SERVICING AGREEMENT BONDABLE TRANSITION PROPERTY SERVICING AGREEMENT between JCP&L TRANSITION FUNDING II LLC Issuer and JERSEY CENTRAL POWER & LIGHT COMPANY Servicer Dated as of August 10, 2006
EXHIBIT
10.2
EXECUTION
COPY
BONDABLE
TRANSITION
PROPERTY SERVICING AGREEMENT
between
JCP&L
TRANSITION
FUNDING II LLC
Issuer
and
JERSEY
CENTRAL POWER
& LIGHT COMPANY
Servicer
Dated
as of August
10, 2006
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
ARTICLE
I
|
||
DEFINITIONS
|
||
Section 1.01 | Definitions | 1 |
Section 1.02 | Other Definitional Provisions | 1 |
ARTICLE
II
|
||
APPOINTMENT
AND AUTHORIZATION OF
SERVICER
|
||
Section 2.01
|
Appointment
of Servicer; Acceptance of Appointment
|
2
|
Section 2.02 | Authorization | 2 |
Section 2.03 | Dominion and Control Over Transferred Bondable Transition Property | 2 |
ARTICLE
III
|
||
BILLING
SERVICES
|
||
Section 3.01 | Duties of Servicer | 2 |
Section 3.02 | Collection and Allocation of the Transition Bond Charge | 3 |
Section 3.03 | Payment of TBC Collections | 4 |
Section 3.04 | Servicing and Maintenance Standards | 5 |
Section 3.05 | Servicer's Certificates | 6 |
Section 3.06 | Annual Statement as to Compliance | 6 |
Section 3.07 | Annual Independent Registered Public Accountants' Report | 6 |
Section 3.08 | Bondable Transition Property Documentation | 7 |
Section 3.09 | Computer Records; Audits of Documentation | 7 |
Section 3.10 | Defending Transferred Bondable Transition Property Against Claims | 8 |
ARTICLE
IV
|
||
SERVICES
RELATED TO TRANSITION BONDS CHARGE
ADJUSTMENTS
|
||
Section 4.01 | Transition Bond Charge Adjustments | 8 |
ARTICLE
V
|
||
THE
SERVICER
|
||
Section 5.01 | Representations and Warranties of Servicer | 9 |
Section 5.02 | Indemnities of Servicer; Release of Claims | 10 |
Section 5.03 | Merger or Consolidation of, or Assumption of the Obligations of, Servicer | 12 |
Section 5.04 | Assignment of Servicer's Obligations | 13 |
Section 5.05 | Limitation on Liability of Servicer and Others | 14 |
Section 5.06 | JCP&L Not to Resign as Servicer | 14 |
Section 5.07 | Quarterly Servicing Fee | 14 |
Section 5.08 | Servicer Expenses | 15 |
Section 5.09 | Subservicing | 15 |
Section 5.10 | No Servicer Advances | 15 |
Section 5.11 | Remittances | 15 |
Section 5.12 | Protection of Title | 16 |
ARTICLE
VI
|
||
SERVICER
DEFAULT
|
||
Section 6.01 | Servicer Default | 16 |
Section 6.02 | Notice of Servicer Default | 18 |
Section 6.03 | Waiver of Past Defaults | 18 |
Section 6.04 | Appointment of Successor | 18 |
Section 6.05 | Cooperation With Successor | 19 |
ARTICLE
VII
|
||
MISCELLANEOUS
PROVISIONS
|
||
Section 7.01 | Amendment | 19 |
Section 7.02 | Notices | 21 |
Section 7.03 | Limitations on Rights of Others | 21 |
Section 7.04 | Severability | 21 |
Section 7.05 | Separate Counterparts | 21 |
Section 7.06 | Headings | 22 |
Section 7.07 | Govering Law | 22 |
Section 7.08 | Assignment to the Trustee | 22 |
Section 7.09 | Nonpetition Covenants | 22 |
Section 7.10 | Termination | 22 |
ANNEX 1 | Issuer Annex | |
EXHIBIT A | Servicing Procedures | |
i
BONDABLE
TRANSITION
PROPERTY SERVICING AGREEMENT, dated as of August 10, 2006, by and between
JCP&L TRANSITION FUNDING II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, as
Issuer (the “Issuer”), and JERSEY CENTRAL POWER & LIGHT COMPANY, a New
Jersey corporation, in its capacity as Servicer (the “Servicer”) of the Bondable
Transition Property hereunder.
W
I T N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS
the Servicer
is willing to service all Transferred Bondable Transition Property purchased
from the Seller by the Issuer;
WHEREAS,
the TBC
Collections initially will be commingled with other funds collected by the
Servicer;
WHEREAS,
certain
parties may have an interest in such commingled collections, and such parties
have entered into an Intercreditor Agreement as of the date hereof that allows
the Servicer to allocate the collected, commingled funds according to each
party’s interest; and
WHEREAS
the Issuer,
in connection with its ownership of the Transferred Bondable Transition
Property, desires to engage the Servicer to carry out the functions described
herein.
NOW,
THEREFORE, in
consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants herein contained and
other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which
are
hereby acknowledged, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties
hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
Section
1.01 Definitions.
Capitalized
terms
used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them
in Appendix A of the Indenture dated as of August 10, 2006 between the Issuer
and The Bank of New York, as Trustee (the “Trustee”).
Section
1.02 Other
Definitional Provisions.
(a)
Non-capitalized
terms used herein that are defined in the Competition Act, as the context
requires, have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Competition Act,
but
without giving effect to amendments to the Competition Act after the date hereof
which have a material adverse effect on the Issuer or the Transition
Bondholders.
(b)
All
terms defined in
this Servicing Agreement have such defined meanings when used in any certificate
or other document made or delivered pursuant hereto unless otherwise defined
therein.
1
(c)
The
words “hereof”,
“herein”, “hereunder” and words of similar import when used in this Servicing
Agreement shall refer to this Servicing Agreement as a whole and not to any
particular provision of this Servicing Agreement; Article, Section, Annex,
Schedule and Exhibit references contained in this Servicing Agreement are
references to Articles, Sections, Annexes, Schedules and Exhibits in or to
this
Servicing Agreement unless otherwise specified; and the term “including” shall
mean “including without limitation”.
(d)
The
definitions
contained in this Servicing Agreement are applicable to the singular as well
as
the plural forms of such terms.
ARTICLE
II
APPOINTMENT
AND AUTHORIZATION OF SERVICER
Section
2.01 Appointment
of Servicer; Acceptance of Appointment.
The Issuer hereby
appoints the Servicer, and the Servicer hereby accepts such appointment, to
perform the Servicer’s obligations pursuant to this Servicing Agreement on
behalf of and for the benefit of the Issuer in accordance with and subject
to
the terms of this Servicing Agreement. This appointment and the Servicer’s
acceptance thereof may not be revoked except in accordance with the express
terms of this Servicing Agreement.
Section
2.02 Authorization.
With respect to all
or any portion of the Transferred Bondable Transition Property and in connection
with the performance of its duties hereunder, the Servicer shall be, and hereby
is, authorized and empowered by the Issuer to:
(a)
on
behalf of itself,
the Issuer, or both of them, as the case may be, execute and deliver any and
all
instruments, documents or notices; and
(b)
on
behalf of itself,
the Issuer, or both of them, as the case may be, make any filing and participate
in proceedings of any kind with any governmental authorities, including with
the
BPU and the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
The
Issuer shall furnish the Servicer with such executed documents as have been
prepared by the Servicer for execution by the Issuer, and with such other
documents as may be in the Issuer’s possession, that are necessary or
appropriate to enable the Servicer to carry out its servicing and administrative
duties hereunder. Upon the written request of the Servicer, the Issuer shall
furnish the Servicer with any powers of attorney or other documents necessary
or
appropriate to enable the Servicer to carry out its duties
hereunder.
Section
2.03 Dominion
and
Control Over Transferred Bondable Transition Property.
Notwithstanding
any
other provision herein, the Servicer and the Issuer agree that the Issuer shall
have dominion and control over the Transferred Bondable Transition Property,
and
the Servicer, in accordance with the terms hereof, is acting solely as the
servicing agent of the Issuer with respect to the Transferred Bondable
Transition Property. The Servicer hereby agrees that it shall not take any
action hereunder that is not authorized by this Servicing Agreement, the
Competition Act or the Financing Order, that is not consistent with its
customary procedures and practices, or that shall impair the rights of the
Issuer with respect to the Transferred Bondable Transition Property, in each
case unless such action is required by law or court or regulatory
order.
ARTICLE
III
BILLING
SERVICES
Section
3.01 Duties
of
Servicer.
The Servicer, as
agent for the Issuer (to the extent provided herein), shall have the following
duties:
(a)
Duties
of
Servicer Generally.
The Servicer will
manage, service, administer and make collections in respect of the Transition
Bond Charge. The Servicer’s duties will include:
(i) obtaining
meter
reads, calculating and billing the Transition Bond Charge in accordance with
the
Financing Order and collecting the Transition Bond Charge from Customers and
Third Parties, as applicable;
(ii) responding
to
inquiries by Customers, Third Parties, the BPU, or any federal, local or other
state governmental authority with respect to the Transition Bond
Charge;
(iii) delivering
bills or
arranging for the delivery of bills to Customers and Third Parties, accounting
for TBC Collections, investigating and resolving delinquencies (and furnishing
reports with respect to such delinquencies to the Issuer), processing and
depositing collections, making periodic remittances and furnishing periodic
reports to the Issuer, the Trustee and the Rating Agencies;
(iv) selling,
as the
agent for the Issuer, as its interest may appear, defaulted or written off
accounts in accordance with the Servicer’s usual and customary practices for
accounts of its own electric service customers; and
(v) taking
action in
connection with Transition Bond Charge Adjustments as set forth
herein.
Anything
to the
contrary notwithstanding, the duties of the Servicer set forth in this Servicing
Agreement shall be qualified in their entirety by the Competition Act and any
other applicable law effective in New Jersey, the Financing Order, any BPU
Regulations and the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder, including without limitation, Regulation AB, as in
effect at the time such duties are to be performed. Without limiting the
generality of this Section 3.01(a), in furtherance of the foregoing, the
Servicer hereby agrees that it shall also have, and shall comply with, the
procedures, duties and responsibilities set forth in Exhibit A hereto which,
among other things, relate to data acquisition, usage and xxxx calculation,
billing, customer service functions, collections, payment processing and
remittance.
(b)
Notification
of
Laws and Regulations.
The Servicer shall
immediately notify the Issuer, the Trustee and the Rating Agencies in writing
of
any laws or BPU Regulations hereafter promulgated that have or will reasonably
be likely to have a material adverse effect on the Servicer’s ability to perform
its duties under this Servicing Agreement.
2
(c)
Other
Information.
Upon the reasonable
request of the Issuer, the Trustee or any Rating Agency, the Servicer shall
provide to the Issuer, the Trustee or the Rating Agencies, as the case may
be,
any public financial information in respect of the Servicer, or any material
information regarding the Transferred Bondable Transition Property (or related
TBC Collections) to the extent it is reasonably available to the Servicer,
that
may be reasonably necessary and permitted by law for the Issuer, the Trustee
or
the Rating Agencies to monitor the performance by the Servicer hereunder.
In
addition, so long as any of the Transition Bonds of any Series are Outstanding,
the Servicer shall provide to the Issuer and to the Trustee, within a reasonable
time after written request therefor, any information available to the Servicer
or reasonably obtainable by the Servicer that is necessary to calculate the
Transition Bond Charge.
(d)
Preparation
of
Reports, Certifications, etc.
The Servicer shall
prepare, procure, deliver and/or file, or cause to be prepared, procured,
delivered or filed, any reports, attestations, exhibits, certifications or
other
documents required to be delivered or filed with the SEC (and/or any other
governmental or regulatory agency) by the Issuer under the federal securities
or
other applicable laws or in accordance with the Basic Documents, including,
but
without limiting the generality of foregoing, filing with the SEC, if
applicable, a copy or copies of (i) the certificates described in Section 3.05
and Annex 1 hereof (under Form 10-D or any other applicable form), (ii) the
annual statements of compliance, attestation reports and other certifications
described in Section 3.06 hereof, and (iii) the Annual Independent Certified
Public Accountant’s Report (and any attestation required under Regulation AB)
described in Section 3.07 hereof. In addition, the appropriate officer or
officers of the Servicer shall sign the Issuer’s Form 10-K (and any other
applicable SEC or other reports, attestations, certifications and other
documents), to the extent required by, and consistent with, the federal
securities laws and/or any other applicable law.
Section
3.02 Collection
and Allocation of the Transition Bond Charge.
(a)
The
Servicer shall
use all reasonable efforts, consistent with its customary servicing procedures,
to collect all amounts owed in respect of the Transition Bond Charge as and
when
the same shall become due and shall follow such collection procedures as the
Servicer follows with respect to collection activities that the Servicer
conducts for itself and others. The Servicer shall not change the amount of
or
reschedule the due date of any scheduled payment of the Transition Bond Charge,
except as contemplated in this Servicing Agreement or as required by law or
court order or BPU Regulations; provided, however, that the Servicer may take
any of the foregoing actions to the extent that such action would be in
accordance with customary billing and collection practices of the Servicer
with
respect to billing and collection activities that the Servicer conducts for
itself. The Servicer shall diligently enforce the obligations of any Third
Parties providing billing and collection services with respect to the Transition
Bond Charge.
(b)
As
specified in the
Petition and the Financing Order, any amounts received by the Servicer from
a
Customer that represent a partial payment toward an outstanding balance will
be
applied in the following manner:
(i) to
sales taxes with
respect to the partial payment (which the Servicer collects as trustee for
the
State of New Jersey and not for its own account or for that of the
Issuer);
3
(ii) pro
rata to the
Transition Bond Charge and the Servicer’s other charges and taxes, where any of
such charges are in arrears, based on their proportion to the Servicer’s total
charges in arrears for that period; and
(iii) pro
rata to the
Transition Bond Charge and the Servicer’s other charges and taxes, where any of
such charges are current charges, based on their proportion to the Servicer’s
total current charges assessed for that period.
JCP&L’s
other
charges may include the Market Transition Charge, the MTC-Tax and all other
charges that JCP&L and any Third Party may be authorized to xxxx and collect
from Customers on account of the provision of electric service. If there is
more
than one series of transition bonds outstanding, whether they be Transition
Bonds issued by the Issuer, or transition bonds issued by JCP&L Transition
Funding LLC or any other issuer for which the Servicer is acting as servicer,
the Servicer shall allocate partial payments among such series in accordance
with the Intercreditor Agreement.
Section
3.03 Payment
of
TBC Collections.
(a)
With the exception of the Quarterly Servicing Fee, which the Servicer is
entitled to withhold from TBC Collections pursuant to Section 5.07 hereof,
the
Servicer agrees to remit to the Trustee for deposit in the Collection Account
TBC Collections for each Billing Month based on its estimated system-wide
write-off percentage and the average number of days outstanding of bills, as
in
effect from time to time as follows:
(i) on
each Monthly
Remittance Date, for so long as the Servicer has satisfied the conditions of
Section 5.11(b), the Servicer shall remit to the Trustee for each preceding
Billing Month an amount equal to the amount of TBC Collections deemed to have
been received during the preceding calendar month, based on the estimated
system-wide write-off percentage and the average number of days outstanding
of
bills then in effect; and
(ii) on
each Daily
Remittance Date, for so long as the Servicer has not satisfied the conditions
of
Section 5.11(b), the Servicer shall remit to the Trustee an amount equal to
the
amount of TBC Collections deemed to have been received during the Business
Day
which is two Business Days preceding such Daily Remittance Date, including
(for
the first Daily Remittance Date following a period when the Servicer had been
remitting on a Monthly Remittance Date) any amounts on deposit with the Servicer
(for the Billing Month and any prior Billing Month) prior to such Daily
Remittance Date during a period when the Servicer had been remitting on a
Monthly Remittance Date based on the estimated system-wide write-off percentage
and the average number of days outstanding of bills then in effect.
4
(b)
On
or before each
Reconciliation Date, the Servicer will reconcile actual TBC Collections with
estimated TBC Collections previously made to the Trustee in respect of (i)
each
Annual Reconciliation Date, each of the twelve Billing Months beginning fifteen
months before the month in which such Reconciliation Date occurs (or from the
first Series Issuance Date, if less than fifteen months have elapsed), and
(ii)
each Monthly Reconciliation Date, the Billing Month that is three months prior
to the Billing Month in which such Reconciliation Date occurs. In the event
that
there is a payment shortfall (i.e., the remittances of the estimated payments
are less than the actual payments arising from the transition bond charges)
with
respect to the applicable Billing Months or Billing Month, as the case may
be,
the Servicer shall pay the shortfall to the Trustee for deposit into the
Collection Account within two Business Days of that Reconciliation Date, or,
if
the Servicer remits TBC Collections on each Monthly Remittance Date in
accordance with Section 5.11(b), on the next Monthly Remittance Date. In the
event that there is an overpayment (i.e., the remittances of estimated payments
exceed the amounts that should have been remitted based on the actual
system-wide write-offs) for the applicable Billing Months or Billing Month,
as
the case may be, the Servicer may either (A) reduce the amount that the Servicer
is required to remit to the Trustee for deposit in the Collection Account on
the
following Remittance Date (and, if necessary, succeeding Remittance Dates)
by
the amount of the overpayment or (B) direct the Trustee in writing to pay to
the
Servicer from the General Subaccount the amount of the overpayment, which upon
payment shall become the property of the Servicer.
(c)
In
the event that
the Servicer makes changes to its current computerized customer information
system that would allow the Servicer to track actual TBC Collections and/or
otherwise monitor payment and collection activity more efficiently or accurately
than is currently being done under this Servicing Agreement, the Servicer may
substitute actual remittance procedures for the estimated remittance procedures
described above and otherwise modify the remittance procedures described above
as may be appropriate in the interests of efficiency, accuracy, cost and/or
system capabilities. However, the Servicer may not make any such modification
or
substitution that will materially and adversely affect the Transition
Bondholders. The Servicer must also give notice to the Rating Agencies of any
such computer system changes no later than sixty business days after the date
on
which all customer accounts are first billed on the new system.
(d)
The
Servicer and
Issuer agree and acknowledge that, although the Servicer will remit estimated
payments arising from the TBC Collections to the Trustee, the Servicer is not
obligated to make any payments on the Transition Bonds. The Servicer agrees
and
acknowledges that it holds all TBC Collections collected by it for the benefit
of the Issuer and that all amounts will be remitted by the Servicer in
accordance with this Servicing Agreement without any surcharge, fee, offset,
charge or other deduction and without making any claim to reduce its obligation
to remit all TBC Collections collected by it, except (i) as set forth in clause
(b) above, (ii) with respect to the Quarterly Servicing Fee that it may withhold
pursuant to Section 5.07 hereof and (iii) with respect to late fees permitted
by
Section 5.07.
Section
3.04 Servicing
and Maintenance Standards.
The Servicer shall,
on behalf of the Issuer:
(a)
manage,
service,
administer and make collections in respect of the Transferred Bondable
Transition Property with reasonable care and in material compliance with
applicable law and regulations, including all applicable BPU Regulations, using
the same degree of care and diligence that the Servicer exercises with respect
to billing and collection activities that the Servicer conducts for itself
and
others;
5
(b)
follow
standards,
policies and procedures in performing its duties as Servicer that are customary
in the electric power distribution industry in New Jersey;
(c)
use
all reasonable
efforts, consistent with its customary servicing procedures, to enforce and
maintain the rights of the Issuer and the Trustee in respect of the Transferred
Bondable Transition Property; and
(d)
calculate
the
Transition Bond Charge in compliance with the Competition Act, the Financing
Order and any applicable tariffs;
except
where the
failure to comply with any of the foregoing would not have a material adverse
effect on the Issuer’s or the Trustee’s respective interests in the Transferred
Bondable Transition Property. The Servicer shall follow such customary and
usual
practices and procedures as it shall deem necessary or advisable in its
servicing of the Transferred Bondable Transition Property, which, in the
Servicer’s judgment, may include the taking of legal action pursuant to Section
3.10 or otherwise. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Servicer shall not change
its customary and usual practices and procedures in any manner that would have
a
material adverse effect on the Issuer’s or the Trustee’s respective interests in
the Transferred Bondable Transition Property unless it shall have provided
the
Rating Agencies with prior written notice.
Section
3.05 Servicer’s
Certificates.
The Servicer will
provide to the Issuer and to the Trustee the statements specified in Annex
1 at
the times indicated therein.
Section
3.06 Annual
Statement as to Compliance.
The
Servicer shall
deliver to the Issuer and the Trustee, on or before the earlier of
(a) March 31 of each year or (b) with respect to each calendar
year during which the Issuer’s annual report on Form 10-K is required to be
filed in accordance with the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations
thereunder, the date on which the annual report on Form 10-K is required to
be
filed in accordance with the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations
thereunder, (i) a Servicer Officers’ Certificate containing, and certifying as
to, the statements of compliance required by Item 1123 (or any successor or
similar items or rule) of Regulation AB, as then in effect and (ii) a Servicer
Officers’ Certificate containing, and certifying as to, the statements and
assessment of compliance required by Item 1122(a) (or any successor or similar
items or rule) of Regulation AB, as then in effect.
The
Servicer shall use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain from each other
party participating in the servicing function any additional certifications
as
to the statements and assessment required under Item 1122 or Item 1123 of
Regulation AB to the extent required in connection with the filing of the annual
report on Form 10-K; provided, however, that a failure to obtain such
certifications shall not be a breach of the Servicer’s duties
hereunder.
Section
3.07 Annual
Independent Registered Public Accountants’ Report.
(a)
The
Servicer shall
cause a firm of Independent registered public accountants (which may also
provide other services to the Servicer or the Seller) to prepare, and the
Servicer shall deliver to the Issuer, to the Trustee and to each Rating Agency,
on or before the earlier of (a) March 31 of each year or (b) with
respect to each calendar year during which the Issuer’s annual report on Form
10-K is required to be filed in accordance with the Exchange Act and the rules
and regulations thereunder, the date on which the annual report on Form 10-K
is
required to be filed in accordance with the Exchange Act and the rules and
regulations thereunder, a report addressed to the Servicer (the “Annual
Accountant’s Report”), which may be included as part of the Servicer’s customary
auditing activities, to the effect that such firm has performed certain
procedures in connection with the Servicer’s compliance with its obligations
under this Servicing Agreement during the preceding calendar year (or, in the
case of the first Annual Accountant’s Report, the period of time from the
Initial Transfer Date until December 31, 2006), identifying the results of
such
procedures and including any exceptions noted. In the event such accounting
firm
requires the Trustee or the Issuer to agree or consent to the procedures
performed by such firm, the Issuer shall direct the Trustee in writing to so
agree, it being understood and agreed that the Trustee will deliver such letter
of agreement or consent in conclusive reliance upon the direction of the Issuer,
and the Trustee will not make any independent inquiry or investigation as to,
and shall have no obligation or liability in respect of, the sufficiency,
validity or correctness of such procedures.
6
(b)
The
Annual
Accountant’s Report shall also indicate that the accounting firm providing such
report is independent of the Servicer in accordance with the Rules of the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board and shall include the attestation report
required under Item 1122(b) of Regulation AB (or any successor or similar items
or rule), as then in effect.
Section
3.08 Bondable
Transition Property Documentation.
To assure uniform
quality in servicing the Transferred Bondable Transition Property and to reduce
administrative costs, the Servicer shall keep on file, in accordance with its
customary procedures, all Bondable Transition Property Documentation, it being
understood that the Servicer is acting solely as the servicing agent and
custodian for the Issuer with respect to the Bondable Transition Property
Documentation.
Section
3.09 Computer
Records; Audits of Documentation.
(a)
Safekeeping.
The Servicer shall
maintain accurate and complete accounts, records and computer systems pertaining
to the Transferred Bondable Transition Property and the Bondable Transition
Property Documentation in accordance with its standard accounting procedures
and
in sufficient detail to permit reconciliation between payments or recoveries
on
(or with respect to) the Transition Bond Charge and the estimated TBC
Collections from time to time remitted to the Trustee pursuant to Section 3.03
and to enable the Issuer to comply with this Servicing Agreement and the
Indenture. The Servicer shall conduct, or cause to be conducted, periodic audits
of the Bondable Transition Property Documentation held by it under this
Servicing Agreement and of the related accounts, records and computer systems,
in such a manner as shall enable the Issuer and the Trustee, as pledgee of
the
Issuer, to verify the accuracy of the Servicer’s record keeping. The Servicer
shall promptly report to the Issuer and to the Trustee any failure on the
Servicer’s part to hold the Bondable Transition Property Documentation and
maintain its accounts, records and computer systems as herein provided and
shall
promptly take appropriate action to remedy any such failure. Nothing herein
shall be deemed to require an initial review or any periodic review by the
Issuer or the Trustee of the Bondable Transition Property Documentation. The
Servicer’s duties to hold the Bondable Transition Property Documentation on
behalf of the Issuer set forth in this Section 3.09, to the extent such Bondable
Transition Property Documentation has not been previously transferred to a
Successor Servicer, shall terminate three years after the earlier of the date
on
which (i) the Servicer is succeeded by a Successor Servicer pursuant to the
provisions of this Servicing Agreement or (ii) no Transition Bonds of any Series
are Outstanding.
7
(b)
Maintenance
of
and Access to Records.
The Servicer shall
maintain the Bondable Transition Property Documentation at 00 Xxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx,
Xxxxx, Xxxx 00000 or at such other office as shall be specified to the Issuer
and to the Trustee by written notice not later than thirty days prior to any
change in location. The Servicer shall permit the Issuer and the Trustee or
their respective duly authorized representatives, attorneys, agents or auditors
at any time during normal business hours to inspect, audit and make copies
of
and abstracts from the Servicer’s records regarding the Transferred Bondable
Transition Property, the Transition Bond Charge and the Bondable Transition
Property Documentation. The failure of the Servicer to provide access to such
information as a result of an obligation or applicable law (including BPU
Regulations) prohibiting disclosure of information regarding customers shall
not
constitute a breach of this Section 3.09(b).
Section
3.10 Defending
Transferred Bondable Transition Property Against Claims.
The Servicer shall
institute and maintain any action or proceeding necessary to compel performance
by the BPU or the State of New Jersey of any of their obligations or duties
under the Competition Act or the Financing Order with respect to the Transferred
Bondable Transition Property, and the Servicer agrees to take such legal or
administrative actions, including defending against or instituting and pursuing
legal actions and appearing or testifying at hearings or similar proceedings,
as
may be reasonably necessary to block or overturn any attempts to cause a repeal
of, modification of or supplement to the Competition Act, the Financing Order
or
the Restructuring Order (to the extent it affects the rights of Transition
Bondholders or the validity or value of the Transferred Bondable Transition
Property), as the case may be, the Bondable Transition Property or the rights
of
the holders of Transferred Bondable Transition Property if such repeal,
modification or supplement would be adverse to the Transition Bondholders.
The
costs of any such action reasonably allocated by the Servicer to the Transferred
Bondable Transition Property shall be payable from TBC Collections as an
Operating Expense in accordance with the Indenture. The Servicer’s obligations
pursuant to this Section 3.10 shall survive and continue notwithstanding the
fact that the payment of Operating Expenses pursuant to the Indenture may be
delayed (it being understood that the Servicer may be required to advance its
own funds to satisfy its obligations under this Section 3.10).
ARTICLE
IV
SERVICES
RELATED TO TRANSITION BOND CHARGE ADJUSTMENTS
Section
4.01 Transition
Bond Charge Adjustments.The
Servicer shall
perform the calculations and take the actions relating to adjusting the
Transition Bond Charge, as set forth in Section 5 of Annex 1, at the times
indicated therein.
8
ARTICLE
V
THE
SERVICER
Section
5.01 Representations
and Warranties of Servicer.
The
Servicer makes
the following representations and warranties as of the Transfer Date, on which
the Issuer has relied and will rely in acquiring Transferred Bondable Transition
Property and in entering into this Servicing Agreement. These representations
and warranties shall survive the execution and delivery of this Servicing
Agreement, the sale, transfer, assignment and conveyance of the Transferred
Bondable Transition Property to the Issuer pursuant to the Sale Agreement and
the pledge thereof to the Trustee pursuant to the Indenture.
(a)
Organization
and
Good Standing.
The Servicer is a
corporation duly organized and in good standing under the laws of the State
of
its incorporation, with the corporate power and authority to own its properties
and to conduct its business as such properties are currently owned and such
business is presently conducted and to execute, deliver and carry out the terms
of this Servicing Agreement, and has the power, authority and legal right to
service the Transferred Bondable Transition Property.
(b)
Due
Qualification.
The Servicer is
duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in good standing, and
has
obtained all necessary licenses and approvals, in all jurisdictions in which
the
ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its business (including the
servicing of the Transferred Bondable Transition Property as required by this
Servicing Agreement) requires such qualifications, licenses or approvals (except
where the failure to so qualify would not be reasonably likely to have a
material adverse effect on the Servicer’s business, operations, assets,
revenues, properties or prospects or on the transactions contemplated by this
Servicing Agreement).
(c)
Power
and
Authority.
The Servicer has
the corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this Servicing
Agreement and to carry out its terms; and the execution, delivery and
performance of this Servicing Agreement have been duly authorized by the
Servicer by all necessary corporate action.
(d)
Binding
Obligation.
This Servicing
Agreement constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Servicer
enforceable against the Servicer in accordance with its terms, subject to
bankruptcy, receivership, fraudulent transfer, insolvency, reorganization,
moratorium or other similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time
to time in effect and to general principles of equity (regardless of whether
considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).
(e)
No
Violation.
The consummation of
the transactions contemplated by this Servicing Agreement and the fulfillment
of
the terms hereof will not: conflict with, result in any breach of any of the
terms and provisions of, or constitute (with or without notice or lapse of
time
or both) a default under, the articles of incorporation, by-laws or other
constituent documents of the Servicer, or any indenture, material agreement
or
other material instrument to which the Servicer is a party or by which it is
bound; or result in the creation or imposition of any Lien upon any of its
properties pursuant to the terms of any such indenture, material agreement
or
other material instrument; or violate any law or any order, rule or regulation
applicable to the Servicer of any court or of any federal or State regulatory
body, administrative agency or other governmental instrumentality having
jurisdiction over the Servicer or its properties.
9
(f)
Approvals.
Except for filings
with the BPU for adjusting the Transition Bond Charge pursuant to Section 4.01
and Annex 1, the filing of financing statements under the New Jersey UCC and
the
Delaware UCC, and the filing of continuation filings under the New Jersey UCC
and the Delaware UCC, no approval, authorization, consent, order or other action
of, or filing with, any court, federal or state regulatory body, administrative
agency or other governmental instrumentality is required in connection with
the
execution and delivery by the Servicer of this Servicing Agreement, the
performance by the Servicer of the transactions contemplated hereby or the
fulfillment by the Servicer of the terms hereof, except those that have been
obtained or made.
(g)
Reports
and
Certificates.
Each report and
certificate delivered in connection with any filing made with the BPU by the
Servicer on behalf of the Issuer with respect to the Transition Bond Charge
or
Transition Bond Charge Adjustments will constitute a representation and warranty
by the Servicer that each such report or certificate, as the case may be, is
true and correct in all material respects; provided, however, that to the extent
any such report or certificate is based in part upon or contains assumptions,
forecasts or other predictions of future events, this representation and
warranty of the Servicer with respect thereto will be limited to the
representation and warranty that such assumptions, forecasts or other
predictions of future events are reasonable based upon historical performance
or
facts known to the Servicer on the date such report or certificate is
delivered.
(h)
No
Proceedings.
There are no
proceedings or investigations pending or, to the Servicer’s best knowledge,
threatened before any court, federal or state regulatory body, administrative
agency or other governmental instrumentality having jurisdiction over the
Servicer or its properties:
(i) seeking
to prevent
the issuance of the Transition Bonds or the consummation of any of the
transactions contemplated by this Servicing Agreement or any of the other Basic
Documents;
(ii) except
as disclosed
by the Servicer to the Issuer (or as disclosed in filings with the Commission
made by the Servicer), seeking any determination or ruling that might materially
and adversely affect the performance by the Servicer of its obligations under,
or the validity or enforceability against the Servicer of, this Servicing
Agreement or any of the other Basic Documents; or
(iii) relating
to the
Servicer and which might materially and adversely affect the federal or State
income tax attributes of the Transition Bonds.
Section
5.02 Indemnities
of Servicer; Release of Claims.
(a)
The Servicer shall
be liable as such in accordance herewith only to the extent of the obligations
specifically undertaken by the Servicer under this Servicing
Agreement.
10
(b)
The
Servicer shall
indemnify the Issuer and the Trustee (for itself and on behalf of the Transition
Bondholders) and each of their respective trustees, members, managers, officers,
directors, employees and agents for, and defend and hold harmless each such
person from and against, any and all Losses that may be imposed upon, incurred
by or asserted against any such person as a result of:
(i) the
Servicer’s
willful misconduct, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its
duties or observance of its covenants under this Servicing Agreement or the
Servicer’s reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under this Servicing
Agreement;
(ii) the
Servicer’s
breach of any of its representations or warranties in this Servicing Agreement;
and
(iii) litigation
and
related expenses relating to its status and obligations as Servicer (other
than
any proceedings the Servicer is required to institute under this Servicing
Agreement);
provided,
however,
that the Servicer shall not be liable for any Losses resulting from the willful
misconduct or gross negligence of any person indemnified pursuant to this
Section 5.02 (each, an “Indemnified Person”) or resulting from a breach of a
representation or warranty made by such Indemnified Person in any of the Basic
Documents that gives rise to the Servicer’s breach.
Promptly
after
receipt by an Indemnified Person of notice of its involvement in any action,
proceeding or investigation, such Indemnified Person shall, if a claim for
indemnification in respect thereof is to be made against the Servicer under
this
Section 5.02, notify the Servicer in writing of such involvement. Failure by
an
Indemnified Person to so notify the Servicer shall relieve the Servicer from
the
obligation to indemnify and hold harmless such Indemnified Person under this
Section 5.02 only to the extent that the Servicer suffers actual prejudice
as a
result of such failure. With respect to any action, proceeding or investigation
brought by a third party for which indemnification may be sought under this
Section 5.02, the Servicer shall be entitled to assume the defense of any such
action, proceeding or investigation unless (x) such action, proceeding or
investigation exposes the Indemnified Person to a risk of criminal liability
or
forfeiture, (y) the Servicer and such Indemnified Person have a conflict of
interest in their respective defenses of such action, proceeding or
investigation or (z) there exists at the time the Servicer would assume such
defense an ongoing Servicer Default. Upon assumption by the Servicer of the
defense of any such action, proceeding or investigation, the Indemnified Person
shall have the right to participate in such action or proceeding and to retain
its own counsel (including local counsel), and the Servicer shall bear the
reasonable fees, costs and expenses of such separate counsel. The Indemnified
Person shall not settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment
with respect to any pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding
in
respect of which indemnification may be sought under this Section 5.02 (whether
or not the Servicer is an actual or potential party to such claim or action)
unless the Servicer agrees in writing to such settlement, compromise or consent
and such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release
of
the Servicer from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or
proceeding.
11
(c)
The
Servicer’s
indemnification obligations under Section 5.02(b) for events occurring prior
to
the removal or resignation of the Trustee or the termination of this Servicing
Agreement shall survive the resignation or removal of the Trustee or the
termination of this Servicing Agreement and shall include reasonable costs,
fees
and expenses of investigation and litigation (including the Issuer’s and the
Trustee’s reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses).
(d)
Except
to the extent
expressly provided for in the Basic Documents (including the Servicer’s claims
with respect to the Quarterly Servicing Fees and the Seller’s claim for payment
of the purchase price of the Transferred Bondable Transition Property), the
Servicer hereby releases and discharges the Issuer (including its Member,
Managers, officers, employees and agents, if any) and the Trustee (including
its
respective officers, directors, employees and agents) (collectively, the
“Released Parties”) from any and all actions, claims and demands whatsoever,
which the Servicer shall or may have against any such person relating to the
Transferred Bondable Transition Property or the Servicer’s activities with
respect thereto other than any actions, claims and demands arising out of the
willful misconduct, bad faith or gross negligence of the Released
Parties.
Section
5.03 Merger
or
Consolidation of, or Assumption of the Obligations
of, Servicer.
Any Person or
Persons:
(a)
into
which the
Servicer may be merged or consolidated and which succeeds to all or a
significant part of the electric distribution business of the
Servicer,
(b)
which
results from
the division of the Servicer into two or more Persons and which succeeds to
all
or a significant part of the electric distribution business of the
Servicer,
(c)
which
may result
from any merger or consolidation to which the Servicer shall be a party and
which succeeds to all or a significant part of the electric distribution
business of the Servicer,
(d)
which
may, in a
transaction or a series of related transactions, succeed to the properties
and
assets of the Servicer substantially as a whole and which, in a transaction
or a
series of related transactions, succeeds to all or a significant part of the
electric distribution business of the Servicer, or
(e)
which
may otherwise
succeed to all or a significant part of the electric distribution business
of
the Servicer,
which
Person or
Persons in any of the foregoing cases executes or execute an agreement of
assumption to perform every obligation of the Servicer under this Servicing
Agreement, shall be the successor or successors to the Servicer hereunder
without the execution or filing of any document or any further act by any of
the
parties to this Servicing Agreement; provided, however, that:
(i) immediately
after
giving effect to such transaction, no representation or warranty made pursuant
to Section 5.01 shall have been breached and no Servicer Default, and no event
that, after notice or lapse of time, or both, would become a Servicer Default,
shall have occurred and be continuing;
12
(ii) the
Servicer shall
have delivered to the Issuer, the Trustee and the Rating Agencies a Servicer
Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel each stating that such
consolidation, merger or succession and such agreement of assumption comply
with
this Section 5.03 and that all conditions precedent, if any, provided for in
this Servicing Agreement relating to such transaction have been complied
with;
(iii) the
Servicer shall
have delivered to the Issuer, the Trustee and the Rating Agencies an Opinion
of
Counsel either:
(A) |
stating
that,
in the opinion of such counsel, all filings to be made by the Servicer,
including New Jersey UCC filings and Delaware UCC filings, that are
necessary fully to preserve and protect the interests of the Trustee
in
the Transferred Bondable Transition Property have been executed and
filed
and reciting the details of such filings,
or
|
(B) |
stating
that,
in the opinion of such counsel, no such action is necessary to preserve
and protect such interests;
|
(iv) the
Rating Agencies
shall have received prior written notice of such transaction, and the then
current ratings on any of the Outstanding Transition Bonds will not be withdrawn
or downgraded by the Rating Agencies; and
(v) the
Servicer shall
have delivered to the Issuer, the Trustee and the Rating Agencies an opinion
of
independent tax counsel (as selected by, and in form and substance reasonably
satisfactory to, the Servicer, and which may be based on a ruling from the
Internal Revenue Service) to the effect that, for federal income tax purposes,
such consolidation or merger will not result in a material adverse federal
income tax consequence to the Servicer, the Issuer, the Trustee or the then
existing Transition Bondholders.
The
Servicer shall not consummate any transaction referred to in clauses (a), (b),
(c), (d) or (e) above except upon execution of the above described agreement
of
assumption and compliance with subclauses (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) above.
When any Person or Persons acquires or acquire the properties and assets of
the
Servicer substantially as a whole and becomes or become the successor or
successors to the Servicer in accordance with the terms of this Section 5.03,
then upon the satisfaction of all of the other conditions of this Section 5.03,
the Servicer shall automatically and without further notice be released from
its
obligations hereunder.
Section
5.04 Assignment
of Servicer’s Obligations.
Subject
to the
provisions of Section 5.06, the Servicer may assign any or all of its
obligations hereunder to any successor if either (i) prior written notice has
been provided to the Rating Agencies and the then current ratings on any of
the
Outstanding Transition Bonds will not be withdrawn or downgraded by the Rating
Agencies and any other conditions specified in the Financing Order have been
satisfied or (ii) the Servicer is replaced by a successor pursuant to Section
5.03 hereof.
13
Section
5.05 Limitation
on Liability of Servicer and Others.
The
Servicer, in
such capacity, shall not be liable to the Issuer, the Trustee, or the Transition
Bondholders except as provided under this Servicing Agreement, for any action
taken or for refraining from the taking of any action pursuant to this Servicing
Agreement or for good faith errors in judgment; provided, however, that this
provision shall not protect the Servicer against any liability that would
otherwise be imposed by reason of willful misconduct, bad faith or gross
negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of reckless disregard
of its obligations and duties under this Servicing Agreement. The Servicer
and
any director, officer, employee or agent of the Servicer may rely in good faith
on the advice of counsel reasonably acceptable to the Trustee or on any document
of any kind, prima facie properly executed and submitted by any Person,
respecting any matters arising under this Servicing Agreement.
Except
as provided
in this Servicing Agreement, the Servicer, in such capacity, shall not be under
any obligation to appear in, prosecute or defend any legal action that is not
incidental to its duties to service the Transferred Bondable Transition Property
in accordance with this Servicing Agreement or related to its indemnification
obligations, and that in its reasonable opinion may cause it to incur any
expense or liability.
Section
5.06 JCP&L
Not to Resign as Servicer.
Subject
to the
provisions of Sections 5.03 and 5.04, JCP&L shall not resign from the
obligations and duties imposed on it as Servicer under this Servicing Agreement
except upon a determination that the performance of its duties under this
Servicing Agreement shall no longer be permissible under applicable law. Any
such resignation shall not be effective until approved by the BPU. Notice of
any
such determination permitting the resignation of JCP&L shall be communicated
to the Issuer, the Trustee and each Rating Agency at the earliest practicable
time (and, if such communication is not in writing, shall be confirmed in
writing at the earliest practicable time), and any such determination shall
be
evidenced by an Opinion of Counsel to such effect delivered to the Issuer and
the Trustee concurrently with or promptly after such notice. No such resignation
shall be permitted if such resignation will result in the reduction or
withdrawal of the then current ratings on any Outstanding Transition Bond.
No
such resignation shall become effective until a Successor Servicer has assumed
the servicing obligations and duties hereunder of the Servicer in accordance
with Section 6.04.
Section
5.07 Quarterly
Servicing Fee.
The Issuer agrees
to pay the Servicer the Quarterly Servicing Fee with respect to all Series
of
Transition Bonds. On each Monthly Remittance Date that coincides with a Payment
Date, the Servicer shall be entitled to withhold the amount of the Quarterly
Servicing Fee from TBC Collections as compensation under this Servicing
Agreement unless the Trustee has notified the Servicer in writing that the
Issuer does not hold sufficient funds to pay amounts owed in such month to
the
Trustee. For so long as JCP&L is the Servicer, the Quarterly Servicing Fee
shall be $57,000. The Servicer shall be entitled to retain as additional
compensation net investment income on TBC Collections related to the Transferred
Bondable Transition Property received by the Servicer during any Collection
Period prior to remittance to the Collection Account and the late fees, if
any,
paid by Customers to the Servicer. The Issuer and the Servicer agree and
acknowledge that the foregoing fees constitute a fair and reasonable price
for
the obligations to be performed by the Servicer. In no event shall the Trustee
be liable for any Quarterly Servicing Fee.
14
Section
5.08 Servicer
Expenses.
Except
as otherwise
expressly provided herein, the Servicer shall be required to pay all expenses
incurred by it in connection with its activities hereunder, including fees
and
disbursements of independent accountants and counsel, taxes imposed on the
Servicer and expenses incurred in connection with reports to the Transition
Bondholders and shall not be entitled to any additional payment or reimbursement
therefor.
Section
5.09 Subservicing.The
Servicer may at
any time appoint a subservicer to perform all or any portion of its obligations
as Servicer hereunder; provided, however, that written notice has been given
to
the Rating Agencies and the Trustee and the then current ratings on any
Outstanding Transition Bonds will not be withdrawn or downgraded by the Rating
Agencies; and provided, further, that the Servicer shall remain obligated and
be
liable to the Issuer, the Trustee and the Transition Bondholders for the
servicing and administering of the Transferred Bondable Transition Property
in
accordance with the provisions hereof without diminution of such obligation
and
liability by virtue of the appointment of such subservicer and to the same
extent and under the same terms and conditions as if the Servicer alone were
servicing and administering the Transferred Bondable Transition Property. The
fees and expenses of the subservicer shall be as agreed between the Servicer
and
its subservicer from time to time, and none of the Issuer, the Trustee or the
Transition Bondholders shall have any responsibility therefor. Any such
appointment shall not constitute a Servicer resignation under Section 5.06.
Section
5.10 No
Servicer
Advances.
The
Servicer shall
not make any advances of interest on or principal of the Transition Bonds.
Section
5.11 Remittances.
(a)
The
Servicer shall
remit TBC Collections (from whatever source) in accordance with
Section 3.03(a)(ii), and all proceeds of other Collateral of the Issuer, if
any, received by the Servicer, to the Trustee for deposit pursuant to the
Indenture, not later than each Daily Remittance Date. The Servicer shall
promptly remit any Indemnity Amounts paid or received by it immediately to
the
Trustee for deposit pursuant to the Indenture.
(b)
Notwithstanding
the
foregoing clause (a), as long as
(i) JCP&L
or any
successor to JCP&L’s electric distribution business remains the
Servicer,
(ii) no
Servicer Default
has occurred and is continuing,
(iii) (A)
JCP&L,
or any
Successor Servicer to JCP&L’s electric
distribution business, maintains a short-term rating
of ‘A-1’ or
better by S&P, ‘P-1’ or better by Xxxxx’x,
and ‘F-1’
or better by Fitch,
or
(B)
any
additional conditions or limitations imposed by the
Rating Agencies
are complied with and each
Rating
Agency
has notified the Servicer, the Issuer and
the Trustee that
the monthly remittance will not
result
in a
downgrade or withdrawal of the then current
ratings of
any Outstanding Transition Bonds
(except
that with
regard to Xxxxx’x and Fitch it will
be sufficient
to provide ten days notice of any such
action),
15
(iv) the
BPU has approved
Servicer remittances on a monthly basis and
(v) the
Servicer has
delivered to the Rating Agencies an Opinion of Counsel addressing certain “true
sale” and “non-consolidation” issues in form and substance reasonably
satisfactory to such Rating Agencies,
the
Servicer need not make the daily remittances required by clause (a), but in
lieu
thereof, shall remit all TBC Collections (from whatever source) in accordance
with Section 3.03(a)(i), and all proceeds of other Collateral of the Issuer,
if
any, received by the Servicer during any Collection Period to the Trustee for
deposit pursuant to the Indenture, not later than the corresponding Monthly
Remittance Date.
Section
5.12 Protection
of Title.
The
Servicer shall
execute and file such filings and cause to be executed and filed such filings,
all in such manner and in such places as may be required by law fully to
preserve, maintain and protect the interests of the Trustee in the Transferred
Bondable Transition Property and other Collateral, including all filings
required under the New Jersey UCC and the Delaware UCC relating to the transfer
of ownership of or a security interest in the Transferred Bondable Transition
Property by the Seller to the Issuer or the security interest granted by the
Issuer to the Trustee in the Transferred Bondable Transition Property and other
Collateral. The Servicer shall deliver (or cause to be delivered) to the Issuer
and the Trustee file-stamped copies of, or filing receipts for, any document
filed as provided above, as soon as available following such
filing.
ARTICLE
VI
SERVICER
DEFAULT
Section
6.01 Servicer
Default.
If
any one of the
following events (a “Servicer Default”) occurs and is continuing:
(a)
any
failure by the
Servicer to remit to the Trustee, on behalf of the Issuer, any required
remittance that continues unremedied for a period of five Business Days after
the date it is required to be paid; or
(b)
any
failure by the
Servicer duly to observe or perform in any material respect any other covenant
or agreement of the Servicer set forth in this Servicing Agreement or any other
Basic Document to which the Servicer, as such, is a party, which
failure:
16
(i) materially
and
adversely affects the Transferred Bondable Transition Property or the rights
of
the Transition Bondholders; and
(ii) continues
unremedied
for a period of sixty days after the date on which written notice of such
failure has been given to the Servicer by the Issuer, the Trustee or the Holders
of not less than twenty-five percent of the Outstanding principal balance of
the
Transition Bonds of all Series and Classes, acting together as a single class,
or after discovery of such failure by an officer of the Servicer, as the case
may be; or
(c)
any
representation
or warranty made by the Servicer in this Servicing Agreement proves to have
been
incorrect when made, which has a material adverse effect on the Issuer or the
Transition Bondholders and which material adverse effect continues unremedied
for a period of sixty days after the date on which written notice thereof has
been given to the Servicer by the Issuer, the Trustee or the Holders of not
less
than twenty-five percent of the Outstanding principal balance of the Transition
Bonds of all Series and Classes, acting together as a single class, or after
discovery of such failure by an officer of the Servicer, as the case may be;
or
(d)
an
Insolvency Event
occurs with respect to the Servicer;
then,
and in each
and every case, so long as the Servicer Default shall not have been remedied,
the Trustee, with the written consent of the Holders of a majority of the
Outstanding principal balance of the Transition Bonds of all Series and Classes,
voting together as a single class, by notice then given in writing to the
Servicer (a “Termination Notice”), may terminate all the rights and obligations
(other than the indemnification obligations set forth in Section 5.02 hereof,
the obligation under Section 6.04 to continue performing its functions as
Servicer until a Successor Servicer is appointed and the right to receive the
requisite portion of the Quarterly Servicing Fees) of the Servicer under this
Servicing Agreement. In addition, upon a Servicer Default because of a failure
to make required remittances, the Issuer and the Trustee shall each be entitled
to apply to the BPU or any court of competent jurisdiction for sequestration
and
payment to the Trustee of revenues arising with respect to the Transferred
Bondable Transition Property.
On
or after the
receipt by the Servicer of a Termination Notice, all authority and power of
the
Servicer under this Servicing Agreement, whether with respect to the Transferred
Bondable Transition Property, the related Transition Bond Charge or otherwise,
shall, upon appointment of a Successor Servicer pursuant to Section 6.04,
without further action, pass to and be vested in such Successor Servicer and,
without limitation, the Trustee is hereby authorized and empowered to execute
and deliver, on behalf of the predecessor Servicer, as attorney-in-fact or
otherwise, any and all documents and other instruments, and to do or accomplish
all other acts or things necessary or appropriate to effect the purposes of
such
Termination Notice, whether to complete the transfer of the Bondable Transition
Property Documentation and related documents, or otherwise. The predecessor
Servicer shall cooperate with the Successor Servicer, the Trustee and the Issuer
in effecting the termination of the responsibilities and rights of the
predecessor Servicer under this Servicing Agreement, including the transfer
to
the Successor Servicer for administration by it of all cash amounts that shall
at the time be held by the predecessor Servicer for remittance, or shall
thereafter be received by it with respect to the Transferred Bondable Transition
Property or the related Transition Bond Charge. As soon as practicable after
receipt by the Servicer of such Termination Notice, the Servicer shall deliver
the Bondable Transition Property Documentation to the Successor Servicer. All
reasonable costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees and expenses) incurred
in connection with transferring the Bondable Transition Property Documentation
to the Successor Servicer and amending this Servicing Agreement to reflect
such
succession as Servicer pursuant to this Section 6.01 shall be paid by the
predecessor Servicer upon presentation of reasonable documentation of such
costs
and expenses. Termination of JCP&L as Servicer shall not terminate
JCP&L’s rights or obligations under the Sale Agreement.
17
Section
6.02 Notice
of
Servicer Default.
The
Servicer shall
deliver to the Issuer, the Trustee and each Rating Agency promptly after having
obtained knowledge thereof, but in no event later than five Business Days
thereafter, written notice in a Servicer Officers’ Certificate of any event or
circumstance which, with the giving of notice or the passage of time or both,
would become a Servicer Default under Section 6.01. If any Outstanding
Transition Bonds are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, such notice shall
also be given by publication in a daily newspaper in Luxembourg, if the rules
of
the Luxembourg Stock Exchange so require.
Section
6.03 Waiver
of
Past Defaults.
The
Trustee, with
the written consent of the Holders of not less than a majority of the
Outstanding principal balance of the Transition Bonds of all Series and Classes,
voting together as a single class, may waive in writing any default by the
Servicer in the performance of its obligations hereunder and its consequences,
except a default in making any required remittances to the Trustee of TBC
Collections in accordance with Section 3.03. Upon any such waiver of a past
default, such default shall cease to exist, and any Servicer Default arising
therefrom shall be deemed to have been remedied for every purpose of this
Servicing Agreement. No such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other
default or impair any right consequent thereto.
Section
6.04 Appointment
of Successor.
(a)
Upon
the Servicer’s
receipt of a Termination Notice pursuant to Section 6.01 or the Servicer’s
resignation in accordance with the terms of this Servicing Agreement, the
predecessor Servicer shall continue to perform its functions as Servicer under
this Servicing Agreement and shall be entitled to receive the requisite portion
of the Quarterly Servicing Fees, until a Successor Servicer has assumed in
writing the obligations of the Servicer hereunder as described below. In the
event of the Servicer’s removal or resignation hereunder, the Trustee, as
assignee of the Issuer, may, at the sole expense of the Issuer, appoint a
Successor Servicer, with the consent of the Holders of not less than a majority
of the Outstanding principal balance of the Transition Bonds of all Series
and
Classes, voting together as a single class, and the Successor Servicer shall
accept its appointment by a written assumption in form acceptable to the Issuer
and the Trustee. If, within thirty days after the delivery of the Termination
Notice, a new Servicer has not been appointed and accepted such appointment,
the
Trustee, at the sole expense of the Issuer, may petition the BPU or a court
of
competent jurisdiction to appoint a Successor Servicer under this Servicing
Agreement. A Person shall qualify as a Successor Servicer only if:
18
(i) such
Person is
permitted to perform the duties of the Servicer pursuant to the Competition
Act,
the BPU Regulations, the Financing Order and this Servicing
Agreement;
(ii) prior
notice has
been given to the Rating Agencies and the then current ratings on any
Outstanding Transition Bonds shall not be withdrawn or downgraded by the Rating
Agencies; and
(iii) such
Person enters
into a servicing agreement with the Issuer having substantially the same
provisions as this Servicing Agreement.
(b)
Upon
appointment,
the Successor Servicer shall be the successor in all respects to the predecessor
Servicer under this Servicing Agreement and shall be subject to all the
responsibilities, duties and liabilities arising thereafter relating thereto
placed on the predecessor Servicer and shall be entitled to the Quarterly
Servicing Fee and all the rights granted to the predecessor Servicer by the
terms and provisions of this Servicing Agreement.
(c)
The
Successor
Servicer may resign only if it is prohibited from serving as such by applicable
law.
(d)
A
Successor Servicer
may bring an action against a particular Customer for nonpayment of the
Transition Bond Charge, or terminate service for failure to pay the Transition
Bond Charge, only if such Successor Servicer is the electric public utility
with
respect to that Customer.
(e)
All
expenses
incurred by the Trustee in connection with the appointment of a Successor
Servicer shall be reimbursed to the Trustee, pursuant to Section 8.02(d) of
the
Indenture.
Section
6.05 Cooperation
With Successor.
The
Servicer
covenants and agrees with the Issuer that it will, on an ongoing basis,
cooperate with the Successor Servicer and provide whatever information is,
and
take whatever actions are, reasonably necessary to assist the Successor Servicer
in performing its obligations hereunder.
ARTICLE
VII
MISCELLANEOUS
PROVISIONS
Section
7.01 Amendment.
[(a)
Upon
five Business
Days’ prior written notice to the Rating Agencies, this Servicing Agreement may
be amended by the Servicer and the Issuer with the written consent of the
Trustee upon receipt of an Issuer Order, but without the consent of the
Transition Bondholders, to:
(i) cure
any
ambiguity;
19
(ii) correct
or
supplement any provision in this Servicing Agreement;
(iii) add
any provisions
to or change in any manner or eliminate any of the provisions of this Servicing
Agreement; or
(iv) modify
in any manner
the rights of the Transition Bondholders;
provided,
that such
action will not, as certified in a Servicer Officers’ Certificate of the
Servicer delivered to the Issuer and to the Trustee and the Managers, adversely
affect in any material respect the interest of any Holder of Transition Bonds
then Outstanding.
(b)
This
Servicing
Agreement may be amended by the Servicer and the Issuer with five Business
Days’
prior written notice to the Rating Agencies and with the written consent of
the
Trustee and the consent of the Holders of not less than a majority of the
Outstanding principal balance of the Transition Bonds of all Series and Classes
affected thereby, voting together as a single class, for the purpose of adding
any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions
of this Servicing Agreement or of modifying in any manner the rights of the
Transition Bondholders; provided, however, no amendment adopted in this manner
may increase or decrease, or accelerate or delay the timing or collection of
the
Transition Bond Charge, or reduce the percentage of Transition Bondholders
required to consent to amendments.
No
amendment of the
provisions of this Servicing Agreement relating to the Servicer’s remittance and
Transition Bond Charge Adjustment obligations will be permitted absent
confirmation from the Rating Agencies that such amendment will not result in
a
reduction or withdrawal of the then existing ratings of any Outstanding
Transition Bonds by the Rating Agencies (except that with regard to Moody’s and
Fitch it will be sufficient to provide ten days’ prior notice of the
amendment).
(c)
The
Issuer may also
amend the servicing procedures provided in this Servicing Agreement solely
to
address changes to the Servicer’s method of calculating payments of the
Transition Bond Charge received as a result of changes to the Servicer’s current
computerized information system, if the amendment does not have a material
adverse effect on the Holders of Transition Bonds then Outstanding, with prior
written notice to the Trustee and the Rating Agencies, but without the consent
of the Trustee, any Rating Agency or any Transition Bondholder. These changes
may include changes that would replace remittances calculated by estimation
procedures with remittances of TBC Collections actually received.
Prior
to the
execution of any amendment to this Servicing Agreement, the Issuer and the
Trustee shall be entitled to receive and rely upon an Opinion of Counsel stating
that the execution of such amendment is authorized or permitted by this
Servicing Agreement and the Opinion of Counsel referred to in Section 3.06(b)
of
the Indenture. The Issuer and the Trustee may, but shall not be obligated to,
enter into any such amendment which affects their own rights, duties or
immunities under this Servicing Agreement or otherwise.
20
Section
7.02 Notices.
Unless otherwise
specifically provided herein, all notices, directions, consents and waivers
required under the terms and provisions of this Servicing Agreement shall be
in
English and in writing, and any such notice, direction, consent or waiver may
be
given by United States first-class mail, reputable overnight courier service,
facsimile transmission or electronic mail (confirmed by telephone, United States
first-class mail or reputable overnight courier service in the case of notice
by
facsimile transmission or electronic mail) or any other customary means of
communication, and any such notice, direction, consent or waiver shall be
effective when delivered or transmitted, or if mailed, five days after deposit
in the United States first-class mail with proper postage for first-class mail
prepaid:
(a)
in
the case of the
Servicer, at Jersey Central Power & Light Company, 00 Xxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx,
Xxxxx, Xxxx 00000;
(b)
in
the case of the
Issuer, at JCP&L Transition Funding II LLC, 000 Xxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxx 000,
Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000, with a copy to JCP&L Transition Funding II LLC
c/o FirstEnergy Service Company, 00 Xxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx, Xxxx
00000;
(c)
in
the case of the
Trustee, at its Corporate Trust Office;
(d)
in
the case of
Moody’s, at Xxxxx’x Investors Service, Inc., ABS Monitoring Department, 00
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000;
(e)
in
the case of
S&P, at Standard & Poor’s, Structured Finance, ABS Surveillance Corp.,
00 Xxxxx Xxxxxx, 00xx
Xxxxx, Xxx Xxxx,
Xxx Xxxx 00000-0000, Fax: 000-000-0000; and
(f)
in
the case of
Fitch, at Fitch, Inc., Xxx Xxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000,
Attention: ABS Surveillance;
or,
as to each of the foregoing, at such other address as shall be designated by
written notice to the other parties.
Section
7.03 Limitations
on Rights of Others.
The
provisions of
this Servicing Agreement are solely for the benefit of the Servicer, the Issuer
and the Trustee, on behalf of itself and the Transition Bondholders, and nothing
in this Servicing Agreement, whether express or implied, shall be construed
to
give to any other Person any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim in any
Collateral or under or in respect of this Servicing Agreement or any covenants,
conditions or provisions contained herein.
Section
7.04 Severability.Any
provision of
this Servicing Agreement that is prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction
shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition
or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof, and
any such prohibition or unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall not
invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other
jurisdiction.
Section
7.05 Separate
Counterparts.
This
Servicing
Agreement may be executed by the parties hereto in separate counterparts, each
of which when so executed and delivered shall be an original, but all such
counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same
instrument.
21
Section
7.06 Headings.
The
headings of the
various Articles and Sections herein are for convenience of reference only
and
shall not define or limit any of the terms or provisions hereof.
Section
7.07 Governing
Law. THIS
SERVICING AGREEMENT SHALL BE CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE
OF NEW JERSEY, WITHOUT REFERENCE TO ITS CONFLICT OF LAW PROVISIONS, AND THE
OBLIGATIONS, RIGHTS AND REMEDIES OF THE PARTIES HEREUNDER SHALL BE DETERMINED
IN
ACCORDANCE WITH SUCH LAWS.
Section
7.08 Assignment
to the Trustee.
(a) The
Servicer hereby
acknowledges and consents to any pledge, assignment and grant of a security
interest by the Issuer to the Trustee pursuant to the Indenture of all right,
title and interest of the Issuer in, to and under the Transferred Bondable
Transition Property and other Collateral owned by the Issuer and the proceeds
thereof and the assignment of any or all of the Issuer’s rights hereunder to the
Trustee.
(b) In
no event shall
the Trustee have any liability for the representations, warranties, covenants,
agreements or other obligations of the Issuer hereunder or in any of the
certificates, notices or agreements delivered pursuant hereto, as to all of
which recourse shall be had solely to the assets of the Issuer.
(c) The
Trustee, in
acting hereunder, is entitled to all rights, benefits, protections, immunities
and indemnities accorded to it under the Indenture.
Section
7.09 Nonpetition
Covenants.
Notwithstanding any
prior termination of this Servicing Agreement or the Indenture, the Servicer
hereby covenants and agrees that it shall not, prior to the date which is one
year and one day after the satisfaction and discharge of the Indenture,
including, without limitation, any amounts owed to third-party credit enhancers,
and any amounts owed by the Issuer under Interest Rate Swap Agreements,
acquiesce, petition or otherwise invoke or cause the Issuer to invoke the
process of any court or government authority for the purpose of commencing
or
sustaining a case against the Issuer under any federal or State bankruptcy,
insolvency or similar law or appointing a receiver, liquidator, assignee,
trustee, custodian, sequestrator or other similar official of the Issuer or
any
substantial part of the property of the Issuer, or ordering the winding up
or
liquidation of the affairs of the Issuer.
Section
7.10 Termination.
This Servicing
Agreement shall terminate upon satisfaction and discharge of the Indenture.
1
NY
#561191 v12
22
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF,
the parties hereto have caused this Servicing Agreement to be duly executed
and
delivered by their respective duly authorized officers as of the date and year
first above written.
as
Issuer
JCP&L TRANSITION FUNDING II LLC, | |
as Issuer | |
By:
|
/s/
Xxxxx Xxxxxx
|
Name:
Xxxxx Xxxxxx
|
|
Title:
Assistant Treasurer
|
|
JERSEY
CENTRAL POWER & LIGHT
|
|
COMPANY,
|
|
as
Servicer
|
|
By:
|
/s/
Xxxxx Xxxxxx
|
Name:
Xxxxx Xxxxxx
|
|
Title:
Assistant Treasurer
|
Acknowledged and Accepted: | ||
The
Bank
of New York,
as
Trustee
|
|
|
By: /s/ Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx | ||
Name: Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx | ||
Title: Assistant Vice President |
A- NY
#561191
v12
23
ANNEX
1
TO
SERVICING
AGREEMENT
The
Servicer agrees to comply with the following with respect to JCP&L
Transition Funding II LLC, as Issuer:
Section
1. Definitions.
Capitalized
terms
used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings set forth in
Appendix A to the Indenture dated as of August 10 , 2006 between the Issuer
and
The Bank of New York, as Trustee.
Section
2. Trustee
and
Servicer Payment Date Statements. At
least one
Business Day before each date on which distributions to the Trustee and Servicer
are to be made pursuant to Sections 8.02(d) and (e) of the Indenture, the
Servicer shall provide the Trustee with a statement setting forth the amounts
to
be distributed to each of the Trustee and Servicer pursuant to such
Sections.
Section
3. Payment
Date
Statements.
At least one
Business Day before each Payment Date, the Servicer shall provide to the Issuer,
the Trustee, each Rating Agency and, for so long as any Transition Bonds are
listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, any listing agent in Luxembourg, a
statement indicating:
1. |
the
amount to
be paid to Transition Bondholders of each Series and Class in respect
of
principal on such Payment Date in accordance with Section 8.02 of
the
Indenture and each Series Supplement
thereto;
|
2. |
the
amount to
be paid to Transition Bondholders of each Series and Class in respect
of
interest on such Payment Date in accordance with Section 8.02 of
the
Indenture and each Series Supplement
thereto;
|
3. |
the
Transition
Bond Balance and the Projected Transition Bond Balance and the transition
bond balance for each Series and Class as of that Payment Date (in
each
case, after giving effect to the payments on such Payment
Date);
|
4. |
the
amount on
deposit in the Overcollateralization Subaccount for each Series and
the
Scheduled Overcollateralization Level for each Series, as of that
Payment
Date (after giving effect to the transfers to be made from or into
the
Overcollateralization Subaccount on such Payment
Date);
|
5. |
the
amount on
deposit in the Capital Subaccount for each Series as of that Payment
Date
(after giving effect to the transfers to be made from or into the
Capital
Subaccount on such Payment Date);
|
24
6. |
the
amount, if
any, on deposit in the Reserve Subaccount as of that Payment Date
(after
giving effect to the transfers to be made from or into the Reserve
Subaccount on such Payment Date);
|
7. |
the
amounts to
be paid to each Swap Counterparty (on a gross and a net basis, separately
stated) under the related Interest Rate Swap Agreement on or before
such
Payment Date;
|
8. |
the
amounts
paid to the Trustee since the preceding Payment Date pursuant to
Section
8.02(d) of the Indenture;
|
9. |
the
amounts
paid to or withheld by the Servicer since the preceding Payment Date
pursuant to Section 8.02(e) of the Indenture;
and
|
10. |
the
amount of
any other transfers and payments to be made on such Payment Date
pursuant
to Sections 8.02(d), (e), (f), (g) and (i) of the
Indenture.
|
Section
4. Remittance
Date Statements.
At least one
Business Day before each Remittance Date, and in the case of Daily Remittances,
on the last Remittance Date of such month, the Servicer shall prepare and
furnish to the Issuer and the Trustee a statement setting forth the aggregate
amount remitted or to be remitted by the Servicer to the Trustee (net of any
payments owed to the Servicer in accordance with Section 3.03(b) of the
Servicing Agreement) for deposit on such Remittance Date pursuant to the
Indenture.
Section
5. Transition
Bond Charge Adjustments.
(a) |
Prior
to each
Calculation Date, the Servicer shall calculate
|
(i) |
the
Transition
Bond Balance as of such Calculation Date (a written copy of which
shall be
delivered by the Servicer to the Trustee within five Business Days
following such Calculation Date)
and
|
(ii) |
the
revised
Transition Bond Charge with respect to the Transferred Bondable Transition
Property in respect of each Adjustment Date such that the Servicer
projects that TBC Collections therefrom allocable to the Issuer will
be
sufficient so that:
|
(A) |
the
Transition
Bond Balance on the Payment Date immediately preceding the next Adjustment
Date will equal the Projected Transition Bond Balance as of such
date or,
if earlier with respect to any Series or Class of Transition Bonds,
as of
the Payment Date immediately preceding the Expected Final Payment
Date
therefor;
|
(B) |
the
amount on
deposit in the Overcollateralization Subaccount on the Payment Date
immediately preceding the next Adjustment Date will equal the Scheduled
Overcollateralization Level for such date or, if earlier with respect
to
any Series or Class of Transition Bonds, as of the Payment Date
immediately preceding the Expected Final Payment Date
therefor;
|
(C) |
the
amount on
deposit in the Capital Subaccount on the Payment Date immediately
preceding the next Adjustment Date will equal its required level
for such
date or, if earlier with respect to any Series or Class of Transition
Bonds, as of the Payment Date immediately preceding the Expected
Final
Payment Date therefor;
|
(D) |
the
amount on
deposit in the Reserve Subaccount on the Payment Date immediately
preceding the next Adjustment Date, will equal zero;
and
|
(E) |
the
TBC
Collections will provide for (i) amortization of the remaining outstanding
principal balance of each Series in accordance with the Expected
Amortization Schedule therefor, (ii) payment of interest on each
Series
when due and payment of any amounts (other than termination or breakage
amounts) under each Interest Rate Swap Agreement, (iii) payment of
all
Operating Expenses of the Issuer when due in accordance with the
Indenture
and (iv) deposits to the Overcollateralization Subaccount such that
the
balance therein will equal the Scheduled Overcollateralization Level
on
each Payment Date.
|
(b) |
On
each
Calculation Date, the Servicer shall file an Adjustment Request with
the
BPU. This filing shall include the data specified in the Petition
and the
Financing Order.
|
(c) |
On
each
Adjustment Date, the Servicer shall
|
(i) |
take
all
reasonable actions and make all reasonable efforts to effectuate
all
adjustments to the Transition Bond Charge either approved by the
BPU or
effective on an interim basis pending final approval
and
|
(ii) |
promptly
send
to the Trustee copies of all material notices and documents relating
to
such adjustments.
|
(d) |
On
each
Adjustment Date, the Servicer shall provide Moody’s with a schedule
indicating any changes to the Transition Bond Charge.
|
(e) |
If
deemed
appropriate by the Servicer to protect Transition Bondholders and
to
remedy a significant and recurring variance between actual and expected
TBC Collections, as authorized by the Financing Order, the Servicer
shall
make “non-routine” adjustments to the Transition Bond Charge and the
MTC-Tax (as defined in the Financing Order) to accommodate material
changes to the methodology described in Attachment E-3 to Revised
Exhibit
E-Supplement of the Petition. Such filings shall be made at least
thirty
days prior to the proposed effective date of the proposed adjustments.
The
Servicer shall provide notice of such non-routine adjustment and
resulting
change to the Transition Bond Charge to
Fitch.
|
A- NY
#561191
v12
25
EXHIBIT
A
SERVICING
PROCEDURES
The
Servicer agrees to comply with the following servicing procedures (and to
consider and use the criteria specified in Item 1122(d) of Regulation AB (or
any
successor regulation), in effect from time to time, to assess its compliance
with applicable servicing criteria.
Section
1. Definitions.
(a) |
Capitalized
terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings
set
forth in Appendix A to the Indenture dated as of August 10 , 2006
between
the Issuer and The Bank of New York, as
Trustee.
|
(b) |
Whenever
used
in this Exhibit A, the following words and phrases shall have the
following meanings:
|
Adjustment
Request
has, with respect
to the Issuer, the meaning given to such term in Appendix A.
Applicable
MDMA
means, with respect
to each Customer, the meter data management agent or Third Party, if any,
providing meter reading services for that Customer's account.
Applicable
Third Party
means, with respect
to each Customer, the Third Party, if any, providing billing or metering
services to that Customer.
Billed
Transition Bond Charges
means the amounts
billed to Customers pursuant to the Transition Bond Charge, whether billed
directly to such Customers by the Servicer or indirectly through a Third Party
pursuant to Consolidated Third Party Billing.
Bills
means each of the
regular monthly bills, the summary bills, the opening bills and the Closing
Bills issued to Customers or Third Parties by JCP&L.
Budget
Payment Plan
means a levelized
payment plan offered by JCP&L, which, if elected by a Customer, provides for
level monthly Xxxx charges to such Customer. For residential Customers, this
charge is calculated by calculating actual electricity charges for the previous
year and dividing this amount by twelve. The number which results from this
calculation is charged to the residential Customer each month. In the twelfth
month, JCP&L bills the residential Customer for actual use in that month,
adjusted for any excess or deficit the Customer has paid JCP&L over the
prior eleven months. If the Customer owes JCP&L $4 or more over the normal
budget amount, that Customer has the option of repaying the full amount in
the
twelfth month, or spreading the amount of this deficit in equal installments
over the first four months of the Customer's next budget year. The procedure
is
similar for small industrial and commercial Customers.
26
Closing
Xxxx
means the final
xxxx issued to a Customer at the time service is terminated.
Consolidated
Third Party Billing
means the billing
option available to Customers served by a Third Party pursuant to which such
Third Party will be responsible for billing and collecting all charges to
Customers electing such billing option, including the Transition Bond Charge,
and will become obligated to the Servicer for the Billed Transition Bond
Charges, all in accordance with applicable BPU Regulations and the Financing
Order.
Net
Write-Off Percent
means the number
(expressed as a percent) equal to
(i) |
the
amount by
which Write-Offs attributable to a particular billing period exceed
Write-Off recoveries attributable to such billing period, divided
by
|
(ii) |
the
total
billed revenue attributable to such billing period.
|
Servicer
Policies and Practices
means, with respect
to the Servicer’s duties under this Exhibit A, the policies and practices of the
Servicer applicable to such duties that the Servicer follows with respect to
comparable assets that it services for itself.
Transition
Bond Charge Effective Date
means the date on
which the initial Transition Bond Charge goes into effect pursuant to the
Financing Order.
Variables
includes the
following variables used in calculating Adjustment Requests:
(i) |
the
estimated
Net Write-Off Percent; and
|
(ii) |
the
projected
billed consumption to which the Transition Bond Charge
applies.
|
Write-Offs
means arrears that
remain unpaid by Customers generally as of ninety days after the issuance of
the
Closing Bills containing such charges, unless payment arrangements are made
and
are being kept.
27
Section
2. Data
Acquisition.
(a) |
Installation
and Maintenance of Meters.
Except to the
extent that a Third Party is responsible for such services, the Servicer
shall use its best efforts to cause to be installed, replaced and
maintained meters in such places and in such condition as will enable
the
Servicer to obtain usage measurements for each Customer approximately
every thirty days or as provided in the applicable
tariff.
|
(b) |
Meter
Reading.
At least once
each calendar month, the Servicer shall obtain usage measurements
from the
Applicable MDMA for each Customer; provided, however, that the Servicer
may determine any Customer’s usage on the basis of estimates in accordance
with applicable BPU Regulations.
|
(c) |
Cost
of
Metering.
The Issuer
shall not be obligated to pay any costs associated with the metering
duties set forth in this Section 2, including, but not limited to,
the
costs of installing, replacing and maintaining meters, nor shall
the
Issuer be entitled to any credit against the Servicing Fee for any
cost
savings realized by the Servicer or any Third Party as a result of
new
metering and/or billing
technologies.
|
Section
3. Usage
and
Xxxx Calculation.
The
Servicer shall obtain a calculation of each Customer’s usage (which may be based
on data obtained from such Customer’s meter read or on usage estimates
determined in accordance with applicable BPU Regulations) at least once each
calendar month and shall determine therefrom each Customer’s individual charge
relating to the Transition Bond Charge to be included on such Customer’s Xxxx
pursuant to the Financing Order and BPU Regulations.
Section
4. Billing.
The
Servicer shall implement the Transition Bond Charge as of the Transition Bond
Charge Effective Date and shall thereafter xxxx each Customer or the Applicable
Third Party for the respective Customer’s outstanding current and past due
charges relating to the Transition Bond Charge, accruing until all payments
of
principal and interest on each Series of Transition Bonds and all other costs
and expenses related to such Series have been paid in accordance with the
Indenture, all in accordance with the following:
(a) |
Frequency
of Bills; Billing Practices.
In accordance
with the Servicer’s then-existing Servicer Policies and Practices, as such
Servicer Policies and Practices may be modified from time to time,
the
Servicer shall generate and issue a Xxxx to each Customer, or, in
the case
of a Customer who has elected Consolidated Third Party Billing, to
an
Applicable Third Party, for such Customer’s respective Transition Bond
Charge as a general practice once approximately every thirty days
or such
other time period as allowed by the BPU, at the same time, with the
same
frequency and on the same Xxxx as that containing the Servicer’s own
charges to such Customer or Third Party, as the case may be. In the
event
that the Servicer makes any material modification to these practices,
it
shall notify the Issuer, the Trustee and the Rating Agencies as soon
as
practicable, and in no event later than sixty Business Days after
such
modification goes into effect; provided, however,
that
|
28
(i) |
the
Servicer
may not make any modification that will materially adversely affect
the
Transition Bondholders and
|
(ii) |
the
Rating
Agencies shall receive prior notice of any modification that would
change
the frequency with which Bills are issued or would change any tariff
charged.
|
(b) |
Format.
|
(i) |
Each
Xxxx to a
Customer shall contain the charge corresponding to the Transition
Bond
Charge owed by such Customer for the billing period. The Customer’s Xxxx
will contain in text or in a footnote, text substantially to the
effect
that a portion of the monthly charge representing that Bondable Transition
Property is being collected on behalf of the Issuer as owner of the
Bondable Transition Property.
|
(ii) |
In
the case of
each Customer that has elected Consolidated Third Party Billing,
the
Servicer shall deliver to the Applicable Third Party itemized charges
for
such Customer including the amount of such Customer’s Transition Bond
Charge to be remitted by the Servicer to the
Issuer.
|
(iii) |
The
Servicer
shall conform to such requirements in respect of the format, structure
and
text of Bills delivered to Customers and Third Parties as applicable
BPU
Regulations shall from time to time prescribe. To the extent that
Xxxx
format, structure and text are not prescribed by the Competition
Act,
other applicable law or BPU Regulations, the Servicer shall, subject
to
clauses (i) and (ii) above, determine the format, structure and text
of
all Bills in accordance with its reasonable business judgment, its
Servicer Policies and Practices with respect to its own charges and
prevailing industry standards.
|
(c) |
Delivery.
The Servicer
shall deliver all Bills to Customers
|
(i) |
by
United
States mail in such class or classes as are consistent with the Servicer
Policies and Practices followed by the Servicer with respect to its
own
charges or
|
(ii) |
by
any other
means, whether electronic or otherwise, that the Servicer may from
time to
time use to present its own charges to its
Customers.
|
In
the case of Customers that have elected Consolidated Third Party Billing, the
Servicer shall deliver all Bills to the Applicable Third Parties by such means
as are prescribed by applicable BPU Regulations, or, if not prescribed by
applicable BPU Regulations, by such means as are mutually agreed upon by the
Servicer and the Applicable Third Party and are consistent with BPU Regulations.
The Servicer or a Third Party, as applicable, shall pay from its own funds
all
costs of issuance and delivery of all Bills, including but not limited to
printing and postage costs as the same may increase or decrease from time to
time.
29
Section
5. Customer
Service Functions.
The
Servicer shall handle all Customer inquiries and other Customer service matters
according to the same procedures it uses to service Customers with respect
to
its own charges.
Section
6. Collections;
Payment Processing; Remittance.
(a) |
Collection
Efforts; Policies; Procedures.
|
(i) |
The
Servicer
shall use reasonable efforts to collect all Billed Transition Bond
Charges
from Customers and Third Parties as and when the same become due
and shall
follow such collection procedures as it follows with respect to comparable
assets that it services for itself or others, including, as
follows:
|
(A) |
The
Servicer
shall prepare and deliver overdue notices to Customers and Third
Parties
in accordance with applicable BPU Regulations and the Servicer Policies
and Practices.
|
(B) |
The
Servicer
shall apply late payment charges to outstanding Customer and Third
Party
balances in accordance with applicable BPU Regulations. All late
payment
charges collected shall be payable to and retained by the Servicer
as a
component of its compensation under the Servicing Agreement, and
the
Issuer shall not have any right to share in the
same.
|
(C) |
The
Servicer
shall deliver verbal and written final call notices in accordance
with
applicable BPU Regulations and Servicer Policies and
Practices.
|
(D) |
The
Servicer
shall adhere to and carry out disconnection policies in accordance
with
the Competition Act, other applicable law and BPU Regulations and
Servicer
Policies and Practices.
|
(E) |
The
Servicer
may employ the assistance of collections agents in accordance with
applicable BPU Regulations and Servicer Policies and
Practices.
|
(F) |
The
Servicer
shall apply Customer and Third Party deposits, Customers’ letters of
credit and Customer posted surety bonds to the payment of delinquent
accounts in accordance with applicable BPU Regulations and Servicer
Policies and Practices and according to the priorities set forth
in
Sections 6(b)(ii), (iii) and (iv) of this Exhibit
A.
|
(G) |
The
Servicer
shall promptly take all necessary action in accordance with applicable
BPU
Regulations to terminate billing of Transition Bond Charges by Third
Parties whose payments are twenty-two or more days delinquent, or
as the
then current BPU Regulations and any billing services agreements
allow,
and to resume, prospectively, to collect the Billed Transition Bond
Charges directly from the applicable Customers. At such time, the
Servicer
will apply the Third Party’s security deposit to satisfy charges billed
previously by the Third Party which remain outstanding, including
outstanding Transition Bond
Charges.
|
(ii) |
The
Servicer
shall not waive any late payment charge or any other fee or charge
relating to delinquent payments, if any, or waive, vary or modify
any
terms of payment of any amounts payable by a Customer, in each case
unless
such waiver or action:
|
(A) |
would
be in
accordance with the Servicer’s customary practices or those of any
Successor Servicer with respect to comparable assets that it services
for
itself and for others;
|
(B) |
would
not
materially adversely affect the rights of the Transition Bondholders;
and
|
(C) |
would
comply
with applicable law;
|
provided,
however,
that notwithstanding anything in the Servicing Agreement or this Exhibit A
to
the contrary, the Servicer is authorized to write off any Billed Transition
Bond
Charges in accordance with its Servicer Policies and Practices.
(iii) |
The
Servicer
shall accept payment from Customers in respect of Billed Transition
Bond
Charges in such forms and methods and at such times and places as
it
accepts for payment of its own charges. The Servicer shall accept
payment
from Third Parties in respect of Billed Transition Bond Charges in
such
forms and methods and at such times and places as the Servicer and
each
Third Party shall mutually agree in accordance with applicable BPU
Regulations.
|
(b) |
Payment
Processing; Allocation; Priority of Payments.
|
(i) |
The
Servicer
shall post all payments received to Customer accounts as promptly
as
practicable, and, in any event, substantially all payments shall
be posted
no later than two Business Days after
receipt.
|
(ii) |
Subject
to
clause (iii) below, the Servicer shall apply payments received to
each
Customer’s or Third Party’s account in proportion to the charges contained
on the outstanding Xxxx to such Customer or Third
Party.
|
(iii) |
Any
amounts
collected by the Servicer that represent partial payments of the
total
Xxxx to a Customer or Third Party shall be allocated in accordance
with
the priorities set forth in Section 3.02(b) of the Servicing
Agreement.
|
(iv) |
The
Servicer
shall hold all over-payments for the benefit of the Issuer and shall
apply
such funds to future Xxxx charges in accordance with clauses (ii)
and
(iii) above as such charges become
due.
|
(v) |
For
Customers
on a Budget Payment Plan, the Servicer shall treat TBC Collections
received from such Customers as if such Customers had been billed
for the
Transition Bond Charge in the absence of the Budget Payment Plan.
Partial
payment of a Budget Payment Plan payment shall be allocated according
to
clause (iii) above, and overpayment of a Budget Payment Plan payment
shall
be allocated according to clause (iv)
above.
|
(c) |
Accounts;
Records.
|
(i) |
The
Servicer
shall maintain accounts and records as to the Transferred Bondable
Transition Property accurately and in accordance with its standard
accounting procedures and in sufficient detail to permit reconciliation
between payments or recoveries with respect to the Transferred Bondable
Transition Property and the amounts from time to time remitted to
the
Collection Account in respect of the Transferred Bondable Transition
Property.
|
(ii) |
The
Servicer
shall maintain accounts and records as to Third Parties performing
Consolidated Third Party Billing for Customers accurately and in
accordance with its standard accounting procedures and in sufficient
detail to permit reconciliation between payments or recoveries with
respect to the Transferred Bondable Transition Property and amounts
owed
by such Customers in respect of the Transition Bond
Charge.
|
(d) |
Investment
of TBC Collections.
Prior to
remittance on the applicable Remittance Date, the Servicer may invest
TBC
Collections received at its own risk and for its own benefit, and
such
investments and funds shall not be required to be segregated from
the
other investments and funds of the
Servicer.
|
(e) |
Calculation
of Collections; Determination of Aggregate Remittance
Amount.
|
(i) |
On
or before
each Remittance Date, the Servicer shall calculate the total TBC
Collections received by the Servicer from or on behalf of Customers
during
prior Collection Periods in respect of all previously Billed Transition
Bond Charges.
|
(ii) |
In
accordance
with Section 4.01 of the Servicing Agreement and Annex 1, the Servicer
shall update the Variables and shall prepare Adjustment Requests
to
reflect the updated Variables when required to do so pursuant to
Annex
1.
|
(f) |
Remittances.
|
(i) |
The
Servicer
shall make remittances to the Issuer in accordance with Section 5.11
of
the Servicing Agreement.
|
(ii) |
In
the event
of any change of account or change of institution affecting the
remittances, the Issuer shall provide written notice thereof to the
Servicer by the earlier of
|
(A) |
five
Business
Days from the effective date of such change,
or
|
(B) |
five
Business
Days prior to the next applicable Remittance
Date.
|
30