ESCROW AGREEMENT
Exhibit 4.3
This Escrow Agreement (the “Agreement”) dated as of April 27, 2006 is by and between, Southern
Iowa BioEnergy LLC, an Iowa limited liability company (the “Company”) and Great Western Bank,
Omaha, Nebraska (the “Escrow Agent”), (the “Escrow Agent” and the “Company” may also be hereinafter
referred to as the “Parties”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the Company proposes to offer a minimum of 20,000 and a maximum of 30,250 of its
Membership Units (the “Units”) at a price of $1,000 per Unit, with a required minimum investment of
20 Units and in additional increments of 1 Unit, in an offering in the States of Iowa, Missouri,
Kansas, Illinois and Alaska, and possibly other states, made pursuant to a federal registration
under the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Offering”);
WHEREAS, the Company will file a registration statement (as may be amended) (the “Registration
Statement”) to register the Units with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the States of Iowa,
Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and Alaska and possibly other states;
WHEREAS, the Company will allow investors in the Offering to deliver the purchase price of the
subscribed Units in installments;
WHEREAS, the Company desires to comply with the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and
of the various state regulatory statutes and regulations, and desires to protect the investors in
the Offering by providing, under the terms and conditions herein set forth, for the return to
subscribers of the money which they may pay on account of purchases of Units in the Offering if the
Minimum Escrow Deposit (hereinafter defined) is not deposited with the Escrow Agent; and
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises the Parties agree as follows:
1. ACCEPTANCE OF APPOINTMENT: Escrow Agent hereby agrees to act as escrow agent under this
Agreement. The Escrow Agent shall have no duty to enforce any provision hereof requiring
performance by any other party hereunder.
2. ESTABLISHMENT OF ESCROW ACCOUNT: An escrow account (the “Escrow Account”) is hereby
established with the Escrow Agent for the benefit of the investors in the Offering. Except as
specifically provided in this Agreement, the Escrow Account shall be created and maintained subject
to the customary rules and regulations of the Escrow Agent pertaining to such accounts.
3. OWNERSHIP OF ESCROW ACCOUNT: Until such time as the funds deposited in the Escrow
Account (the “Deposited Funds”) shall equal the Minimum Escrow Deposit (as hereinafter defined),
all funds deposited in the Escrow Account by the Company shall not become the property
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of the
Company or be subject to the debts of the Company or any other person but shall be held by the
Escrow Agent solely for the benefit of the investors who have purchased Units in the Offering.
4. ESCROW FEES: The Company hereby agrees to pay the Escrow Agent an advance payment for
ordinary services rendered hereunder in the amount of $1,000.00 (the “Escrow Fee”).
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no fee paid under this Agreement shall exceed the amount of interest
on the Escrow Account and shall be paid from interest only and not from principal.
5. DEPOSIT OF PROCEEDS: All proceeds from sales of Units in the Offering shall be
delivered by the Company to the Escrow Agent, within forty-eight hours of the receipt thereof from
investors, endorsed (if appropriate) to the order of the Escrow Agent, together with an appropriate
written statement setting forth the name, address and social security number/taxpayer
identification number of each person or entity purchasing Units, the number of Units purchased, and
the amount paid by each such purchaser. Any such proceeds deposited with the Escrow Agent in the
form of uncollected checks shall be promptly presented by the Escrow Agent for collection through
customary banking and clearing house facilities. As the proceeds of each sale are deposited with
the Escrow Agent, the Company shall reserve the number of Units confirmed to the purchaser thereof
in connection with such sale. All such deposited proceeds are referred to herein as the “Escrow
Funds.”
6. INVESTMENT OF ESCROW FUNDS: The Escrow Funds shall be credited by Escrow Agent and
recorded in the Escrow Account. In accordance with Rule 15c2-4 of the Securities Regulations, the
Escrow Agent shall be permitted, and is hereby authorized to deposit transfer, hold and invest all
funds received under this Agreement, including principal and interest, in savings accounts, bank
money market accounts, short term certificates of deposit or short term securities issued or
guaranteed by the U.S. Government. Any interest received by Escrow Agent with respect to the
Escrow Funds shall be paid pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.
7. TERMINATION OF ESCROW: This Agreement and the Escrow created hereunder shall be
terminated as provided in paragraph 8 hereof or as of the date (the “Termination Date”) one year
and one day following the date upon which the Securities and Exchange Commission authorizes the
Offering (the “Offering’s Effective Date”), provided; however, that if prior to Termination Date,
the Company has sold membership units equal to the minimum offering amount and the Company has
advised the purchasers of those membership units to remit to the Escrow Agent the balance of the
purchase price, then the Escrow may continue beyond the Termination Date until all Funds have been
paid and the conditions for releasing the Funds have been satisfied. In no event shall this date
be later than three (3) months following the Termination Date. The Company shall notify Escrow
Agent of the Offering’s Effective Date within thirty (30) days of the receipt of notice of the
Offering’s Effective Date from the Securities and Exchange Commission.
8. DISPOSITION OF ESCROW FUNDS: The Escrow Agent shall have the following duties and
obligations under this Agreement:
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A. The Escrow Agent shall send a written notice acknowledging the receipt of the Deposited
Funds every seven days to the Company.
B. The Escrow Agent shall give the Company prompt written notice when the Deposited Funds
equal $2,000,000 (exclusive of interest). Following receipt of such notice, the Company will
advise the purchasers of Units to remit to the Escrow Agent the balance of the purchase price
within thirty (30) days. Thereafter, Escrow Agent shall give the Company written notice
acknowledging the receipt of the Deposited Funds every seven days. The Escrow Agent shall give the
Company prompt written notice when the Deposited Funds total $20,000,000 (exclusive of interest).
C. At the time (and in the event) that: (a) the Deposited Funds shall, during the term of this
Agreement, equal $20,000,000 in subscription proceeds (exclusive of interest) (the “Minimum Escrow
Deposit”); (b) the Escrow Agent shall have received written confirmation from the Company that the
Company has obtained a written debt financing commitment for debt financing of at least
$18,750,000; (c) the Company has affirmatively elected in writing to terminate this Agreement; and
(d) the Escrow Agent shall have provided the Company an affidavit that the Company may file in the
states in which the Units have been registered stating that the foregoing requirements (a), (b) and
(c) of this subsection 8C have been satisfied, then this Agreement shall terminate, and the Escrow
Agent shall promptly disburse the funds on deposit, including interest, to the Company to be used
in accordance with the provisions set out in the Registration Statement. The Company will deliver
a copy of the Registration Statement to the Escrow Agent upon execution of this Agreement. The
Escrow Agent will have no responsibility to examine the Registration Statement with regard to the
Escrow Account or otherwise, nor shall Escrow Agent have any duty to ensure that Company complies
with the Registration Statement. Upon the making of such disbursement, the Escrow Agent shall be
completely discharged and released of any and all further responsibilities hereunder.
D. In the event the Deposited Funds do not equal or exceed the Minimum Escrow Deposit on or
before the Termination Date or if the Company has not received a written debt financing commitment
as described herein on or before the Termination Date, the Escrow Agent shall return to each of the
purchasers of the Units in the Offering, as promptly as possible after such Termination Date and on
the basis of its records pertaining to the Escrow Account: (a) the sum which each purchaser
initially paid in on account of purchases of the Units in the Offering and (b) each purchaser’s
portion of the total interest earned on the Escrow Account as of the Termination Date, (c) reduced
by the transaction fees provided in paragraph 10 hereof. Computation of any purchaser’s share of
the net interest earned will be a weighted average based on the proportion of such purchaser’s
deposit in the Escrow Account from the Offering to all such purchasers’ deposits held by the Escrow
Agent and upon the length of time in days such deposit was held in the Escrow Account as compared
to all such deposits. All computations with respect to each purchaser’s allocable share of net
interest shall be made by the Escrow Agent, which determinations shall be final and conclusive.
Any amount paid or payable to a purchaser pursuant to this paragraph shall be deemed to be the
property of such purchaser, free and clear of any and all claims of the Company or
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its agents or
creditors; and the respective purchases of the Units made and entered into in the Offering shall
thereupon be deemed, ipso facto, to be cancelled without any further liability of the purchasers or
any of them to pay for the Units purchased. At such time as the Escrow Agent shall have made all
the payments called for in this paragraph, the Escrow Agent shall be completely discharged and
released of any and all further responsibilities hereunder, and the Units reserved (as provided in
paragraph 5) shall be released from such reservation, except that Escrow Agent shall be required to
prepare and issue a single IRS Form 1099 to each investor in the event that funds are returned to
investors.
9. LIABILITY OF ESCROW AGENT: In performing any duties under the Escrow Agreement, the Escrow Agent
shall not be liable to the Company, any subscriber/purchaser or any Party for damages, losses, or
expenses, except for gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Escrow Agent. The
Escrow Agent shall not incur any such liability for (I) any act or failure to act made or omitted
in good faith, or (II) any action taken or omitted in reliance upon any instrument, including any
written statement or affidavit provided for in this Agreement that the Escrow Agent shall in good
faith believe to be genuine, nor will the Escrow Agent be liable or responsible for forgeries,
fraud, impersonations, or determining the scope of any representative’s authority. In addition,
the Escrow Agent may consult with legal counsel in connection with the Escrow Agent’s duties under
this Agreement and shall be fully protected in any action taken, suffered, or permitted by it in
good faith in accordance with the advice of counsel. The Escrow Agent is not responsible for
determining and verifying the authority of any person acting or purporting to act on behalf of any
party to this Agreement.
10. FEES AND EXPENSES: In the event the Deposited Funds do not equal or exceed the Minimum
Escrow Deposit before the Termination Date or the Company does not receive a written debt financing
commitment as described herein before the Termination Date, the Escrow Agent shall be entitled to a
fee of $10.00 per purchaser, which fees shall be paid from the interest on the Escrow Account only
and not from principal. In the event the Escrow Agent renders any service not provided for in this
Agreement, or if the Company requests a substantial modification of its terms, or if any
controversy arises, or if the Escrow Agent is made a party to, or intervenes in, any litigation
pertaining to this escrow or its subject matter, the Escrow Agent shall be reasonably compensated
for such extraordinary services and reimbursed for all costs, attorney’s fees, including allocated
costs of in-house counsel, and expenses occasioned by such default, delay, controversy or
litigation and the Escrow Agent shall have the right to retain all documents and/or other things of
value at any time held by the Escrow Agent in this escrow until such compensation, fees, costs and
expenses are paid. The Company promises to pay these sums upon demand. Unless otherwise provided,
the Company will pay all of the Escrow Agent’s usual charges and the Escrow Agent may deduct such
sums from the interest on the Escrow Account only and not from principal deposited to the Escrow
Account.
11. CONTROVERSIES: If any controversy arises between the Parties to this Agreement, or
with any other Party, concerning the subject matter of this Agreement, its terms or conditions, the
Escrow Agent will not be required to determine the controversy or to take any action regarding it.
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The Escrow Agent may hold all documents and funds and may wait for settlement of any such
controversy by final appropriate legal proceedings or other means as, in the Escrow Agent’s
discretion, the Escrow Agent may require, despite what may be set forth elsewhere in this
Agreement. In such event, the Escrow Agent will not be liable for interest or damage.
Furthermore, the Escrow Agent may at its option file an action of interpleader requiring the
Parties to answer and litigate any claims and rights among themselves. The Escrow Agent is
authorized to deposit with the clerk of the court all documents and funds held in escrow, except
all costs, expenses, charges and reasonable attorney fees incurred by the Escrow Agent due to the
interpleader action and which the Company agrees to pay. Upon initiating such action, the Escrow
Agent shall be fully released and discharged of and from all obligations and liability imposed by
the terms of this Agreement.
12. INDEMNIFICATION OF ESCROW AGENT: The Company and its successors and assigns agree
jointly and severally to indemnify and hold the Escrow Agent harmless against any and all losses,
claims, damages, liabilities, and expenses, including reasonable costs of investigation, counsel
fees, including allocated costs of in-house counsel and disbursements that may be imposed on the
Escrow Agent or incurred by the Escrow Agent in connection with the performance of its duties under
this Agreement, including but not limited to any litigation arising from this Agreement or
involving its subject matter. The Escrow Agent shall have a first lien on the property and papers
held under this Agreement for such compensation and expenses.
13. RESIGNATION OF ESCROW AGENT: The Escrow Agent may resign at any time upon giving at
least (30) days written notice to the Company provided, however, that no such resignation shall
become effective until the appointment of a successor escrow agent which shall be accomplished as
follows: The Company shall use its best efforts to obtain a successor escrow agent within thirty
(30) days after receiving such notice. If the Company fails to agree upon a successor escrow agent
within such time, the Escrow Agent shall have the right to appoint a successor escrow agent
authorized to do business in the state of Iowa. The successor escrow agent shall execute and
deliver an instrument accepting such appointment and it shall without further acts, be vested with
all the estates, properties, rights, powers, and duties of the predecessor escrow agent as if
originally named as escrow agent. The Escrow Agent shall thereupon be discharged from any further
duties and liability under this Agreement.
14. AUTOMATIC SUCCESSION: Any company into which the Escrow Agent may be merged or with
which it may be consolidated, or any company to whom the Escrow Agent may transfer a substantial
amount of its global escrow business, shall be the Successor to the Agent without the execution or
filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the Parties, anything herein to the
contrary notwithstanding.
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15. MISCELLANEOUS:
(a) GOVERNING LAWS: This Agreement is to be construed and interpreted according to
Iowa law.
(b) COUNTERPART: This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of
which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same
instrument. The exchange of copies of this Agreement and of signature pages by facsimile
transmission shall constitute effective execution and delivery of this Agreement as to the parties
and may be used in lieu of the original Agreement for all purposes. Signatures of the parties
transmitted by facsimile shall be deemed to be their original signatures for all purposes.
(c) NOTICES: All instructions, notices and demands herein provided for shall be in
writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given (a) on the date of service if served personally
on the party to whom notice is to be given; (b) on the day of transmission if sent by facsimile
transmission to the facsimile number given below and telephonic confirmation of receipt is promptly
obtained after completion of transmission; (c) on the next day on which such deliveries are made to
the respective party, when delivery is to Federal Express or similar overnight courier or the
Express Mail service maintained by the United States Postal Service; or (d) on the fifth day after
mailing if mailed to the party to whom notice is to be given, by first class mail, registered or
certified, postage prepaid and properly addressed, return receipt requested, to the party as
follows:
If to the Company:
|
If to the Escrow Agent: | |
Southern Iowa BioEnergy
|
Great Western Bank | |
Attention: President
|
ATTN: Trust Department | |
000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
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P.O. Box 4070 | |
Lamoni, Iowa 50140
|
Xxxxx, XX 00000 | |
| Fax: (000) 000-0000 | ||
With a required copy to: |
||
Xxxxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx |
||
Brown, Winick, Graves, Gross, Xxxxxxxxxxx |
||
and Schoenebaum, P.L.C. |
||
000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000 |
||
Xxx Xxxxxx, XX 00000 |
||
Fax: (000) 000-0000 |
||
Telephone: (000) 000-0000 |
(d) AMENDMENTS: This Agreement may be amended or modified and any of the terms,
covenants, representations, warranties or conditions hereof may be waived, only by a
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written
instrument executed by the parties hereto, or in the case of a waiver, by the party waiving
compliance. Any waiver by any party of any condition or of the breach of any provision, term,
covenant, representation or warranty contained in the Agreement, in any one or more instances,
shall not be deemed to be nor construed as further or continuing waiver of any such conditions or
of the breach of any other provision, term, covenant, representation or warranty of this Agreement.
(e) ENTIRE AGREEMENT: This Agreement contains the entire understanding among the
parties hereto with respect to the escrow contemplated hereby and supersedes and replaces all prior
and contemporaneous agreements and understandings, oral or written, with regard to such escrow.
(f) NON-ENDORSEMENT: The Company represents and agrees that it has not made nor will
it in the future make any representation that states or implies that the Escrow Agent has endorsed,
recommended or guaranteed the purchase, value, or repayment of the Securities offered for sale by
the Company.
The undersigned acknowledges that Great Western Bank is acting only as an escrow agent in
connection with the offering of the Securities described herein, and has not endorsed, recommended
or guaranteed the purchase, value or repayment of such Securities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have hereunto affixed their signatures as of the day
and year first above written.
| The Company | Escrow Agent | ||||
By:
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/s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx | By: | /s/ Xxx X. Xxx Xxxxxx | ||
Its:
|
President | Its: | Vice President & Trust Officer | ||
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