately from the assets and liabilities of the Trust or any other Series. Each Class of the Trust shall be separate and distinct from any other Class of the Trust. Each Class of a Series shall be separate and distinct from any other Class of the Series. As appropriate, in a manner determined by the Board of Trustees, the liabilities belonging to any such Class shall be held and accounted for separately from the liabilities of the Trust, the Series or any other Class and separate and distinct records on the books of the Trust for the Class shall be maintained for this purpose. Subject to Article II hereof, each such Series shall operate as a separate and distinct investment medium, with separately defined investment objectives and policies. Shares of each Series (and Class where applicable) established and designated pursuant to this Section 6, unless otherwise provided to the extent permitted by the DSTA, in the resolution establishing and designating such Series or Class, shall have the following rights, powers and duties:
Payment of the Notes Not later than 10:00 a.m. (New York City time) on each due date of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on any Notes, the Company shall deposit with the Paying Agent money in immediately available funds sufficient to pay such principal, redemption payments, premium, if any, and interest so becoming due. All the payments must be in U.S. Dollars.
