Form of ESCROW AGREEMENT
exhibit (k)(1)
Form of
ESCROW AGREEMENT
THIS ESCROW AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of this [__] day of [__], 2014 by and among Business Development Corporation of America II, a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), Realty Capital Securities, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Dealer Manager”), for itself and for and on behalf of its selected dealers (the “Selected Dealers”), and UMB Bank, N.A., as escrow agent, a national banking association organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America (the “Escrow Agent”).
WHEREAS, the Company proposes to offer and sell up to $3,000,000,000 in shares of its common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Shares”), on a best-efforts basis (excluding the shares of its common stock to be offered and sold pursuant to the Company’s distribution reinvestment plan), at an initial subscription price of $10.00 per share (the “Offering”) to investors pursuant to the Company’s Registration statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-197447), as amended from time to time (the “Offering Document”);
WHEREAS, the Dealer Manager has been engaged by the Company to offer and sell the Shares on a best efforts basis through a network of Selected Dealers;
WHEREAS, the Company has agreed that the subscription price paid by subscribers for shares will be refunded to such subscribers if at least $2,000,000 of gross offering proceeds from persons who are not affiliated with the Company (the “Minimum Amount Requirement”) has not been raised within one year from the date that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) declared the Offering Document effective (such one-year anniversary being referred to as the “Closing Date”);
WHEREAS, the Dealer Manager and the Company desire to establish an escrow account (the “Escrow Account”), as further described in this Agreement, in which funds received from subscribers will be deposited, and the Company desires that the Escrow Agent act as escrow agent to the Escrow Account and the Escrow Agent is willing to act in such capacity; and
WHEREAS, in order to subscribe for Shares during the Escrow Period (as defined below), a subscriber, through a selected dealer, must deliver the full amount of its subscription price by check, payable to UMB Bank, as Escrow Agent for Business Development Corporation of America II, to the Escrow Agent at the address set forth in the subscription agreement.
1. Establishment of Escrow Account; Escrow Period.
(a) On or prior to the commencement of the Offering, the parties shall establish the Escrow Account with the Escrow Agent, which shall be entitled “UMB Bank, as Escrow Agent for Business Development Corporation of America II” Prior to meeting the Minimum Offering Requirement, the Dealer Manager and Selected Dealers will instruct subscribers to make checks for subscriptions payable to the order of “UMB Bank, as Escrow agent for Business Development Corporation of America II.”
(b) This Agreement shall be effective on the date on which the Offering Document is declared effective by the SEC. The escrow period shall commence upon the effectiveness of this Agreement and shall continue until the earlier of (i) the date upon which the Escrow Agent receives confirmation from the Company or the Dealer Manager that the Company has met the Minimum Offering Requirement, (ii) the Closing Date, or (iii) the termination of the Offering by the Company prior to meeting the Minimum Offering Requirement (the “Escrow Period”).
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Disbursement of Escrowed Funds. If at any time on or prior to the Closing Date the Minimum Offering Requirement has been met, then upon the happening of such event, the principal amount of the Escrowed Funds shall remain in the Escrow Account until the Escrow Agent receives written direction provided by the Company or the Dealer Manager instructing the Escrow Agent to deliver the principal amount, or a portion thereof, of such Escrowed Funds as the Company or the Dealer Manager, as the case may be, shall direct in writing. An affidavit or certification from an officer of the Company or the Dealer Manager to the Escrow Agent stating that the Minimum Offering Requirement has been timely met, shall constitute sufficient evidence for the purpose of this Agreement that such event has occurred (the “Break Escrow Affidavit”). The Break Escrow Affidavit shall indicate: (i) the date on which the Minimum Offering Requirement has been met (the “Break Escrow Date”); (ii) the actual total number of Shares sold as of the Break Escrow Date; and (iii) if not all, that portion of the Escrowed Funds to be transferred. Upon the receipt by the Escrow Agent of the Break Escrow Affidavit, the Escrow Agent will deliver to U.S. Bank (the “Custodian”), as directed by the Company, on the date of the first closing following the receipt of the Break Escrow Affidavit, the principal and interest earned on such Escrowed Funds to be transferred and the Escrow Agent shall from that point forward, transfer on the first business day following each subsequent closing all principal and interest earned on the Escrowed Funds for the prior subscription period to the Custodian, as directed by the Company. If the Escrow Agent has not received a Break Escrow Affidavit on or prior to the Closing Date, the Escrow Agent shall promptly return the Escrowed Funds, including interest, if any, thereon, to the subscribers, per the name, address and in the amounts received by the Escrow Agent without deduction, penalty or expense, and the Escrow Agent shall notify the Company and the Dealer Manager in writing of its distribution of the funds. The subscription payments returned to each subscriber shall be free and clear of any and all claims of the Company or any of its creditors. The parties hereto hereby agree that, for purposes of this Section 2(b), the term “promptly return” shall mean that the Escrow Agent shall return the Escrowed Funds to subscribers, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Section 2(b), no later than 30 days following the Closing Date, in compliance with Rules 10b-9 and 15c2-4 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
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The Escrow Agent may consult legal counsel and shall exercise reasonable care in the selection of such counsel, in the event of any dispute or question as to the construction of any provisions hereof or its duties hereunder, and it shall incur no liability and shall be fully protected in acting in accordance with the reasonable opinion or instructions of such counsel.
The Escrow Agent shall not be responsible, may conclusively rely upon and shall be protected, indemnified and held harmless by the Company, for the sufficiency or accuracy of the form of, or the execution, validity, value or genuineness of any document or property received, held or delivered by it hereunder, or of the signature or endorsement thereon, or for any description therein; nor shall the Escrow Agent be responsible or liable in any respect on account of the identity, authority or rights of the persons executing or delivering or purporting to execute or deliver any document, property or this Agreement.
In the event that the Escrow Agent shall become involved in any arbitration or litigation relating to the Escrowed Funds in the Escrow Account, the Escrow Agent is authorized to comply with any decision reached through such arbitration or litigation.
The Company hereby agrees to indemnify the Escrow Agent for, and to hold it harmless against any loss, liability or expense incurred in connection herewith without gross negligence, recklessness or willful misconduct on the part of the Escrow Agent, including without limitation, legal or other fees arising out of or in connection with its entering into this Agreement and carrying out its duties hereunder, including without limitation the costs and expenses of defending itself against any claim of liability in the premises or any action for interpleader. The Escrow Agent shall not be under any obligation to institute or defend any action, suit, or legal proceeding in connection herewith, unless first indemnified and held harmless to its satisfaction in accordance with the foregoing, except that neither shall be indemnified against any loss, liability or expense arising out of its own gross negligence, recklessness or willful misconduct. Such indemnity shall survive the termination or discharge of this Agreement or resignation of the Escrow Agent.
The terms of this Section 5 shall survive the termination of this Agreement and the resignation or removal of the Escrow Agent.
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7. Security Interests. No party to this Escrow Agreement shall grant a security interest in any monies or other property deposited with the Escrow Agent under this Escrow Agreement, or otherwise create a lien, encumbrance or other claim against such monies or borrow against the same.
(a) All cash and other payments and all other property then held by the Escrow Agent hereunder shall be delivered by it to such successor escrow agent as may be designated in writing by the Company, whereupon the Escrow Agent’s obligations hereunder shall cease and terminate;
(b) If no such successor escrow agent has been designated by such date, all obligations of the Escrow Agent hereunder shall, nevertheless, cease and terminate, and the Escrow Agent’s sole responsibility thereafter shall be to keep all property then held by it and to deliver the same to a person designated in writing by the Company or in accordance with the directions of a final order or judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction.
(c) Further, if no such successor escrow agent has been designated by such date, the Escrow Agent may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor agent; further the Escrow Agent may pay into court all monies and property deposited with the Escrow Agent under this Agreement.
The terms of this Section shall survive the termination of the Escrow Agreement and the resignation or removal of the Escrow Agent.
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If to the Company: |
Business Development Corporation of America II 000 Xxxx Xxxxxx, 0xx Xxxxx Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000 Facsimile: (000) 000-0000 Attention: General Counsel
with a copy to (which shall not constitute a Notice):
Xxxxxx & Bird LLP One Atlantic Center 0000 Xxxx Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx 00000-0000 Attn: Xxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx |
If to the Escrow Agent: |
UMB Bank, N.A. 0000 Xxxxx Xxxx, 4th Floor Corporate Trust & Escrow Services Xxxxxx Xxxx, XX 00000 Facsimile: (000) 000-0000 Attention: Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx |
If to the Dealer Manager: | Realty Capital Securities, LLC Xxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, 00xx Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxxx 00000 Facsimile: (000) 000-0000 Attention: Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, President |
Xxxxxx & Bird LLP One Atlantic Center 0000 Xxxx Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx 00000-0000 Attn: Xxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx |
11. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the Missouri without regard to the principles of conflicts of law.
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18. Earnings Allocation; Tax Matters; Patriot Act Compliance; Office of Foreign Control Search Duties. The Company or its agent shall be responsible for all tax reporting under this Escrow Agreement. The Company shall provide to the Escrow Agent upon the execution of this Agreement any documentation requested and any information reasonably requested by the Escrow Agent to comply with the USA Patriot Act of 2001, as amended from time to time. The Escrow Agent, or its agent, shall complete an Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) search, in compliance with its policy and procedures, of each subscription check and shall inform the Company if a subscription check fails the OFAC search. The Dealer Manager shall provide a copy of each subscription check in order that the Escrow Agent, or its agent, may perform such OFAC search.
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20. Termination of the Escrow Agreement. This Agreement, except for Sections 5 and 9 hereof, which shall continue in effect, shall terminate upon written notice from the Company to the Escrow Agent.
[Signature page follows.]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused this Agreement to be executed by their duly authorized representatives as of the date first written hereinabove:
COMPANY: | ||
Business Development Corporation of America II | ||
By: | ||
Name: | Xxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx | |
Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
DEALER MANAGER: | ||
Realty Capital Securities, LLC | ||
By: | ||
Name: | Xxxxxx Xxxxxx | |
Title: | President | |
ESCROW AGENT: | ||
UMB Bank, N.A., as Escrow Agent | ||
By: | ||
Name: | Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx | |
Title: | Vice President |
EXHIBIT
A
ESCROW FEES AND EXPENSES
Acceptance Fee
Review escrow agreement, establish account $3,000
Escrow Agent Agency Engagement $250
Annual Fees
Annual Escrow Agent $2,500
Transactional Fees
Outgoing Wire Transfer $15 each
Daily Recon BAI File $2.50 per Business Day
Daily Wire Ripping File $10 per Business Day
Web Exchange Access $15 per month
Overnight Delivery/Mailings $16.50 each
IRS Tax Reporting $10 per 1099
Acceptance fee and first year Annual Escrow Agent fee will be payable at the initiation of the escrow. Thereafter, the Annual Escrow Agent fees will be billed annually in advance and transactional fees, if any, will be billed quarterly in arrears. Other fees and expenses will be billed as incurred.
Fees specified are for the regular, routine services contemplated by the Subscription Escrow Agreement, and any additional or extraordinary services, including, but not limited to disbursements involving a dispute or arbitration, or administration while a dispute, controversy or adverse claim is in existence, will be charged based upon time required at the then standard hourly rate. In addition to the specified fees, all expenses related to the administration of the Subscription Escrow Agreement (other than normal overhead expenses of the regular staff) such as, but not limited to, travel, postage, shipping, courier, telephone, facsimile, supplies, legal fees, accounting fees, etc., will be reimbursable.