Conduct of Business by the Company Pending the Merger From the date of this Agreement until the Merger Effective Time, except as required by this Agreement, as may be required by applicable Law or as set forth in Section 6.01 of the Company Disclosure Schedule or except with the prior written consent of Parent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned (provided that consent of Parent shall be deemed to have been given if Parent does not object within three (3) Business Days after request for such consent is actually received by Parent), the Company shall, and shall cause each of the Company Subsidiaries to, conduct its business in the ordinary course consistent with past practice and shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to preserve substantially intact the business, assets and organization of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries and to preserve the current beneficial relationships of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries with any Person with which the Company or any Company Subsidiary has material business relations (including customers, suppliers, directors, officers and key employees). Except as required by this Agreement, as may be required by applicable Law or as set forth in Section 6.01 of the Company Disclosure Schedule, neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary shall, between the date of this Agreement and the Merger Effective Time, do any of the following without the prior written consent of Parent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned; provided, however, that consent of Parent shall be deemed to have been given if Parent does not object within three (3) Business Days after request for such consent is actually received by Parent. (a) amend or otherwise change any provision of the Company Charter or Company Bylaws, or similar organizational or governance documents; (b) (i) authorize for issuance, issue, sell, pledge, dispose of, grant or transfer or agree or commit to issue, sell, dispose of, grant or transfer any shares of any class of capital stock of the Company or any Company Subsidiary or any options, warrants, convertible securities or other rights of any kind to acquire any shares of such capital stock, or any other ownership interest, of the Company or any Company Subsidiary, other than the issuance of Company Common Shares issuable pursuant to Company Stock Awards outstanding on the date hereof, (ii) repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire any securities or equity equivalents except in connection with the exercise of Company Stock Options or the vesting of Company Stock Awards, (iii) declare, set aside or pay any dividends on, or make any other actual, constructive or deemed distributions (whether in cash, shares, property or otherwise) in respect of, any shares of the Company’s capital stock or the shares of stock or other equity interests in any Company Subsidiary that is not directly or indirectly wholly owned by the Company, other than (A) dividends by any direct or indirect wholly owned Company Subsidiary to the Company or any other Company Subsidiary and (B) dividend equivalents already accrued as of the date hereof and paid with respect to Company Stock Awards outstanding on the date hereof and set forth in Section 6.01(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule or (iv) split, combine or reclassify any shares, stock or other equity interests of the Company or any Company Subsidiary or issue or authorize the issuance of any securities in respect of, in lieu of or in substitution for shares of such shares, stock or other equity interests; (c) merge or consolidate with any other Person or adopt a plan of complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, merger, consolidation, restructuring, recapitalization or other reorganization of the Company or any Company Subsidiary (other than the Merger), except (i) that a Company Subsidiary may merge with another Company Subsidiary or (ii) for acquisitions (including by way of merger, consolidation, acquisition of equity interests or assets or any other business combination) by the Company or any Company Subsidiary of any Person providing for purchase price consideration (including any related amounts or promissory notes) of an amount less than Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000) individually or Ten Million Dollars ($10,000,000) in the aggregate; (d) sell, lease, license, subject to a Lien (other than a Permitted Lien) or otherwise surrender, relinquish or dispose of any assets or property of the Company or any Company Subsidiary other than in the ordinary course of business, except for (i) sales of investment assets by the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, (ii) transfers and pledges of assets in connection with the conduct of the insurance business, including pursuant to reinsurance, coinsurance, ceding of insurance, assumption of insurance or indemnification with respect to insurance and similar arrangements, in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, (iii) sales or transfers of assets between wholly owned Company Subsidiaries, (iv) pursuant to existing written contracts or commitments as set forth in Section 6.01(d) of the Company Disclosure Schedule or (v) in an amount not in excess of Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000) in the aggregate; (e) incur any indebtedness for borrowed money or issue any debt securities or assume, guarantee or endorse, or otherwise as an accommodation become responsible for, the obligations of any person (other than a Company Subsidiary) for borrowed money, other than indebtedness for borrowed money incurred in the ordinary course of business and pursuant to any credit agreement to which the Company or any Company Subsidiary is a party as of the date of this Agreement (which shall be deemed to include draws or standby letters of credit under the Company’s line of credit facility or other similar lines of credit); (f) except as required by the terms of the Plans or awards made thereunder prior to the date of this Agreement, (i) increase the compensation or benefits payable to its directors, officers or employees (other than increases for employees or officers below the level of senior vice president made in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice), (ii) amend, change, terminate or waive any rights under any Employment Agreement or (iii) establish, adopt, enter into or amend to materially increase benefits under any collective bargaining, bonus, profit sharing, thrift, compensation, stock option, restricted stock, pension, retirement, deferred compensation, employment, loan, retention, consulting, indemnification, termination, severance or other similar plan, agreement, trust, fund, policy or arrangement with any director, officer or employee (other than with respect to (A) agreements for new hires of non-executive officers in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice that do not provide any change in control benefits and (B) each award under the Company’s Performance Incentive Plan and the Company’s Long Term Incentive Plan; (g) pre-pay any long-term debt (which shall be deemed to include pre-payments or repayments of lines of credit facilities or other similar lines of credit or payments made in respect of any termination or settlement of any interest rate swap or other similar hedging instrument relating thereto) in an amount exceeding Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000) in the aggregate for the Company and the Company Subsidiaries taken as a whole, except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and in accordance with the terms of such debt; (h) except as required by Law or changes in GAAP or SAP which become effective after the date of this Agreement, materially change any of its accounting policies (whether for financial accounting or Tax purposes); (i) authorize, or enter into any commitment for, any new material capital expenditures (such authorized or committed new material capital expenditures being referred to hereinafter as the “Capital Expenditures”) in an amount in excess of Two Million Dollars ($2,000,000) in the aggregate; (j) pay, discharge, settle or satisfy any material litigation, arbitrations, proceedings, claims, liabilities or obligations other than any payment, discharge, settlement or satisfaction in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice (which includes payment of policyholders’ claims) where the amounts paid or to be paid, except in the case of policyholder claims, (i) are covered by insurance coverage maintained by the Company or (ii) are in an amount less than Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000) in the aggregate; (k) take any action that would cause any of the representations or warranties of the Company contained herein to become inaccurate in any material respect or any of the covenants of the Company to be breached in any material respect or result in the failure to be satisfied of any of the conditions set forth in Section 8.02; (l) create or have any subsidiary of the Company other than the Company Subsidiaries as of the date of this Agreement; (m) (A) amend, change, cancel, terminate or waive or release, in any material respect, any rights under any Company Material Contract that was required to be filed as an exhibit to the Company SEC Reports pursuant to Regulation S-K of the Securities Act or (B) enter into any new contract, agreement or arrangement that would be required to be filed as an exhibit to the Company SEC Reports pursuant to Regulation S-K of the Securities Act; (n) (i) settle or compromise any material Tax audit, (ii) make or change any material Tax election or file any material amendment to a material Tax Return, except, in each case, as required by applicable Law, or (iii) surrender any right to claim a material refund of Taxes; (o) enter into (i) any agreement or arrangement that would be required to be reported by the Company pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC or (ii) any agreement or arrangement with Alleghany Corporation or its Affiliates; or (p) enter into any agreement or otherwise make a commitment to do any of the foregoing.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS BY THE EXECUTIVE The Executive acknowledges that (a) prior to and during the Employment Period and as a part of his employment, the Executive has been and will be afforded access to Confidential Information; (b) public disclosure of such Confidential Information could have an adverse effect on the Employer and its business; (c) because the Executive possesses substantial technical expertise and skill with respect to the Employer’s business, the Employer desires to obtain exclusive ownership of each Employee Invention, and the Employer will be at a substantial competitive disadvantage if it fails to acquire exclusive ownership of each Employee Invention; and (d) the provisions of this Section 7 are reasonable and necessary to prevent the improper use or disclosure of Confidential Information and to provide the Employer with exclusive ownership of all Employee Inventions.
Acknowledgments by the Employee The Employee acknowledges that (a) during the Employment Period and as a part of his employment, the Employee will be afforded access to Confidential Information; (b) public disclosure of such Confidential Information could have an adverse effect on the Employer and its business; (c) since the Employee possesses substantial expertise and skill with respect to the Employer's business, the Employer desires to obtain exclusive ownership of each Employee Invention, and the Employer will be at a substantial competitive disadvantage if it fails to acquire exclusive ownership of each Employee Invention; (d) the Compensation provided to Employee hereunder constitutes good and sufficient consideration for the Employee's agreements and covenants in this Section 7; and (e) the provisions of this Section 7 are reasonable and necessary to prevent the improper use or disclosure of Confidential Information and to provide the Employer with exclusive ownership of all Employee Inventions.
Termination by the Executive The Executive may terminate employment hereunder at any time for any reason, including but not limited to, Good Reason. For purposes of this Agreement, “Good Reason” shall mean that the Executive has completed all steps of the Good Reason Process (hereinafter defined) following the occurrence of any of the following events without the Executive’s consent (each, a “Good Reason Condition”):
Termination Upon or Following a Change of Control (a) A Change of Control of the Company (“Change of Control”) shall be deemed to have occurred upon the happening of any of the following events: (i) the consummation of a transaction that results in the reorganization, merger or consolidation of the Company with one or more other persons, other than a transaction following which: (A) at least 51% of the equity ownership interests of the entity resulting from such transaction are beneficially owned (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) in substantially the same relative proportions by persons who, immediately prior to such transaction, beneficially owned (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) at least 51% of the outstanding equity ownership interests in the Company; and (B) at least 51% of the securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors of the entity resulting from such transaction are beneficially owned (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) in substantially the same relative proportions by persons who, immediately prior to such transaction, beneficially owned (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) at least 51 % of the securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors of the Company; (ii) the acquisition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company or beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) of 20% or more of the outstanding securities of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors by any person or by any persons acting in concert; (iii) a complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company, or approval by the stockholders of the Company of a plan for such liquidation or dissolution; (iv) the occurrence of any event if, immediately following such event, at least 50% of the members of the Board do not belong to any of the following groups: (A) individuals who were members of the Board on the Initial Effective Date; or (B) individuals who first became members of the Board after the Initial Effective Date either: (I) upon election to serve as a member of the Board by affirmative vote of three-quarters of the members of such Board, or of a nominating committee thereof, in office at the time of such first election; or (II) upon election by the stockholders of the Company to serve as a member of the Board, but only if nominated for election by affirmative vote of three-quarters of the members of the Board, or of a nominating committee thereof, in office at the time of such first nomination; provided, however, that such individual's election or nomination did not result from an actual or threatened election contest (within the meaning of Rule 14a-11 of Regulation 14A promulgated under the Exchange Act) or other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents (within the meaning of Rule 14a-11 of Regulation 14A promulgated under the Exchange Act) other than by or on behalf of the Board; or (v) any event which would be described in Section 11(a)(i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) if the term “Association” were substituted for the term “Company” therein or the term “Board of Directors of the Association” were substituted for the term “Board”. In no event, however, shall a Change of Control be deemed to have occurred as a result of any acquisition of securities or assets of the Company, the Association, or an affiliate or subsidiary of either of them, by the Company, the Association, or a subsidiary of either of them, or by any employee benefit plan maintained by any of them. For purposes of this Section 11 (a), the term “person” shall have the meaning assigned to it under Sections 13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act. (b) In the event of a Change of Control, the Executive shall be entitled to the payments and benefits contemplated by Section 9(b) in the event of his or her termination of employment with the Company under any of the circumstances described in Section 9(a) of this Agreement or under any of the following circumstances: (i) resignation, voluntary or otherwise, by the Executive at any time during the Employment Period within six (6) months following his or her demotion, loss of title, office or significant authority or responsibility or following any reduction in any element of his or her package of compensation and benefits; (ii) resignation, voluntary or otherwise, by the Executive at any time during the Employment Period within six (6) months following any relocation of his or her principal place of employment or any change in working conditions at such principal place of employment which the Executive, in his or her reasonable discretion, determines to be embarrassing, derogatory or otherwise adverse; (iii) resignation, voluntary or otherwise, by the Executive at any time during the Employment Period within six (6) months following the failure of any successor to the Company in the Change of Control to include the Executive in any compensation or benefit program maintained by it or covering any of its executive officers, unless the Executive is already covered by a substantially similar plan of the Company which is at least as favorable to him or her; or (iv) resignation, voluntary or otherwise, for any reason whatsoever during the Employment Period within six months following the effective date of the Change of Control.
Termination by the Employer The Employer may terminate the Employment Period (i) immediately upon the delivery of a Notice of Termination (as defined in Section 4.01(d) of this Agreement) by the Employer to the Executive setting forth the facts that indicate that a determination has been made that the Executive has a Disability in accordance with Section 4.02 of this Agreement; (ii) immediately upon delivery of a Notice of Termination by the Employer to the Executive setting forth the facts that indicate that an event constituting Cause (as defined in Section 4.03 of this Agreement) has occurred, or on such later date as may be set forth in such Notice of Termination; or (iii) at any time without Cause effective as of the 30th day following the delivery of a Notice of Termination by the Employer to the Executive, or on such later date as may be set forth in such Notice of Termination.
Termination by the Employee The Employee may terminate this Agreement at any time, for any reason or for no reason at all, by giving notice thereof to the Corporation at least thirty (30) days before the effective date of such termination. The Employment Period shall terminate as of the date of such termination of employment.
CONDUCT OF BUSINESSES PENDING THE MERGER Section 5.01 Conduct of Business by the Company Pending the Merger. Prior to the Effective Time, unless Parent or Acquisition Corp. shall otherwise agree in writing or as otherwise contemplated by this Agreement: (a) the business of the Company shall be conducted only in the ordinary course; (b) the Company shall not (i) directly or indirectly redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire or agree to redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire any shares of its capital stock; (ii) amend its Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws except to effectuate the transactions contemplated in the Disclosures or (iii) split, combine or reclassify the outstanding Company Common Stock or declare, set aside or pay any dividend payable in cash, stock or property or make any distribution with respect to any such stock; (c) the Company shall not (i) issue or agree to issue any additional shares of, or options, warrants or rights of any kind to acquire any shares of, Company Common Stock, except to issue shares of Company Common Stock in connection with any matter relating to the Disclosures; (ii) acquire or dispose of any fixed assets or acquire or dispose of any other substantial assets other than in the ordinary course of business; (iii) incur additional Indebtedness or any other liabilities or enter into any other transaction other than in the ordinary course of business; (iv) enter into any contract, agreement, commitment or arrangement with respect to any of the foregoing or (v) except as contemplated by this Agreement, enter into any contract, agreement, commitment or arrangement to dissolve, merge, consolidate or enter into any other material business combination; (d) the Company shall use its best efforts to preserve intact the business organization of the Company, to keep available the service of its present officers and key employees, and to preserve the good will of those having business relationships with it; (e) the Company will not, nor will it authorize any director or authorize or permit any officer or employee or any attorney, accountant or other representative retained by it to make, solicit, encourage any inquiries with respect to, or engage in any negotiations concerning, any Acquisition Proposal (as defined below for purposes of this paragraph). The Company will promptly advise Parent orally and in writing of any such inquiries or proposals (or requests for information) and the substance thereof. As used in this paragraph, “Acquisition Proposal” shall mean any proposal for a merger or other business combination involving the Company or for the acquisition of a substantial equity interest in it or any material assets of it other than as contemplated by this Agreement. The Company will immediately cease and cause to be terminated any existing activities, discussions or negotiations with any Person conducted heretofore with respect to any of the foregoing; and
Resignation by the Executive Executive may voluntarily resign from his employment with the Company, provided that Executive shall provide the Company with thirty (30) days advance written notice (which notice requirement may be waived, in whole or in part, by the Company in its sole discretion) of his intent to resign. If Executive so terminates his employment with the Company, other than in accordance with Section 4.5, the Company shall have no obligation other than the payment of the Accrued Obligations to the effective date of such termination.
Purchase of the Units by the Underwriters On the basis of the representations, warranties and covenants contained in, and subject to the terms and conditions of, this Agreement, the Company agrees to sell 30,000,000 Firm Units to the several Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase the number of Firm Units set forth opposite that Underwriter’s name in Schedule I hereto. The respective purchase obligations of the Underwriters with respect to the Firm Units shall be rounded among the Underwriters to avoid fractional Units, as the Representatives may determine. In addition, the Company grants to the Underwriters the option (the “Over-Allotment Option”) to purchase up to 4,500,000 Additional Units. Such Over-Allotment Option is exercisable in the event that the Underwriters sell more units than the number of Firm Units in the Offering and as set forth in Section 4 hereof. Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the number of Additional Units (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional Units as the Representatives may determine) that bears the same proportion to the total number of Additional Units to be sold on such Delivery Date as the number of Firm Units set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm Units. The purchase price payable by the Underwriters for both the Firm Units and any Additional Units is $9.80 per Unit (the “Purchase Price”). The Company is not obligated to deliver any of the Firm Units or Additional Units to be delivered on the applicable Delivery Date, except upon payment for all such Units to be purchased on such Delivery Date as provided herein. In addition to the discount from the public offering price of the Units represented by the Purchase Price set forth above, the Company hereby agrees to pay to the Underwriters a deferred commission of $0.35 per Unit (including both Firm Units and Additional Units) purchased hereunder (the “Deferred Fee”), subject to Section 5(kk) herein. The Underwriters hereby agree that if no Business Combination is consummated within the time period provided in the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and the funds held under the Trust Agreement are distributed to the holders of the Public Shares (the “Public Stockholders”), (a) the Underwriters will forfeit any rights or claims to the Deferred Fee, and (b) the trustee under the Trust Agreement is authorized to distribute the Deferred Fee to the Public Stockholders on a pro rata basis. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, at the sole and absolute discretion of the Company, a portion of the Deferred Fee up to $0.10 per Unit in the aggregate, or up to $3,000,000 (or $3,450,000 if the Underwriters’ Over-Allotment Option is exercised in full) in the aggregate, may be paid to third parties not participating in the Offering (but who are members of FINRA or regulated broker-dealers) that assist the Company in consummating its initial Business Combination.
