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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Certain Business Practices Neither Company nor any Company Subsidiary nor any directors, officers, agents or employees of Company or any Company Subsidiary (in their capacities as such) has (i) used any funds for unlawful contributions, gifts, entertainment or other unlawful expenses relating to political activity or (ii) made any unlawful payment to foreign or domestic government officials or employees or to foreign or domestic political parties or campaigns or violated any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.
Books and Records; Internal Accounting Controls The records and documents of the Company and its Subsidiaries accurately reflect in all material respects the information relating to the business of the Company and the Subsidiaries, the location and collection of their assets, and the nature of all transactions giving rise to the obligations or accounts receivable of the Company or any Subsidiary. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient, in the judgment of the Company's board of directors, to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management's general or specific authorizations, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain asset accountability, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management's general or specific authorization and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate actions are taken with respect to any differences.
Material Contracts; Burdensome Restrictions All contracts related to or governing any Indebtedness of any Loan Party and all other material contracts relating to the business operations of each Loan Party and each Subsidiary of each Loan Party are valid, binding and enforceable upon such Loan Party or Subsidiary and each of the other parties thereto in accordance with their respective terms, and there is no default thereunder, to the Loan Parties’ knowledge, with respect to parties other than such Loan Party or Subsidiary. None of the Loan Parties or their Subsidiaries is bound by any contractual obligation, or subject to any restriction in any organization document, or any requirement of Law which could result in a Material Adverse Change.
Certain Negative Covenants So long as any Recovery Bonds are Outstanding, the Issuer shall not:
(a) except as expressly permitted by this Indenture and the other Basic Documents, sell, transfer, exchange or otherwise dispose of any of the properties or assets of the Issuer, including those included in the Recovery Bond Collateral, unless directed to do so by the Indenture Trustee in accordance with Article V;
(b) claim any credit on, or make any deduction from the principal or premium, if any, or interest payable in respect of, the Recovery Bonds (other than amounts properly withheld from such payments under the Code or other tax laws) or assert any claim against any present or former Holder by reason of the payment of the taxes levied or assessed upon any part of the Recovery Bond Collateral;
(c) terminate its existence or dissolve or liquidate in whole or in part, except in a transaction permitted by Section 3.10;
(i) permit the validity or effectiveness of this Indenture or the other Basic Documents to be impaired, or permit the Lien of this Indenture and the Series Supplement to be amended, hypothecated, subordinated, terminated or discharged, or permit any Person to be released from any covenants or obligations with respect to the Recovery Bonds under this Indenture except as may be expressly permitted hereby, (ii) permit any Lien (other than the Lien of this Indenture or of the Series Supplement) to be created on or extend to or otherwise arise upon or burden the Recovery Bond Collateral or any part thereof or any interest therein or the proceeds thereof (other than tax liens arising by operation of law with respect to amounts not yet due), or (iii) permit the Lien of this Indenture or of the Series Supplement not to constitute a valid first priority perfected security interest in the Recovery Bond Collateral;
(e) elect to be classified as an association taxable as a corporation for federal income tax purposes or otherwise take any action, file any tax return, or make any election inconsistent with the treatment of the Issuer, for purposes of federal taxes and, to the extent consistent with applicable State tax law, State income and franchise tax purposes, as a disregarded entity that is not separate from the sole owner of the Issuer;
(f) change its name, identity or structure or the location of its chief executive office, unless at least ten (10) Business Days’ prior to the effective date of any such change the Issuer delivers to the Indenture Trustee (with copies to the Rating Agencies) such documents, instruments or agreements, executed by the Issuer, as are necessary to reflect such change and to continue the perfection of the security interest of this Indenture and the Series Supplement;
(g) take any action which is subject to a Rating Agency Condition without satisfying the Rating Agency Condition;
(h) except to the extent permitted by applicable law, voluntarily suspend or terminate its filing obligations with the SEC as described in Section 3.07(g); or
(i) issue any recovery bonds under the Wildfire Financing Law or any similar law (other than the Recovery Bonds).
Effectiveness of Covenants (a) After the Issue Date, following the first day: (i) the Notes have an Investment Grade Rating from both of the Ratings Agencies; and (ii) no Default has occurred and is continuing under this Indenture; the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries will not be subject to Sections 4.10, 4.11, 4.13, 4.14, 4.16 and 5.01(a)(ii) of this Indenture (collectively, the “Suspended Covenants”).
(b) If at any time the Notes’ credit rating is downgraded from an Investment Grade Rating by any Rating Agency, then the Suspended Covenants will thereafter be reinstated as if such covenants had never been suspended (the “Reinstatement Date”) and be applicable pursuant to the terms of this Indenture (including in connection with performing any calculation or assessment to determine compliance with the terms of this Indenture), unless and until the Notes subsequently attain an Investment Grade Rating and no Default or Event of Default is in existence (in which event the Suspended Covenants shall no longer be in effect for such time that the Notes maintain an Investment Grade Rating); provided, however, that no Default, Event of Default or breach of any kind shall be deemed to exist or have occurred under this Indenture, the Notes or the Guarantees with respect to the Suspended Covenants based on, and none of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries shall bear any liability for, any actions taken or events occurring during the Suspension Period or any actions taken at any time pursuant to any contractual obligation arising prior to the Reinstatement Date, regardless of whether such actions or events would have been permitted if the applicable Suspended Covenants remained in effect during such period. The period of time between the date of suspension of the covenants and the Reinstatement Date is referred to as the “Suspension Period.”
(c) On the Reinstatement Date, all Indebtedness Incurred during the Suspension Period will be deemed to have been outstanding on the Issue Date, so that it is classified as permitted under clause (iii) of the definition of “Permitted Indebtedness”. Calculations made after the Reinstatement Date of the amount available to be made as Restricted Payments under Section 4.11 will be made as though Section 4.11 had been in effect since the Issue Date and throughout the Suspension Period. Accordingly, Restricted Payments made during the Suspension Period will reduce the amount available to be made as Restricted Payments under the first paragraph of Section 4.11 to the extent such Restricted Payments were not otherwise permitted to be made pursuant to clauses (i) through (ix) of the third paragraph of Section 4.11, provided that the amount available to be made as Restricted Payments on the Reinstatement Date pursuant to the first paragraph of Section 4.11 shall not be reduced below zero solely as a result of such Restricted Payments under Section 4.11. Additionally, upon any Reinstatement Date, the amount of Available Asset Sale Proceeds will be reset to zero.
(d) During any period when the Suspended Covenants are suspended, the Board of Directors of the Company may not designate any of the Company’s Subsidiaries as Unrestricted Subsidiaries pursuant to this Indenture. The Company shall give the Trustee prompt written notification of the beginning of any Suspension Period or any Reinstatement Date.
