Participations in Letters of Credit Concurrently with the issuance of each Letter of Credit, the Issuing Lender shall be deemed to have sold and transferred to each Lender with a Revolving Loan Commitment, and each such Lender shall be deemed irrevocably and unconditionally to have purchased and received from the Issuing Lender, without recourse or warranty, an undivided interest and participation, to the extent of such Lender’s Pro Rata Share, in such Letter of Credit and the Company’s reimbursement obligations with respect thereto. If the Company does not pay any reimbursement obligation when due, the Company shall be deemed to have immediately requested that the Lenders make a Revolving Loan which is a Base Rate Loan in a principal amount equal to such reimbursement obligations. The Administrative Agent shall promptly notify such Lenders of such deemed request and, without the necessity of compliance with the requirements of Section 2.2.2, Section 12.2 or otherwise such Lender shall make available to the Administrative Agent its Pro Rata Share of such Loan. The proceeds of such Loan shall be paid over by the Administrative Agent to the Issuing Lender for the account of the Company in satisfaction of such reimbursement obligations. For the purposes of this Agreement, the unparticipated portion of each Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be the Issuing Lender’s “participation” therein. The Issuing Lender hereby agrees, upon request of the Administrative Agent or any Lender, to deliver to the Administrative Agent or such Lender a list of all outstanding Letters of Credit issued by the Issuing Lender, together with such information related thereto as the Administrative Agent or such Lender may reasonably request.
Existing Letters of Credit On and after the Closing Date, the Existing Letters of Credit shall be deemed for all purposes, including for purposes of the fees to be collected pursuant to Sections 3.3(a) and (b), reimbursement of costs and expenses to the extent provided herein and for purposes of being secured by the Collateral, a Letter of Credit outstanding under this Agreement and entitled to the benefits of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, and shall be governed by the applications and agreements pertaining thereto and by this Agreement (which shall control in the event of a conflict).
Lenders’ Participation in Letters of Credit Immediately upon the issuance by the Issuing Bank of any Letter of Credit each Lender shall be deemed to have absolutely, irrevocably and unconditionally purchased and received from the Issuing Bank, without recourse or warranty, an undivided interest and participation to the extent of such Lender’s Commitment Percentage of the liability of the Issuing Bank with respect to such Letter of Credit and each Lender thereby shall absolutely, unconditionally and irrevocably assume, as primary obligor and not as surety, and shall be unconditionally obligated to the Issuing Bank to pay and discharge when due, such Lender’s Commitment Percentage of the Issuing Bank’s liability under such Letter of Credit. In addition, upon the making of each payment by a Lender to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Issuing Bank in respect of any Letter of Credit pursuant to the immediately following subsection (j), such Lender shall, automatically and without any further action on the part of the Issuing Bank, Administrative Agent or such Lender, acquire (i) a participation in an amount equal to such payment in the Reimbursement Obligation owing to the Issuing Bank by the Borrower in respect of such Letter of Credit and (ii) a participation in a percentage equal to such Lender’s Commitment Percentage in any interest or other amounts payable by the Borrower in respect of such Reimbursement Obligation (other than the Fees payable to the Issuing Bank pursuant to the second and the last sentences of Section 3.5.(c)).
Lenders’ Purchase of Participations in Letters of Credit Immediately upon the issuance or increase of each Letter of Credit, without any further action by any Person, the applicable Issuing Bank shall be deemed to have sold to each Lender and each Lender shall have been deemed to have purchased from such Issuing Bank a participation in such Letter of Credit and any drawings honored thereunder in an amount equal to such Lender’s Applicable Percentage (with respect to the Revolving Commitments) of the maximum amount which is or at any time may become available to be drawn thereunder (each such Lender purchasing a participation, a “Participating Lender”). In the event that the Borrower or the Applicable Account Party shall fail for any reason to reimburse the applicable Issuing Bank as provided in Section 2.20(d), the applicable Issuing Bank shall promptly notify the Administrative Agent who will notify each Participating Lender of the unreimbursed amount of such honored drawing and of such Lender’s respective participation therein based on such Lender’s Applicable Percentage of the Revolving Commitments. Each Participating Lender shall make available to the Administrative Agent, for the account of the applicable Issuing Bank, an amount equal to its respective participation, and in immediately available funds, no later than 1:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the first Business Day (under the laws of the jurisdiction in which the Principal Office of the Administrative Agent is located) after the date notified by the applicable Issuing Bank. In the event that any Participating Lender fails to make available to the Administrative Agent on such Business Day the amount of such Lender’s participation in such Letter of Credit as provided in this Section 2.20(e), the applicable Issuing Bank shall be entitled to recover such amount on demand from such Lender together with interest thereon for three Business Days at the rate customarily used by such Issuing Bank for the correction of errors among banks and thereafter at the Alternate Base Rate. Nothing in this Section 2.20(e) shall be deemed to prejudice the right of any Participating Lender to recover from the applicable Issuing Bank any amounts made available by such Lender to the applicable Issuing Bank pursuant to this Section 2.20 in the event that the payment with respect to a Letter of Credit in respect of which payment was made by such Lender constituted gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct (as determined by a final, non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction) on the part of such Issuing Bank. Each Lender acknowledges and agrees that its obligation to fund participations pursuant to this paragraph in respect of Letters of Credit is absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance whatsoever, including any amendment, extension, or increase of any Letter of Credit, the occurrence and continuance of a Default, any reduction or termination of the Commitments or any force majeure or other event that under any rule of law or uniform practices to which any Letter of Credit is subject (including Rule 3.13 and Rule 3.14 of ISP 98) permits a drawing to be made under such Letter of Credit after the expiration thereof or after the expiration or termination of the Commitments or any other circumstance or happening whatsoever, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing, including those set forth in the following paragraph (f), and that each such payment shall be made without any defense, offset, abatement, withholding or reduction whatsoever. Each Lender further acknowledges and agrees that, in issuing, amending, extending, or increasing any Letter of Credit, the applicable Issuing Bank shall be entitled to rely, and shall not incur any liability for relying, upon the representations and warranties of the Borrower deemed made pursuant to Section 4.02, unless, at least one Business Day prior to the time such Letter of Credit is issued, amended, extended, or increased (or, in the case of an automatic extension permitted pursuant to paragraph (a) of this Section, at least one Business Day prior to the time by which the election not to extend must be made by the applicable Issuing Bank), the Required Lenders shall have notified the applicable Issuing Bank (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) in writing that, as a result of one or more events or circumstances described in such notice, one or more of the conditions precedent set forth in Section 4.02(a) or 4.02(b) would not be satisfied if such Letter of Credit were then issued, amended, extended, or increased (it being understood and agreed that, in the event any Issuing Bank shall have received any such notice, no Issuing Bank shall have any obligation to issue, amend, extend, or increase any Letter of Credit until and unless it shall be satisfied that the events and circumstances described in such notice shall have been cured or otherwise shall have ceased to exist). In the event the applicable Issuing Bank shall have been reimbursed by other Lenders pursuant to this Section 2.20(e) for all or any portion of any drawing honored by such Issuing Bank under a Letter of Credit, such Issuing Bank shall distribute to each Lender which has paid all amounts payable by it under this Section 2.20(e) with respect to such honored drawing such Lender’s Applicable Percentage of all payments subsequently received by such Issuing Bank from the Borrower or the Applicable Account Party in reimbursement of such honored drawing when such payments are received. Any such distribution shall be made to a Lender at its primary address set forth below its name on the Administrative Questionnaire or at such other address as such Lender may request.
The Letters of Credit Each Issuing Bank severally agrees, on the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth, to issue (or cause its Affiliate that is a commercial bank to issue on its behalf) letters of credit (together with the Existing Letters of Credit referred to in Section 2.03(f), the “Letters of Credit”) in U.S. dollars for the account of the Borrower (but in connection with the business of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries) from time to time on any Business Day during the period from the Effective Date until 30 days before the Termination Date in an aggregate Available Amount (i) for all Letters of Credit not to exceed at any time the Letter of Credit Facility at such time and (ii) for all Letters of Credit issued by such Issuing Bank not to exceed at any time such Issuing Bank’s Letter of Credit Commitment at such time and (iii) for each such Letter of Credit not to exceed the Unused Revolving Credit Commitments of the Lenders at such time. No Letter of Credit shall have an expiration date (including all rights of the Borrower or the beneficiary to require renewal) later than the earlier of 30 days before the Termination Date and (A) in the case of a Standby Letter of Credit, one year after the date of issuance thereof, but may by its terms be renewable annually upon notice (a “Notice of Renewal”) given to the Issuing Bank that issued such Standby Letter of Credit and the Paying Agent on or prior to any date for notice of renewal set forth in such Letter of Credit but in any event at least three Business Days prior to the date of the proposed renewal of such Standby Letter of Credit and upon fulfillment of the applicable conditions set forth in Article III unless such Issuing Bank has notified the Borrower (with a copy to the Paying Agent) on or prior to the date for notice of termination set forth in such Letter of Credit but in any event at least 45 Business Days prior to the date of automatic renewal of its election not to renew such Standby Letter of Credit (a “Notice of Termination”) and (B) in the case of a Trade Letter of Credit, 30 days after the date of issuance thereof; provided that the terms of each Standby Letter of Credit that is automatically renewable annually shall (x) require the Issuing Bank that issued such Standby Letter of Credit to give the beneficiary named in such Standby Letter of Credit notice of any Notice of Termination, (y) permit such beneficiary, upon receipt of such notice, to draw under such Standby Letter of Credit prior to the date such Standby Letter of Credit otherwise would have been automatically renewed and (z) not permit the expiration date (after giving effect to any renewal) of such Standby Letter of Credit in any event to be extended to a date later than 30 days before the Termination Date. If either a Notice of Renewal is not given by the Borrower or a Notice of Termination is given by the relevant Issuing Bank pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence, such Standby Letter of Credit shall expire on the date on which it otherwise would have been automatically renewed; provided, however, that even in the absence of receipt of a Notice of Renewal the relevant Issuing Bank may in its discretion, unless instructed to the contrary by the Paying Agent or the Borrower, deem that a Notice of Renewal had been timely delivered and in such case, a Notice of Renewal shall be deemed to have been so delivered for all purposes under this Agreement. Within the limits of the Letter of Credit Facility, and subject to the limits referred to above, the Borrower may request the issuance of Letters of Credit under this Section 2.01(c), repay any Letter of Credit Advances resulting from drawings thereunder pursuant to Section 2.03(c) and request the issuance of additional Letters of Credit under this Section 2.01(c).
New Letters of Credit So long as any Lender is a Defaulting Lender, no Issuing Bank shall be required to issue, extend, renew or increase any Letter of Credit unless it is satisfied that it will have no Fronting Exposure after giving effect thereto.
New Swingline Loans/Letters of Credit So long as any Lender is a Defaulting Lender, (i) the Swingline Lender shall not be required to fund any Swingline Loans unless it is satisfied that it will have no Fronting Exposure after giving effect to such Swingline Loan and (ii) no Issuing Lender shall be required to issue, extend, renew or increase any Letter of Credit unless it is satisfied that it will have no Fronting Exposure after giving effect thereto.
Requesting Letters of Credit (a) Borrower must make written application for any Letter of Credit or amendment or extension of any Letter of Credit at least 5 Business Days (or such shorter period as LC Issuer may in its discretion from time to time agree) before the date on which Borrower desires for LC Issuer to issue such Letter of Credit. By making any such written application, unless otherwise expressly stated therein, Borrower shall be deemed to have represented and warranted that the LC Conditions described in Section 2.11 (other than Section 2.11(f)) will be met as of the date of issuance of such Letter of Credit. Each such written application for a Letter of Credit must be made in writing in the form customarily used by LC Issuer, the terms and provisions of which, to the extent not inconsistent with the terms hereof, are hereby incorporated herein by reference (or in such other form as may mutually be agreed upon by LC Issuer and Borrower).
(b) If Borrower requests in any applicable LC Application, LC Issuer may, in its discretion, agree to issue a Letter of Credit that has automatic extension provisions (each, an “Auto-Extension Letter of Credit”); provided that any such Auto-Extension Letter of Credit must permit LC Issuer to prevent any such extension at least once in each 12 month period (commencing with the date of issuance of such Letter of Credit) by giving prior notice to the beneficiary thereof not later than a day (the “Non-Extension Notice Date”) in each such 12 month period to be agreed upon at the time such Letter of Credit is issued. Unless otherwise directed by LC Issuer, Borrower shall not be required to make a specific request to LC Issuer for any such extension. Once an Auto-Extension Letter of Credit has been issued, Lenders shall be deemed to have authorized (but may not require) LC Issuer to permit the extension of such Letter of Credit at any time to an expiry date not later than the Letter of Credit Termination Date; provided, however, that LC Issuer shall not permit any such extension if (i) LC Issuer has determined that it would not be permitted, or would have no obligation at such time to issue such Letter of Credit in its revised form (as extended) under the terms hereof (by reason of the provisions of Section 2.11 or otherwise), or (ii) it has received notice (which notice may be by telephone or in writing) on or before the day that is 5 Business Days before the Non-Extension Notice Date (1) from Administrative Agent that Required Lenders have elected not to permit such extension or (2) from Administrative Agent, any Lender or Borrower that one or more of the applicable conditions specified in Section 4.2 is not then satisfied, and in each such case directing LC Issuer not to permit such extension.
(c) Two Business Days after the LC Conditions for a Letter of Credit have been met as described in Section 2.11 (or if LC Issuer otherwise desires to issue such Letter of Credit earlier), LC Issuer will issue such Letter of Credit at LC Issuer’s office in New York, New York. If any provisions of any LC Application conflict with any provisions of this Agreement, the provisions of this Agreement shall govern and control. Borrower shall promptly examine a copy of each Letter of Credit and each amendment thereto that is delivered to it and, in the event of any claim of noncompliance with Borrower’s instructions or other irregularity, Borrower will immediately notify LC Issuer.
(d) Notwithstanding that a Letter of Credit issued or outstanding hereunder is in support of any obligations of a Restricted Person other than Borrower, Borrower shall be obligated to reimburse LC Issuer hereunder for any and all drawings under such Letter of Credit. Borrower hereby acknowledges that the issuance of Letters of Credit for the benefit of such other Restricted Persons inures to the benefit of Borrower, and that Borrower’s business derives substantial benefits from the businesses of such other Restricted Persons
Letter of Credit Participations (a) Immediately upon the issuance by any Letter of Credit Issuer of any Letter of Credit, such Letter of Credit Issuer shall be deemed to have sold and transferred to each other Lender that has a Revolving Credit Commitment (each such other Lender, in its capacity under this Section 3.3, an “L/C Participant”), and each such L/C Participant shall be deemed irrevocably and unconditionally to have purchased and received from such Letter of Credit Issuer, without recourse or warranty, an undivided interest and participation (each an “L/C Participation”), to the extent of such L/C Participant’s Revolving Credit Commitment Percentage from time to time, in such Letter of Credit, each substitute letter of credit, each drawing made thereunder and the obligations of the Borrower under this Agreement with respect thereto, and any security therefor or guaranty pertaining thereto (although the Letter of Credit Fee will be paid directly to the Administrative Agent for the ratable account of the L/C Participants as provided in Section 4.1(b) and the L/C Participants shall have no right to receive any portion of any Fronting Fees).
(b) In determining whether to pay under any Letter of Credit, no Letter of Credit Issuer shall have any obligation relative to the L/C Participants other than to confirm that any documents required to be delivered under such Letter of Credit have been delivered and that they appear to comply on their face with the requirements of such Letter of Credit. Any action taken or omitted to be taken by any Letter of Credit Issuer under or in connection with any Letter of Credit issued by it, unless taken or omitted through its gross negligence or willful misconduct as determined by a final and non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, shall not create any resulting liability for such Letter of Credit Issuer.
(c) In the event that any Letter of Credit Issuer makes any payment under any Letter of Credit issued by it and the Borrower shall not have repaid the amount in full to such Letter of Credit Issuer pursuant to Section 3.4(a), such Letter of Credit Issuer shall promptly notify the Administrative Agent (who shall in turn promptly notify each L/C Participant) of the failure, and each L/C Participant shall promptly and unconditionally pay to the Administrative Agent, for the account of such Letter of Credit Issuer, the amount of the L/C Participant’s Revolving Credit Commitment Percentage (determined as of the date of the notice referred to above) of the unreimbursed payment in Dollars and in same day funds. If such Letter of Credit Issuer so notifies, prior to 11:00 a.m. (New York time) on any Business Day, any L/C Participant required to fund a payment under a Letter of Credit, the L/C Participant shall make available to the Administrative Agent for the account of such Letter of Credit Issuer the L/C Participant’s Revolving Credit Commitment Percentage of the amount of the payment on the Business Day in same day funds. If and to the extent the L/C Participant shall not have so made its Revolving Credit Commitment Percentage of the amount of the payment available to the Administrative Agent for the account of such Letter of Credit Issuer, the L/C Participant agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of such Letter of Credit Issuer, forthwith on demand, the amount, together with interest thereon for each day from the date until the date the amount is paid to the Administrative Agent for the account of such Letter of Credit Issuer at the Federal Funds Effective Rate. The failure of any L/C Participant to make available to the Administrative Agent for the account of a Letter of Credit Issuer the L/C Participant’s Revolving Credit Commitment Percentage of any payment under any Letter of Credit shall not relieve any other L/C Participant of its obligation hereunder to make available to the Administrative Agent for the account of such Letter of Credit Issuer the other L/C Participant’s Revolving Credit Commitment Percentage of any payment under the Letter of Credit on the date required, as specified above, but no L/C Participant shall be responsible for the failure of any other L/C Participant to make available to the Administrative Agent the other L/C Participant’s Revolving Credit Commitment Percentage of the payment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Administrative Agent shall be entitled to adjust the proportions of any of the foregoing amounts required to be paid by the L/C Participants to ensure that no L/C Participant’s Revolving Credit Exposure exceeds its Revolving Credit Commitment.
(d) Whenever any Letter of Credit Issuer receives a payment in respect of an unpaid reimbursement obligation as to which the Administrative Agent has received for the account of such Letter of Credit Issuer any payments from the L/C Participants pursuant to paragraph (c) above, such Letter of Credit Issuer shall pay to the Administrative Agent and the Administrative Agent shall promptly pay to each L/C Participant that has paid its applicable portion of such reimbursement obligation, in Dollars and in same day funds, an amount equal to such L/C Participant’s share (based upon the proportionate aggregate amount originally funded by such L/C Participant to the aggregate amount funded by all L/C Participants) of the principal amount of such reimbursement obligation and interest thereon accruing after the purchase of the respective L/C Participations.
(e) The obligations of the L/C Participants to make payments to the Administrative Agent for the account of any Letter of Credit Issuer with respect to Letters of Credit issued by it shall be irrevocable and not subject to counterclaim, set-off or other defense or any other qualification or exception whatsoever and shall be made in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement under all circumstances, including any of the following circumstances:
(i) any lack of validity or enforceability of this Agreement;
(ii) the existence of any claim, set-off, defense or other right that the Borrower may have at any time against a beneficiary named in a Letter of Credit, any transferee of any Letter of Credit (or any Person for whom any such transferee may be acting), the Administrative Agent, any Letter of Credit Issuer, any Lender or other Person, whether in connection with this Agreement, any Letter of Credit, the transactions contemplated herein or any unrelated transactions (including any underlying transaction between the Borrower and the beneficiary named in any such Letter of Credit);
(iii) any draft, certificate or any other document presented under any Letter of Credit proving to be forged, fraudulent, invalid or insufficient in any respect or any statement therein being untrue or inaccurate in any respect;
(iv) the surrender or impairment of any security for the performance or observance of any of the terms of this Agreement; or
(v) the occurrence of any Default or Event of Default; provided that no L/C Participant shall be obligated to pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of any Letter of Credit Issuer such L/C Participant’s Revolving Credit Commitment Percentage of any unreimbursed amount arising from any wrongful payment made by such Letter of Credit Issuer under a Letter of Credit as a result of acts or omissions constituting willful misconduct or gross negligence on the part of such Letter of Credit Issuer as determined by a final and non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction.
Terms of Letters of Credit At the time of issuance, the amount, form, terms and conditions of each Letter of Credit, and of any drafts or acceptances thereunder, shall be subject to approval by the applicable Issuing Bank and the Borrower. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event may (i) the expiration date of any Letter of Credit extend beyond the Revolving Termination Date, or (ii) any Letter of Credit have an initial duration in excess of one year; provided, however, a Letter of Credit may contain a provision providing for the automatic extension of the expiration date in the absence of a notice of non-renewal from the applicable Issuing Bank but in no event shall any such provision permit the extension of the expiration date of such Letter of Credit beyond the Revolving Termination Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Letter of Credit may, as a result of its express terms or as the result of the effect of an automatic extension provision, have an expiration date of not more than one year beyond the Revolving Termination Date (any such Letter of Credit being referred to as an “Extended Letter of Credit”) so long as the Borrower delivers to the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the applicable Issuing Bank and the Revolving Lenders no later than 30 days prior to the Revolving Termination Date, Cash Collateral for such Letter of Credit for deposit into the Letter of Credit Collateral Account in an amount equal to the Stated Amount of such Letter of Credit; provided, that the obligations of the Borrower under this Section in respect of Extended Letters of Credit shall survive the termination of this Agreement and shall remain in effect until no Extended Letters of Credit remain outstanding. If the Borrower fails to provide Cash Collateral with respect to any Extended Letter of Credit by the date 30 days prior to the Revolving Termination Date, such failure shall be treated as a drawing under such Extended Letter of Credit (in an amount equal to the maximum Stated Amount of such Letter of Credit), which shall be reimbursed (or participations therein funded) by the Revolving Lenders in accordance with the immediately following subsections (i) and (j), with the proceeds being utilized to provide Cash Collateral for such Letter of Credit. The initial Stated Amount of each Letter of Credit shall be at least $500,000 (or such lesser amount as may be acceptable to the applicable Issuing Bank, the Administrative Agent and the Borrower).
