Designation of Servicer (a) The servicing, administering and collection of the Pledged Contracts shall be conducted by the Person so designated from time to time in accordance with this Section 6.01. Until the Program Agent, with the consent or at the direction of the Managing Agents, gives notice to the Borrower and the Servicer of the designation of a new Servicer as provided in Section 6.01(c) below, DTCC is hereby designated as, and hereby agrees to perform the duties and obligations of, the Servicer pursuant to the terms hereof. The Borrower hereby grants to Servicer an irrevocable power of attorney, with full power of substitution, coupled with an interest, to take in the name of the Borrower any and all steps which are necessary or advisable to endorse, negotiate or otherwise realize on any writing or other right of any kind in connection with any Pledged Contract or other Collateral.
(b) The Servicer shall not resign from the obligations and duties hereby imposed on it except upon the reasonable determination by the Servicer that (x) the performance of its duties hereunder is no longer permissible under applicable law and (y) there is no reasonable action which the Servicer could take to make the performance of its duties hereunder permissible under applicable law. Any determination permitting the resignation of the Servicer shall be evidenced by an opinion of counsel to such effect delivered to the Program Agent.
(c) If a Servicer Default has occurred and is continuing the Program Agent shall, if requested by the Majority Managing Agents, by notice in writing to the Servicer (a copy of which shall also be delivered to the Backup Servicer), terminate the Servicer’s management, administrative, servicing, custodial and collection functions (such termination being herein called a “Servicing Transfer”). On receipt of such notice (a “Termination Notice”) (or, if later, on a date designated therein), all authority and power of the Servicer under this Agreement, whether with respect to the Pledged Contracts, the other Collateral or otherwise shall pass to and be vested in the Program Agent or its designee pursuant to and under this Section 6.01(c); and, without limitation, the Program Agent is authorized and empowered to execute and deliver on behalf of the Servicer, as attorney-in-fact or otherwise, any and all documents and other instruments, and to do any and all acts or things necessary or appropriate to effect the purpose of such Termination Notice. The Servicer agrees to cooperate with the Program Agent in effecting the termination of the responsibilities and rights of the Servicer hereunder, including, without limitation, the transfer to the Program Agent or its designee on behalf of the Lenders for administration by it of all Collections which shall at the time be held by the Servicer for deposit, or have been deposited by the Servicer in the Collection Account, or for its own account in connection with its services hereafter or thereafter received with respect to the Pledged Contracts and to assist the successor Servicer in enforcing all rights under the Pledged Contracts. All reasonable costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection with transferring the Contract Files to the successor Servicer, to reflect such succession as the Servicer pursuant to this Section 6.01, shall be paid by the replaced Servicer upon presentation of reasonable documentation of such costs and expenses; provided, however, that if the replaced Servicer fails to pay such costs and expenses promptly, the successor Servicer shall be entitled to recover such amounts in accordance with Section 2.06 or 2.07, as applicable. Upon such termination, any servicing compensation relating to periods prior to the date of termination of the replaced Servicer (including all amounts expended by the replaced Servicer that would otherwise have been reimbursable to it hereunder) shall be paid to the replaced Servicer.
(d) In the event of the Servicer’s termination hereunder, the Program Agent, with the consent of the Majority Managing Agents, shall appoint the Backup Servicer as successor Servicer, and the successor Servicer shall accept its appointment by a written assumption in form acceptable to the Program Agent. In the event that a successor Servicer has not been appointed at the time when the predecessor Servicer has ceased to act as Servicer in accordance with Section 6.01(c), the Program Agent may petition a court of competent jurisdiction to appoint any established institution as the successor to the Servicer under this Agreement. Upon appointment, the successor Servicer shall be the successor in all respects to the predecessor Servicer and shall be subject to all the responsibilities, duties and liabilities arising thereafter relating thereto placed on the predecessor Servicer, and shall be entitled to all of the rights granted to the predecessor Servicer, by the terms and provisions of this Agreement; provided, however, that the successor Servicer shall have (i) no liability with respect to any obligation which was required to be performed by the predecessor Servicer prior to the date that the successor Servicer becomes the Servicer or any claim of a third party based on any alleged action or inaction of the predecessor Servicer, (ii) no obligation to pay any taxes required to be paid by the Servicer, (iii) no obligation to pay any of the fees and expenses of any other party involved in this transaction and (iv) no liability or obligation with respect to any Servicer indemnification obligations of any prior servicer including the original servicer. The indemnification obligations of the Backup Servicer, upon becoming a successor Servicer are expressly limited to those instances of negligence or willful misconduct of the Backup Servicer in its role as successor Servicer. In connection with such appointment, subject to the limitations set forth in the definition of “Servicer Fee,” the Program Agent may, with the consent of the Majority Managing Agents, make such arrangements for the reasonable compensation of such successor Servicer as it and such successor Servicer shall agree. The Program Agent and such successor Servicer shall take such action, consistent with this Agreement, as shall be necessary to effectuate any such succession.
(e) After a Servicing Transfer, the successor Servicer may, at the direction of the Program Agent (at the direction of the Majority Managing Agents) notify the Contract Debtors with respect to the Pledged Contracts of the interests of the Secured Parties in the Pledged Contracts and other Collateral and instruct such Contract Debtors to make payments that are due under the Pledged Contracts to the successor Servicer (or to the Program Agent or such other Person or account as the Program Agent shall designate) after the effective date of a Servicing Transfer. After a Servicing Transfer, the replaced Servicer shall have no future obligations with respect to the management, administration, servicing, custody or collection of the Pledged Contracts and the successor Servicer shall have all of such obligations, except that the replaced Servicer will transmit or cause to be transmitted directly to the successor Servicer for its own account, promptly upon receipt (but no later than two (2) Business Days thereafter), any amounts for which it has good funds (properly endorsed where required for the successor Servicer to collect them) received as payments upon or otherwise in connection with the Pledged Contracts and the replaced Servicer shall continue to do any and all things necessary to transfer the Contract Files and all books and records with respect to the Pledged Contracts hereunder. A Servicing Transfer shall not affect the rights and duties of the parties hereunder, other than those relating to the management, administration, servicing, custody or collection of the Pledged Contracts.
(f) DTCC and any other Servicer agrees that, upon its resignation or replacement as Servicer pursuant to Section 6.01(b) or (c) above, it will cooperate with the Borrower, the Program Agent and the successor Servicer in effecting the termination of its responsibilities and rights as Servicer hereunder, including, without limitation, (i) assisting the successor Servicer in enforcing all rights under the Pledged Contracts and other Collateral, (ii) transferring, promptly upon receipt, to the successor Servicer, any Collections or other amounts related to the Pledged Contracts or other Collateral received by such Servicer, (iii) transferring to the successor Servicer all Records held by or under the control of such Servicer and (iv) permitting the successor Servicer to have access to all tapes, discs, diskettes and related property containing information concerning the Pledged Contracts and other Collateral and the Records and taking all actions necessary in its control to permit the successor Servicer to use all computer software that may facilitate the Servicer’s access to and use of such information and acting as data processing agent for such successor Servicer if requested. Upon the resignation or replacement of DTCC as Servicer, DTCC shall no longer be entitled to the Servicer Fee accruing from and after the effective date of such resignation or replacement.
(g) Without the consent of each Managing Agent, the Servicer shall not be permitted to delegate any of its duties or responsibilities as Servicer to any Person other than (x) an Approved Sub-servicer and (y) except with respect to certain Charged-Off Contracts, to outside collection agencies in accordance with its customary practices. Notwithstanding the delegation by the Servicer of any of its duties or responsibilities as Servicer to any Person or the appointment of any Approved Sub-servicer pursuant to this Section 6.01(g), (i) the Servicer shall remain liable for the timely and complete performance of its duties and obligations pursuant to the terms hereof, (ii) the Servicer shall retain management information systems and sufficient servicing capability, in the reasonable judgment of the Program Agent and each Managing Agent, to perform the servicing functions described herein, and (iii) any sub-servicing agreement that may be entered into and any other transactions or services relating to the Pledged Contracts involving an Approved Sub-servicer shall be deemed to be between such sub-servicer and the Servicer alone, and none of the Lenders, the Program Agent, the Managing Agents and the Liquidity Providers shall be deemed parties thereto or shall have any obligations, duties or liabilities with respect to any Approved Sub-servicer.
