Separateness Covenants Each Originator hereby acknowledges that this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents are being entered into in reliance upon the Buyer’s identity as a legal entity separate from such Originator and its Affiliates. Therefore, from and after the date hereof, each Originator shall take all reasonable steps necessary to make it apparent to third Persons that the Buyer is an entity with assets and liabilities distinct from those of such Originator and any other Person, and is not a division of such Originator, its Affiliates or any other Person. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing and in addition to and consistent with the other covenants set forth herein, such Originator shall take such actions as shall be required in order that:
(a) such Originator shall not be involved in the day to day management of the Buyer;
(b) such Originator shall maintain separate records and books of account from the Buyer and otherwise will observe corporate formalities and have a separate area from the Buyer for its business (which may be located at the same address as the Buyer, and, to the extent that it and the Buyer have offices in the same location, there shall be a fair and appropriate allocation of overhead costs between them, and each shall bear its fair share of such expenses);
(c) the financial statements and books and records of such Originator shall be prepared after the date of creation of the Buyer to reflect and shall reflect the separate existence of the Buyer; provided, that the Buyer’s assets and liabilities may be included in a consolidated financial statement issued by an Affiliate of the Buyer; provided, however, that any such consolidated financial statement or the notes thereto shall make clear that the Buyer’s assets are not available to satisfy the obligations of such Affiliate;
(d) except as permitted by the Receivables Financing Agreement, (i) such Originator shall maintain its assets (including, without limitation, deposit accounts) separately from the assets (including, without limitation, deposit accounts) of the Buyer and (ii) such Originator’s assets, and records relating thereto, have not been, are not, and shall not be, commingled with those of the Buyer;
(e) such Originator shall not act as an agent for the Buyer (except in the capacity of Servicer or a Sub-Servicer);
(f) such Originator shall not conduct any of the business of the Buyer in its own name (except in the capacity of Servicer or a Sub-Servicer);
(g) such Originator shall not pay any liabilities of the Buyer out of its own funds or assets;
(h) such Originator shall maintain an arm’s-length relationship with the Buyer;
(i) such Originator shall not assume or guarantee or become obligated for the debts of the Buyer or hold out its credit as being available to satisfy the obligations of the Buyer;
(j) such Originator shall not acquire obligations of the Buyer (other than the Intercompany Loan Agreement and the Intercompany Loans);
(k) such Originator shall allocate fairly and reasonably overhead or other expenses that are properly shared with the Buyer, including, without limitation, shared office space;
(l) such Originator shall identify and hold itself out as a separate and distinct entity from the Buyer;
(m) such Originator shall correct any known misunderstanding respecting its separate identity from the Buyer;
(n) such Originator shall not enter into, or be a party to, any transaction with the Buyer, except in the ordinary course of its business and on terms which are intrinsically fair and not less favorable to it than would be obtained in a comparable arm’s-length transaction with an unrelated third party;
(o) such Originator shall not pay the salaries of the Buyer’s employees, if any; and
(p) to the extent not already covered in paragraphs (a) through (o) above, such Originator shall comply and/or act in accordance with all of the other separateness covenants set forth in Section 8.03 of the Receivables Financing Agreement.
Separateness Requirements Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement and any provision of law that otherwise so empowers the Trust, so long as any Certificates are outstanding, the Trust shall perform the following:
(i) except as expressly permitted by this Agreement or the Custodial Agreement, maintain its books, records, bank accounts and files separate from those of any other Person;
(ii) except as expressly permitted by this Agreement, maintain its assets in its own separate name and in such a manner that it is not costly or difficult to segregate, identify, or ascertain such assets;
(iii) consider the interests of the Trust's creditors in connection with its actions;
(iv) hold itself out to creditors and the public as a legal entity separate and distinct from any other Person and correct any known misunderstanding regarding its separate identity and refrain from engaging in any activity that compromises the separate legal identity of the Trust;
(v) prepare and maintain separate records, accounts and financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, consistently applied, and susceptible to audit. To the extent it is included in consolidated financial statements or consolidated tax returns, such financial statements and tax returns will reflect the separateness of the respective entities and indicate that the assets of the Trust will not be available to satisfy the debts of any other Person;
(vi) allocate and charge fairly and reasonably any overhead shared with any other Person;
(vii) transact all business with affiliates on an arm's-length basis and pursuant to written, enforceable agreements;
(viii) conduct business solely in the name of the Trust. In that regard all written and oral communications of the Trust, including, without limitation, letters, invoices, purchase orders and contracts, shall be made solely in the name of the Trust;
(ix) maintain a separate office through which its business shall be conducted, provided that such office may be an office of the Trustee, which office shall not be shared with the Company or any affiliates of the Company;
(x) in the event that services have been or are in the future performed or paid by any Person on behalf of the Trust (other than the Trustee, the Delaware Trustee, the Servicer or the Tax Matters Person as permitted herein), reimburse such Person, as applicable, for the commercially reasonable value of such services or expenses provided or incurred by such Person. Accordingly, (i) the Trust shall reimburse such Person, as applicable, for the commercially reasonable value of such services or expenses provided or incurred by such Person; (ii) to the extent invoices for such services are not allocated and separately billed to the Trust, the amount thereof that was or is to be allocated and separately billed to the Trust was or will be reasonably related to the services provided to the Trust; and (iii) any other allocation of direct, indirect or overhead expenses for items shared between the Trust and any other Person, was or will be, to the extent practicable, allocated on the basis of actual use or value of services rendered or otherwise on a basis reasonably related to actual use or the value of services rendered;
(xi) except as expressly permitted by this Agreement, not commingle its assets or funds with those of any other Person;
(xii) except as expressly permitted by this Agreement, not assume, guarantee, or pay the debts or obligations of any other Person;
(xiii) except as expressly permitted by this Agreement, not pledge its assets for the benefit of any other Person;
(xiv) not hold out its credit or assets as being available to satisfy the obligations of others;
(xv) pay its liabilities only out of its funds;
(xvi) pay the salaries of its own employees, if any; and
(xvii) cause the agents and other representatives of the Trust, if any, to act at all times with respect to the Trust consistently and in furtherance of the foregoing. None of the Trustee, the Delaware Trustee, the Company or the Servicer shall take any action that is inconsistent with the purposes of the Trust or Section 2.02 or Section 2.03. Neither the Company nor the Servicer shall direct the Trustee or the Delaware Trustee to take any action that is inconsistent with the purposes of the Trust or Section 2.02 or Section 2.03.
Separateness Each of the Members and the Managing Member acknowledges that the Company is to be formed and operated as a special purpose entity, distinct and separate from any Member or its Affiliates. Accordingly, the Managing Member shall cause the Company to maintain its existence separate and distinct from any other Person, including taking the following actions:
(a) maintaining in full effect its existence, rights and franchises as a limited liability company under the laws of the State of Delaware and obtaining and preserving its qualification to do business in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is or shall be necessary to protect the validity and enforceability of this Agreement and each other instrument or agreement necessary or appropriate to properly administer this Agreement and permit and effectuate the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby;
(b) maintaining its own deposit accounts, separate from those of each Member and any of their respective officers and Affiliates;
(c) conducting all material transactions between the Company and any of its Affiliates on an arm’s length basis and on commercially reasonable terms;
(d) allocating fairly and reasonably the cost of any shared overhead expenses, including office space, with the Managing Member and the Class B Members and any of their respective officers and Affiliates;
(e) conducting its affairs separately from those of each Member and its officers and Affiliates, and maintaining accurate and separate books, records and accounts and financial statements;
(f) acting solely in its own limited liability company name and not that of any other Person;
(g) not holding itself out as having agreed to pay or Guarantee, or as otherwise being liable for, the obligations of any Member and any of such Member’s respective officers and Affiliates;
(h) not making any loans or extending any Indebtedness to, or acquiring any Indebtedness of, the Members or their respective Affiliates;
(i) not creating, granting or suffering to exist any Liens (other than Permitted Liens) on property of the Company (except as contemplated by the Customer Agreements and the Transaction Documents);
(j) not acquiring any asset other than any asset conveyed to the Company pursuant to any of the Customer Agreements or Transaction Documents or purchased by the Company in accordance with the Customer Agreements or Transaction Documents;
(k) maintaining all of its assets in its own name and not commingling its assets with those of any other Person;
(l) paying its own operating expenses and other liabilities out of its own funds;
(m) observing all limited liability company formalities, including maintaining meeting minutes or record meeting and acting on behalf of itself only pursuant to due authorization, required hereby and by the Certificate of Formation;
(n) maintaining adequate capital for the normal obligations reasonably foreseeable in light of its contemplated business operations;
(o) not acquiring obligations or the securities of any Member or any of such Member’s officers and Affiliates, except as required under the Customer Agreements or Transaction Documents;
(p) holding itself out to the public as a legal entity separate and distinct from any other Person, including the Members;
(q) correcting any known misunderstanding regarding its separate identity;
(r) not forming, acquiring or holding any subsidiaries (except as contemplated by the Customer Agreements or Transaction Documents); and
(s) not identifying itself as a department or division of any Member or any of such Member’s respective officers and Affiliates. The failure of the Company to comply with any of the foregoing provisions of this Section 8.6 shall not affect the status of the Company as a separate legal Person or the limited liability of the Members, or their respective Affiliates.
Outside Activities of Limited Partners Subject to any agreements entered into by a Limited Partner or its Affiliates with the General Partner, Partnership or a Subsidiary, any Limited Partner and any officer, director, employee, agent, trustee, Affiliate or stockholder of any Limited Partner shall be entitled to and may have business interests and engage in business activities in addition to those relating to the Partnership, including business interests and activities in direct competition with the Partnership or that are enhanced by the activities of the Partnership. Neither the Partnership nor any Partners shall have any rights by virtue of this Agreement in any business ventures of any Limited Partner or Assignee. Subject to such agreements, none of the Limited Partners nor any other Person shall have any rights by virtue of this Agreement or the partnership relationship established hereby in any business ventures of any other Person, other than the Limited Partners benefiting from the business conducted by the General Partner, and such Person shall have no obligation pursuant to this Agreement to offer any interest in any such business ventures to the Partnership, any Limited Partner or any such other Person, even if such opportunity is of a character which, if presented to the Partnership, any Limited Partner or such other Person, could be taken by such Person.
Operating Covenants From the Execution Date until the Closing or, if earlier, the termination of this Agreement as contemplated hereby, except (t) as required by this Agreement or any other Transaction Document, (u) as required by any lease, Contract, or instrument listed on any Annex, Disclosure Schedule or Schedule, as applicable, (v) as required by any Applicable Law or any Governmental Authority (including by order or directive of the Bankruptcy Court or fiduciary duty of the board of managers of any Seller or its Affiliates) or any requirements or limitations resulting from the Bankruptcy Cases, (w) to the extent related solely to Excluded Assets and/or Excluded Liabilities, (x) for renewal of expiring insurance coverage in the Ordinary Course of Business, (y) for emergency operations or (z) as otherwise consented to in writing by Buyer (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed):
(a) Sellers will:
(i) subject to any Bankruptcy Court order to the contrary, operate the Assets in the Ordinary Course of Business;
(ii) maintain or cause its Affiliates to maintain the books of account and records relating to the Assets in the usual, regular and ordinary manner, in accordance with its usual accounting practices;
(iii) give written notice to Buyer as soon as is practicable of any material damage or casualty to or destruction or condemnation of any Asset of which Sellers have Knowledge;
(iv) use reasonable best efforts to maintain insurance coverage on the Assets in the amounts and types described on Disclosure Schedule 3.10; and
(v) use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain or cause its Affiliates to maintain all Permits (including Environmental Permits) required for the operation of the Assets as presently conducted; and
(b) no Seller shall:
(i) sell, lease or otherwise transfer any Asset, or otherwise voluntarily divest or relinquish any right or asset, other than (A) sales or other dispositions of materials, supplies, machinery, equipment, improvements or other personal property or fixtures in the Ordinary Course of Business which have been replaced with an item of substantially equal suitability and (B) dispositions of Excluded Assets;
(ii) enter into any material Contract that if entered into prior to the Execution Date would be required to be listed in Disclosure Schedule 3.05(a) other than (A) Contracts of the type described in Section 3.05(a)(iii) and Section 3.05(a)(viii) entered into in the Ordinary Course of Business (provided that Sellers shall use commercially reasonable efforts to notify Buyer of the terms of any such Contract prior to the execution thereof), (B) confidentiality agreements entered into in accordance with the Bid Procedures Order, (C) contracts or agreements entered into in connection with the Bankruptcy Cases (including any in connection with an Alternative Transaction) and (D) Contracts that would not adversely affect the Assets in any material respect;
(iii) amend or modify in any material respect or terminate any Purchased Contract (other than termination or expiration in accordance with its terms) or any Permits (including Environmental Permits) required for the operation of the Assets as presently conducted;
(iv) change the methods of accounting or accounting practice by Sellers, except as required by concurrent changes in Applicable Law or GAAP as agreed to by its independent public accountants; or
(v) to the extent any of the following would reasonably have the effect of increasing the Non-Income Tax liability of Buyer for any period after the Closing Date, (A) make any settlement of or compromise any Non-Income Tax liability with respect to the Assets, (B) change any Non-Income Tax election or Non-Income Tax method of accounting or make any new Non-Income Tax election or adopt any new Non-Income Tax method of accounting with respect to the Assets; (C) surrender any right to claim a refund of Non-Income Taxes with respect to the Assets; or (D) consent to any extension or waiver of the limitation period applicable to any Non-Income Tax claim or assessment with respect to the Assets.
Restrictions on Business Activities There is no agreement, commitment, judgment, injunction, order or decree binding upon Company or its subsidiaries or to which Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party which has or could reasonably be expected to have the effect of prohibiting or materially impairing any business practice of Company or any of its subsidiaries, any acquisition of property by Company or any of its subsidiaries or the conduct of business by Company or any of its subsidiaries as currently conducted.
Reasonableness of Covenants In signing this Agreement, the Employee gives the Company assurance that the Employee has carefully read and considered all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including the restraints imposed under this Section 10 hereof. The Employee agrees that these restraints are necessary for the reasonable and proper protection of the Company and its affiliates and their Confidential Information and that each and every one of the restraints is reasonable in respect to subject matter, length of time and geographic area, and that these restraints, individually or in the aggregate, will not prevent the Employee from obtaining other suitable employment during the period in which the Employee is bound by the restraints. The Employee acknowledges that each of these covenants has a unique, very substantial and immeasurable value to the Company and its affiliates and that the Employee has sufficient assets and skills to provide a livelihood while such covenants remain in force. The Employee further covenants that the Employee will not challenge the reasonableness or enforceability of any of the covenants set forth in this Section 10, and that the Employee will reimburse the Company and its affiliates for all costs (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection with any action to enforce any of the provisions of this Section 10 if the Employee challenges the reasonableness or enforceability of the provisions of this Section 10. It is also agreed that each of the Company’s affiliates will have the right to enforce all of the Employee’s obligations to that affiliate under this Agreement, including without limitation pursuant to this Section 10.
Other Business Activities of the Note Holders Each Note Holder acknowledges that each other Note Holder or its Affiliates may make loans or otherwise extend credit to, and generally engage in any kind of business with, the Mortgage Loan Borrower or any Affiliate thereof, any entity that is a holder of debt secured by direct or indirect ownership interests in the Mortgage Loan Borrower or any entity that is a holder of a preferred equity interest in the Mortgage Loan Borrower (each, a “Mortgage Loan Borrower Related Party”), and receive payments on such other loans or extensions of credit to Mortgage Loan Borrower Related Parties and otherwise act with respect thereto freely and without accountability in the same manner as if this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby were not in effect.
Reasonableness of Restrictive Covenants (a) Executive acknowledges that the covenants contained in Sections 8.1 and 8.2 are reasonable in the scope of the activities restricted, the geographic area covered by the restrictions, and the duration of the restrictions, and that such covenants are reasonably necessary to protect the Company's legitimate interests in its Confidential Information and in its relationships with its employees, customers and suppliers. Executive further acknowledges such covenants are essential elements of this Agreement and that, but for such covenants, the Company would not have entered into this Agreement.
(b) The Company and Executive have each consulted with their respective legal counsel and have been advised concerning the reasonableness and propriety of such covenants. Executive acknowledges that his observance of the covenants contained in Sections 8.1 and 8.2 will not deprive him of the ability to earn a livelihood or to support his dependents.
