Loans and Guarantees No Obligor shall (and the Company shall procure that no member of the Bank Group shall), without the prior written consent of an Instructing Group, grant any loan or credit or give any guarantee in any such case in respect of Financial Indebtedness, other than:
(a) any extension of trade credit or guarantees, bonds or indemnities granted in the ordinary course of business on usual and customary terms;
(b) any credit given by a member of the Bank Group to another member of the Bank Group which arises by reason of cash-pooling, set-off or other cash management arrangement of the Bank Group;
(c) the Existing Loans provided that the aggregate principal amount outstanding thereunder may not be increased from that existing at the Original Execution Date in reliance on this paragraph (c) (except with respect to accrual or capitalisation of interest);
(d) any loans or credit granted:
(i) by a member of the Bank Group to another member of the Bank Group;
(ii) by a member of the Bank Group to the relevant member of the Group for the purposes of funding drawings available under the undrawn portion of any Existing UKTV Group Loan Stock of up to £50 million in aggregate;
(iii) in accordance with Clause 25.9 (Joint Ventures); or
(iv) by a SSN Finance Subsidiary as contemplated in the definition of “SSN Finance Subsidiary” or the on-lending by the Parent to VMIH of the proceeds of an issuance of Senior Secured Notes;
(e) any loans made by any member of the Bank Group to its employees either:
(i) in the ordinary course of its employees’ employment; or
(ii) to fund the exercise of share options or the purchase of capital stock by its employees, directors, officers or consultants of the Group, provided that the aggregate principal amount of all such loans shall not at any time exceed £10 million (or its equivalent in other currencies);
(f) any loan made by a member of the Bank Group pursuant to either an Asset Passthrough or a Funding Passthrough;
(g) any loan made by a member of the Bank Group to a member of the Group, where the proceeds of such loan are, or are to be (whether directly or indirectly) used:
(i) to make payments to the High Yield Trustee in respect of High Yield Trustee Amounts (as such terms are defined in the HYD Intercreditor Agreement) in respect of the Existing High Yield Notes;
(ii) to make equivalent payments to those specified in paragraph (i) above in respect of any High Yield Refinancings or in respect of any Additional High Yield Notes;
(iii) to make payments under the Senior Secured Notes Documents;
(iv) provided that no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or is likely to occur as a result thereof, to fund Permitted Payments; or
(v) at any time after the occurrence of an Event of Default, to fund Permitted Payments to the extent not prohibited by the HYD Intercreditor Agreement, the Group Intercreditor Agreement or a Supplemental HYD Intercreditor Agreement;
(h) credit granted by any member of the Bank Group to a member of the Group, where the Indebtedness outstanding thereunder relates to Intra-Group Services in the ordinary course of business;
(i) any guarantee given in respect of membership interests in any company limited by guarantee where the acquisition of such membership interest is permitted under Clause 25.13 (Acquisitions and Investments);
(j) any guarantee given by a member of the Bank Group in respect of or constituted by any Financial Indebtedness permitted under Clause 25.4 (Financial Indebtedness) or Clause 25.10 (Transactions with Affiliates) or other obligation not restricted by the terms of the Relevant Finance Documents, of another member of the Bank Group;
(k) any guarantees arising under the Relevant Finance Documents;
(l) any customary title guarantee given in connection with the assignment of leases where such assignment is permitted under Clause 25.6 (Disposals);
(m) any guarantees or similar undertakings granted by any member of the Bank Group in favour of H.M. Revenue & Customs in respect of any obligations of Virgin Media (UK) Group, Inc. in respect of UK tax in order to facilitate the winding up of Virgin Media (UK) Group, Inc. provided that the Facility Agent shall have first received confirmation from the Company that based on discussions with H.M. Revenue & Customs and the Company’s reasonable assumptions, the Company does not believe that the liability under such guarantee will exceed £15 million (such confirmation to be supported by a letter from the Company’s auditors for the time being, confirming that based on the Company’s calculations of such tax liability the Company’s confirmation is a reasonable assessment of such tax liability);
(n) any loan granted as a result of a Subscriber being allowed terms, in the ordinary course of trade, whereby it does not have to pay for the services provided to it for a period after the provision of such services;
(o) a loan made or a credit granted to a Joint Venture to the extent permitted under paragraph (d) of Clause 25.9 (Joint Ventures);
(p) any loans made under the terms of the Screenshop Intra-Group Loan Agreement;
(q) the BBC Guarantees;
(r) liquidity loans of a type which is customary for asset securitisation programmes or other receivables factoring transactions, provided in connection with any asset securitisation programme or receivables factoring transaction otherwise permitted by Clause 25.6(j) (Disposals); and
(s) loans made, credit granted or guarantees given by any member of the Bank Group not falling within paragraphs (a) to (r) above, in an aggregate amount not exceeding £100 million (or its equivalent in other currencies) outstanding at any time.
The Guarantees Each (a) Guarantor, jointly and severally with each other Guarantor, hereby guarantees as primary obligor and not as surety to each Secured Party and its successors and assigns the prompt payment and performance in full when due (whether at stated maturity, by acceleration, demand or otherwise) of the principal of and interest (including any interest, fees, costs or charges that would accrue but for the provisions of the Bankruptcy Code after any bankruptcy or insolvency petition under the Bankruptcy Code) on the Loans made by the Lenders to, and the Notes held by each Lender of, Borrower, and (b) Credit Party, jointly and severally with each other Credit Party, hereby guarantees as primary obligor and not as surety to each Secured Party and its successors and assigns the prompt payment and performance in full when due (whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise) of the principal of and interest (including any interest, fees, costs or charges that would accrue but for the provisions of the Bankruptcy Code after any bankruptcy or insolvency petition under the Bankruptcy Code) of all other Obligations from time to time owing to the Secured Parties by any other Credit Party under any Credit Document, any Swap Contract entered into with a Swap Provider or any Cash Management Agreement entered into with a Cash Management Bank, in each case now or hereinafter created, incurred or made, whether absolute or contingent, liquidated or unliquidated and strictly in accordance with the terms thereof; provided, that (i) the obligations guaranteed shall exclude obligations under any Swap Contract or Cash Management Agreements with respect to which the applicable Swap Provider or Cash Management Bank, as applicable, provides notice to Borrower that it does not want such Swap Contract or Cash Management Agreement, as applicable, to be secured, and (ii) as to each Guarantor the obligations guaranteed by such Guarantor hereunder shall not include any Excluded Swap Obligations in respect of such Guarantor (such obligations being guaranteed pursuant to clauses (a) and (b) above being herein collectively called the “Guaranteed Obligations” (it being understood that the Guaranteed Obligations of Borrower shall be limited to those referred to in clause (b) above)). Each Credit Party, jointly and severally with each other Credit Party, hereby agrees that if any other Credit Party shall fail to pay in full when due (whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise) any of the Guaranteed Obligations, such Credit Party will promptly pay the same, without any demand or notice whatsoever, and that in the case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of any of the Guaranteed Obligations, the same will be promptly paid in full when due (whether at extended maturity, by acceleration or otherwise) in accordance with the terms of such extension or renewal.
Release of Liens and Guarantees A Subsidiary Loan Party (other than a Borrower) shall automatically be released from its obligations under the Loan Documents, and all security interests created by the Security Documents in Collateral owned by such Subsidiary Loan Party shall be automatically released, (1) upon the consummation of any transaction permitted by this Agreement as a result of which such Subsidiary Loan Party ceases to be a Restricted Subsidiary (including pursuant to a merger with a Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party or a designation as an Unrestricted Subsidiary) or (2) upon the request of the Borrower, in connection with a transaction permitted under this Agreement, as a result of which such Subsidiary Loan party ceases to be a wholly-owned Subsidiary. Upon any sale or other transfer by any Loan Party (other than to Holdings, the Parent Borrower, the Co-Borrower or any other Subsidiary Loan Party) of any Collateral in a transaction permitted under this Agreement, or upon the effectiveness of any written consent to the release of the security interest created under any Security Document in any Collateral or the release of any Loan Party from its Guarantee under the Guarantee Agreement pursuant to Section 9.02, the security interests in such Collateral created by the Security Documents or such guarantee shall be automatically released. Upon termination of the aggregate Commitments and payment in full of all Secured Obligations (other than contingent indemnification obligations) and the expiration or termination of all Letters of Credit including as a result of obtaining the consent of the applicable Issuing Bank as described in Section 9.05 of the Credit Agreement), all obligations under the Loan Documents and all security interests created by the Security Documents shall be automatically released. In connection with any termination or release pursuant to this Section, the Administrative Agent shall execute and deliver to any Loan Party, at such Loan Party’s expense, all documents that such Loan Party shall reasonably request to evidence such termination or release. Any execution and delivery of documents pursuant to this Section shall be without recourse to or warranty by the Administrative Agent.
Subsidiary Guarantees Subject to Section 1301, each Subsidiary Guarantor hereby, jointly and severally, fully and unconditionally guarantees to each Holder of a Security authenticated and delivered by the Trustee, the due and punctual payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on such Security when and as the same shall become due and payable, whether at the Stated Maturity, by acceleration, call for redemption, offer to purchase or otherwise, in accordance with the terms of such Security and of this Indenture, and each Subsidiary Guarantor similarly guarantees to the Trustee the payment of all amounts owing to the Trustee in accordance with the terms of this Indenture. In case of the failure of the Company punctually to make any such payment, each Subsidiary Guarantor hereby, jointly and severally, agrees to cause such payment to be made punctually when and as the same shall become due and payable, whether at the Stated Maturity or by acceleration, call for redemption, offer to purchase or otherwise, and as if such payment were made by the Company. Each of the Subsidiary Guarantors hereby jointly and severally agrees that its obligations hereunder shall be absolute, unconditional, irrespective of, and shall be unaffected by, the validity, regularity or enforceability of such Security or this Indenture, the absence of any action to enforce the same or any release, amendment, waiver or indulgence granted to the Company or any other guarantor or any consent to departure from any requirement of any other guarantee of all or any of the Securities of such series or any other circumstances which might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of a surety or guarantor; provided, however, that, notwithstanding the foregoing, no such release, amendment, waiver or indulgence shall, without the consent of such Subsidiary Guarantor, increase the principal amount of such Security, or increase the interest rate thereon, or alter the Stated Maturity thereof. Each of the Subsidiary Guarantors hereby waives the benefits of diligence, presentment, demand for payment, any requirement that the Trustee or any of the Holders protect, secure, perfect or insure any security interest in or other lien on any property subject thereto or exhaust any right or take any action against the Company or any other Person or any collateral, filing of claims with a court in the event of insolvency or bankruptcy of the Company, any right to require a proceeding first against the Company, protest or notice with respect to such Security or the indebtedness evidenced thereby and all demands whatsoever, and covenants that this Subsidiary Guarantee will not be discharged in respect of such Security except by complete performance of the obligations contained in such Security and in such Subsidiary Guarantee. Each Subsidiary Guarantor agrees that if, after the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, the Trustee or any of the Holders are prevented by applicable law from exercising their respective rights to accelerate the maturity of the Securities of a series, to collect interest on the Securities of a series, or to enforce or exercise any other right or remedy with respect to the Securities of a series, such Subsidiary Guarantor agrees to pay to the Trustee for the account of the Holders, upon demand therefor, the amount that would otherwise have been due and payable had such rights and remedies been permitted to be exercised by the Trustee or any of the Holders. Each Subsidiary Guarantor shall be subrogated to all rights of the Holders of the Securities upon which its Subsidiary Guarantee is endorsed against the Company in respect of any amounts paid by such Subsidiary Guarantor on account of such Security pursuant to the provisions of its Subsidiary Guarantee or this Indenture; provided, however, that no Subsidiary Guarantor shall be entitled to enforce or to receive any payments arising out of, or based upon, such right of subrogation until the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on all Securities of the relevant series issued hereunder shall have been paid in full. Each Subsidiary Guarantor that makes or is required to make any payment in respect of its Subsidiary Guarantee shall be entitled to seek contribution from the other Subsidiary Guarantors to the extent permitted by applicable law; provided, however, that no Subsidiary Guarantor shall be entitled to enforce or receive any payments arising out of, or based upon, such right of contribution until the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on all Securities of the relevant series issued hereunder shall have been paid in full. Each Subsidiary Guarantee shall remain in full force and effect and continue to be effective should any petition be filed by or against the Company for liquidation or reorganization, should the Company become insolvent or make an assignment for the benefit of creditors or should a receiver or trustee be appointed for all or any part of the Company’s assets, and shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, continue to be effective or be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time payment and performance of the Securities of a series, is, pursuant to applicable law, rescinded or reduced in amount, or must otherwise be restored or returned by any Holder of the Securities, whether as a “voidable preference,” “fraudulent transfer,” or otherwise, all as though such payment or performance had not been made. In the event that any payment, or any part thereof, is rescinded, reduced, restored or returned, the Securities shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be reinstated and deemed reduced only by such amount paid and not so rescinded, reduced, restored or returned.
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.
RATIFICATION OF INDENTURE; SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE FOR ADDITIONAL GUARANTEES PART OF INDENTURE Except as expressly amended hereby, the Indenture is in all respects ratified and confirmed and all the terms, conditions and provisions thereof shall remain in full force and effect. This Supplemental Indenture for Additional Guarantees shall form a part of the Indenture for all purposes, and every Holder of Notes heretofore or hereafter authenticated and delivered shall by bound hereby.
Ratification of Base Indenture The Base Indenture, as supplemented by this Supplemental Indenture, is in all respects ratified and confirmed, and this Supplemental Indenture shall be deemed part of the Base Indenture in the manner and to the extent herein and therein provided.
Limitation on Guarantees (a) In addition to the restrictions set forth in Section 3.2(b), the Company shall not permit any of its Domestic Subsidiaries that are Restricted Subsidiaries, other than a Guarantor, a Foreign Subsidiary, a Captive Insurance Subsidiary or a Securitization Subsidiary, to Guarantee the payment of (i) any syndicated Credit Facility permitted under Section 3.2(b)(1) or (ii) capital markets debt securities of the Company or any other Guarantor unless:
(1) such Restricted Subsidiary within 60 days executes and delivers a supplemental indenture to this Indenture providing for a Guarantee by such Restricted Subsidiary, except that with respect to a guarantee of Indebtedness of the Company or any Guarantor, if such Indebtedness is by its express terms subordinated in right of payment to the Notes or such Guarantor’s Guarantee, any such guarantee by such Restricted Subsidiary with respect to such Indebtedness shall be subordinated in right of payment to such Guarantee substantially to the same extent as such Indebtedness is subordinated to the Notes or such Guarantor’s Guarantee of the Notes; and
(2) such Restricted Subsidiary waives and will not in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any rights of reimbursement, indemnity or subrogation or any other rights against the Company or any other Restricted Subsidiary as a result of any payment by such Restricted Subsidiary under its Guarantee until payment in full of Obligations under this Indenture. provided that this Section 3.7 shall not be applicable to any guarantee of any Restricted Subsidiary that existed at the time such Person became a Restricted Subsidiary and was not incurred in connection with, or in contemplation of, such Person becoming a Restricted Subsidiary.
(b) The Company may elect, in its sole discretion, to cause or allow, as the case may be, any Subsidiary that is not otherwise required to be a Guarantor to become a Guarantor, in which case, such Subsidiary shall not be required to comply with the 60-day period described in Section 3.7(a) and such Guarantee may be released at any time in the Company’s sole discretion so long as any Indebtedness of such Subsidiary then outstanding could have been incurred by such Subsidiary (either (x) when so incurred or (y) at the time of the release of such Guarantee) assuming such Subsidiary were not a Guarantor at such time.
(c) If any Guarantor becomes an Immaterial Subsidiary, the Company shall have the right, by execution and delivery of a supplemental indenture to the Trustee, to cause such Immaterial Subsidiary to cease to be a Guarantor, subject to the requirement described in Section 3.7(a) above that such Subsidiary shall be required to become a Guarantor if it ceases to be an Immaterial Subsidiary (except that if such Subsidiary has been properly designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary it shall not be so required to become a Guarantor or execute a supplemental indenture); provided, further, that such Immaterial Subsidiary shall not be permitted to Guarantee other Indebtedness of the Issuer or the other Guarantors, unless it again becomes a Guarantor.
Additional Guarantees If the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries organize, acquire or otherwise create or invest in another Person that is or becomes a Domestic Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Guarantor, then the Company shall cause such Domestic Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Guarantor to:
(1) execute and deliver to the Trustee a supplemental indenture in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee pursuant to which such Domestic Restricted Subsidiary shall unconditionally guarantee on a senior secured basis all of the Company’s obligations under the Notes and this Indenture on the terms set forth in this Indenture;
(2) execute and deliver to the Collateral Agent, amendments to the Collateral Agreements and take such other actions as the Collateral Agent deems reasonably necessary in order to grant to the Collateral Agent, for the benefit of the Holders, a perfected Lien in the assets, including the filing of UCC financing statements in such jurisdictions as may be required by the Collateral Agreements, by law or as may be reasonably requested by the Collateral Agent;
(3) take such further action and execute and deliver such other documents specified in this Indenture or otherwise reasonably requested by the Trustee to effectuate the foregoing; and
(4) deliver to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel that such supplemental indenture and Note Guarantee, and amendments to the Collateral Agreements and any other documents required to be delivered have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by such Domestic Restricted Subsidiary and constitute legal, valid, binding and enforceable obligations of such Domestic Restricted Subsidiary and such other opinions regarding the perfection of such Liens in the assets of such Domestic Restricted Subsidiary. Thereafter, such Domestic Restricted Subsidiary shall be a Guarantor for all purposes of this Indenture.
Release of Note Guarantees (a) A Note Guarantee by a Guarantor shall be automatically and unconditionally released and discharged, and no further action by such Guarantor, the Company or the Trustee shall be required for the release of such Guarantor’s Note Guarantee, upon:
(A) a sale or disposition (including by way of consolidation, merger or amalgamation) of all or a portion of the Capital Stock of such Guarantor following which such Guarantor is no longer a Subsidiary of the Company;
(B) a sale or disposition (including by way of consolidation, merger or amalgamation) of all or substantially all of the assets of such Guarantor to a Person that is not the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company;
(C) the Company’s exercise of its Legal Defeasance option or Covenant Defeasance option in accordance with Article 8 or the discharge of the Company’s obligations under this Indenture in accordance with the terms of this Indenture;
(D) the Designation of such Guarantor as an Unrestricted Subsidiary;
(E) pursuant to the terms of the Deed of Guarantee, security or a guarantee of the Company’s obligations under this Indenture which is acceptable to the Security and Intercreditor Agent being provided in substitution for such Note Guarantee;
(F) the release or discharge of such other guarantee that resulted in the creation of such Note Guarantee, except a discharge or release by or as a result of payment under such guarantee (it being understood that a release subject to a contingent reinstatement will constitute a release for the purposes of this provision, and if any such guarantee is so reinstated, such guarantee shall also be reinstated to the extent that such Guarantor would then be required to provide a Note Guarantee pursuant to Section 4.11); or
(G) the liquidation or dissolution of such Guarantor; provided that no Event of Default occurs as a result thereof or has occurred or is continuing; provided, that the transaction is carried out pursuant to, and in accordance with, all other applicable provisions of this Indenture; and
(2) such Guarantor delivering to the Trustee and the Security and Intercreditor Agent an Officer’s Certificate and Opinion of Counsel stating that all conditions precedent provided for in this Indenture and the Deed of Guarantee relating to such transaction have been complied with.
(b) At the written request of the Company and upon receipt of the items described in Section 10.06(a)(2) above, the Trustee and the Security and Intercreditor Agent shall execute and deliver any documents reasonably requested in order to evidence such release, discharge and termination in respect of the applicable Note Guarantee.
