URANIUM TRADING CORPORATION Shares of Class A Common Stock UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
URANIUM TRADING CORPORATION
Shares of Class A Common Stock
November ___, 2018
X. Xxxxx FBR, Inc.
c/o X. Xxxxx FBR, Inc.
0000 00xx Xxxxxx Xxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000
Dear Sirs:
Uranium Trading Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), confirms its agreement with X. Xxxxx FBR, Inc. (the “Underwriter”), subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement (as defined below), to act as the Company’s lead underwriter with respect to (i) the sale by the Company of [ ] shares (the “Initial Shares”) of Class A Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (the “Common Stock”), and the purchase by the Underwriter, of such number of shares of Common Stock, and (ii) the grant of the option described in Section 1(b) hereof to purchase all or any part of [ ] additional shares of Common Stock to cover over-allotments (the “Option Shares”), if any, from the Company, to the Underwriter, of the number of shares of Common Stock required to cover such over-allotments. The Initial Shares to be purchased by the Underwriter and all or any part of the Option Shares subject to the option described in Section 1(b) hereof are hereinafter called, collectively, the “Shares.”
The Company understands that the Underwriter propose to make a public offering of the Shares as soon as the Underwriter deems advisable after this Underwriting Agreement (the “Agreement”) has been executed and delivered.
The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”), a registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-________) including a related preliminary prospectus, for the registration of the Shares under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “Securities Act Regulations”). The Company has prepared and filed such amendments to the registration statement and such amendments or supplements to the related preliminary prospectus as may have been required to the date hereof, and will file such additional amendments or supplements as may hereafter be required. The registration statement has been declared effective under the Securities Act by the Commission. The registration statement, as amended at the time it was declared effective by the Commission (and, if the Company files a post-effective amendment to such registration statement which becomes effective prior to the Closing Time (as defined below), such registration statement as so amended) and including all information deemed to be a part of the registration statement pursuant to incorporation by reference, Rule 430A of the Securities Act Regulations or otherwise, is hereinafter called the “Registration Statement.” Any registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) of the Securities Act Regulations is hereinafter called the “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement,” and after such filing the term “Registration Statement” shall include the 462(b) Registration Statement. Each prospectus included in the Registration Statement before it was declared effective by the Commission under the Securities Act, and any preliminary form of prospectus filed with the Commission by the Company with the consent of the Underwriter pursuant to Rule 424(a) of the Securities Act Regulations, including all information incorporated by reference in either such prospectus, is hereinafter called the “Preliminary Prospectus.” The term “‘Prospectus” means the final prospectus, as first filed with the Commission pursuant to paragraph (1) or (4) of Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act Regulations, and any amendments thereof or supplements thereto including all information incorporated by reference therein.
The Commission has not issued any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus.
The term “Disclosure Package” means (i) the Preliminary Prospectus, as most recently amended or supplemented immediately prior to the Initial Sale Time (as defined herein), (ii) the Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses (as defined below), if any, identified in Schedule I hereto, (iii) any other Free Writing Prospectus (as defined below), and (iv) any other written Testing-the-Waters Communications, that the parties hereto shall hereafter expressly agree to treat as part of the Disclosure Package.
The term “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any issuer free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 433 of the Securities Act Regulations. The term “Free Writing Prospectus” means any free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act Regulations.
The term “affiliate”, as it relates to the Company, includes the founder and manager of the Company, 92 Trading LLC, its members, officers and managers.
The Company and the Underwriter agree as follows:
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1. Sale and Purchase:
(a) Initial Shares. Upon the basis of the warranties and representations and other terms and conditions herein set forth, at the purchase price per share of Common Stock of $________, the Company agrees to sell to the Underwriter the number of Initial Shares set forth above, and the Underwriter agrees to purchase from the Company the number of Initial Shares set forth above, plus any additional number of Initial Shares which such Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to the provisions of Section 8 hereof, subject in each case, to such adjustments the Underwriter’s sole discretion shall make to eliminate any sales or purchases of fractional shares.
(b) Option Shares. In addition, upon the basis of the warranties and representations and other terms and conditions herein set forth, at the purchase price per share of Common Stock set forth in paragraph (a) above, the Company hereby grants an option to the Underwriter to purchase from the Company, all or any part of the Option Shares, plus any additional number of Option Shares which the Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to the provisions of Section 8 hereof. The option hereby granted will expire 30 days after the date hereof and may be exercised in whole or in part from time to time within such 30-day period only for the purpose of covering over-allotments which may be made in connection with the offering and distribution of the Initial Shares upon notice by the Underwriter to the Company and the Attorneys setting forth the number of Option Shares as to which the Underwriter are then exercising the option and the time and date of payment and delivery for such Option Shares. Any such time and date of delivery (an “Option Closing Time”) shall be determined by the Underwriter, but shall not be later than three full business days (or earlier, without the consent of the Company, than two full business days) after the exercise of such option, nor in any event prior to the Closing Time, as hereinafter defined. If the option is exercised as to all or any portion of the Option Shares, the Company will sell that number of Option Shares then being purchased and the Underwriter will purchase the number of Option Shares, subject in each case to such adjustment by the Underwriter in its sole discretion to eliminate any sales or purchases of fractional shares.
2. Payment and Delivery
(a) Initial Shares. The Initial Shares to be purchased by the Underwriter hereunder, in definitive form, and in such authorized denominations and registered in such names as may be requested upon at least forty-eight hours’ prior notice to the Company shall be delivered by or on behalf of the Company through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) for the account of the Underwriter, against payment by or on behalf of the Underwriter of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of Federal (same-day) funds to the account specified by the Company upon at least forty-eight hours’ prior notice. The Company will cause the certificates representing the Initial Shares to be made available for checking and packaging not later than 1:00 p.m. New York City time on the business day prior to the Closing Time (as defined below) with respect thereto at the office of the Underwriter, 0000 00xx Xxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000, or at the office of DTC or its designated custodian, as the case may be (the “Designated Office”). The time and date of such delivery and payment shall be 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on the third (fourth, if the determination of the purchase price of the Initial Shares occurs after 4:30 p.m., New York City time) business day after the date hereof (unless another time and date shall be agreed to by the Underwriter and the Company). The time and date at which such delivery and payment are actually made is hereinafter called the “Closing Time.”
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(b) Option Shares. Any Option Shares to be purchased by the Underwriter hereunder, in definitive form, and in such authorized denominations and registered in such names as may be requested upon at least forty-eight hours’ prior notice to the Company shall be delivered by or on behalf of the Company through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) for the account of the Underwriter, against payment by or on behalf of the Underwriter of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of Federal (same-day) funds to the account specified by the Company upon at least forty-eight hours’ prior notice. The Company will cause the certificates representing the Option Shares to be made available for checking and packaging at least twenty-four hours prior to the Option Closing Time with respect thereto at the Designated Office. The time and date of such delivery and payment shall be 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on the date specified by the Underwriter in its notice given to the Company of the Underwriter’s election to purchase such Option Shares or on such other time and date as the Company and the Underwriter may agree upon in writing.
3. Representations and Warranties of the Company:
The Company represents and warrants to the Underwriter as of the date hereof, the Initial Sale Time (as defined below), as of the Closing Time and as of any Option Closing Time (if any), and agrees with the Underwriter, that:
(a) the Company has the authorized capitalization as set forth in both the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package; the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable. Except as disclosed in both the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package, there are no outstanding (i) securities or obligations of the Company convertible into or exchangeable for any capital stock of the Company, (ii) warrants, rights or options to subscribe for or purchase from the Company any such capital stock or any such convertible or exchangeable securities or obligations, or (iii) obligations of the Company to issue any shares of capital stock, any such convertible or exchangeable securities or obligation, or any such warrants, rights or options. The Company has no subsidiaries;
(b) the Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of its respective jurisdiction of incorporation, with full power and authority to own its respective properties and to conduct its respective businesses as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package, and to execute and deliver this Agreement and to consummate the transactions contemplated herein;
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(c) the Company is duly qualified or licensed and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which it conducts its respective businesses or in which it owns or leases real property or otherwise maintain an office and in which the failure, individually or in the aggregate, to be so qualified or licensed could have a material adverse effect on the assets, business, operations, earnings, prospects, properties or condition (financial or otherwise), present or prospective, of the Company (any such effect or change, where the context so requires, is hereinafter called a “Material Adverse Effect” or “Material Adverse Change”). The Company does not own, directly or indirectly, any capital stock or other equity securities of any other corporation or any ownership interest in any partnership, joint venture or other association;
(d) the Company is in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws, rules, regulations, orders, decrees and judgments, including those relating to transactions with affiliates;
(e) the Company is not in breach of or in default under (nor has any event occurred which with notice, lapse of time, or both would constitute a breach of, or default under), (i) its respective charter, bylaws, agreement of limited partnership, operating agreement or other similar organizational documents (the “organizational documents”), (ii) the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any license, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company or its respective properties is bound, or (iii) any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or rule or any decree, judgment, permit or order (each, a “Law”) applicable to the Company, except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for such breaches or defaults which could not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;
(f) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, and consummation of the transactions contemplated herein will not (A) conflict with, or result in any breach of, or constitute a default under (nor constitute any event which with notice, lapse of time, or both would constitute a breach of, or default under), (i) any provision of the organizational documents of the Company, or (ii) any provision of any license, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company or its respective properties may be bound or affected, or under any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or rule or any decree, judgment or order applicable to the Company, except in the case of this clause (ii) for such breaches or defaults which could not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; or (B) result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge, claim or encumbrance upon any property or asset of the Company;
(g) this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and is a legal, valid and binding agreement of the Company enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and by general equitable principles, and except to the extent that the indemnification and contribution provisions of Section 8 hereof may be limited by federal or state securities laws and public policy considerations in respect thereof;
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(h) no approval, authorization, consent or order of or filing with any federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory commission, board, body, authority or agency is required in connection with the Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, its consummation of the transactions contemplated herein, and its sale and delivery of the Shares, other than (A) such as have been obtained, or will have been obtained at the Closing Time or the relevant Option Closing Time, as the case may be, under the Securities Act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), (B) such approvals as have been obtained in connection with the approval of the quotation of the Shares on the New York Stock Exchange and (C) any necessary qualification under the securities or blue sky laws of the various jurisdictions in which the Shares are being offered by the Underwriter;
(i) the Company has all necessary licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals and has made all necessary filings required under any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or rule, and has obtained all necessary authorizations, consents and approvals from other persons, required in order to conduct its respective business as described in both the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package, except to the extent that any failure to have any such licenses, authorizations, consents or approvals, to make any such filings or to obtain any such authorizations, consents or approvals could not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; the Company is not required by any applicable law to obtain accreditation or certification from any governmental agency or authority in order to provide the products and services which it currently provides or which it proposes to provide as set forth in both the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package; the Company is not in violation of, in default under, or has received any notice regarding a possible violation, default or revocation of any such license, authorization, consent or approval or any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or rule or any decree, order or judgment applicable to the Company the effect of which could result in a Material Adverse Change; and no such license, authorization, consent or approval contains a materially burdensome restriction that is not adequately disclosed in each of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package;
(j) each of the Registration Statement and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement has become effective under the Securities Act and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement has been issued under the Securities Act and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated or threatened by the Commission; and the Company has complied to the Commission’s satisfaction with any request on the part of the Commission for additional information;
(k) the Preliminary Prospectus when filed and the Registration Statement as of each effective date and as of the date hereof complied or will comply, and the Prospectus and any further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus will, when they become effective or are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, comply, in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations;
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(l) the Registration Statement, as of its effective date and as of the date hereof, did not, does not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; and the Preliminary Prospectus does not, and the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto will not, as of the applicable filing date, the date hereof and at the Closing Time and on each Option Closing Time (if any), contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the Company makes no warranty or representation with respect to any statement contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with the information concerning the Underwriter and furnished in writing by the Underwriter to the Company expressly for use therein (that information being limited to that described in the last sentence of the first paragraph of Section 8(c) hereof);
(m) as of [___:00 [am/pm]] on the date of this Agreement (the “Initial Sale Time”), the Disclosure Package did not, and at the time of each sale of Shares and at the Closing Time and each Option Closing Time, the Disclosure Package will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; as of its issue date or date of first use and at all subsequent times through the Initial Sale Time, each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus did not, and at the time of each sale of Shares and at the Closing Time and each Option Closing Time, each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the Company makes no warranty or representation with respect to any statement contained in or omitted from the Disclosure Package in reliance upon and in conformity with the information concerning the Underwriter and furnished in writing by the Underwriter to the Company expressly for use therein (that information being limited to that described in the last sentence of the first paragraph of Section 8(c) hereof);
(n) each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and written Testing-the-Waters Communication, if any, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the public offer and sale of the Shares did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, including any document incorporated by reference therein that has not been superseded or modified;
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(o) the Company is eligible to use Free Writing Prospectuses in connection with this offering pursuant to Rule 433 under the Securities Act; any Free Writing Prospectus that the Company is required to file pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act Regulations has been, or will be, filed with the Commission in accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations; and each Free Writing Prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act Regulations or that was prepared by or on behalf of or used by the Company complies or will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations;
(p) except for the Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses identified in Schedule I hereto, and any electronic road show relating to the public offering of shares contemplated herein, the Company has not prepared, used or referred to, and will not, without the prior consent of the Underwriter prepare, use or refer to, any Free Writing Prospectus;
(q) the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses (to the extent any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus was required to be filed with the Commission) delivered to the Underwriter for use in connection with the public offering of the Shares contemplated herein have been and will be identical to the versions of such documents transmitted to the Commission for filing via the Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval System (“XXXXX”), except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T;
(r) the Company filed the Registration Statement with the Commission before using any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus; and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus was preceded or accompanied by the most recent Preliminary Prospectus satisfying the requirements of Section 10 under the Securities Act, which Preliminary Prospectus included an estimated price range;
(s) from the time of initial confidential submission of a registration statement relating to the Shares with the Commission (or, if earlier, the first date on which the Company engaged directly or through any person authorized to act on its behalf in any test-the-waters communications) through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company” as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Securities Act. The Company has not (x) alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Underwriter with entities that are “qualified institutional buyers” (as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act) or institutions that are “accredited investors” (as defined in Rule 501 under the Securities Act) and (y) authorized anyone other than the Underwriter to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company reconfirms that the Underwriter has been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking any Testing-the-Waters Communication. The Company has not distributed, or authorized anyone else to distribute, any written Testing-the-Waters Communications other than those listed in Schedule II hereto. Each individual written Testing-the-Waters Communication does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Disclosure Package and, as of the Initial Sale Time, complied in all material respects with the Securities Act;
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(t) there are no actions, suits, proceedings, inquiries or investigations pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company or any of its respective officers and directors or to which the properties, assets or rights of the Company are subject, at law or in equity, before or by any federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory commission, board, body, authority, arbitral panel or agency which could result in a judgment, decree, award or order having a Material Adverse Effect;
(u) the financial statements, including the notes thereto, included in (or incorporated by reference into) each of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package present fairly the consolidated financial position of the entities to which such financial statements relate (the “Covered Entities”) as of the dates indicated and the consolidated results of operations and changes in financial position and cash flows of the Covered Entities for the periods specified; such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with GAAP as applied in the United States and on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved and in accordance with Regulation S-X promulgated by the Commission; the financial statement schedules included in the Registration Statement and the amounts in both the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package fairly present the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with the financial statements included in each of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package; no other financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Disclosure Package; the unaudited pro forma financial information (including the related notes) included in each of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package complies as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations, and management of the Company believes that the assumptions underlying the pro forma adjustments are reasonable; such pro forma adjustments have been properly applied to the historical amounts in the compilation of the information and such information fairly presents with respect to the Company the financial position, results of operations and other information purported to be shown therein at the respective dates and for the respective periods specified; and no other pro forma financial information is required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Disclosure Package;
(v) Accell Audit & Compliance, P.A. whose reports on the consolidated financial statements of the Company are filed with the Commission as part of each of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package or are incorporated by reference therein, and any other accounting firm that has certified Company financial statements and delivered its reports with respect thereto, are, and were during the periods covered by their reports, independent public accountants as required by the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations are registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board;
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(w) subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in each of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package, and except as may be otherwise stated in such documents, there has not been (A) any Material Adverse Change or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, (B) any transaction that is material to the Company, contemplated or entered into by the Company, (C) any obligation, contingent or otherwise, directly or indirectly incurred by the Company that is material to the Company or (D) any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company on any class of its capital stock;
(x) the Shares conform in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package; this Agreement conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(y) except as disclosed in both the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package, there are no persons with registration or other similar rights to have any equity or debt securities, including securities which are convertible into or exchangeable for equity securities, registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or otherwise registered by the Company under the Securities Act, except for those registration or similar rights which have been waived with respect to the offering contemplated by this Agreement, all of which registration or similar rights are fairly summarized in both the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package;
(z) the Shares have been duly authorized and, when issued and duly delivered against payment therefor as contemplated by this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, free and clear of any pledge, lien, encumbrance, security interest or other claim, and the issuance and sale of the Shares by the Company is not subject to preemptive or other similar rights arising by operation of law, under the organizational documents of the Company or under any agreement to which the Company is a party or otherwise;
(aa) the Shares have been approved for listing the New York Stock Exchange, subject to official notice of issuance; the Company has taken all necessary actions to ensure that, upon and at all times after the New York Stock Exchange shall have approved the Shares for listing, it will be in compliance with all applicable corporate governance requirements set forth in the New York Stock Exchange’s listing standards that are then in effect and is taking such steps as are necessary to ensure that it will be in compliance with other applicable corporate governance requirements set forth in the New York Stock Exchange’s listing standards not currently in effect upon the effectiveness of such requirements;
(bb) none of the Company, its directors, officers, representatives or affiliates has taken, nor will take, directly or indirectly, any action which is designed to or which has constituted or which might reasonably be expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares;
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(cc) none of the Company, nor any of its affiliates (i) is required to register as a “broker” or “dealer” in accordance with the provisions of the Exchange Act, or the rules and regulations thereunder (the “Exchange Act Regulations”), or (ii) directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or has any other association with (within the meaning of Article I of the By-laws of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (the “NASD”)) any member firm of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”);
(dd) any certificate signed by any officer of the Company delivered to the Underwriter or to counsel for the Underwriter pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to the Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby;
(ee) the form of certificate used to evidence the Common Stock complies in all material respects with all applicable statutory requirements, with any applicable requirements of the organizational documents of the Company and the requirements of the New York Stock Exchange;
(ff) the Company has good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property, if any, and good title to all personal property owned by it, in each case free and clear of all liens, security interests, pledges, charges, encumbrances, mortgages and defects, except such as are disclosed in both the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package or such as do not materially and adversely affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such property by the Company; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company are held under valid, existing and enforceable leases, with such exceptions as are disclosed in both the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package or are not material and do not interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company;
(gg) the descriptions in each of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package of the legal or governmental proceedings, contracts, leases and other legal documents therein described present fairly the information required to be shown, and there are no legal or governmental proceedings, contracts, leases, or other documents of a character required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Disclosure Package or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement which are not described or filed as required; all agreements between the Company and third parties expressly referenced in both the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package are legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their respective terms, except to the extent enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general equitable principles;
(hh) the Company possesses adequate licenses or other rights to use all patents, trademarks, service marks, trade names, copyrights, software and design licenses, trade secrets, manufacturing processes, other intangible property rights and know-how (collectively “Intangibles”) necessary to entitle the Company to conduct its business as described in both the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package, and the Company has not received notice of infringement of or conflict with (the Company does not know of any such infringement of or conflict with) asserted rights of others with respect to any Intangibles which could have a Material Adverse Effect;
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(ii) the Company owns, possesses, licenses or has other rights to use, on reasonable terms, all patents, patent applications, trade and service marks, trade and service xxxx registrations, trade names, copyrights, licenses, inventions, trade secrets, technology, know-how and other intellectual property (collectively, the “Intellectual Property”) reasonably necessary for the conduct of the Company’s business as now conducted or as proposed in the Prospectus to be conducted and (i) to the Company’s knowledge, there is no material infringement by third parties of any such Intellectual Property owned by or exclusively licensed to the Company; (ii) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the Company’s rights in or to any such Intellectual Property, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim; (iii) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity or scope of Intellectual Property owned by or exclusively licensed to the Company, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim which could have a Material Adverse Effect; (iv) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others that the Company infringes, or otherwise violates any patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret or other proprietary rights of others, and the Company is unaware of any other fact which would form a reasonable basis for concluding that any such claim will be asserted, or if asserted, would be successful, or if successfully asserted, could have a Material Adverse Effect; (v) the Company does not in the conduct of its business as now or proposed to be conducted as described in both the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package infringe or conflict with any right or patent of any third party, or any discovery, invention, product or process which is the subject of a patent application filed by any third party, known to the Company, which such infringement or conflict is reasonably likely to result in a Material Adverse Change; (vi) there is no U.S. patent which contains claims that interfere with the issued claims of any Intellectual Property owned by or exclusively licensed to the Company; (vii) there is no art of which the Company is aware that may render any U.S. patent held by the Company invalid or any U.S. patent application held by the Company unpatentable which has not been disclosed, or will not be disclosed in the required time period, to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; (viii) no security interests have been recorded in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office with respect to any Intellectual Property and no liens have been recorded against the Company with respect to any Intellectual Property and (ix) the Company has paid or will pay all maintenance and issue fees that are due or will be due, within the required time period, and has claimed small entity status only as appropriate;
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(jj) (x) the Company has established and maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act), which (i) are designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and its principal financial officer by others within those entities, particularly during the periods in which the periodic reports required under the Exchange Act are being prepared, (ii) have been evaluated for effectiveness as of the end of the last fiscal period covered by the Registration Statement, and (iii) are effective in all material respects to perform the functions for which they were established, and (y) the Company is not aware of (a) any significant deficiency or material weakness in the design or operation of its internal controls over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information to management and the Board of Directors, or (b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Since the most recent evaluation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures described above, there have been no significant changes in internal control over financial reporting or in other factors that could significantly affect internal control over financial reporting;
(kk) the Company maintains a system of “internal accounting control over financing reporting” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act and have been designed by, or under the supervision of, their principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. The Company maintain internal account controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles as applied in the United States and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences;
(ll) the Company maintains insurance (issued by insurers of recognized financial responsibility) of the types and in the amounts generally deemed adequate for its respective businesses and consistent with insurance coverage maintained by similar companies in similar businesses, all of which insurance is in full force and effect;
(mm) the Company is not in violation, or has received notice of any violation with respect to, any applicable environmental, safety or similar law applicable to the business of the Company; the Company has received all permits, licenses or other approvals required of the Company under applicable federal and state occupational safety and health and environmental laws and regulations to conduct its respective businesses, and the Company is in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval, except any such violation of law or regulation, failure to receive required permits, licenses or other approvals or failure to comply with the terms and conditions of such permits, licenses or approvals which could not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Change;
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(nn) the Company is not in violation of or has received notice of any violation with respect to any federal or state law relating to discrimination in the hiring, promotion or pay of employees, nor any applicable federal or state wages and hours law, nor any state law precluding the denial of credit due to the neighborhood in which a property is situated, the violation of any of which could have a Material Adverse Effect;
(oo) the Company is in compliance in all material respects with all presently applicable provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (“ERISA”); no “reportable event” (as defined in ERISA) has occurred with respect to any “pension plan” (as defined in ERISA) for which the Company would have any liability; the Company has not incurred and does not expect to incur liability under (i) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any “pension plan” or (ii)Section 412 or 4971 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (“Code”); and each “pension plan” for which the Company would have any liability that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified in all material respects and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification;
(pp) neither the Company nor any officer or director purporting to act on behalf of the Company has at any time (i) made any contributions to any candidate for political office, or failed to disclose fully any such contributions, in violation of law, (ii) made any payment to any state, federal or foreign governmental officer or official, or other person charged with similar public or quasi-public duties, other than payments required or allowed by applicable law, (iii) made any payment outside the ordinary course of business to any investment officer or loan broker or person charged with similar duties of any entity to which the Company sells or from which the Company buys loans or servicing arrangements for the purpose of influencing such agent, officer, broker or person to buy loans or servicing arrangements from or sell loans to the Company, or (iv) engaged in any transactions, maintained any bank account or used any corporate funds except for transactions, bank accounts and funds which have been and are reflected in the normally maintained books and records of the Company;
(qq) except as otherwise disclosed in both the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package, there are no outstanding loans, extensions of credit or advances or guarantees of indebtedness by the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers or directors of the Company or any of the members of the families of any of them;
(rr) neither the Company nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any employee or agent of the Company, has made any payment of funds of the Company or received or retained any funds in violation of any law, rule or regulation or of a character required to be disclosed in the Prospectus or the Disclosure Package;
(ss) all securities issued by the Company or any trusts established by the Company, have been or will be issued and sold in compliance with (i) all applicable federal and state securities laws, (ii) the laws of the applicable jurisdiction of incorporation of the issuing entity and, (iii) to the extent applicable to the issuing entity, the requirements of the New York Stock Exchange;
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(tt) the Company (i) is, and at all times prior was, in compliance with any and all applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws, regulations, ordinances, rules, orders, judgments, decrees, permits or other legal requirements relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment, natural resources, petroleum or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (“Environmental Laws”), which compliance includes obtaining, maintaining and complying with all permits and authorizations and approvals required by Environmental Laws to conduct its business and (ii) has not received notice of nor do they otherwise have knowledge of any actual or potential liability for the investigation or remediation of any disposal or release of petroleum, hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, except in the case of clause (i) or (ii) where such non-compliance with or liability under Environmental Laws could not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and the Company has not been named as a “potentially responsible party” under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, or any other similar Environmental Law, except with respect to any matters that could not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company (A) is not a party to any proceeding under Environmental Laws in which a governmental authority is also a party, other than such proceedings regarding which it is believed no monetary penalties of $100,000 or more will be imposed, and (B) does not anticipate material capital expenditures relating to Environmental Laws;
(uu) in connection with this offering, the Company has not offered and will not offer its Common Stock or any other securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Common Stock in a manner in violation of the Securities Act; and the Company has not distributed and will not distribute any offering material in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares except for the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, written Test-the-Waters Communication or the Registration Statement;
(vv) the Company has not incurred any liability for any finder’s fees or similar payments in connection with the transactions herein contemplated;
(ww) Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Disclosure Package, no relationship, indirect or direct, exists between or among the Company, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, stockholders, other Affiliates, customers or suppliers of the Company, on the other hand, that would be required by the Securities Act to be described in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Disclosure Package;
(xx) the Company will not, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares, will be an “investment company” or an entity “controlled” by an “investment company”, as such terms are defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”);
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(yy) the Company and any of the officers and directors of the Company, in their capacities as such, are, and at the Closing Time and any Option Closing Time will be, in compliance in all material respects with the provisions of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder;
(zz) none of the Company or, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of such entities is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by such persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “FCPA”), including, without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization of the payment of any money, or other property, gift, promise to give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any “foreign official” (as such term is defined in the FCPA) or any foreign political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political office, in contravention of the FCPA and the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, its affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with the FCPA;
(aaa) neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any of its affiliates or any director, officer, agent or employee of, or other person associated with or acting on behalf of, the Company, has violated the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended, the Uniting and Strengthening of America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act (USA PATRIOT ACT) of 2001 or the rules and regulations promulgated under any such law or any successor law;
(bbb) the operations of the Company and, to the Company’s knowledge, its affiliates are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986, as amended, any other money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”), except for any such non-compliance as would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Change, and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company, or, to the Company’s knowledge, any of its affiliates, with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened;
(ccc) the Company, and, to the Company’s knowledge, each of its affiliates and any director, officer, agent or employee of, or other person associated with or acting on behalf of, the Company has acted at all times in compliance with applicable Export and Import Laws (as defined below) and there are no claims, complaints, charges, investigations or proceedings pending or expected or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened between the Company and any governmental authority under any Export or Import Laws. The term “Export and Import Laws” means the Arms Export Control Act, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, the Export Administration Act of 1979, as amended, the Export Administration Regulations, and all other laws and regulations of the United States government regulating the provision of services to non-U.S. parties or the export and import of articles or information from and to the United States of America, and all similar laws and regulations of any foreign government regulating the provision of services to parties not of the foreign country or the export and import of articles and information from and to the foreign country to parties not of the foreign country;
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(ddd) the Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity;
(eee) the statistical and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be accurate and reliable in all material respects;
(fff) no forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) included in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith;
(ggg) neither the Company nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, employee, agent, affiliate or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company is currently the subject or the target of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. government (including, without limitation, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”) or the U.S. Department of State and including, without limitation, the designation as a “specially designated national” or “blocked person”), the United Nations Security Council (“UNSC”), the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury (“HMT”) or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor is the Company, located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject or target of Sanctions, including, without limitation, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria (each, a “Sanctioned Country”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering of the Shares hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity (i) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business with any person that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject or target of Sanctions, (ii) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business in any Sanctioned Country or (iii) in any other manner that will result in a violation by any person (including any person participating in the transaction, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions. For the past five years, the Company has not knowingly engaged in and are not now knowingly engaged in any dealings or transactions with any person that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject or the target of Sanctions or with any Sanctioned Country.
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4. Certain Covenants:
The Company and affiliates hereby covenant and agree with the Underwriter as follows:
(a) to furnish such information as may be required and otherwise to cooperate in qualifying the Shares for offering and sale under the securities or blue sky laws of such jurisdictions (both domestic and foreign) as the Underwriter may designate and to maintain such qualifications in effect as long as requested by the Underwriter for the distribution of the Shares, provided that the Company shall not be required to (i) qualify as a foreign corporation, (ii) consent to the service of process under the laws of any such jurisdiction (except service of process with respect to the offering and sale of the Shares), or (iii) subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction if it is not otherwise so subject;
(b) if, at the time this Agreement is executed and delivered, it is necessary for a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement to be declared effective before the offering of the Shares may commence, the Company will endeavor to cause such post-effective amendment to become effective as soon as possible and will advise the Underwriter promptly and, if requested by the Underwriter, will confirm such advice in writing, when such post-effective amendment has become effective;
(c) to prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by the Underwriter and containing the Rule 430A information, and file such Prospectus with the Commission in accordance with Rules 424(b) and 430A under the Securities Act not later than 10:00 a.m. (New York City time), on the day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement or on such other day as the parties may mutually agree and to furnish promptly (and with respect to the initial delivery of such Prospectus, not later than 10:00 a.m. (New York City time) on the day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement or on such other day as the parties may mutually agree to the Underwriter copies of the Prospectus (or of the Prospectus as amended or supplemented if the Company shall have made any amendments or supplements thereto after the effective date of the Registration Statement) in such quantities and at such locations as the Underwriter may reasonably request for the purposes contemplated by the Securities Act Regulations, which Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto furnished to the Underwriter will be identical to the version transmitted to the Commission for filing via XXXXX, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T;
(d) to advise the Underwriter promptly in writing when the Registration Statement has become effective and when any post-effective amendment thereto becomes effective under the Securities Act Regulations;
(e) to furnish a copy of each proposed Free Writing Prospectus to the Underwriter and counsel for the Underwriter and obtain the consent of the Underwriter prior to referring to, using or filing with the Commission any Free Writing Prospectus pursuant to Rule 433 under the Securities Act, other than the Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule I hereto;
(f) to comply with the requirements of Rules 164 and 433 of the Securities Act Regulations applicable to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission, legending and record keeping, as applicable;
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(g) to advise the Underwriter immediately, confirming such advice in writing, of (i) the receipt of any comments from, or any request by, the Commission for amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or for additional information with respect thereto, (ii) the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any order preventing or suspending the use of the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes and, if the Commission or any other government agency or authority should issue any such order, to make every reasonable effort to obtain the lifting or removal of such order as soon as possible, (iii) any examination pursuant to Section 8(e) of the Securities Act concerning the Registration Statement, or (iv) if the Company becomes subject to a proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act in connection with the public offering of Shares contemplated herein; to advise the Underwriter promptly of any proposal to amend or supplement the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or written Test-the-Waters Communication and to file no such amendment or supplement to which the Underwriter shall reasonably object in writing;
(h) to furnish to the Underwriter for a period of five years from the date of this Agreement (i) as soon as available, copies of all annual, quarterly and current reports or other communications supplied to holders of shares of Common Stock, (ii) as soon as practicable after the filing thereof, copies of all reports filed by the Company with the Commission, the New York Stock Exchange or any securities exchange and (iii) such other information as the Underwriter may reasonably request regarding the Company;
(i) to advise the Underwriter promptly of the happening of any event or development known to the Company within the time during which a Prospectus relating to the Shares (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173 under the Securities Act Regulations) is required to be delivered under the Securities Act Regulations which, in the judgment of the Company or in the reasonable opinion of the Underwriter or counsel for the Underwriter, (i) would require the making of any change in the Prospectus or the Disclosure Package so that the Prospectus or the Disclosure Package would not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (ii) as a result of which any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement relating to the Shares, or (iii) if it is necessary at any time to amend or supplement the Prospectus or the Disclosure Package to comply with any law and, during such time, to promptly prepare and furnish to the Underwriter copies of the proposed amendment or supplement before filing any such amendment or supplement with the Commission and thereafter promptly furnish at the Company’s own expense to the Underwriter and to dealers, copies in such quantities and at such locations as the Underwriter may from time to time reasonably request of an appropriate amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or the Disclosure Package so that the Prospectus or the Disclosure Package as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances when it (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173 under the Securities Act Regulations) is so delivered, be misleading or , in the case of any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, or so that the Prospectus or the Disclosure Package will comply with the law;
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(j) to file promptly with the Commission any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that may, in the judgment of the Company or the Underwriter, be required by the Securities Act or requested by the Commission;
(k) prior to filing with the Commission any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, to furnish a copy thereof to the Underwriter and counsel for the Underwriter and obtain the consent of the Underwriter to the filing;
(l) to furnish promptly to the Underwriter a signed copy of the Registration Statement, as filed with the Commission, and of all amendments or supplements thereto (including all exhibits filed therewith or incorporated by reference therein) and such number of conformed copies of the foregoing as the Underwriter may reasonably request;
(m) to furnish to the Underwriter, not less than two business days before filing with the Commission, during the period referred to in paragraph (i) above, a copy of any document proposed to be filed with the Commission pursuant to Section 13, 14, or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and during the period of five years hereafter to file all such documents in the manner and within the time periods required by the Exchange Act and the Exchange Act Regulations;
(n) to apply the net proceeds of the sale of the Shares in accordance with its statements under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package;
(o) to make generally available to its security holders and to deliver to the Underwriter as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than the end of the fiscal quarter first occurring after the first anniversary of the effective date of the Registration Statement an earnings statement complying with the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act (in form, at the option of the Company, complying with the provisions of Rule 158 of the Securities Act Regulations,) covering a period of 12 months beginning after the effective date of the Registration Statement;
(p) to use its best efforts to maintain the quotation of the Shares on the New York Stock Exchange and to file with the New York Stock Exchange all documents and notices required by the New York Stock Exchange of companies that have securities that are traded and quotations for which are reported by the New York Stock Exchange;
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(q) to promptly notify the Underwriter if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (i) the completion of the distribution of the Shares within the meaning of the Securities Act and (ii) completion of the 180-day restricted period referred to in Section 4(s) hereof;
(r) to engage and maintain, at its expense, a registrar and transfer agent for the Shares;
(s) to refrain, from the date hereof until 180 days after the date of the Prospectus, without the prior written consent of the Underwriter, from, directly or indirectly, (i) offering, pledging, selling, contracting to sell, selling any option or contract to purchase, purchasing any option or contract to sell, granting any option for the sale of, or otherwise disposing of or transferring, (or entering into any transaction or device which is designed to, or could be expected to, result in the disposition by any person at any time in the future of), any share of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock, or filing any registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any of the foregoing, or (ii) entering into any swap or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequence of ownership of the Common Stock, whether any such swap or transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise. The foregoing sentence shall not apply to (A) the Shares to be sold hereunder, or (B) any shares of Common Stock issued by the Company upon the exercise of an option outstanding on the date hereof and referred to in the Prospectus;
(t) not to, and to use its best efforts to cause its officers, directors and affiliates not to, (i) take, directly or indirectly prior to termination of the underwriting syndicate contemplated by this Agreement, any action designed to stabilize or manipulate the price of any security of the Company, or which may cause or result in, or which might in the future reasonably be expected to cause or result in, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company, to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Shares, (ii) sell, bid for, purchase or pay anyone any compensation for soliciting purchases of the Shares or (iii) pay or agree to pay to any person any compensation for soliciting any order to purchase any other securities of the Company;
(u) to cause each 1% or greater stockholder, officer and director of the Company to furnish to the Underwriter, prior to the Initial Sale Time, a letter or letters, substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, pursuant to which each such person shall agree not to, directly or indirectly, (1) offer for sale, sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction or device which is designed to, or could be expected to, result in the disposition by any person at any time in the future of) any shares of Common Stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Common Stock or (2) enter into any swap or other derivatives transaction that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic benefits or risks of ownership of such shares of Common Stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or other securities, in cash or otherwise, in each case for a period from the date hereof until 180 days after the date of the Prospectus, without the prior written consent of the Underwriter;
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(v) that the provisions of the letter agreement dated August 9, 2018, as amended on November ___, 2018, between the Company and the Underwriter shall survive the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein;
(w) that the Company shall (i) obtain or maintain, as appropriate, Directors and Officers liability insurance in the minimum amount of $[ ] million which shall apply to the offering contemplated herein and (ii) cause the Underwriter to be added to such policy such that up to $[ ] of its expenses pursuant to Section 8(a) shall be paid directly by such insurer and (iii) shall cause the Underwriter to be added as an additional insured to such policy in respect of the offering contemplated herein;
(x) if, at any time during the 90-day period after the date of the Prospectus, any rumor, publication or event relating to or affecting the Company shall occur as a result of which, in the reasonable opinion of the Underwriter, the market price of the Common Stock has been or is likely to be materially affected (regardless of whether such rumor, publication or event necessitates a supplement to or amendment of the Prospectus) and after written notice from the Underwriter advising the Company to the effect set forth above, to forthwith prepare, consult with the Underwriter concerning the substance of, and disseminate a press release or other public statement, reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriter, responding to or commenting on such rumor, publication or event; and
(y) that the Company will comply with all of the provisions of any undertakings in the Registration Statement.
5. Payment of Expenses:
(a) The Company agrees to pay all costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, whether or not the transactions contemplated hereunder are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, including expenses, fees and taxes in connection with (i) the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, and the printing and furnishing of copies of each thereof to the Underwriter and to dealers (including costs of mailing and shipment), (ii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the certificates for the Shares to the Underwriter, including any stock or other transfer taxes or duties payable upon the sale of the Shares to the Underwriter, (iii) the printing of this Agreement and any dealer agreements and furnishing of copies of each to the Underwriter and to dealers (including costs of mailing and shipment), (iv) the qualification of the Shares for offering and sale under state laws that the Company and the Underwriter have mutually agreed are appropriate and the determination of their eligibility for investment under state law as aforesaid (including the legal fees and filing fees and other disbursements of counsel for the Underwriter and the printing and furnishing of copies of any blue sky surveys or legal investment surveys to the Underwriter and to dealers, (v) filing for review of the public offering of the Shares by the NASD (including the legal fees and filing fees and other disbursements of counsel for the Underwriter relating thereto), (vi) the fees and expenses of any transfer agent or registrar for the Shares and miscellaneous expenses referred to in the Registration Statement, (vii) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the inclusion of the Shares in the New York Stock Exchange, (viii) making road show presentations with respect to the offering of the Shares, (ix) preparing and distributing bound volumes of transaction documents for the Underwriter and the Underwriter’s legal counsel and (x) the performance of the Company’s other obligations hereunder. Upon the request of the Underwriter, the Company will provide funds in advance for filing fees.
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(b) The Company agrees to reimburse the Underwriter for its reasonable out-of-pocket accountable and documented expenses in connection with the performance of its activities under this Agreement. The Company and the Underwriter agree and acknowledge that the Company has provided the Company with an advance of such accountable expenses prior to the date hereof in the amount of seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000) (the “Expense Advance”). The Company shall have used and use any remainder of the Expense Advance as of the date hereof subject to the following terms: legal fees will be capped at $80,000, unless the Company approves an increase upon request. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the amount of reasonable out-of-pocket and documented expenses in connection with the performance of its activities under this Agreement shall not exceed the amount of expenses actually incurred by the Underwriter and such Expense Advance shall be reimbursed to the Company to the extent not actually incurred by the Underwriter in compliance with Rule 5110(f)(2)(C) of the FINRA Rules.
(c) If this Agreement shall be terminated by the Underwriter because of any failure or refusal on the part of the Company to comply with the terms or to fulfill any of the conditions of this Agreement, or if for any reason the Company shall be unable to perform its obligations under this Agreement, the Company will reimburse the Underwriter for all out-of-pocket expenses beyond the Expense Advance (such as printing, facsimile, courier service, direct computer expenses, accommodations, travel and the fees and disbursements of Underwriter’ counsel and any other advisors, accountants, or appraisers) reasonably incurred by the Underwriter in connection with this Agreement or the transactions contemplated herein.
6. Conditions of the Underwriter’s Obligations:
The obligations of the Underwriter hereunder to purchase Shares at the Closing Time or on each Option Closing Time, as applicable, are subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company hereunder on the date hereof and at the Closing Time and on each Option Closing Time, as applicable, the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the satisfaction of the following further conditions at the Closing Time or on each Option Closing Time, as applicable:
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(a) The Company shall furnish to the Underwriter at the Closing Time and on each Option Closing Time an opinion of X.X. Xxxxx & Co., counsel for the Company, addressed to the Underwriter and dated the Closing Time and each Option Closing Time and in form and substance satisfactory to LeClairRyan PLLC, counsel for the Underwriter, stating that:
(i) the Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in both the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package under the caption “Capitalization”; the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; except as disclosed in both the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package, there are no outstanding (i) securities or obligations of the Company convertible into or exchangeable for any capital stock of the Company, (ii) warrants, rights or options to subscribe for or purchase from the Company any such capital stock or any such convertible or exchangeable securities or obligations, or (iii) obligations of the Company to issue any shares of capital stock, any such convertible or exchangeable securities or obligation, or any such warrants, rights or options;
(ii) the Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of its respective jurisdiction of incorporation with full corporate power and authority to own its respective properties and to conduct its respective businesses as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package, and, in the case of the Company, to execute and deliver this Agreement and to consummate the transactions described in this Agreement;
(iii) the Company is duly qualified or licensed by each jurisdiction in which it conducts its respective businesses and in which the failure, individually or in the aggregate, to be so licensed could have a Material Adverse Effect, and the Company is duly qualified, and is in good standing, in each jurisdiction in which it owns or leases real property or maintain an office and in which such qualification is necessary except where the failure to be so qualified and in good standing could not have a Material Adverse Effect; other than as disclosed in both the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package, the Company does not own, directly or indirectly, any capital stock or other equity securities of any other corporation or any ownership interest in any partnership, joint venture or other association;
(iv) [to the best of such counsel’s knowledge,] the Company is in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws, orders, rules, regulations and orders, including those relating to transactions with affiliates;
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(v) [to the best of such counsel’s knowledge,] the Company is not in violation of any term or provision of its organizational documents, is in breach of, or in default under (nor has any event occurred which with notice, lapse of time, or both would constitute a breach of, or default under), any license, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement or any other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which any of them or their respective properties may be bound or affected or under any law, regulation or rule or any decree, judgment or order applicable to the Company, except such breaches or defaults which would not have a material adverse effect on the assets, business, operations, earnings, prospects, properties, or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company taken as a whole;
(vi) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement do not and will not (A) conflict with, or result in any breach of, or constitute a default under (nor constitute any event which with notice, lapse of time, or both would constitute a breach of or default under), (i) any provisions of the certificate of incorporation, charter or by-laws of the Company, (ii) any provision of any license, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan, credit or other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which any of them or their respective properties or assets may be bound or affected, (iii) any law or regulation binding upon or applicable to the Company or any of its respective properties or assets, or (iv) any decree, judgment or order applicable to the Company; or (B) result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge, claim or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company;
(vii) this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and is a legal, valid and binding agreement of the Company enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and by general principles of equity, and except that enforceability of the indemnification and contribution provisions set forth in Section 8 of this Agreement may be limited by the federal or state securities laws of the United States or public policy underlying such laws;
(viii) no approval, authorization, consent or order of or filing with any federal or state governmental or regulatory commission, board, body, authority or agency is required in connection with the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein, and the sale and delivery of the Shares by the Company as contemplated herein, other than such as have been obtained or made under the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations and the Exchange Act and Exchange Act Regulations, and except that such counsel need express no opinion as to any necessary qualification under the state securities or blue sky laws of the various jurisdictions in which the Shares are being offered by the Underwriter;
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(ix) the Company has all necessary licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals and has made all necessary filings required under any federal, state or local law, regulation or rule, and has obtained all necessary authorizations, consents and approvals from other persons, required to conduct their respective businesses, as described in both the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package; the Company is not in violation of, in default under, or has received any notice regarding a possible violation, default or revocation of any such license, authorization, consent or approval or any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or decree, order or judgment applicable to the Company;
(x) the Company is not subject to registration as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement will not cause the Company to become an investment company subject to registration under such Act;
(xi) the Shares have been duly authorized and when the Shares have been issued and duly delivered against payment therefor as contemplated by this Agreement, the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and the Underwriter will acquire good and marketable title to the Shares, free and clear of any pledge, lien, encumbrance, security interest, or other claim;
(xii) the issuance and sale of the Shares by the Company is not subject to preemptive or other similar rights arising by operation of law, under the certificate of incorporation, charter or by-laws of the Company, or under any agreement known to such counsel to which the Company is a party or, to such counsel’s knowledge, otherwise;
(xiii) to the best of such counsel’s knowledge, there are no persons with registration or other similar rights to have any equity or debt securities, including securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for equity securities, registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or otherwise registered by the Company under the Securities Act, except for those registration or similar rights which have been waived with respect to the offering contemplated by this Agreement;
(xiv) the Shares conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained or incorporated by reference in each of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package;
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(xv) the form of certificate used to evidence the Common Stock complies in all material respects with all applicable statutory requirements, with any applicable requirements of the organizational documents of the Company and the requirements of the New York Stock Exchange;
(xvi) the Registration Statement has become effective under the Securities Act and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and, to the best of such counsel’s knowledge, no proceedings with respect thereto have been commenced or threatened;
(xvii) as of each effective date of the Registration Statement, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (except as to the financial statements and other financial data contained therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion) complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations (it being understood that such counsel need express no opinion as to the financial statements or schedules or other financial data derived therefrom, included therein);
(xviii) the statements under the captions “Capitalization,” “Legal Matters”, and “Description of Securities” in both the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package, insofar as such statements constitute a summary of the legal matters referred to therein, constitute accurate summaries thereof in all material respects;
(xix) the 8-A Registration Statement, when filed with the Commission, complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act; the Form 8-A Registration Statement has become effective under the Exchange Act; and, once issued, the Initial Shares and the Option Shares have been validly registered under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the Securities Act Regulations and the Exchange Act Regulations;
(xx) there are no actions, suits or proceedings, inquiries, or investigations pending or, to the best of such counsel’s knowledge, threatened against the Company or any of its respective officers and directors or to which the properties, assets or rights of any such entity are subject, at law or in equity, before or by any federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory commission, board, body, authority, arbitral panel or agency which are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Disclosure Package but are not so described;
(xxi) there are no contracts or documents of a character which are required to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement or required to be described or summarized in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Disclosure Package which have not been so filed, summarized or described, and all such summaries and descriptions, in all material respects, fairly and accurately set forth the material provisions of such contracts and documents;
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(xxii) to the best of such counsel’s knowledge, the Company owns or possesses adequate licenses or other rights to use all patents, trademarks, service marks, trade names, copyrights, software and design licenses, trade secrets, manufacturing processes, other intangible property rights and know-how (collectively “Intangibles”) necessary to entitle the Company to conduct its business as described in both the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package, and the Company has not received notice of infringement of or conflict with (and knows of no such infringement of or conflict with) asserted rights of others with respect to any Intangibles which could materially and adversely affect the business, prospects, properties, assets, results of operations or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company; and
(xxiii) to the best of such counsel’s knowledge, the Company has filed on a timely basis all necessary federal, state, local and foreign income and franchise tax returns required to be filed through the date hereof and have paid all taxes shown as due thereon; and no tax deficiency has been asserted against any such entity, nor does any such entity know of any tax deficiency which is likely to be asserted against any such entity which, if determined adversely to any such entity, could materially and adversely affect the business, prospects, properties, assets, results of operations or condition (financial or otherwise) of any such entity, respectively.
In addition, such counsel shall state that they have participated in conferences with officers and other representatives of the Company, independent public accountants of the Company, the Underwriter, at which the contents of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the documents constituting the Disclosure Package were discussed and, although such counsel is not passing upon and does not assume responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Disclosure Package (except as and to the extent stated in subparagraphs (xiv), (xvii), (xviii), (xix), (xx) and (xxi) above), nothing has come to their attention which would lead them to believe that (i) either the Registration Statement, any amendment thereto, or any document deemed to be a part thereof, at the time of any effective date applicable thereto, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements in the Registration Statement not misleading; or (ii) the Prospectus, as of its date or at the Closing Time or any Option Closing Time, as the case may be, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; or (iii) the Disclosure Package as of the Initial Sale Time contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (it being understood that such counsel need express no belief as to the financial statements or schedules or other financial data derived therefrom, included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement the Prospectus, the Disclosure Package or any amendments or supplements thereto).
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(b) On the date of this Agreement and at the Closing Time and each Option Closing Time (if applicable), the Underwriter shall have received from Accell Audit & Compliance, P.A. letters dated the respective dates of delivery thereof and addressed to the Underwriter, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriter, containing statements and information of the type customarily included in accountants’ “comfort letter” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, the Disclosure Package or any amendments or supplements thereto; provided that the such letter delivered at the Closing Time and each Option Closing Time (if applicable) shall use a “cut-off” date no more than three business days prior to the Closing Time, or such Option Closing Time as the case may be.
In the event that the letters referred to above set forth any changes in indebtedness, decreases in total assets or retained earnings or increases in borrowings, it shall be a further condition to the obligations of the Underwriter that (A) such letters shall be accompanied by a written explanation of the Company as to the significance thereof, and (B) such changes, decreases or increases do not, in the sole judgment of the Underwriter, make it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the purchase and delivery of the Shares as contemplated by the Registration Statement.
(c) The Underwriter shall have received at the Closing Time and on each Option Closing Time the favorable opinion of LeClairRyan PLLC, dated the Closing Time or such Option Closing Time, addressed to the Underwriter and in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriter.
(d) The Registration Statement shall have become effective not later than 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the date of this Agreement, or such later time and date as the Underwriter shall approve.
(e) No amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any document in the Disclosure Package shall have been filed to which the Underwriter shall have objected in writing.
(f) Prior to the Closing Time and each Option Closing Time (i) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any order preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus or any document in the Disclosure Package shall have been issued, and no proceedings for such purpose shall have been initiated or threatened, by the Commission, and no suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes, has occurred; (ii) all requests for additional information on the part of the Commission shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of the Underwriter; (iii) the Registration Statement shall not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; and (iv) the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package shall not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
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(g) All filings with the Commission required by Rule 424 under the Securities Act to have been filed by the Closing Time shall have been made within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by such Rule.
(h) Between the time of execution of this Agreement and the Closing Time or the relevant Option Closing Time there shall not have been any Material Adverse Change or any prospective Material Adverse Change, and (ii) no transaction which is material and unfavorable to the Company shall have been entered into by the Company which, in the Underwriter’s sole judgment, makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering of the Shares as contemplated by the Registration Statement.
(i) The Shares shall have been approved for inclusion in the New York Stock Exchange.
(j) The NASD shall not have raised any objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements.
(k) The Underwriter’s shall have received lock-up agreements from each officer, director, Selling Stockholder and 1% or greater stockholder of the Company, in the form of Exhibit B attached hereto, and such letter agreements shall be in full force and effect.
(l) The Company will, at the Closing Time and on each Option Closing Time, deliver to the Underwriter a certificate of its Manager or Chief Financial Officer, to the effect that:
(i) the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct, as if made on and as of the Closing Time or any Option Closing Time, as applicable, and the Company has complied with all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Time or any Option Closing Time, as applicable;
(ii) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or threatened under the Securities Act;
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(iii) the signer of such certificate has carefully examined the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, the Disclosure Package, any amendment or supplement thereto, and this Agreement, and that when the Registration Statement became effective and at all times subsequent thereto up to the Closing Time or any Option Closing Time, as applicable, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and the Preliminary Prospectus, and any amendments or supplements thereto contained all material information required to be included therein by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, as the case may be, and in all material respects conformed to the requirements of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, as the case may be; the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto, did not and, as of the Closing Time or any Option Closing Time, as applicable, does not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading and the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package, and any amendments or supplements thereto, did not and as of the Closing Time or any Option Closing Time, as applicable, do not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and, since the effective date of the Registration Statement, there has occurred no event required to be set forth in an amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or the Disclosure Package which has not been so set forth; and
(iv) subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package, there has not been (a) any Material Adverse Change, (b) any transaction that is material to the Company, except transactions entered into in the ordinary course of business, (c) any obligation, direct or contingent, that is material to the Company, incurred by the Company, except obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business, (d) any change in the capital stock or outstanding indebtedness of the Company that is material to the Company, (e) any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made on the capital stock of the Company, or (f) any loss or damage (whether or not insured) to the property of the Company which has been sustained or will have been sustained which has a Material Adverse Effect.
(m) The Company shall have furnished to the Underwriter such other documents and certificates as to the accuracy and completeness of any statement in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package, the representations, warranties and statements of the Company contained herein , and the performance by the Company its covenants contained herein, and the fulfillment of any conditions contained herein, as of the Closing Time or any Option Closing Time, as the Underwriter may reasonably request.
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7. Termination:
The obligations of the Underwriter hereunder shall be subject to termination in the absolute discretion of the Underwriter, at any time prior to the Closing Time or any Option Closing Time, (i) if any of the conditions specified in Section 6 shall not have been fulfilled when and as required by this Agreement to be fulfilled, or (ii) if there has been since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Disclosure Package, any Material Adverse Change, or any development involving a prospective Material Adverse Change, or material change in management of the Company, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, or (iii) if there has occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or other national or international calamity or crisis or change in economic, political or other conditions, the effect of which on the United States or international financial markets is such as to make it, in the judgment of the Underwriter, impracticable to market the Shares or enforce contracts for the sale of the Shares, or (iv) if trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended by the Commission or by the New York Stock Exchange, or if trading generally on the New York Stock Exchange or in the Nasdaq over-the-counter market has been suspended (including an automatic halt in trading pursuant to market-decline triggers, other than those in which solely program trading is temporarily halted), or limitations on prices for trading (other than limitations on hours or numbers of days of trading) have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities have been required, by such exchange or the NASD or the over-the-counter market or by order of the Commission or any other governmental authority, or (v) if there has been any downgrade in the rating of any of the Company’s debt securities or preferred stock by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” (as defined for purposes of Rule 436(g) under the Securities Act), or (vi) any federal, state, local or foreign statute, regulation, rule or order of any court or other governmental authority has been enacted, published, decreed or otherwise promulgated which, in the reasonable opinion of the Underwriter, materially adversely affects or will materially adversely affect the business or operations of the Company, or (vii) any action has been taken by any federal, state, local or foreign government or agency in respect of its monetary or fiscal affairs which, in the reasonable opinion of the Underwriter, could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the securities markets in the United States.
If the Underwriter elects to terminate this Agreement as provided in this Section 7, the Company shall be notified promptly by written notice.
If the sale to the Underwriter of the Shares, as contemplated by this Agreement, is not carried out by the Underwriter for any reason permitted under this Agreement or if such sale is not carried out because the Company shall be unable to comply in all material respects with any of the terms of this Agreement, the Company shall not be under any obligation or liability under this Agreement (except to the extent provided in Sections 5 and 9 hereof) and the Underwriter shall be under no obligation or liability to the Company under this Agreement (except to the extent provided in Section 8 hereof) or to one another hereunder.
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8. Indemnity and Contribution by the Company and the Underwriter:
(a) The Company agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless each Underwriter and any person who controls the Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and the respective directors, officers, employees and agents of the Underwriter from and against any loss, expense, liability, damage or claim (including the reasonable cost of investigation) which, jointly or severally, any the Underwriter or controlling person may incur under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, insofar as such loss, expense, liability, damage or claim arises out of or is based upon (A) any breach of any representation, warranty or covenant of the Company contained herein, (B) any failure on the part of the Company to comply with any applicable law, rule or regulation relating to the offering of securities being made pursuant to the Prospectus, (C) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment), any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that the Company has filed or was required to file with the Commission or is otherwise required retain, or the Prospectus (the term Prospectus for the purpose of this Section 8 being deemed to include any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented by the Company), (D) any application or other document, or any amendment or supplement thereto, executed by the Company or based upon written information furnished by or on behalf of the Company filed in any jurisdiction (domestic or foreign) in order to qualify the Shares under the securities or blue sky laws thereof or filed with the Commission or any securities association or securities exchange (each an “Application”), (E) any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated in any such Registration Statement, or necessary to make the statements made therein not misleading, (F) any omission or alleged omission from any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, Prospectus or any Application of a material fact necessary to make the statements made therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (G) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in any audio or visual materials used in connection with the marketing of the Shares, including, without limitation, slides, videos, films and tape recordings; except, in the case of (C), (E) and (F) above only, insofar as any such loss, expense, liability, damage or claim arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission of a material fact contained in and in conformity with information furnished in writing by the Underwriter to the Company expressly for use in such Registration Statement, Prospectus or Application. The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 8(a) shall be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have.
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If any action is brought against the Underwriter or controlling person in respect of which indemnity may be sought against the Company pursuant to subsection (a) or subsection (b) above, the Underwriter shall promptly notify the Company in writing of the institution of such action, and the Company shall assume the defense of such action, including the employment of counsel and payment of expenses; provided, however, that any failure or delay to so notify the Company will not relieve the Company of any obligation hereunder, except to the extent that its ability to defend is actually impaired by such failure or delay. The Underwriter or controlling person shall have the right to employ its or their own counsel in any such case, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of the Underwriter or such controlling person unless the employment of such counsel shall have been authorized in writing by the Company in connection with the defense of such action, or the Company shall not have employed counsel to have charge of the defense of such action within a reasonable time or such indemnified party or parties shall have reasonably concluded (based on the advice of counsel) that there may be defenses available to it or them which are different from or additional to those available to the Company (in which case the Company shall not have the right to direct the defense of such action on behalf of the indemnified party or parties), in any of which events such fees and expenses shall be borne by the Company and paid as incurred (it being understood, however, that the Company shall not be liable for the expenses of more than one separate firm of attorneys for the Underwriter or controlling persons in any one action or series of related actions in the same jurisdiction (other than local counsel in any such jurisdiction) representing the indemnified parties who are parties to such action). Anything in this paragraph to the contrary notwithstanding, the Company shall not be liable for any settlement of any such claim or action effected without its consent.
(b) The Underwriter agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Company, the Company’s directors, the Company’s officers that signed the Registration Statement, and any person who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, from and against any loss, expense, liability, damage or claim (including the reasonable cost of investigation) which the Company or any such person may incur under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, insofar as such loss, expense, liability, damage or claim arises out of or is based upon (A) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment), any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that the Company has filed or was required to file with the Commission, or the Prospectus, or any Application, (B) any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated in any such Registration Statement, or necessary to make the statements made therein not misleading, or (C) any omission or alleged omission from any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, Prospectus or any Application of a material fact necessary to make the statements made therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, but in each case only insofar as such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in such Registration Statement, Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, Prospectus or Application in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing by the Underwriter to the Company expressly for use therein. The statements set forth in the paragraphs under the caption “Underwriting” in the Preliminary Prospectus, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (to the extent such statements relate to the Underwriter) constitute the only information furnished by or on behalf of the Underwriter to the Company for purposes of Sections 3(l), 3(m) and 3(o) and this Section 9.
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If any action is brought against the Company, or any such person in respect of which indemnity may be sought against the Underwriter pursuant to the foregoing paragraph, the Company, or such person shall promptly notify the Underwriter in writing of the institution of such action and the Underwriter shall assume the defense of such action, including the employment of counsel and payment of expenses. The Company, or such person shall have the right to employ its own counsel in any such case, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of the Company, or such person unless the employment of such counsel shall have been authorized in writing by the Underwriter in connection with the defense of such action or the Underwriter shall not have employed counsel to have charge of the defense of such action within a reasonable time or such indemnified party or parties shall have reasonably concluded (based on the advice of counsel) that there may be defenses available to it or them which are different from or additional to those available to the Underwriter in any of which events such fees and expenses shall be borne by the Underwriter and paid as incurred (it being understood, however, that the Underwriter shall not be liable for the expenses of more than one separate firm of attorneys in any one action or series of related actions in the same jurisdiction (other than local counsel in any such jurisdiction) representing the indemnified parties who are parties to such action).
(c) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 8 is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsections (a), (b) and (c) of this Section 8 in respect of any losses, expenses, liabilities, damages or claims referred to therein, then each applicable indemnifying party, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, expenses, liabilities, damages or claims (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company,] and the Underwriter from the offering of the Shares or (ii) if (but only if) the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company and of the Underwriter in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, expenses, liabilities, damages or claims, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company and the Underwriter shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total proceeds from the offering (net of underwriting discounts and commissions but before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriter. The relative fault of the Company and of the Underwriter shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriter and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to above shall be deemed to include any legal or other fees or expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with investigating or defending any claim or action.
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(d) The Company and the Underwriter agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 8 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriter were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in subsection (d)(i) and, if applicable (ii), above. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 8, the Underwriter shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the underwriting discounts and commissions applicable to the Shares purchased by such Underwriter. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriter’s obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 8 are several in proportion to their respective underwriting commitments and not joint.
9. Survival:
The indemnity and contribution agreements contained in Section 9 and the covenants, warranties and representations of the Company contained in Sections 3, 4 and 5 of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Underwriter, or any person who controls the Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and the respective directors, officers, employees and agents of the Underwriter or by or on behalf of the Company, its directors and officers, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and shall survive any termination of this Agreement or the sale and delivery of the Shares. The Company, and the Underwriter agree promptly to notify the others of the commencement of any litigation or proceeding against it and, in the case of the Company, against any of the Company’s officers and directors, in connection with the sale and delivery of the Shares, or in connection with the Registration Statement or Prospectus.
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10. Duties:
Nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to create a partnership, joint venture or agency relationship between the parties. The Underwriter undertakes to perform such duties and obligations only as expressly set forth herein. Such duties and obligations of the Underwriter with respect to the Shares shall be determined solely by the express provisions of this Agreement, and the Underwriter shall not be liable except for the performance of such duties and obligations with respect to the Shares as are specifically set forth in this Agreement. The Company acknowledges and agrees that: (i) the purchase and sale of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement, including the determination of the public offering price of the Shares and any related discounts and commissions, is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriter, on the other hand, and the Company is capable of evaluating and understanding and understands and accepts the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; (ii) in connection with each transaction contemplated hereby and the process leading to such transaction each Underwriter is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the financial advisor, agent or fiduciary of the Company and its affiliates, stockholders, creditors or employees or any other party; (iii) the Underwriter has not assumed or will assume an advisory, agency or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to any of the transactions contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether the Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters); and (iv) the Underwriter and their respective affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Company and that the Underwriter have no obligation to disclose any of such interests. The Company acknowledges that the Underwriter disclaim any implied duties (including any fiduciary duty), covenants or obligations arising from the Underwriter’s performance of the duties and obligations expressly set forth herein. The Company hereby waives and releases to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the several Underwriter with respect to any breach or alleged breach of agency or fiduciary duty.
11. Notices:
Except as otherwise herein provided, all statements, requests, notices and agreements shall be in writing or by telegram and, if to the Underwriter, shall be sufficient in all respects if delivered to X. Xxxxx FBR, Inc., 0000 00xx Xxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000, Attention: Syndicate Department, with a copy, which shall not constitute notice to LeClairRyan PLLC, 000 Xxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxx-Xxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000, Attention: Xxxxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxx; if to the Company, shall be sufficient in all respects if delivered to the Company at the offices of the Company at: [ ]
12. Governing Law; Headings:
THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICTS OF LAWS PRINCIPLES. The section headings in this Agreement have been inserted as a matter of convenience of reference and are not a part of this Agreement.
13. Parties at Interest:
The Agreement herein set forth has been and is made solely for the benefit of the Underwriter, the Company, and the controlling persons, directors and officers referred to in Sections 9 and 10 hereof, and their respective successors, assigns, executors and administrators. No other person, partnership, association or corporation (including a purchaser, as such purchaser, from any of the Underwriter) shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement.
14. Counterparts and Facsimile Signatures:
This Agreement may be signed by the parties in counterparts which together shall constitute one and the same agreement among the parties. A facsimile signature shall constitute an original signature for all purposes.
[Signature
Pages Follow]
| -37- |
If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding among the Company, and the Underwriter, please so indicate in the space provided below for the purpose, whereupon this Agreement shall constitute a binding agreement among the Company, the Selling Stockholders and the Underwriter.
| Very truly yours, | ||
| URANIUM TRADING CORPORATION | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
Accepted and agreed to as
of the date first above written:
| X. XXXXX FBR, INC. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
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Schedule I
Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses
| A-1 |
Schedule II
Written Test-the-Waters Communications
| A-2 |
