ESCROW AGREEMENT
EXHIBIT 4.4
This Escrow Agreement (the “Agreement”) dated as of , 2007 is by and between
Agassiz Energy, LLC, a Minnesota limited liability company (the “Company”) and Xxxxxx Bank, N.A.
(the “Escrow Agent”), (the “Escrow Agent” and the “Company” may also be hereinafter referred to as
the “Parties”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the Company intends to conduct an offering of a minimum of 50,000,000 and a maximum
of 77,878,000 of its membership units (the “Units”) at a price of $1.00 per Unit, in minimum blocks
of twenty thousand (20,000) Units, subject to waiver, with a 5,000 additional Unit minimum purchase
requirement, in an offering in the States of Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx and possibly
other states, made pursuant to a federal registration under the provisions of the Securities Act of
1933, as amended (the “Offering”);
WHEREAS, the Company desires to retain the Escrow Agent to act as escrow agent and to hold the
cash proceeds received in the Offering pursuant to the terms hereof.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises the Parties agree as follows:
1. ACCEPTANCE OF APPOINTMENT: Escrow Agent hereby agrees to act as escrow agent under
this Agreement. The Escrow Agent shall have no duty to enforce any provision hereof requiring
performance by any other party hereunder.
2. ESTABLISHMENT OF ESCROW ACCOUNT: An escrow account (the “Escrow Account”) is
hereby established with the Escrow Agent for the benefit of the investors in the Offering. Except
as specifically provided in this Agreement, the Escrow Account shall be created and maintained
subject to the customary rules and regulations of the Escrow Agent pertaining to such accounts.
3. OWNERSHIP OF ESCROW ACCOUNT: Until such time as the cash proceeds deposited in the
Escrow Account (the “Deposited Funds”) shall equal the Minimum Escrow Deposit (as hereinafter
defined), all cash proceeds deposited in the Escrow Account by the Company shall not become the
property of the Company or be subject to the debts of the Company or any other person but shall be
held by the Escrow Agent solely for the benefit of the investors who have purchased Units in the
Offering.
4. ESCROW FEES: The Company hereby agrees to pay the Escrow Agent an advance payment
for ordinary services rendered hereunder in the amount of $ (the “Escrow Fee”).
Thereafter, Company shall pay to Escrow Agent a monthly fee during the term of this Agreement in
the amount of ___% of the balance of the Escrow Account on the eighth day of each month divided by
twelve (the “Monthly Fee”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Monthly Fee shall in no event
exceed the amount of interest on the Escrow Account and shall be paid from interest only and not
from principal.
5. DEPOSIT OF PROCEEDS: All proceeds from sales of Units in the Offering shall be
delivered by the Company to the Escrow Agent, within forty-eight hours of the receipt thereof from
investors, endorsed (if appropriate) to the order of the Escrow Agent, together with an appropriate
written statement setting forth the name, address and social security number/taxpayer
identification number of each person or entity purchasing Units, the number of Units purchased, and
the amount paid by each such purchaser. Any such proceeds deposited with the Escrow Agent in the
form of uncollected checks shall be promptly presented by the Escrow Agent for collection through
customary banking and clearing house facilities. Checks are not considered full payment until the
fund collection, as the proceeds of each sale are deposited with the Escrow Agent, the Company
shall reserve the number of Units confirmed to the purchaser thereof in connection with such sale.
All such deposited proceeds are referred to herein as the “Escrow Funds.”
6. INVESTMENT OF ESCROW FUNDS: The Escrow Funds shall be credited by Escrow Agent and
recorded in the Escrow Account. The Escrow Agent shall be permitted, and is hereby authorized to
deposit transfer, hold and invest all funds received under this Agreement, including principal and
interest, in short term certificates of deposits by the Escrow Agent or short term securities
issued by the United States government, at the Escrow Agent’s reasonable discretion. Any interest
received by Escrow Agent with respect to the Escrow Funds shall be paid pursuant to the terms of
this Agreement.
7. TERMINATION OF ESCROW: This Agreement and the Escrow created hereunder shall be
terminated as provided in paragraph 8 hereof or as of the date (the “Termination Date”) one year
and one day following the date upon which the Securities and Exchange Commission authorizes the
Offering (the “Offering’s Effective Date”), provided; however, that if prior to Termination Date,
the Company has sold membership units equal to the minimum offering amount and the Company has
advised the purchasers of those membership units to remit to the Escrow Agent the balance of the
purchase price, then the Escrow may continue beyond the Termination Date until all Funds have been
paid and the conditions for releasing the Funds have been satisfied. In no event shall this date
be later than three (3) months following the Termination Date and shall not exceed one year from
the Offering’s Effective Date in any event. The Company shall notify Escrow Agent of the
Offering’s Effective Date within thirty (30) days of the receipt of notice of the Offering’s
Effective Date from the Securities and Exchange Commission.
8. DISPOSITION OF ESCROW FUNDS: The Escrow Agent shall have the following duties and
obligations under this Agreement:
| A. | The Escrow Agent shall send a written notice acknowledging the receipt of the Deposited Funds every seven days to the Company. | ||
| B. | The Escrow Agent shall give the Company prompt written notice when the Deposited Funds equal $5,000,000 (exclusive of interest). Following receipt of such notice, the Company will advise the purchasers of Units to remit to the Escrow Agent the balance of the purchase price within thirty (30) days. Thereafter, Escrow Agent shall give the Company written notice acknowledging the receipt of the Deposited Funds every seven days. The Escrow Agent shall |
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| give the Company prompt written notice when the Deposited Funds total $50,000,000 (exclusive of interest). | |||
| C. | At the time (and in the event) that: (a) the Deposited Funds shall, during the term of this Agreement, equal $50,000,000 in subscription proceeds (exclusive of interest) (the “Minimum Escrow Deposit”); (b) the Escrow Agent shall have received written confirmation from the Company that the Company has obtained (i) written debt financing commitments for debt financing ranging from a minimum of approximately $49,500,000 to a maximum of $77,378,000 (ii) an executed construction agreement; and (iii) confirmation of the finalized EAW process from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; (c) the Company has affirmatively elected in writing to terminate this Agreement; and (d) the Escrow Agent shall have provided the states in which the Company has registered an affidavit stating that the foregoing requirements (a), (b) and (c) of this subsection 8C have been satisfied, and has provided to the Minnesota Department of Commerce a copy of the documents listed in (b) above, then this Agreement shall terminate, and the Escrow Agent shall promptly disburse the funds on deposit, including interest, to the Company to be used in accordance with the provisions set out in the Registration Statement. The Company will deliver a copy of the Registration Statement to the Escrow Agent upon execution of this Agreement. The Escrow Agent will have no responsibility to examine the Registration Statement with regard to the Escrow Account or otherwise, nor shall Escrow Agent have any duty to ensure that Company complies with the Registration Statement. Upon the making of such disbursement, the Escrow Agent shall be completely discharged and released of any and all further responsibilities hereunder. | ||
| D. | In the event the Deposited Funds do not equal or exceed the Minimum Escrow Deposit on or before the Termination Date or if the Company has not received the agreement as described in Section 8.C.(b) above on or before the Termination Date, the Escrow Agent shall return to each of the purchasers of the Units in the Offering, as promptly as possible after such Termination Date and on the basis of its records pertaining to the Escrow Account: (a) the sum which each purchaser initially paid in on account of purchases of the Units in the Offering and (b) each purchaser’s portion of the total interest earned on the Escrow Account as of the Termination Date, (c) reduced by the transaction fees provided in paragraph 10 hereof. Computation of any purchaser’s share of the net interest earned will be a weighted average based on the proportion of such purchaser’s deposit in the Escrow Account from the Offering to all such purchasers’ deposits held by the Escrow Agent and upon the length of time in days such deposit was held in the Escrow Account as compared to all such deposits. All computations with respect to each purchaser’s allocable share of net interest shall be made by the Escrow Agent, which determinations shall be final and conclusive. Any amount paid or payable to a purchaser pursuant to this paragraph shall be deemed to be the property of such purchaser, free and clear of any and all claims of the Company or its agents or creditors; and the respective purchases of the Units made and entered into in the Offering shall thereupon be deemed, ipso facto, to be cancelled without |
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| any further liability of the purchasers or any of them to pay for the Units purchased. At such time as the Escrow Agent shall have made all the payments called for in this paragraph, the Escrow Agent shall be completely discharged and released of any and all further responsibilities hereunder, and the Units reserved (as provided in paragraph 5) shall be released from such reservation, except that Escrow Agent shall be required to prepare and issue a single IRS Form 1099 to each investor in the event that funds are returned to investors. |
9. LIABILITY OF ESCROW AGENT: In performing any duties under the Escrow Agreement,
the Escrow Agent shall not be liable to the Company, any subscriber/purchaser or any Party for
damages, losses, or expenses, except for gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the
Escrow Agent. The Escrow Agent shall not incur any such liability for (I) any act or failure to
act made or omitted in good faith, or (II) any action taken or omitted in reliance upon any
instrument, including any written statement or affidavit provided for in this Agreement that the
Escrow Agent shall in good faith believe to be genuine, nor will the Escrow Agent be liable or
responsible for forgeries, fraud, impersonations, or determining the scope of any representative’s
authority. In addition, the Escrow Agent may consult with legal counsel in connection with the
Escrow Agent’s duties under this Agreement and shall be fully protected in any action taken,
suffered, or permitted by it in good faith in accordance with the advice of counsel. The Escrow
Agent is not responsible for determining and verifying the authority of any person acting or
purporting to act on behalf of any party to this Agreement.
10. FEES AND EXPENSES: In the event the Deposited Funds do not equal or exceed the
Minimum Escrow Deposit before the Termination Date or the Company does not receive a written debt
financing commitment as described herein before the Termination Date, the Escrow Agent shall be
entitled to a fee of $10.00 per purchaser, which fees shall be paid from the interest on the Escrow
Account only and not from principal. In the event the Escrow Agent renders any service not
provided for in this Agreement, or if the Company requests a substantial modification of its terms,
or if any controversy arises, or if the Escrow Agent is made a party to, or intervenes in, any
litigation pertaining to this escrow or its subject matter, the Escrow Agent shall be reasonably
compensated for such extraordinary services and reimbursed for all costs, attorney’s fees,
including allocated costs of in-house counsel, and expenses occasioned by such default, delay,
controversy or litigation and the Escrow Agent shall have the right to retain all documents and/or
other things of value at any time held by the Escrow Agent in this escrow until such compensation,
fees, costs and expenses are paid. The Company promises to pay these sums upon demand. Unless
otherwise provided, the Company will pay all of the Escrow Agent’s usual charges and the Escrow
Agent may deduct such sums from the interest on the Escrow Account only and not from principal
deposited to the Escrow Account.
11. CONTROVERSIES: If any controversy arises between the Parties to this Agreement,
or with any other Party, concerning the subject matter of this Agreement, its terms or conditions,
the Escrow Agent will not be required to determine the controversy or to take any action regarding
it. The Escrow Agent may hold all documents and funds and may wait for settlement of any such
controversy by final appropriate legal proceedings or other means as, in the Escrow Agent’s
discretion, the Escrow Agent may require, despite what may be set forth elsewhere in this
Agreement. In such event, the Escrow Agent will not be liable for interest or
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damage. Furthermore, the Escrow Agent may at its option file an action of interpleader
requiring the Parties to answer and litigate any claims and rights among themselves. The Escrow
Agent is authorized to deposit with the clerk of the court all documents and funds held in escrow,
except all costs, expenses, charges and reasonable attorney fees incurred by the Escrow Agent due
to the interpleader action and which the Company agrees to pay. Upon initiating such action, the
Escrow Agent shall be fully released and discharged of and from all obligations and liability
imposed by the terms of this Agreement.
12. INDEMNIFICATION OF ESCROW AGENT: The Company and its successors and assigns agree
jointly and severally to indemnify and hold the Escrow Agent harmless against any and all losses,
claims, damages, liabilities, and expenses, including reasonable costs of investigation, counsel
fees, including allocated costs of in-house counsel and disbursements that may be imposed on the
Escrow Agent or incurred by the Escrow Agent in connection with the performance of its duties under
this Agreement, including but not limited to any litigation arising from this Agreement or
involving its subject matter. The Escrow Agent shall have a first lien on the property and papers
held under this Agreement for such compensation and expenses.
13. RESIGNATION OF ESCROW AGENT: The Escrow Agent may resign at any time upon giving
at least (30) days written notice to the Company provided, however, that no such resignation shall
become effective until the appointment of a successor escrow agent which shall be accomplished as
follows: The Company shall use its best efforts to obtain a successor escrow agent within thirty
(30) days after receiving such notice. If the Company fails to agree upon a successor escrow agent
within such time, the Escrow Agent shall have the right to appoint a successor escrow agent
authorized to do business in the state of Minnesota. The successor escrow agent shall execute and
deliver an instrument accepting such appointment and it shall without further acts, be vested with
all the estates, properties, rights, powers, and duties of the predecessor escrow agent as if
originally named as escrow agent. The Escrow Agent shall thereupon be discharged from any further
duties and liability under this Agreement.
14. AUTOMATIC SUCCESSION: Any company into which the Escrow Agent may be merged or
with which it may be consolidated, or any company to whom the Escrow Agent may transfer a
substantial amount of its global escrow business, shall be the Successor to the Agent without the
execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the Parties, anything
herein to the contrary notwithstanding.
15. MISCELLANEOUS:
| a. | GOVERNING LAWS: This Agreement is to be construed and interpreted according to Minnesota law. | ||
| b. | COUNTERPART: This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. The exchange of copies of this Agreement and of signature pages by facsimile transmission shall constitute effective execution and delivery of this Agreement as to the parties and may be used in lieu of the original Agreement for all purposes. Signatures of the parties |
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| transmitted by facsimile shall be deemed to be their original signatures for all purposes. | |||
| c. | NOTICES: All instructions, notices and demands herein provided for shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given (a) on the date of service if served personally on the party to whom notice is to be given; (b) on the day of transmission if sent by facsimile transmission to the facsimile number given below and telephonic confirmation of receipt is promptly obtained after completion of transmission; (c) on the next day on which such deliveries are made in Crookston, Minnesota, when delivery is to Federal Express or similar overnight courier or the Express Mail service maintained by the United States Postal Service; or (d) on the fifth day after mailing if mailed to the party to whom notice is to be given, by first class mail, registered or certified, postage prepaid and properly addressed, return receipt requested, to the party as follows: |
If to the Company:
|
If to the Escrow Agent: |
With a required copy to:
Xxxx X. Xxxxxx, Esq.
Xxxxxxxxxx & Xxxxx, P.A.
000 Xxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx. 0000
Xxxxxxxxxxx, XX 00000-0000
(000) 000-0000
Xxxxxxxxxx & Xxxxx, P.A.
000 Xxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx. 0000
Xxxxxxxxxxx, XX 00000-0000
(000) 000-0000
| d. | AMENDMENTS: This Agreement may be amended or modified and any of the terms, covenants, representations, warranties or conditions hereof may be waived, only by a written instrument executed by the parties hereto, or in the case of a waiver, by the party waiving compliance. Any waiver by any party of any condition or of the breach of any provision, term, covenant, representation or warranty contained in the Agreement, in any one or more instances, shall not be deemed to be nor construed as further or continuing waiver of any such conditions or of the breach of any other provision, term, covenant, representation or warranty of this Agreement. | ||
| e. | ENTIRE AGREEMENT: This Agreement contains the entire understanding among the parties hereto with respect to the escrow contemplated hereby and supersedes and replaces all prior and contemporaneous agreements and understandings, oral or written, with regard to such escrow. | ||
| f. | NON-ENDORSEMENT: The Company represents and agrees that it has not made nor will it in the future make any representation that states or implies that |
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| the Escrow Agent has endorsed, recommended or guaranteed the purchase, value, or repayment of the Securities offered for sale by the Company. The Company further agrees that it will insert in any prospectus, offering circular, advertisement, subscription agreement or other document made available to prospective purchasers of the Securities the following statement in bold face type: “Xxxxxx Bank, N.A. is acting only as an escrow agent in connection with the Offering described herein, and has not endorsed, recommended or guaranteed the purchase, value or repayment of such Securities,” and will furnish to the Escrow Agent a copy of each such prospectus, offering circular, advertisement, subscription agreement or other document at least 5 business days prior to its distribution to prospective Subscribers. |
The undersigned acknowledges that Xxxxxx Bank, N.A. is acting only as an escrow agent in connection
with the offering of the Securities described herein, and has not endorsed, recommended or
guaranteed the purchase, value or repayment of such Securities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have hereunto affixed their signatures as of the day
and year first above written.
| The Company | Escrow Agent | |||||||||||
| AGASSIZ ENERGY, LLC | XXXXXX BANK, N.A. | |||||||||||
By:
|
By: | |||||||||||
| Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxx, President | Its: | |||||||||||
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