Hub International Limited U.S.$10,000,000 5.71% Series A Senior Notes due June 15, 2010 U.S.$55,000,000 6.16% Series B Senior Notes due June 15, 2013
Hub International Limited
U.S.$10,000,000 5.71% Series A Senior Notes
due June 15, 2010
U.S.$55,000,000 6.16% Series B Senior Notes
due June 15, 2013
Note Purchase Agreement
Dated as of June 1, 2003
Table of Contents
(Not a part of the Agreement)
SECTION | HEADING | PAGE | ||||||||
SECTION 1. | Authorization of Notes | 1 | ||||||||
SECTION 2. | Sale and Purchase of Notes | 1 | ||||||||
SECTION 3. | Closing | 2 | ||||||||
SECTION 4. | Conditions to Closing | 2 | ||||||||
Section 4.1. | Representations and Warranties | 2 | ||||||||
Section 4.2. | Performance; No Default | 2 | ||||||||
Section 4.3. | Compliance Certificates | 2 | ||||||||
Section 4.4. | Opinions of Counsel | 2 | ||||||||
Section 4.5. | Purchase Permitted by Applicable Law, Etc | 3 | ||||||||
Section 4.6. | Related Transactions | 3 | ||||||||
Section 4.7. | Payment of Special Counsel Fees | 3 | ||||||||
Section 4.8. | Private Placement Numbers | 3 | ||||||||
Section 4.9. | Changes in Corporate Structure | 3 | ||||||||
Section 4.10. | Funding Instructions | 4 | ||||||||
Section 4.11. | Proceedings and Documents | 4 | ||||||||
SECTION 5. | Representations and Warranties of the Company | 4 | ||||||||
Section 5.1. | Organization; Power and Authority | 4 | ||||||||
Section 5.2. | Authorization, Etc | 4 | ||||||||
Section 5.3. | Disclosure | 4 | ||||||||
Section 5.4. | Organization and Ownership of Shares of Subsidiaries; Affiliates | 5 | ||||||||
Section 5.5. | Financial Statements | 5 | ||||||||
Section 5.6. | Compliance with Laws, Other Instruments, Etc | 6 | ||||||||
Section 5.7. | Governmental Authorizations, Etc | 6 | ||||||||
Section 5.8. | Litigation; Observance of Agreements, Statutes and Orders | 6 | ||||||||
Section 5.9. | Taxes | 6 | ||||||||
Section 5.10. | Title to Property; Leases | 7 | ||||||||
Section 5.11. | Licenses, Permits, Etc | 7 | ||||||||
Section 5.12. | Compliance with ERISA | 7 | ||||||||
Section 5.13. | Private Offering by the Company | 8 | ||||||||
Section 5.14. | Use of Proceeds; Margin Regulations | 9 | ||||||||
Section 5.15. | Existing Debt; Future Liens | 9 | ||||||||
Section 5.16. | Foreign Assets Control Regulations, Etc | 9 | ||||||||
Section 5.17. | Status under Certain Statutes | 9 | ||||||||
Section 5.18. | Environmental Matters | 10 | ||||||||
Section 5.19. | Notes Rank Pari Passu | 10 |
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SECTION | HEADING | PAGE | ||||||||
SECTION 6. | Representations of the Purchasers | 10 | ||||||||
Section 6.1. | Purchase for Investment | 10 | ||||||||
Section 6.2. | Source of Funds | 11 | ||||||||
SECTION 7. | Information as to Company | 12 | ||||||||
Section 7.1. | Financial and Business Information | 12 | ||||||||
Section 7.2. | Officer’s Certificate | 14 | ||||||||
Section 7.3. | Inspection | 15 | ||||||||
SECTION 8. | Prepayment of the Notes | 15 | ||||||||
Section 8.1. | Required Prepayments | 15 | ||||||||
Section 8.2. | Optional Prepayments with Make-Whole Amount | 16 | ||||||||
Section 8.3. | Prepayment in Connection with a Payment under Section 8.8 | 16 | ||||||||
Section 8.4. | Allocation of Partial Prepayments | 17 | ||||||||
Section 8.5. | Maturity; Surrender, Etc | 17 | ||||||||
Section 8.6. | Purchase of Notes | 17 | ||||||||
Section 8.7. | Make-Whole Amount for Notes | 17 | ||||||||
Section 8.8. | Payments Free and Clear of Taxes | 19 | ||||||||
SECTION 9. | Affirmative Covenants | 20 | ||||||||
Section 9.1. | Compliance with Law | 20 | ||||||||
Section 9.2. | Insurance | 21 | ||||||||
Section 9.3. | Maintenance of Properties | 21 | ||||||||
Section 9.4. | Payment of Taxes and Claims | 21 | ||||||||
Section 9.5. | Corporate Existence, Etc | 21 | ||||||||
Section 9.6. | Notes to Rank Pari Passu | 21 | ||||||||
SECTION 10. | Negative Covenants | 22 | ||||||||
Section 10.1. | Consolidated Net Worth | 22 | ||||||||
Section 10.2. | Limitation on Consolidated Debt | 22 | ||||||||
Section 10.3. | Limitation on Subsidiary Debt | 22 | ||||||||
Section 10.4. | Limitation on Priority Debt | 22 | ||||||||
Section 10.5. | Minimum Interest Coverage Ratio | 22 | ||||||||
Section 10.6. | Limitation on Liens | 23 | ||||||||
Section 10.7. | Merger, Consolidation, Etc | 25 | ||||||||
Section 10.8. | Sale of Assets, Etc | 26 | ||||||||
Section 10.9. | Sale-and-Leasebacks | 26 | ||||||||
Section 10.10. | Disposal of Ownership of a Subsidiary | 27 | ||||||||
Section 10.11. | Nature of Business | 27 | ||||||||
Section 10.12. | Transactions with Affiliates | 27 | ||||||||
SECTION 11. | Events of Default | 28 | ||||||||
SECTION 12. | Remedies on Default, etc | 30 | ||||||||
Section 12.1. | Acceleration | 30 | ||||||||
Section 12.2. | Other Remedies | 30 | ||||||||
Section 12.3. | Rescission | 30 |
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SECTION | HEADING | PAGE | ||||||||
Section 12.4. | No Waivers or Election of Remedies, Expenses, Etc | 31 | ||||||||
SECTION 13. | Registration; Exchange; Substitution of Notes | 31 | ||||||||
Section 13.1. | Registration of Notes | 31 | ||||||||
Section 13.2. | Transfer and Exchange of Notes | 31 | ||||||||
Section 13.3. | Replacement of Notes | 32 | ||||||||
SECTION 14. | Payments on Notes | 32 | ||||||||
Section 14.1. | Place of Payment | 32 | ||||||||
Section 14.2. | Home Office Payment | 32 | ||||||||
SECTION 15. | Expenses, Etc | 33 | ||||||||
Section 15.1. | Transaction Expenses | 33 | ||||||||
Section 15.2. | Survival | 33 | ||||||||
SECTION 16. | Survival of Representations and Warranties; Entire Agreement | 33 | ||||||||
SECTION 17. | Amendment and Waiver | 33 | ||||||||
Section 17.1. | Requirements | 33 | ||||||||
Section 17.2. | Solicitation of Holders of Notes | 34 | ||||||||
Section 17.3. | Binding Effect, Etc | 34 | ||||||||
Section 17.4. | Notes Held by Company, Etc | 34 | ||||||||
SECTION 18. | Notices | 35 | ||||||||
SECTION 19. | Reproduction of Documents | 35 | ||||||||
SECTION 20. | Confidential Information | 35 | ||||||||
SECTION 21. | Substitution of Purchaser | 36 | ||||||||
SECTION 22. | Submission to Jurisdiction, Judgments, Etc | 37 | ||||||||
Section 22.1. | Submission to Jurisdiction | 37 | ||||||||
Section 22.2. | Judgments | 37 | ||||||||
Section 22.3. | Interest Act (Canada) | 37 | ||||||||
Section 22.4. | Normal Rates | 38 | ||||||||
SECTION 23. | Miscellaneous | 38 | ||||||||
Section 23.1. | Successors and Assigns | 38 | ||||||||
Section 23.2. | Payments Due on Non-Business Days | 38 | ||||||||
Section 23.3. | Severability | 38 | ||||||||
Section 23.4. | Construction | 38 | ||||||||
Section 23.5. | Counterparts | 39 | ||||||||
Section 23.6. | Currency | 39 | ||||||||
Section 23.7. | Governing Law | 39 | ||||||||
Signature | 41 |
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Attachments to the Note Purchase Agreement:
Schedule A | — | Information Relating to Purchasers | ||
Schedule B | — | Defined Terms | ||
Schedule 4.9 | — | Changes in Corporate Structure | ||
Schedule 5.3 | — | Disclosure Materials | ||
Schedule 5.4 | — | Subsidiaries of the Company and Ownership of Subsidiary Shares | ||
Schedule 5.5 | — | Financial Statements | ||
Schedule 5.8 | — | Certain Litigation | ||
Schedule 5.11 | — | Patents, Etc. | ||
Schedule 5.15 | — | Existing Debt | ||
Exhibit 1(a) | — | Form of 5.71% Series A Senior Note due June 15, 2010 | ||
Exhibit 1(b) | — | Form of 6.16% Series B Senior Note due June 15, 2013 | ||
Exhibit 4.4(a) | — | Form of Opinion of Counsel for the Company | ||
Exhibit 4.4(b) | — | Form of Opinion of General Counsel to the Company | ||
Exhibit 4.4(c) | — | Form of Opinion of Canadian Counsel for the Company | ||
Exhibit 4.4(d) | — | Form of Opinion of Special Counsel for the Purchasers |
Hub International Limited
0 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxx
Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx X0X 000
5.71% Series A Senior Notes due June 15, 2010
6.16% Series B Senior Notes due June 15, 2013
Dated as of
June 1, 2003
To the Purchasers listed in
the attached Schedule A:
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Hub International Limited, a corporation organized under the laws of Ontario, Canada (the “Company”), agrees with the purchasers listed in the attached Schedule A (the “Purchasers”) as follows:
SECTION 1. Authorization of Notes.
The Company will authorize the issue and sale of (a) U.S.$10,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 5.71% Series A Senior Notes due June 15, 2010 (the “Series A Notes”) and (b) U.S. $55,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 6.16% Series B Senior Notes due June 15, 2013 (the “Series B Notes”; said Series B Notes together with the Series A Notes being hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Notes,” such term to include any such notes issued in substitution therefor pursuant to Section 13 of this Agreement). The Series A Notes and Series B Notes shall be substantially in the form set out in Exhibit 1(a) and Exhibit 1(b), respectively, with such changes therefrom, if any, as may be approved by the Purchasers and the Company. Certain capitalized terms used in this Agreement are defined in Schedule B; references to a “Schedule” or an “Exhibit” are, unless otherwise specified, to a Schedule or an Exhibit attached to this Agreement.
SECTION 2. Sale and Purchase of Notes.
Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Company will issue and sell to each Purchaser and each Purchaser will purchase from the Company, at the Closing provided for in Section 3, Notes of the series and in the principal amount specified opposite such Purchaser’s name in Schedule A at the purchase price of 100% of the principal amount thereof. Each Purchaser’s obligations hereunder are several and not joint, and no Purchaser shall have any obligation or liability to any Person for the performance or nonperformance by any other Purchaser hereunder.
SECTION 3. Closing.
The sale and purchase of the Notes to be purchased by each Purchaser shall occur at the offices of Xxxxxx Xxxxxx & Xxxxx, 0000 Xxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000, at 10:00 a.m., Chicago time, at a closing (the “Closing”) on June 10, 2003 or on such other Business Day thereafter on or prior to June 30, 2003 as may be agreed upon by the Company and the Purchasers. At the Closing, the Company will deliver to each Purchaser the Notes of each series to be purchased by such Purchaser in the form of a single Note of such series (or such greater number of Notes of such series in denominations of at least U.S.$100,000 as such Purchaser may request) dated the date of the Closing and registered in such Purchaser’s name (or in the name of such Purchaser’s nominee), against delivery by such Purchaser to the Company or its order of immediately available funds in the amount of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of immediately available funds. If at the Closing the Company shall fail to tender such Notes to any Purchaser as provided above in this Section 3, or any of the conditions specified in Section 4 shall not have been fulfilled to any Purchaser’s satisfaction, such Purchaser shall, at its election, be relieved of all further obligations under this Agreement, without thereby waiving any rights such Purchaser may have by reason of such failure or such nonfulfillment.
SECTION 4. Conditions to Closing.
The obligation of each Purchaser to purchase and pay for the Notes to be sold to such Purchaser at the Closing is subject to the fulfillment to such Purchaser’s satisfaction, prior to or at the Closing, of the following conditions:
Section 4.1. Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement shall be correct when made and at the time of the Closing.
Section 4.2. Performance; No Default. The Company shall have performed and complied with all agreements and conditions contained in this Agreement required to be performed or complied with by it prior to or at the Closing, and after giving effect to the issue and sale of the Notes (and the application of the proceeds thereof as contemplated by Section 5.14), no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary shall have entered into any transaction since the date of the Memorandum that would have been prohibited by Section 10 hereof had such Section applied since such date.
Section 4.3. Compliance Certificates.
(a) Officer’s Certificate. The Company shall have delivered to such Purchaser an Officer’s Certificate, dated the date of the Closing, certifying that the conditions specified in Sections 4.1, 4.2 and 4.9 have been fulfilled.
(b) Secretary’s Certificate. The Company shall have delivered to such Purchaser a certificate certifying as to the resolutions attached thereto and other corporate proceedings relating to the authorization, execution and delivery of the Notes and this Agreement.
Section 4.4. Opinions of Counsel. Such Purchaser shall have received opinions in form and substance satisfactory to such Purchaser, dated the date of the Closing (a) from Shearman &
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Xxxxxxxx, counsel for the Company, covering the matters set forth in Exhibit 4.4(a) and covering such other matters incident to the transactions contemplated hereby as such Purchaser or special counsel to the Purchasers may reasonably request (and the Company hereby instructs such counsel to deliver such opinion to such Purchaser), (b) from X. Xxxx Xxxxx, Esq., General Counsel to the Company, covering the matters set forth in Exhibit 4.4(b) and covering such other matters incident to the transactions contemplated hereby as such Purchaser or special counsel to the Purchasers may reasonably request, (c) from Torys LLP, Canadian counsel for the Company, covering the matters set forth in Exhibit 4.4(c) and covering such other matters incident to the transactions contemplated hereby as such Purchaser or special counsel to the Purchasers may reasonably request (and the Company hereby instructs such counsel to deliver such opinion to such Purchaser) and (d) from Xxxxxx Xxxxxx & Xxxxx, the Purchasers’ special counsel in connection with such transactions, substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit 4.4(d) and covering such other matters incident to such transactions as such Purchaser may reasonably request.
Section 4.5. Purchase Permitted by Applicable Law, Etc. On the date of the Closing, each purchase of Notes shall (a) be permitted by the laws and regulations of each jurisdiction to which such Purchaser is subject, without recourse to provisions (such as Section 1405(a)(8) of the New York Insurance Law) permitting limited investments by insurance companies without restriction as to the character of the particular investment, (b) not violate any applicable law or regulation (including, without limitation, Regulation T, U or X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System) and (c) not subject any Purchaser to any tax, penalty or liability under or pursuant to any applicable law or regulation. If requested by any Purchaser, such Purchaser shall have received an Officer’s Certificate certifying as to such matters of fact as such Purchaser may reasonably specify to enable such Purchaser to determine whether such purchase is so permitted.
Section 4.6. Related Transactions. The Company shall have consummated the sale of the entire principal amount of the Notes scheduled to be sold on the date of the Closing pursuant to this Agreement.
Section 4.7. Payment of Special Counsel Fees. Without limiting the provisions of Section 15.1, the Company shall have paid on or before the Closing the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of the Purchasers’ special counsel referred to in Section 4.4(d) to the extent reflected in a statement of such counsel rendered to the Company at least three Business Days prior to the Closing.
Section 4.8. Private Placement Numbers. A Private Placement Number issued by Standard & Poor’s CUSIP Service Bureau (in cooperation with the Securities Valuation Office of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners) shall have been obtained for each series of Notes.
Section 4.9. Changes in Corporate Structure. Except as specified in Schedule 4.9, the Company shall not have changed its jurisdiction of incorporation or been a party to any merger or consolidation and shall not have succeeded to all or any substantial part of the liabilities of any other entity, at any time following the date of the most recent financial statements referred to in Schedule 5.5.
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Section 4.10. Funding Instructions. At least three Business Days prior to the date of the Closing, such Purchaser shall have received written instructions executed by an authorized financial officer of the Company directing the manner of the payment of funds and setting forth (a) the name of the transferee bank, (b) such transferee bank’s ABA number, (c) the account name and number into which the purchase price for the Notes is to be deposited and (d) the name and telephone number of the account representative responsible for verifying receipt of such funds.
Section 4.11. Proceedings and Documents. All corporate and other proceedings in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and all documents and instruments incident to such transactions shall be satisfactory to such Purchaser and special counsel to the Purchasers, and such Purchaser and special counsel to the Purchasers shall have received all such counterpart originals or certified or other copies of such documents as such Purchaser or special counsel to the Purchasers may reasonably request.
SECTION 5. Representations and Warranties of the Company.
The Company represents and warrants to each Purchaser that:
Section 5.1. Organization; Power and Authority. The Company is a corporation duly incorporated and validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation, and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required by law, other than those jurisdictions as to which the failure to be so qualified or in good standing could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company has the corporate power and authority to own or hold under lease the properties it purports to own or hold under lease, to transact the business it transacts and proposes to transact, to execute and deliver this Agreement and the Notes and to perform the provisions hereof and thereof.
Section 5.2. Authorization, Etc. This Agreement and the Notes have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company, and this Agreement constitutes, and upon execution and delivery thereof each Note will constitute, a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by (a) applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and (b) general principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).
Section 5.3. Disclosure. The Company, through its agent, BMO Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Corp., has delivered to each Purchaser a copy of a Private Placement Memorandum, dated April 2003 and various enclosures related thereto (collectively, the “Memorandum”), relating to the transactions contemplated hereby. The Memorandum fairly describes, in all material respects, the general nature of the business and principal properties of the Company and its Subsidiaries. Except as disclosed in Schedule 5.3, this Agreement, the Memorandum, the documents, certificates or other writings delivered to the Purchasers by or on behalf of the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby and the financial statements listed in Schedule 5.5, taken as a whole, do not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to
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state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein not misleading in light of the circumstances under which they were made. Except as disclosed in the Memorandum or as expressly described in Schedule 5.3, or in one of the documents, certificates or other writings identified therein, or in the financial statements listed in Schedule 5.5, since December 31, 2002, there has been no change in the financial condition, operations, business, properties or prospects of the Company or any Subsidiary except changes that, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. There is no fact known to the Company that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect that has not been set forth herein or in the Memorandum or in the other documents, certificates and other writings delivered to each Purchaser by or on behalf of the Company specifically for use in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby.
Section 5.4. Organization and Ownership of Shares of Subsidiaries; Affiliates. (a) Schedule 5.4 contains (except as noted therein) complete and correct lists (1) of the Company’s Subsidiaries, showing, as to each Subsidiary, the correct name thereof, the jurisdiction of its organization, the percentage of shares of each class of its share capital or similar equity interests outstanding owned by the Company and each other Subsidiary and, as of the date of the Closing, whether such Subsidiary is a Material Subsidiary, (2) of the Company’s Affiliates, other than Subsidiaries, and (3) of the Company’s directors and senior officers.
(b) All of the outstanding share capital or similar equity interests of each Subsidiary shown in Schedule 5.4 as being owned by the Company and its Subsidiaries have been validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable and are owned by the Company or another Subsidiary free and clear of any Lien (except as otherwise disclosed in Schedule 5.4).
(c) Each Subsidiary identified in Schedule 5.4 is a corporation or other legal entity duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization, and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation or other legal entity and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required by law, other than those jurisdictions as to which the failure to be so qualified or in good standing could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Each such Subsidiary has the corporate or other power and authority to own or hold under lease the properties it purports to own or hold under lease and to transact the business it transacts and proposes to transact.
(d) No Subsidiary is a party to, or otherwise subject to any legal restriction or any agreement (other than this Agreement, the agreements listed on Schedule 5.4 and customary limitations imposed by corporate law and insurance regulatory statutes or other statutes governing the organization of legal entities) restricting the ability of such Subsidiary to pay dividends out of profits or make any other similar distributions of profits to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that owns any outstanding share capital or similar equity interests of such Subsidiary.
Section 5.5. Financial Statements. The Company has delivered to each Purchaser copies of the financial statements of the Company and its Subsidiaries listed on Schedule 5.5. All of said financial statements (including in each case the related schedules and notes) fairly present, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company and its
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Subsidiaries as of the respective dates specified in such Schedule and the consolidated results of their operations and cash flows for the respective periods so specified and have been prepared in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the periods involved except as set forth in the notes thereto (subject, in the case of any interim financial statements, to normal year-end adjustments).
Section 5.6. Compliance with Laws, Other Instruments, Etc. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the Notes will not (a) contravene, result in any breach of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation of any Lien in respect of any property of the Company or any Subsidiary under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan, purchase or credit agreement, lease, corporate charter or by-laws, or any other Material agreement or instrument to which the Company or any Subsidiary is bound or by which the Company or any Subsidiary or any of their respective properties may be bound or affected, (b) conflict with or result in a breach of any of the terms, conditions or provisions of any order, judgment, decree or ruling of any court, arbitrator or Governmental Authority applicable to the Company or any Subsidiary or (c) violate any provision of any statute or other rule or regulation of any Governmental Authority applicable to the Company or any Subsidiary.
Section 5.7. Governmental Authorizations, Etc. No consent, approval or authorization of, or registration, filing or declaration with, any Governmental Authority is required in connection with the execution, delivery or performance by the Company of this Agreement or the Notes, other than those consents, approvals or authorizations obtained and those registrations, filings or declarations made on or before the date of the Closing.
Section 5.8. Litigation; Observance of Agreements, Statutes and Orders. (a) Except as disclosed in Schedule 5.8, there are no actions, suits or proceedings pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against or affecting the Company or any Subsidiary or any property of the Company or any Subsidiary in any court or before any arbitrator of any kind or before or by any Governmental Authority that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(b) Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in default under any term of any agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it is bound, or any order, judgment, decree or ruling of any court, arbitrator or Governmental Authority or is in violation of any applicable law, ordinance, rule or regulation (including, without limitation, Environmental Laws) of any Governmental Authority, which default or violation, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 5.9. Taxes. The Company and its Subsidiaries have filed all income tax returns that are required to have been filed in any jurisdiction, and have paid all taxes shown to be due and payable on such returns and all other taxes and assessments levied upon them or their properties, assets, income or franchises, to the extent such taxes and assessments have become due and payable and before they have become delinquent, except for any taxes and assessments (a) the amount of which is not, individually or in the aggregate, Material or (b) the amount, applicability or validity of which is currently being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and with respect to which the Company or a Subsidiary, as the case may be, has established adequate reserves in accordance with GAAP. The Company knows of no basis for
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any other tax or assessment that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The charges, accruals and reserves on the books of the Company and its Subsidiaries in respect of United States and Canadian federal, state, provincial or other taxes for all fiscal periods are adequate. The Canadian federal and provincial income tax liabilities of the Company and its Subsidiaries have been determined by the Canadian Customs and Revenue Agency and corresponding provincial taxing authorities by the issuance of notices of assessment for all fiscal years up to and including the fiscal year ended December 31, 2001, and the Company and its Subsidiaries have paid any taxes indicated to be owing on such notices of assessment. The United States federal income tax liabilities of the Company and its Subsidiaries have been determined by the Internal Revenue Service and paid for all fiscal years up to and including the fiscal year ended 2001.
Section 5.10. Title to Property; Leases. The Company and its Subsidiaries have good and sufficient title to their respective properties that, individually or in the aggregate, are Material, including all such properties reflected in the most recent audited balance sheet referred to in Section 5.5 or purported to have been acquired by the Company or any Subsidiary after said date (except as sold or otherwise disposed of in the ordinary course of business), in each case free and clear of Liens prohibited by this Agreement. All leases that, individually or in the aggregate, are Material are valid and subsisting and are in full force and effect in all material respects.
Section 5.11. Licenses, Permits, Etc. Except as disclosed in Schedule 5.11,
(a) the Company and its Subsidiaries own, possess or are licensed to use all licenses, permits, franchises, authorizations, patents, copyrights, service marks, trademarks, trade names and domain names, or rights thereto, that, individually or in the aggregate, are Material, without known conflict with the rights of others; |
(b) to the best knowledge of the Company, no product of the Company infringes in any material respect any license, permit, franchise, authorization, patent, copyright, service mark, trademark, trade name, domain name or other right owned by any other Person; and |
(c) to the best knowledge of the Company, there is no Material violation by any Person of any right of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to any patent, copyright, service mark, trademark, trade name, domain name or other right owned or used by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. |
Section 5.12. Compliance with ERISA. (a) All Canadian pension plans of the Company and its Subsidiaries have been established, operated, administered and maintained in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and orders applicable thereto except where the failure to comply could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. All premiums, contributions and any other amounts required by applicable Canadian pension plan documents or applicable laws have been paid or accrued as required, except where the failure to pay such premiums, contributions and amounts could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
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(b) The Company and each ERISA Affiliate have operated and administered each employee benefit plan (as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA) in compliance with all applicable laws except for such instances of noncompliance as have not resulted in and could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any ERISA Affiliate has incurred any liability pursuant to Title I or IV of ERISA or the penalty or excise tax provisions of the Code relating to employee benefit plans (as defined in Section 3 of ERISA), and no event, transaction or condition has occurred or exists that could reasonably be expected to result in the incurrence of any such liability by the Company or any ERISA Affiliate, or in the imposition of any Lien on any of the rights, properties or assets of the Company or any ERISA Affiliate, in either case pursuant to Title I or IV of ERISA or to such penalty or excise tax provisions or to Section 401(a)(29) or 412 of the Code, other than such liabilities or Liens as could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(c) The present value of the aggregate benefit liabilities under each of the Plans (other than Multiemployer Plans), determined as of the end of such Plan’s most recently ended plan year on the basis of the actuarial assumptions specified for funding purposes in such Plan’s most recent actuarial valuation report, did not exceed the aggregate current value of the assets of such Plan allocable to such benefit liabilities by more than $1,000,000 in the aggregate for all Plans. The term “benefit liabilities” has the meaning specified in Section 4001 of ERISA and the terms “current value” and “present value” have the meanings specified in Section 3 of ERISA.
(d) The Company and its ERISA Affiliates have not incurred withdrawal liabilities (and are not subject to contingent withdrawal liabilities) under Section 4201 or 4204 of ERISA in respect of Multiemployer Plans that could, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(e) The expected post-retirement benefit obligation (determined as of the last day of the Company’s most recently ended fiscal year in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 106, without regard to liabilities attributable to continuation coverage mandated by Section 4980B of the Code) of the Company and its Subsidiaries is not Material.
(f) The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the issuance and sale of the Notes hereunder will not involve any transaction that is subject to the prohibitions of Section 406(a) of ERISA or in connection with which a tax could be imposed pursuant to Section 4975(c)(1)(A)-(D) of the Code for which an exemption is not available. The representation by the Company in the first sentence of this Section 5.12(f) is made in reliance upon and subject to the accuracy of each Purchaser’s representation in Section 6.2 as to the sources of the funds used to pay the purchase price of the Notes to be purchased by such Purchaser, and is made only as of the date each Purchaser’s representation in Section 6.2 is made.
Section 5.13. Private Offering by the Company. Neither the Company nor anyone acting on its behalf has offered the Notes or any similar securities for sale to, or solicited any offer to buy any of the same from, or otherwise approached or negotiated in respect thereof with, any Person other than the Purchasers and not more than 45 other Institutional Investors of the types described in clause (c) of the definition thereof, each of which has been offered the Notes
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at a private sale for investment. Neither the Company nor anyone acting on its behalf has taken, or will take, any action that would subject the issuance or sale of the Notes to the registration requirements of Section 5 of the Securities Act or the prospectus and registration requirements of securities legislation of any of the provinces or territories of Canada.
Section 5.14. Use of Proceeds; Margin Regulations. The Company will apply the proceeds of the sale of the Notes to repay existing indebtedness of the Company and its Subsidiaries and for general corporate purposes. No part of the proceeds from the sale of the Notes hereunder will be used, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of buying or carrying any margin stock within the meaning of Regulation U of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (12 CFR 221), or for the purpose of buying or carrying or trading in any securities under such circumstances as to involve the Company in a violation of Regulation X of said Board (12 CFR 224) or to involve any broker or dealer in a violation of Regulation T of said Board (12 CFR 220). Margin stock does not constitute more than 25% of the value of the consolidated assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries and the Company does not have any present intention that margin stock will constitute more than 25% of the value of such assets. As used in this Section, the terms “margin stock” and “purpose of buying or carrying” shall have the meanings assigned to them in said Regulation U.
Section 5.15. Existing Debt; Future Liens. (a) Except as described therein, Schedule 5.15 sets forth a complete and correct list of all outstanding Debt of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of March 31, 2003 since which date there has been no Material change in the amounts, interest rates, sinking funds, installment payments or maturities of the Debt of the Company or its Subsidiaries. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in default and no waiver of default is currently in effect, in the payment of any principal or interest on any Debt of the Company or such Subsidiary and no event or condition exists with respect to any Debt of the Company or any Subsidiary that would permit (or that with notice or the lapse of time, or both, would permit) one or more Persons to cause such Debt to become due and payable before its stated maturity or before its regularly scheduled dates of payment.
(b) Except as disclosed in Schedule 5.15, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has agreed or consented to cause or permit in the future (upon the happening of a contingency or otherwise) any of its property, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, to be subject to a Lien not permitted by Section 10.6.
Section 5.16. Foreign Assets Control Regulations, Etc. Neither the sale of the Notes by the Company hereunder nor its use of the proceeds thereof will violate the Anti-Terrorism Order, the Patriot Act or the Trading with the Enemy Act, as amended, or any of the foreign assets control regulations of the United States Treasury Department (31 CFR, Subtitle B, Chapter V, as amended) or any enabling legislation or executive order relating thereto.
Section 5.17. Status under Certain Statutes. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is required to be registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, as amended, the ICC Termination Act of 1995, as amended, or the Federal Power Act, as amended.
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Section 5.18. Environmental Matters. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has knowledge of any claim or has received any notice of any claim, and no proceeding has been instituted raising any claim against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective real properties now or formerly owned, leased or operated by any of them or other assets, alleging any damage to the environment or violation of any Environmental Laws, except, in each case, such as could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Except as otherwise disclosed to each Purchaser in writing:
(a) neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has knowledge of any facts which would give rise to any claim, public or private, of violation of Environmental Laws or damage to the environment emanating from, occurring on or in any way related to real properties now or formerly owned, leased or operated by any of them or to other assets or their use, except, in each case, such as could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; |
(b) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has stored any Hazardous Materials on real properties now or formerly owned, leased or operated by any of them or has disposed of any Hazardous Materials in a manner contrary to any Environmental Laws in each case in any manner that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; and |
(c) all buildings on all real properties now owned, leased or operated by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries are in compliance with applicable Environmental Laws, except where failure to comply could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. |
Section 5.19. Notes Rank Pari Passu. The obligations of the Company under this Agreement and the Notes rank at least pari passu in right of payment with all other Senior Debt (actual or contingent) of the Company, including, without limitation, all Senior Debt of the Company described in Schedule 5.15.
SECTION 6. Representations of the Purchasers.
Section 6.1. Purchase for Investment.
(a) Each Purchaser represents that it is an Institutional Accredited Investor. Each Purchaser further represents that it is purchasing the Notes for its own account or for one or more separate accounts maintained by such Purchaser or for the account of one or more pension or trust funds and not with a view to the distribution thereof, provided that the disposition of such Purchaser’s or such pension or trust funds’ property shall at all times be within such Purchaser’s or such pension or trust funds’ control. Each Purchaser understands that the Notes have not been registered under the Securities Act or securities laws of any other applicable jurisdiction and may be resold only if registered pursuant to the provisions of the Securities Act or if an exemption from registration is available, except under circumstances where neither such registration nor such an exemption is required by law, and that the Company is not required to register the Notes. |
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(b) Each Purchaser acknowledges that the Notes are not qualified for distribution to the public in Canada and further represents and agrees that (1) such Purchaser is not a Canadian resident nor acting for the account or benefit of a Canadian resident, (2) the Notes were not offered to such Purchaser in Canada, (3) at the time of agreeing to purchase the Notes such Purchaser was and is outside of Canada and (4) for a period ending four months and one day after the date of the issuance of the Notes, such Purchaser will not resell its Notes to any Canadian resident or in Canada unless permitted under applicable securities laws of the provinces and territories of Canada, and thereafter any resale by such Purchaser to a Canadian resident or in Canada will be in accordance with applicable securities laws of the provinces and territories of Canada. |
Section 6.2. Source of Funds. Each Purchaser represents that at least one of the following statements is an accurate representation as to each source of funds (a “Source”) to be used by it to pay the purchase price of the Notes to be purchased by it hereunder:
(a) the Source is an “insurance company general account” within the meaning of Department of Labor Prohibited Transaction Exemption (“PTE”) 95-60 (issued July 12, 1995) and there is no employee benefit plan, treating as a single plan, all plans maintained by the same employer or employee organization, with respect to which the amount of the general account reserves and liabilities for all contracts held by or on behalf of such plan, exceeds 10% of the total reserves and liabilities of such general account (exclusive of separate account liabilities) plus surplus, as set forth in the National Association of Insurance Commissioner’s Annual Statement for such Purchaser filed with such Purchaser’s state of domicile; or |
(b) the Source is either (1) an insurance company pooled separate account, within the meaning of PTE 90-1 (issued January 29, 1990), or (2) a bank collective investment fund, within the meaning of PTE 91-38 (issued July 12, 1991) and, except as such Purchaser has disclosed to the Company in writing pursuant to this paragraph (b) prior to the date of the Closing, no employee benefit plan or group of plans maintained by the same employer or employee organization beneficially owns more than 10% of all assets allocated to such pooled separate account or collective investment fund; or |
(c) the Source constitutes assets of an “investment fund” (within the meaning of Part V of the QPAM Exemption) managed by a “qualified professional asset manager” or “QPAM” (within the meaning of Part V of the QPAM Exemption), no employee benefit plan’s assets that are included in such investment fund, when combined with the assets of all other employee benefit plans established or maintained by the same employer or by an affiliate (within the meaning of Section V(c)(1) of the QPAM Exemption) of such employer or by the same employee organization and managed by such QPAM, exceed 20% of the total client assets managed by such QPAM, the conditions of Part I(c) and (g) of the QPAM Exemption are satisfied, neither the QPAM nor a Person controlling or controlled by the QPAM (applying the definition of “control” in Section V(e) of the QPAM Exemption) owns a 5% or more interest in the Company and (1) the identity of such QPAM and (2) the names of all employee benefit plans whose assets are included in such investment fund have been disclosed to the Company in writing pursuant to this paragraph (c); or |
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(d) the Source is a governmental plan; or |
(e) the Source is one or more employee benefit plans, or a separate account or trust fund comprised of one or more employee benefit plans, each of which has been identified to the Company in writing pursuant to this paragraph (e) prior to the date of the Closing; or |
(f) the Source does not include assets of any employee benefit plan, other than a plan exempt from the coverage of ERISA. |
As used in this Section 6.2, the terms “employee benefit plan,” “governmental plan,” “party in interest” and “separate account” shall have the respective meanings assigned to such terms in Section 3 of ERISA.
SECTION 7. Information as to Company.
Section 7.1. Financial and Business Information. The Company shall deliver to each holder of Notes that is an Institutional Investor:
(a) Quarterly Statements — within 60 days after the end of each quarterly fiscal period in each fiscal year of the Company (other than the last quarterly fiscal period of each such fiscal year), duplicate copies of: |
(1) a consolidated balance sheet of the Company and its Subsidiaries as at the end of such quarter, and |
(2) consolidated statements of earnings, retained earnings and cash flows of the Company and its Subsidiaries for such quarter and (in the case of the second and third quarters) for the portion of the fiscal year ending with such quarter, |
setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the corresponding periods in the previous fiscal year, all in reasonable detail, prepared in accordance with GAAP applicable to quarterly financial statements generally, and certified by a Senior Financial Officer as fairly presenting, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the companies being reported on and their results of operations and cash flows, subject to changes resulting from year-end adjustments, provided that delivery within the time period specified above of copies of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q prepared in compliance with the requirements therefor and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission shall be deemed to satisfy the requirements of this Section 7.1(a); |
(b) Annual Statements — within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year of the Company, duplicate copies of, |
(1) a consolidated balance sheet of the Company and its Subsidiaries, as at the end of such year, and |
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(2) consolidated statements of earnings, retained earnings and cash flows of the Company and its Subsidiaries, for such year, |
setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the previous fiscal year, all in reasonable detail, prepared in accordance with GAAP, and accompanied by an opinion thereon of independent chartered accountants of recognized international standing, which opinion shall state that such financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the companies being reported upon and their results of operations and cash flows and have been prepared in conformity with GAAP, and that the examination of such accountants in connection with such financial statements has been made in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards in Canada and the United States, and that such audit provides a reasonable basis for such opinion in the circumstances, provided that delivery within the time period specified above of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for such fiscal year (together with the Company’s annual report to shareholders, if any, prepared pursuant to Rule 14a-3 of the Exchange Act) prepared in compliance with requirements therefor and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission shall be deemed to satisfy the requirements of this Section 7.1(b); |
(c) OSC, SEC and Other Reports — promptly upon their becoming available, one copy of (1) each financial statement, report, notice or proxy statement sent by the Company or any Subsidiary to public securities holders generally, and (2) each regular or periodic report, each registration statement that has become effective (without exhibits except as expressly requested by such holder), and each final prospectus and all amendments thereto filed by the Company or any Subsidiary with the Ontario Securities Commission or provincial securities regulatory authorities or the Securities and Exchange Commission and of all press releases and other statements made available generally by the Company or any Subsidiary to the public concerning developments that are Material; |
(d) Notice of Default or Event of Default — promptly, and in any event within five Business Days after a Responsible Officer becoming aware of the existence of any Default or Event of Default or that any Person has given any notice or taken any action with respect to a claimed default hereunder or that any Person has given any notice or taken any action with respect to a claimed default of the type referred to in Section 11(f), a written notice specifying the nature and period of existence thereof and what action the Company is taking or proposes to take with respect thereto; |
(e) ERISA Matters — promptly, and in any event within ten days after a Responsible Officer becoming aware of any of the following, a written notice setting forth the nature thereof and the action, if any, that the Company or an ERISA Affiliate proposes to take with respect thereto: |
(1) with respect to any Plan, any reportable event, as defined in Section 4043(c) of ERISA, for which notice thereof has not been waived pursuant to the applicable regulations if such reportable event could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, it being agreed that an event required to be reported pursuant to Department of Labor Regulation Section 4043.25, |
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4043.26 or 4043.33 shall, in any event, be subject to the notice requirement of this Section 7.1(e)(1); or |
(2) the taking by the PBGC of steps to institute, or the threatening by the PBGC of the institution of, proceedings under Section 4042 of ERISA for the termination of, or the appointment of a trustee to administer, any Plan, or the receipt by the Company or any ERISA Affiliate of a notice from a Multiemployer Plan that such action has been taken by the PBGC with respect to such Multiemployer Plan; or |
(3) any event, transaction or condition that could result in the incurrence of any liability by the Company or any ERISA Affiliate pursuant to Title I or IV of ERISA or the penalty or excise tax provisions of the Code relating to employee benefit plans, or in the imposition of any Lien on any of the rights, properties or assets of the Company or any ERISA Affiliate pursuant to Title I or IV of ERISA or such penalty or excise tax provisions, if such liability or Lien, taken together with any other such liabilities or Liens then existing, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; |
(f) Notices from Governmental Authority — promptly, and in any event within 30 days of receipt thereof, copies of any notice to the Company or any Subsidiary from any Federal, state or provincial Governmental Authority relating to any order, ruling, statute or other law or regulation that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; |
(g) Requested Information — with reasonable promptness, such other data and information relating to the business, operations, affairs, financial condition, assets or properties of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or relating to the ability of the Company to perform its obligations hereunder and under the Notes as from time to time may be reasonably requested by any such holder of Notes. |
Section 7.2. Officer’s Certificate. Each set of financial statements delivered to a holder of Notes pursuant to Section 7.1(a) or Section 7.1(b) hereof shall be accompanied by a certificate of a Senior Financial Officer setting forth:
(a) Covenant Compliance — the information (including detailed calculations) required in order to establish whether the Company was in compliance with the requirements of Section 10.1 through Section 10.10 hereof, inclusive, during the quarterly or annual period covered by the statements then being furnished (including with respect to each such Section, where applicable, the calculations of the maximum or minimum amount, ratio or percentage, as the case may be, permissible under the terms of such Section and the calculation of the amount, ratio or percentage then in existence); and |
(b) Event of Default — a statement that such officer has reviewed the relevant terms hereof and has made, or caused to be made, under his or her supervision, a review of the transactions and conditions of the Company and its Subsidiaries from the beginning of the quarterly or annual period covered by the statements then being |
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furnished to the date of the certificate and that such review shall not have disclosed the existence during such period of any condition or event that constitutes a Default or an Event of Default or, if any such condition or event existed or exists (including, without limitation, any such event or condition resulting from the failure of the Company or any Subsidiary to comply with any Environmental Law), specifying the nature and period of existence thereof and what action the Company shall have taken or proposes to take with respect thereto. |
Section 7.3. Inspection. The Company shall permit the representatives of each holder of Notes that is an Institutional Investor:
(a) No Default — if no Default or Event of Default then exists, at the expense of such holder and upon reasonable prior notice to the Company, to visit the principal executive office of the Company, to discuss the affairs, finances and accounts of the Company and its Subsidiaries with the Company’s officers and (with the consent of the Company, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld) its independent chartered accountants, and (with the consent of the Company, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld) to visit the other offices and properties of the Company and each Subsidiary, all at such reasonable times during business hours and as often as may be reasonably requested in writing; and |
(b) Default — if a Default or Event of Default then exists, at the expense of the Company to visit and inspect any of the offices or properties of the Company or any Subsidiary, to examine all their respective books of account, records, reports and other papers, to make copies and extracts therefrom, and to discuss their respective affairs, finances and accounts with their respective officers and independent chartered accountants (and by this provision the Company authorizes said accountants to discuss the affairs, finances and accounts of the Company and its Subsidiaries), all at such times and as often as may be requested. |
SECTION 8. Prepayment of the Notes.
Section 8.1. Required Prepayments.
(a) On June 15, 2008 and June 15, 2009, the Company will pay U.S.$3,333,333 in principal amount (or such lesser principal amount as shall then be outstanding) of the Series A Notes at par and without payment of the Make-Whole Amount or any premium, together with interest accrued thereon. The entire principal amount of the Series A Notes shall become due and payable on June 15, 2010.
(b) On June 15, 2009 and on each June 15 thereafter to and including June 15, 2012, the Company will prepay $11,000,000 in principal amount (or such lesser principal amount as shall then be outstanding) of the Series B Notes at par and without payment of the Make-Whole Amount or any premium, together with interest accrued thereon. The entire principal amount of the Series B Notes shall become due and payable on June 15, 2013.
In the case of each required prepayment of the Notes pursuant to paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section 8.1, the principal amount of the Notes to be prepaid shall be allocated among all of
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the Notes of the series of Notes to be prepaid at the time outstanding in proportion, as nearly as practical, to the respective unpaid principal amounts thereof.
Any partial prepayment of the Notes pursuant to Section 8.2 or purchase of the Notes permitted by Section 8.6 shall be applied in accordance with Section 8.4 to reduce the principal amount of each required prepayment of the Notes of each series becoming due under Section 8.1 on and after the date of such prepayment or purchase in the same proportion as the aggregate unpaid principal amount of the Notes of such series is reduced as a result of such prepayment or purchase.
Section 8.2. Optional Prepayments with Make-Whole Amount. The Company may, at its option, upon notice as provided below, prepay at any time all, or from time to time any part of, the Notes in an amount not less than U.S.$1,000,000 of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding in the case of a partial prepayment, at 100% of the principal amount so prepaid, plus the Make-Whole Amount, if any, determined for the prepayment date with respect to such principal amount. The Company will give each holder of Notes written notice of each optional prepayment under this Section 8.2 not less than 30 days and not more than 60 days prior to the date fixed for such prepayment. Each such notice shall specify such date, the aggregate principal amount of the Notes to be prepaid on such date, the principal amount of each Note held by such holder to be prepaid (determined in accordance with Section 8.4), and the interest to be paid on the prepayment date with respect to such principal amount being prepaid, and shall be accompanied by a certificate of a Senior Financial Officer as to the estimated Make-Whole Amount due in connection with such prepayment (calculated as if the date of such notice were the date of the prepayment), setting forth the details of such computation. Two Business Days prior to such prepayment, the Company shall deliver to each holder of Notes a certificate of a Senior Financial Officer specifying the calculation of such Make-Whole Amount as of the specified prepayment date.
Section 8.3. Prepayment in Connection with a Payment under Section 8.8.
(a) Subject to paragraph (b) below, if, as a result of an occurrence of any Tax Event, the Company shall have determined, in the good faith opinion of a Responsible Officer of the Company, that the Company shall be required to pay additional sums pursuant to Section 8.8 (“Special Additional Sums”) of two percent (2%) or more of the interest otherwise payable to any holder of the Notes (the “Affected Holders”) on the next interest payment date, then the Company shall have the right, at its option, at any time within 180 days beginning 90 days prior to the first such required payment pursuant to Section 8.8, but only upon delivery to all of the Affected Holders of an opinion of tax counsel of recognized standing (not an employee of the Company) that the Company will be or has been required by law or the interpretation or administration thereof to pay such Special Additional Sums within such 180 day period, to prepay all (but not less than all) of the Notes held by all Affected Holders, upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ prior written notice of the date and the amount of such prepayment to such holders, at the principal amount thereof, together with accrued interest thereon to the date fixed for prepayment plus the Make-Whole Amount, if any, determined for the prepayment date with respect to such principal amount, provided, however, that this paragraph shall not relieve the Company to any extent of any obligation under Section 8.8 with respect to payments under this Agreement or the Notes.
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(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 8.3, no Note shall be prepaid pursuant to this Section 8.3, if the holder thereof shall, by written notice of such holder delivered to the Company not less than five Business Days prior to the date fixed for prepayment, irrevocably waive compliance by the Company with its obligations under Section 8.8 in respect of all Notes held by such holder to pay such Special Additional Sums. Any such waiver by a holder shall be only in respect of the payment of the Special Additional Sums that gave rise to the right of the Company to prepay under this Section 8.3 and not in respect of any subsequent requirement to pay such holder Special Additional Sums.
Section 8.4. Allocation of Partial Prepayments. In the case of each partial prepayment of the Notes pursuant to Section 8.2, the principal amount of the Notes to be prepaid shall be allocated among all of the Notes at the time outstanding in proportion, as nearly as practicable, to the respective unpaid principal amounts thereof not theretofore called for prepayment. Each prepayment made pursuant to Section 8.3 or purchases permitted by Section 8.6 shall be applied only to the Notes of the holders who are participating in such prepayment or purchase.
Section 8.5. Maturity; Surrender, Etc. In the case of each prepayment of Notes pursuant to this Section 8, the principal amount of each Note to be prepaid shall mature and become due and payable on the date fixed for such prepayment, together with interest on such principal amount accrued to such date and the applicable Make-Whole Amount, if any. From and after such date, unless the Company shall fail to pay such principal amount when so due and payable, together with the interest and the applicable Make-Whole Amount, if any, as aforesaid, interest on such principal amount shall cease to accrue. Any Note paid or prepaid in full shall be surrendered to the Company and cancelled and shall not be reissued, and no Note shall be issued in lieu of any prepaid principal amount of any Note.
Section 8.6. Purchase of Notes. The Company will not, and will not permit any Subsidiary to, purchase, redeem, prepay or otherwise acquire, directly or indirectly, any of the outstanding Notes except (a) upon the payment or prepayment of the Notes in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and the Notes or (b) pursuant to an offer to purchase made by the Company or a Subsidiary pro rata to the holders of all Notes at the time outstanding upon the same terms and conditions. Any such offer shall provide each holder with sufficient information to enable it to make an informed decision with respect to such offer, and shall remain open for at least 10 Business Days. If the holders of more than 25% of the principal amount of the Notes then outstanding accept such offer, the Company shall promptly notify the remaining holders of such fact and the expiration date for the acceptance by holders of Notes of such offer shall be extended by the number of days necessary to give each such remaining holder at least 10 Business Days from its receipt of such notice to accept such offer. The Company will promptly cancel all Notes acquired by it or any Subsidiary pursuant to any payment, prepayment or purchase of Notes pursuant to any provision of this Agreement and no Notes may be issued in substitution or exchange for any such Notes.
Section 8.7. Make-Whole Amount for Notes. The term “Make-Whole Amount” shall mean, with respect to any Note, an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the Discounted Value of the Remaining Scheduled Payments with respect to the Called Principal of such Note over the amount of such Called Principal, provided that the Make-Whole Amount may in no event be less
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than zero. For the purposes of determining the Make-Whole Amount, the following terms have the following meanings:
“Called Principal” shall mean, with respect to any Note, the principal of such Note that is to be prepaid pursuant to Section 8.2 or 8.3 or has become or is declared to be immediately due and payable pursuant to Section 12.1, as the context requires. |
“Discounted Value” shall mean, with respect to the Called Principal of any Note, the amount obtained by discounting all Remaining Scheduled Payments with respect to such Called Principal from their respective scheduled due dates to the Settlement Date with respect to such Called Principal, in accordance with accepted financial practice and at a discount factor (applied on the same periodic basis as that on which interest on the Notes is payable) equal to the Reinvestment Yield with respect to such Called Principal. |
“Reinvestment Yield” shall mean, with respect to the Called Principal of any Note, 0.50% (or, in the case of any prepayment pursuant to Section 8.3, 2.75%) over the yield to maturity implied by (a) the yields reported, as of 10:00 a.m. (New York, New York time) on the second Business Day preceding the Settlement Date with respect to such Called Principal, on the display designated as “Page PX1” on the Bloomberg Financial Markets Services Screen (or such other display as may replace Page PX1 on the Bloomberg Financial Markets Services Screen) for actively traded U.S. Treasury securities having a maturity equal to the Remaining Average Life of such Called Principal as of such Settlement Date, or (b) if such yields are not reported as of such time or the yields reported as of such time are not ascertainable, the Treasury Constant Maturity Series Yields reported, for the latest day for which such yields have been so reported as of the second Business Day preceding the Settlement Date with respect to such Called Principal, in Federal Reserve Statistical Release H.15 (519) (or any comparable successor publication) for actively traded U.S. Treasury securities having a constant maturity equal to the Remaining Average Life of such Called Principal as of such Settlement Date. Such implied yield will be determined, if necessary, by (1) converting U.S. Treasury bill quotations to bond-equivalent yields in accordance with accepted financial practice and (2) interpolating linearly between (i) the actively traded U.S. Treasury security with the maturity closest to and greater than the Remaining Average Life and (ii) the actively traded U.S. Treasury security with the maturity closest to and less than the Remaining Average Life. |
“Remaining Average Life” shall mean, with respect to any Called Principal, the number of years (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth year) obtained by dividing (a) such Called Principal into (b) the sum of the products obtained by multiplying (1) the principal component of each Remaining Scheduled Payment with respect to such Called Principal by (2) the number of years (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth year) that will elapse between the Settlement Date with respect to such Called Principal and the scheduled due date of such Remaining Scheduled Payment. |
“Remaining Scheduled Payments” shall mean, with respect to the Called Principal of any Note all payments, of such Called Principal and interest thereon that would be due after the Settlement Date with respect to such Called Principal if no payment of such |
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Called Principal were made prior to its scheduled due date, provided that if such Settlement Date is not a date on which interest payments are due to be made under the terms of the Note, then the amount of the next succeeding scheduled interest payment will be reduced by the amount of interest accrued to such Settlement Date and required to be paid on such Settlement Date pursuant to Section 8.2, 8.3 or 12.1. |
“Settlement Date” shall mean, with respect to the Called Principal of any Note, the date on which such Called Principal is to be prepaid pursuant to Section 8.2 or 8.3 or has become or is declared to be immediately due and payable pursuant to Section 12.1, as the context requires. |
Section 8.8. Payments Free and Clear of Taxes. (a) The Company, for the benefit of the holders of the Notes, agrees that in the event payments, if any, made by the Company hereunder or in respect of the Notes to any holder are subject to any present or future tax, duty, assessment, impost, xxxx, withholding or other similar charge (a “Relevant Tax”) imposed upon such holder by the government of any country or jurisdiction (or any authority therein or thereof) other than any tax based on or measured by net income imposed on any holder of the Notes by the country in which such holder is a resident (the “Resident Country”), from or through which payments hereunder or on or in respect of the Notes are actually made (each a “Taxing Jurisdiction”), the Company will pay to such holder such additional amounts (“Tax Indemnity Amounts”) as may be necessary in order that the net amounts paid to such holder pursuant to the terms of this Agreement or the Notes after imposition of any such Relevant Tax shall be not less than the amounts specified in this Agreement or the Notes to be then due and payable (after giving effect to the exclusion for Relevant Taxes imposed by the government of the Resident Country), provided that the Company shall not be obliged to pay such Tax Indemnity Amounts to any holder of a Note in respect of Relevant Taxes to the extent such Relevant Taxes exceed the Relevant Taxes that would have been payable:
(1) had such holder not been a resident of Canada within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada) or not used or held such Note in the course of carrying on a business in Canada within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada); or |
(2) had such holder not dealt with the Company on a non-arm’s length basis (within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada)) in connection with any such payment; or |
(3) had such holder not had any connection with such Taxing Jurisdiction or any territory or political subdivision thereof other than the mere holding of a Note (or the receipt of any payments in respect thereof) or activities incidental thereto (including enforcement thereof); or |
(4) but for the delay or failure by such holder (following a written request by the Company) in the filing with an appropriate Governmental Authority or otherwise of forms, certificates, documents, applications or other reasonably required evidence, that is required to be filed by such holder to avoid or reduce such Relevant Taxes and that in the case of any of the foregoing would |
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not result in any confidential or proprietary income tax return information being revealed, either directly or indirectly, to any Person (collectively, “Forms”) and such delay or failure could have been lawfully avoided by such holder, provided that such holder shall be deemed to have satisfied the requirements of this clause (4) upon the good faith completion and submission of such Forms as may be specified in a written request of the Company no later than 45 days after receipt by such holder of such written request (which written request shall be accompanied by a copy of such Forms and all applicable instructions and, if any such Forms or instructions shall not be in the English language, an English translation thereof). |
(b) Within 60 days after the date of any payment by the Company of any Relevant Tax in respect of any payment under the Notes or this Agreement, the Company shall furnish to each holder of a Note the original tax receipt for the payment of such Relevant Tax (or if such original tax receipt is not available, a duly certified copy of the original tax receipt), together with such other documentary evidence with respect to such payments as may be reasonably requested from time to time by any holder of a Note.
(c) If the Company has made a payment to or on account of any holder of a Note pursuant to Section 8.8(a) above and such holder, in such holder’s reasonable discretion, determines that it is entitled to a refund of the Relevant Tax to which such payment is attributable from the Governmental Authority to which the payment of the Relevant Tax was made and such refund can be obtained by filing one or more Forms, then (i) such holder shall, as soon as practicable after receiving a written request therefor from the Company (which request shall specify in reasonable detail the Forms to be filed), file such Forms and (ii) upon receipt of such refund, if any, provided no Default or Event of Default then exists, promptly pay over such refund to the Company.
For the avoidance of doubt, nothing herein shall (a) restrict the right of any holder to arrange its tax affairs as it shall deem appropriate or (b) require any holder to disclose any information regarding its tax affairs or computations to the Company or any other Person other than as shall be necessary to permit the Company to determine whether the payment of any Tax Indemnity Amount would be required to be made pursuant to the provisions of this Section 8.8; provided, however, no holder shall be obligated to disclose any of its tax returns to the Company or any other Person.
SECTION 9. Affirmative Covenants.
The Company covenants that so long as any of the Notes are outstanding:
Section 9.1. Compliance with Law. The Company will, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to, comply with all laws, ordinances or governmental rules or regulations to which each of them is subject, including, without limitation, Environmental Laws, and will obtain and maintain in effect all licenses, certificates, permits, franchises and other governmental authorizations necessary to the ownership of their respective properties or to the conduct of their respective businesses, in each case to the extent necessary to ensure that non-compliance with such laws, ordinances or governmental rules or regulations or failures to obtain or maintain in
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effect such licenses, certificates, permits, franchises and other governmental authorizations could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 9.2. Insurance. The Company will, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to, maintain, with insurers reasonably determined by the Company in good faith to be financially sound and reputable, insurance with respect to their respective properties and businesses against such casualties and contingencies, of such types, on such terms and in such amounts (including deductibles, co-insurance and self-insurance, if adequate reserves are maintained with respect thereto) as is customary in the case of entities of established reputations engaged in the same or a similar business and similarly situated.
Section 9.3. Maintenance of Properties. The Company will, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to, maintain and keep, or cause to be maintained and kept, their respective properties in good repair, working order and condition (other than ordinary wear and tear), so that the business carried on in connection therewith may be properly conducted at all times, provided that this Section shall not prevent the Company or any Subsidiary from discontinuing the operation and the maintenance of any of its properties if such discontinuance is desirable in the conduct of its business and the Company has concluded that such discontinuance could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 9.4. Payment of Taxes and Claims. The Company will, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to, file all tax returns required to be filed in any jurisdiction and to pay and discharge all taxes shown to be due and payable on such returns and all other taxes, assessments, governmental charges, or levies imposed on them or any of their properties, assets, income or franchises, to the extent such taxes and assessments have become due and payable and before they have become delinquent and all claims for which sums have become due and payable that have or might become a Lien on properties or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary, provided that neither the Company nor any Subsidiary need pay any such tax or assessment or claims if (a) the amount, applicability or validity thereof is contested by the Company or such Subsidiary on a timely basis in good faith and in appropriate proceedings, and the Company or a Subsidiary has established adequate reserves therefor in accordance with GAAP on the books of the Company or such Subsidiary or (b) the nonpayment of all such taxes and assessments in the aggregate could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 9.5. Corporate Existence, Etc. The Company will at all times preserve and keep in full force and effect its corporate existence. Subject to Sections 10.7, 10.8 and 10.10, the Company will at all times preserve and keep in full force and effect the corporate existence of each of its Subsidiaries (unless merged, consolidated or amalgamated into or with the Company or another Subsidiary) and all rights and franchises of the Company and its Subsidiaries unless, in the good faith judgment of the Company, the termination of or failure to preserve and keep in full force and effect such corporate existence, right or franchise could not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 9.6. Notes to Rank Pari Passu. The Notes and all other obligations of the Company under this Agreement shall rank at least pari passu with all other present and future unsecured Senior Debt (actual or contingent) of the Company which is not expressed to be subordinate or junior in rank to any other unsecured Senior Debt of the Company.
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SECTION 10. Negative Covenants.
The Company covenants that so long as any of the Notes are outstanding:
Section 10.1. Consolidated Net Worth. The Company will not, at any time, permit Consolidated Net Worth to be less than the sum of (a) U.S.$200,000,000, plus (b) an aggregate amount equal to 25% of its Consolidated Net Income (but, in each case, only if a positive number) for each completed fiscal quarter beginning with the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2003.
Section 10.2. Limitation on Consolidated Debt. The Company will not, at any time, permit the Consolidated Debt to exceed 45% of Consolidated Total Capitalization.
Section 10.3. Limitation on Subsidiary Debt. The Company will not, at any time, permit any Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly, create, incur, assume, guarantee, have outstanding, or otherwise become or remain directly or indirectly liable with respect to any Debt other than:
(a) Debt of a Subsidiary outstanding on the date of this Agreement described on Schedule 5.15 and any extension, renewal or refunding thereof, provided that (1) the principal amount thereof is not increased in connection with such extension, renewal or refunding and (2) no Default or Event of Default shall exist at the time of such extension, renewal or refunding; |
(b) Debt of a Subsidiary owed to the Company or a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary; |
(c) Debt of a Subsidiary outstanding at the time such Subsidiary becomes a Subsidiary, provided that (1) such Debt shall not have been incurred in contemplation of such Subsidiary becoming a Subsidiary and (2) immediately after such Subsidiary becomes a Subsidiary no Default or Event of Default shall exist, and any extension, renewal or refunding of such Debt, provided, that (i) the principal amount thereof is not increased in connection with such extension, renewal or refunding and (ii) no Default or Event of Default shall exist at the time of such extension, renewal or refunding; and |
(d) Debt of a Subsidiary in addition to that otherwise permitted by the provisions of this Section 10.3; provided that on the date such Subsidiary incurs or otherwise becomes liable with respect to any such additional Debt and immediately after giving effect thereto and to the concurrent retirement of any other Debt (1) no Default or Event of Default shall exist, and (2) such Debt can be incurred within the applicable limitations provided in Sections 10.2 and 10.4. |
Section 10.4. Limitation on Priority Debt. The Company will not, at any time, permit Priority Debt to exceed 10% of Consolidated Total Capitalization.
Section 10.5. Minimum Interest Coverage Ratio. The Company will not, at any time, permit the Minimum Interest Coverage Ratio to be less than 3.0 to 1.0.
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Section 10.6. Limitation on Liens. The Company will not, and will not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly create, incur, assume or permit to exist (upon the happening of a contingency or otherwise) any Lien on or with respect to any property or asset (including, without limitation, any document or instrument in respect of goods or accounts receivable) of the Company or any such Subsidiary, whether now owned or held or hereafter acquired, or any income or profits therefrom or assign or otherwise convey any right to receive income or profits, except:
(a) Liens for taxes, assessments or other governmental charges or levies which are not yet due and payable or the payment of which is not at the time required by Section 9.4; |
(b) statutory Liens of landlords, undetermined or inchoate Liens and other Liens imposed by law such as Liens of carriers, warehousemen, mechanics, materialmen and other similar Liens, in each case, incurred in the ordinary course of business for sums not yet due and payable or the payment of which is not at the time required by Section 9.4; |
(c) Liens (other than any Lien imposed by ERISA, the Income Tax Act (Canada), the Pension Benefits Standards Act, 1985 (Canada) and all other applicable Canadian Federal and provincial statutes or regulations governing pension plans) incurred or deposits made in the ordinary course of business (1) in connection with workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, other types of social security or retirement benefits or insurance regulatory requirements or (2) to secure (or to obtain letters of credit that secure) the performance of tenders, statutory obligations, surety bonds, appeal bonds, bids, leases (other than Capital Leases), performance bonds, purchase, construction or sales contracts and other similar obligations, in each case not incurred or made in connection with the borrowing of money, the obtaining of advances or credit or the payment of the deferred purchase price of property; |
(d) any attachment or judgment Lien, unless the judgment it secures shall not, within 60 days after the entry thereof, have been discharged or execution thereof stayed pending appeal, or shall not have been discharged within 60 days after the expiration of any such stay; |
(e) Liens on property or assets of a Subsidiary securing Debt owing to the Company or to a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary; |
(f) Liens existing on the date of the Closing and described on Schedule 5.15; |
(g) leases or subleases granted to others, easements, rights-of-way, restrictions and other similar charges or encumbrances or minor survey exceptions, in each case incidental to, and not interfering with, the ordinary conduct of the business of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, provided that such Liens do not, in the aggregate, materially detract from the value of such property; |
(h) any Lien created to secure all or any part of the purchase price, or to secure Debt incurred or assumed to pay all or any part of the purchase price or cost of |
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construction, of property (or any improvement thereon) acquired or constructed by the Company or a Subsidiary after the date of the Closing, provided that |
(1) any such Lien shall extend solely to the item or items of such property (or improvement thereon) so acquired or constructed and, if required by the terms of the instrument originally creating such Lien, other property (or improvement thereon) which is an improvement to or is acquired for specific use in connection with such acquired or constructed property (or improvement thereon) or which is real property being improved by such acquired or constructed property (or improvement thereon), |
(2) the principal amount of the Debt secured by any such Lien shall at no time exceed an amount equal to the lesser of (i) the cost to the Company or such Subsidiary of the property (or improvement thereon) so acquired or constructed and (ii) the Fair Market Value (as determined in good faith by one or more officers of the Company to whom authority to enter into the subject transaction has been delegated by the board of directors of the Company) of such property (or improvement thereon) at the time of such acquisition or construction, |
(3) any such Lien shall be created contemporaneously with, or within 12 months after, the acquisition or construction of such property, |
(4) the aggregate principal amount of all Debt secured by such Liens shall be permitted by the limitation set forth in Section 10.2, and |
(5) at the time of the incurrence of the Debt secured by such Liens, no Default or Event of Default shall exist; |
(i) any Lien existing on property of a Person immediately prior to its being consolidated with or merged into the Company or a Subsidiary or its becoming a Subsidiary, or any Lien existing on any property acquired by the Company or any Subsidiary at the time such property is so acquired (whether or not the Debt secured thereby shall have been assumed), provided that (1) no such Lien shall have been created or assumed in contemplation of such consolidation or merger or such Person’s becoming a Subsidiary or such acquisition of property, (2) each such Lien shall extend solely to the item or items of property so acquired and, if required by the terms of the instrument originally creating such Lien, other property which is an improvement to or is acquired for specific use in connection with such acquired property and (3) the aggregate amount of all Debt secured by such Liens shall be permitted by the limitation set forth in Section 10.2; |
(j) any Lien renewing, extending or refunding any Lien permitted by paragraphs (f), (h) or (i) of this Section 10.6, provided that (1) the principal amount of Debt secured by such Lien immediately prior to such extension, renewal or refunding is not increased or the maturity thereof reduced, (2) such Lien is not extended to any other property and (3) immediately after such extension, renewal or refunding no Default or Event of Default would exist; |
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(k) reservations, conditions, limitations and exceptions contained in or implied by statute in the original disposition from the Crown and grants made by the Crown of interests so reserved or excepted; and |
(l) other Liens not otherwise permitted by paragraphs (a) through (k), inclusive, of this Section 10.6, provided that the Debt secured by such Liens shall be permitted by the limitation set forth in Sections 10.2 and 10.4 at the time that the Lien securing such Debt is created. |
Any Person that becomes a Subsidiary after the date of the Closing shall, for all purposes of this Section 10.6, be deemed to have created or incurred, at the time it becomes a Subsidiary, all outstanding Liens of such Person immediately after it becomes a Subsidiary, and any Person extending, renewing or refunding any Debt secured by any Lien shall be deemed to have incurred such Lien at the time of such extension, renewal or refunding.
Section 10.7. Merger, Consolidation, Etc. The Company will not, and will not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, consolidate with or merge with any other corporation or convey, transfer or lease substantially all of its assets in a single transaction or series of transactions to any Person (except that a Subsidiary of the Company may (x) consolidate, merge or amalgamate with, or convey, transfer or lease substantially all of its assets in a single transaction or series of transactions to, the Company or a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of the Company, as applicable, and (y) convey, transfer or lease all of its assets in compliance with the provisions of Section 10.8 or 10.10), provided that the foregoing restriction does not apply to the consolidation or merger of the Company with, or the conveyance, transfer or lease of substantially all of the assets of the Company in a single transaction or series of transactions to, any Person so long as:
(a) the successor formed by such consolidation or the survivor of such merger or the Person that acquires by conveyance, transfer or lease substantially all of the assets of the Company as an entirety, as the case may be (the “Successor Corporation”), shall be a solvent corporation organized and existing under the laws of the United States or any State thereof (including the District of Columbia) or Canada or any Province thereof; |
(b) if the Company is not the Successor Corporation, (1) the Successor Corporation shall have executed and delivered to each holder of the Notes its assumption of the due and punctual performance and observance of each covenant and condition of this Agreement and the Notes (pursuant to such agreements and instruments as shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Required Holders) and (2) the Successor Corporation shall have caused to be delivered to each holder of any Notes an opinion of counsel of United States or Canadian national standing (and not an employee of the Company) or other counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Required Holders, to the effect that all agreements or instruments effecting such assumption are enforceable in accordance with their terms and comply with the terms hereof; and |
(c) immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no Default or Event of Default would exist. |
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No such conveyance, transfer or lease of substantially all of the assets of the Company shall have the effect of releasing the Company or any Successor Corporation from its liability under this Agreement or the Notes.
Section 10.8. Sale of Assets, Etc. Except as permitted under Section 10.7, Section 10.9 and Section 10.10, the Company will not, and will not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, make any Asset Disposition unless:
(a) in the good faith opinion of the Company, the Asset Disposition is in exchange for consideration having a Fair Market Value at least equal to that of the property exchanged and is in the best interest of the Company or such Subsidiary; |
(b) immediately after giving effect to the Asset Disposition, no Default or Event of Default would exist; and |
(c) subject to the following paragraph, immediately after giving effect to the Asset Disposition the Disposition Value of all property that was the subject of any Asset Disposition occurring in the immediately preceding period of 12 consecutive months would not exceed 15% of Consolidated Total Assets as of the end of the then most recently ended fiscal quarter of the Company. |
If the Net Proceeds Amount for any Transfer is applied to a Debt Prepayment Application or a Property Reinvestment Application, in either case, within 12 months after such Transfer, then such Transfer, only for the purpose of determining compliance with subsection (c) of this Section 10.8 as of a date on or after the Net Proceeds Amount is so applied, shall be deemed not to be an Asset Disposition. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, the Company shall not be permitted to apply the Net Proceeds Amount for any Transfer to a Debt Prepayment Application if, as a result thereof, the Company will have prepaid more than 25% of the original principal amount of the Notes within five years from the date of the Closing.
Section 10.9. Sale-and-Leasebacks. The Company will not, and will not permit any Subsidiary to, enter into any Sale-and-Leaseback Transaction with respect to any property more than 180 days following the acquisition or occupancy of such property by the Company or such Subsidiary, whichever is later, unless:
(a) the term of the lease in respect of such Sale-and-Leaseback Transaction, including all renewal terms, shall not exceed three years; |
(b) such Sale-and-Leaseback Transaction constitutes a sale by a Subsidiary to the Company or by the Company to a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary; |
(c) the Net Proceeds Amount received by the Company or such Subsidiary in respect of such Sale-and-Leaseback Transaction is applied within 12 months of the consummation thereof to a Debt Prepayment Application or a Property Reinvestment Application, provided, however, that notwithstanding the preceding clause, the Company shall not be permitted to apply the Net Proceeds Amount in respect of any Sale-and-Leaseback Transaction to a Debt Prepayment Application if, as a result thereof, the |
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Company will have prepaid more than 25% of the original principal amount of the Notes within five years from the date of the Closing; or |
(d) immediately after giving effect thereto, the aggregate amount of Priority Debt does not exceed 10% of Consolidated Total Capitalization determined at such time and no Default or Event of Default would exist. |
Section 10.10. Disposal of Ownership of a Subsidiary. The Company will not, and will not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, sell or otherwise dispose of any Subsidiary Shares, nor will the Company permit any such Subsidiary to issue, sell or otherwise dispose of any shares of its own share capital, provided that the foregoing restrictions do not apply to:
(a) the issue of directors’ qualifying shares by any such Subsidiary; |
(b) any such Transfer of Subsidiary Shares constituting a Transfer described in clause (a) of the definition of “Asset Disposition”; and |
(c) the Transfer of the Subsidiary Shares of a Subsidiary of the Company owned by the Company and its other Subsidiaries; provided that such Transfer satisfies the requirements of Section 10.8, including without limitation, the requirement that the Company shall not be permitted to apply the Net Proceeds Amount for any Transfer to a Debt Prepayment Application if, as a result thereof, the Company will have prepaid more than 25% of the original principal amount of the Notes within five years from the date of the Closing. |
Section 10.11. Nature of Business. The Company will not, and will not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, engage in any business if, as a result, the general nature of the business in which the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, would then be engaged would be substantially changed from the general nature of the business in which the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, are engaged on the date of the Closing as described in the Memorandum.
Section 10.12. Transactions with Affiliates. The Company will not, and will not permit any Subsidiary to, enter into directly or indirectly any Material transaction or Material group of related transactions (including, without limitation, the purchase, lease, sale or exchange of properties of any kind or the rendering of any service) with any Affiliate (other than the Company or another Subsidiary), except in the ordinary course and pursuant to the reasonable requirements of the Company’s or such Subsidiary’s business and upon fair and reasonable terms no less favorable to the Company or such Subsidiary than would be obtainable in a comparable arm’s-length transaction with a Person not an Affiliate.
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SECTION 11. Events of Default.
An “Event of Default” shall exist if any of the following conditions or events shall occur and be continuing:
(a) the Company defaults in the payment of any principal or Make-Whole Amount, if any, on any Note when the same becomes due and payable, whether at maturity or at a date fixed for prepayment or by declaration or otherwise; or |
(b) the Company defaults in the payment of any interest on any Note or the Company defaults in the payment of any Tax Indemnity Amount under Section 8.8, in either case for more than five Business Days after the same becomes due and payable; or |
(c) the Company defaults in the performance of or compliance with any term contained in (1) Section 10.1 through 10.5, inclusive, or (2) Section 10.6 through 10.12, inclusive, and, in the case of this clause (2), such default is not remedied within 10 Business Days after the earlier of (i) a Responsible Officer obtaining actual knowledge of such default and (ii) the Company receiving written notice of such default from any holder of a Note (any such written notice to be identified as a “notice of default” and to refer specifically to clause (2) of this paragraph (c); or |
(d) the Company defaults in the performance of or compliance with any term contained herein (other than those referred to in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of this Section 11) and such default is not remedied within 30 days after the earlier of (1) a Responsible Officer obtaining actual knowledge of such default and (2) the Company receiving written notice of such default from any holder of a Note (any such written notice to be identified as a “notice of default” and to refer specifically to this paragraph (d) of Section 11); or |
(e) any representation or warranty made in writing by or on behalf of the Company or by any officer of the Company in this Agreement or in any writing furnished in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby proves to have been false or incorrect in any material respect on the date as of which made; or |
(f) (1) the Company or any Subsidiary is in default (as principal or as guarantor or other surety) in the payment of any principal of or premium or make-whole amount or interest on any Debt that is outstanding in an aggregate principal amount of at least U.S.$5,000,000 beyond any period of grace provided with respect thereto, or (2) the Company or any Subsidiary is in default in the performance of or compliance with any term of any evidence of any Debt in an aggregate outstanding principal amount of at least U.S.$5,000,000 or of any mortgage, indenture or other agreement relating thereto or any other condition exists, and as a consequence of such default or condition such Debt has become, or has been declared, due and payable before its stated maturity or before its regularly scheduled dates of payment and such declaration has not been annulled or rescinded, or (3) as a consequence of the occurrence or continuation of any event or condition (other than the passage of time or the right of the holder of Debt to convert such Debt into equity interests), the Company or any Subsidiary has become obligated to |
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purchase or repay Debt before its regular maturity or before its regularly scheduled dates of payment in an aggregate outstanding principal amount of at least U.S.$5,000,000; or |
(g) the Company or any Material Subsidiary (1) is generally not paying, or admits in writing its inability to pay, its debts as they become due, (2) files, or consents by answer or otherwise to the filing against it of, a petition for relief or reorganization or arrangement or any other petition in bankruptcy, for liquidation or to take advantage of any bankruptcy, insolvency, amalgamation, reorganization, moratorium or other similar law of any jurisdiction, (3) makes an assignment for the benefit of its creditors, (4) consents to the appointment of a custodian, receiver, trustee or other officer with similar powers with respect to it or with respect to any substantial part of its property, (5) is adjudicated as insolvent or to be liquidated or (6) takes corporate action for the purpose of any of the foregoing; or |
(h) a court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction enters an order appointing, without consent by the Company or any of its Material Subsidiaries, a custodian, receiver, trustee or other officer with similar powers with respect to it or with respect to any substantial part of its property, or constituting an order for relief or approving a petition for relief or reorganization or any other petition in bankruptcy or for liquidation or to take advantage of any bankruptcy or insolvency law of any jurisdiction, or ordering the amalgamation, dissolution, winding-up or liquidation of the Company or any of its Material Subsidiaries, or any such petition shall be filed against the Company or any of its Material Subsidiaries and such petition shall not be dismissed within 60 days; or |
(i) a final judgment or judgments for the payment of money resulting in liability (exclusive of amounts fully covered by valid and collectible insurance in respect thereof), aggregating in excess of U.S.$5,000,000 are rendered against one or more of the Company and its Subsidiaries and which judgments are not, within 60 days after entry thereof, bonded, discharged or stayed pending appeal, or are not discharged within 60 days after the expiration of such stay; or |
(j) if (1) any Plan shall fail to satisfy the minimum funding standards of ERISA or the Code for any plan year or part thereof or a waiver of such standards or extension of any amortization period is sought or granted under Section 412 of the Code, (2) a notice of intent to terminate any Plan shall have been or is reasonably expected to be filed with the PBGC or the PBGC shall have instituted proceedings under ERISA Section 4042 to terminate or appoint a trustee to administer any Plan or the PBGC shall have notified the Company or any ERISA Affiliate that a Plan may become a subject of any such proceedings, (3) the aggregate “amount of unfunded benefit liabilities” (within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(18) of ERISA) under all Plans, determined in accordance with Title IV of ERISA, shall exceed U.S.$5,000,000, (4) the Company or any ERISA Affiliate shall have incurred or is reasonably expected to incur any liability pursuant to Title I or IV of ERISA or the penalty or excise tax provisions of the Code relating to employee benefit plans, (5) the Company or any ERISA Affiliate withdraws from any Multiemployer Plan or (6) the Company or any ERISA Affiliate establishes or amends any employee welfare benefit plan that provides post-employment welfare benefits in a |
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manner that would increase the liability of the Company or any ERISA Affiliate thereunder; and any such event or events described in clauses (1) through (6) above, either individually or together with any other such event or events, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; or |
As used in Section 11(j), the terms “employee benefit plan” and “employee welfare benefit plan” shall have the respective meanings assigned to such terms in Section 3 of ERISA.
SECTION 12. Remedies on Default, etc.
Section 12.1. Acceleration. (a) If an Event of Default with respect to the Company described in paragraph (g) or (h) of Section 11 (other than an Event of Default described in clause (1) of paragraph (g) or described in clause (6) of paragraph (g) by virtue of the fact that such clause encompasses clause (1) of paragraph (g)) has occurred, all the Notes then outstanding shall automatically become immediately due and payable.
(a) If any other Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, any holder or holders of not less than 51% in principal amount of the Notes at the time outstanding may at any time at its or their option, by notice or notices to the Company, declare all the Notes then outstanding to be immediately due and payable.
(b) If any Event of Default described in paragraph (a) or (b) of Section 11 has occurred and is continuing, any holder or holders of Notes at the time outstanding affected by such Event of Default may at any time, at its or their option, by notice or notices to the Company, declare all the Notes held by it or them to be immediately due and payable.
Upon any Note becoming due and payable under this Section 12.1, whether automatically or by declaration, such Note will forthwith mature and the entire unpaid principal amount of such Note, plus (1) all accrued and unpaid interest thereon and (2) the Make-Whole Amount, if any, determined in respect of such principal amount (to the full extent permitted by applicable law), shall all be immediately due and payable, in each and every case without presentment, demand, protest or further notice, all of which are hereby waived. The Company acknowledges, and the parties hereto agree, that each holder of a Note has the right to maintain its investment in the Notes free from repayment by the Company (except as herein specifically provided for), and that the provision for payment of a Make-Whole Amount by the Company in the event that the Notes are prepaid or are accelerated as a result of an Event of Default, is intended to provide compensation for the deprivation of such right under such circumstances.
Section 12.2. Other Remedies. If any Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, and irrespective of whether any Notes have become or have been declared immediately due and payable under Section 12.1, the holder of any Note at the time outstanding may proceed to protect and enforce the rights of such holder by an action at law, suit in equity or other appropriate proceeding, whether for the specific performance of any agreement contained herein or in any Note, or for an injunction against a violation of any of the terms hereof or thereof, or in aid of the exercise of any power granted hereby or thereby or by law or otherwise.
Section 12.3. Rescission. At any time after any Notes have been declared due and payable pursuant to clause (b) or (c) of Section 12.1, the holders of not less than 51% in principal
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amount of the Notes then outstanding, by written notice to the Company, may rescind and annul any such declaration and its consequences if (a) the Company has paid all overdue interest on the Notes, all principal of and Make-Whole Amount, if any, on any Notes that are due and payable and are unpaid other than by reason of such declaration, and all interest on such overdue principal and Make-Whole Amount, if any, and (to the extent permitted by applicable law) any overdue interest in respect of the Notes at the Default Rate, (b) all Events of Default and Defaults, other than non-payment of amounts that have become due solely by reason of such declaration, have been cured or have been waived pursuant to Section 17 and (c) no judgment or decree has been entered for the payment of any monies due pursuant hereto or to the Notes. No rescission and annulment under this Section 12.3 will extend to or affect any subsequent Event of Default or Default or impair any right consequent thereon.
Section 12.4. No Waivers or Election of Remedies, Expenses, Etc. No course of dealing and no delay on the part of any holder of any Note in exercising any right, power or remedy shall operate as a waiver thereof or otherwise prejudice such holder’s rights, powers or remedies. No right, power or remedy conferred by this Agreement or by any Note upon any holder thereof shall be exclusive of any other right, power or remedy referred to herein or therein or now or hereafter available at law, in equity, by statute or otherwise. Without limiting the obligations of the Company under Section 15, the Company will pay to the holder of each Note on demand such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover all costs and expenses of such holder incurred in any enforcement or collection under this Section 12, including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees, expenses and disbursements.
SECTION 13. Registration; Exchange; Substitution of Notes.
Section 13.1. Registration of Notes. The Company shall keep at its principal executive office a register for the registration and registration of transfers of Notes. The name and address of each holder of one or more Notes, each transfer thereof and the name and address of each transferee of one or more Notes shall be registered in such register. Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer, the Person in whose name any Note shall be registered shall be deemed and treated as the owner and holder thereof for all purposes hereof, and the Company shall not be affected by any notice or knowledge to the contrary. The Company shall give to any holder of a Note that is an Institutional Investor promptly upon request therefor, a complete and correct copy of the names and addresses of all registered holders of Notes.
Section 13.2. Transfer and Exchange of Notes. Upon surrender of any Note at the principal executive office of the Company for registration of transfer or exchange (and in the case of a surrender for registration of transfer, duly endorsed or accompanied by a written instrument of transfer duly executed by the registered holder of such Note or its attorney duly authorized in writing and accompanied by the address for notices of each transferee of such Note or part thereof), the Company shall execute and deliver, at the Company’s expense (except as provided below), one or more new Notes of the same series (as requested by the holder thereof) in exchange therefor, in an aggregate principal amount equal to the unpaid principal amount of the surrendered Note. Each such new Note shall be payable to such Person as such holder may request and shall be substantially in the form of the Note originally issued hereunder. Each such new Note shall be dated and bear interest from the date to which interest shall have been paid on the surrendered Note or dated the date of the surrendered Note if no interest shall have been paid
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thereon. The Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any stamp tax or governmental charge imposed in respect of any such transfer of Notes. Notes shall not be transferred in denominations of less than U.S.$100,000, provided that if necessary to enable the registration of transfer by a holder of its entire holding of Notes of a series one Note of such series may be in a denomination of less than U.S.$100,000. Any transferee, by its acceptance of a Note registered in its name (or the name of its nominee), shall be deemed to have made the representation set forth in Section 6.2.
Section 13.3. Replacement of Notes. Upon receipt by the Company of evidence reasonably satisfactory to it of the ownership of and the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of any Note (which evidence shall be, in the case of an Institutional Investor, notice from such Institutional Investor of such ownership and such loss, theft, destruction or mutilation), and
(a) in the case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it (provided that if the holder of such Note is, or is a nominee for, an original Purchaser or another holder of a Note with a minimum net worth of at least U.S.$50,000,000, such Person’s own unsecured agreement of indemnity shall be deemed to be satisfactory), or |
(b) in the case of mutilation, upon surrender and cancellation thereof, |
the Company at its own expense shall execute and deliver, in lieu thereof, a new Note of the same series, dated and bearing interest from the date to which interest shall have been paid on such lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated Note or dated the date of such lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated Note if no interest shall have been paid thereon.
SECTION 14. Payments on Notes.
Section 14.1. Place of Payment. Subject to Section 14.2, payments of principal, Make-Whole Amount, if any, and interest becoming due and payable on the Notes shall be made in New York, New York at the principal office of Xxxxxx Trust & Savings Bank in such jurisdiction. The Company may at any time, by notice to each holder of a Note, change the place of payment of the Notes so long as such place of payment shall be either the principal office of the Company in such jurisdiction or the principal office of a bank or trust company in such jurisdiction.
Section 14.2. Home Office Payment. So long as any Purchaser or its nominee shall be the holder of any Note, and notwithstanding anything contained in Section 14.1 or in such Note to the contrary, the Company will pay all sums becoming due on such Note for principal, Make-Whole Amount, if any, and interest by the method and at the address specified for such purpose for such Purchaser on Schedule A hereto or by such other method or at such other address as such Purchaser shall have from time to time specified to the Company in writing for such purpose, without the presentation or surrender of such Note or the making of any notation thereon, except that upon written request of the Company made concurrently with or reasonably promptly after payment or prepayment in full of any Note, such Purchaser shall surrender such Note for cancellation, reasonably promptly after any such request, to the Company at its principal executive office or at the place of payment most recently designated by the Company pursuant to Section 14.1. Prior to any sale or other disposition of any Note held by any
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Purchaser or its nominee such Person will, at such Person’s election, either endorse thereon the amount of principal paid thereon and the last date to which interest has been paid thereon or surrender such Note to the Company in exchange for a new Note or Notes pursuant to Section 13.2. Each holder of a Note, by its acceptance of a Note, will be deemed to have agreed to be bound by and entitled to the benefits of this Section 14.2 as though it were a party to this Agreement.
SECTION 15. Expenses, Etc.
Section 15.1. Transaction Expenses. Whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated, the Company will pay all reasonable costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees of a special counsel and, if reasonably required, local or other counsel) incurred by each Purchaser or holder of a Note in connection with such transactions and any amendments, waivers or consents under or in respect of this Agreement, or the Notes (whether or not such amendment, waiver or consent becomes effective), including, without limitation: (a) the reasonable costs and expenses incurred in enforcing or defending (or determining whether or how to enforce or defend) any rights under this Agreement, or the Notes or in responding to any subpoena or other legal process or informal investigative demand issued in connection with this Agreement, or the Notes, or by reason of being a holder of any Note, and (b) the reasonable costs and expenses, including reasonable financial advisors’ fees, incurred in connection with the insolvency or bankruptcy of the Company or any Subsidiary or in connection with any work-out or restructuring of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the Notes. The Company will pay, and will save each Purchaser and each other holder of a Note harmless from, all claims in respect of any fees, costs or expenses, if any, of brokers and finders (other than those retained by such Person).
Section 15.2. Survival. The obligations of the Company under this Section 15 will survive the payment or transfer of any Note, the enforcement, amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement or the Notes, and the termination of this Agreement.
SECTION 16. Survival of Representations and Warranties; Entire Agreement.
All representations and warranties contained herein shall survive the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the Notes, the purchase or transfer by any Purchaser or subsequent holder of any such Note or portion thereof or interest therein and the payment of any Note, and may be relied upon by any subsequent holder of a Note, regardless of any investigation made at any time by or on behalf of any Purchaser or any subsequent holder of a Note. All statements contained in any certificate or other instrument delivered by or on behalf of the Company pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed representations and warranties of the Company under this Agreement. Subject to the preceding sentence, this Agreement and the Notes embody the entire agreement and understanding between the Purchasers and the Company and supersede all prior agreements and understandings relating to the subject matter hereof.
SECTION 17. Amendment and Waiver.
Section 17.1. Requirements. This Agreement and the Notes may be amended, and the observance of any term hereof or of the Notes may be waived (either retroactively or
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prospectively), with (and only with) the written consent of the Company and any holder or holders of not less than 51% in principal amount of Notes at the time outstanding, except that (a) no amendment or waiver of any of the provisions of Section 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 21 hereof, or any defined term (as it is used in any such Section), will be effective as to any holder of Notes unless consented to by such holder in writing, and (b) no such amendment or waiver may, without the written consent of the holder of each Note at the time outstanding affected thereby, (1) subject to the provisions of Section 12 relating to acceleration or rescission, change the amount or time of any prepayment or payment of principal of, or reduce the rate or change the time of payment or method of computation of interest or of the Make-Whole Amount on, the Notes, (2) change the percentage of the principal amount of the Notes the holders of which are required to consent to any such amendment or waiver, or (3) amend any of Sections 8, 11(a), 11(b), 12, 17 or 20 hereof.
Section 17.2. Solicitation of Holders of Notes.
(a) Solicitation. The Company will provide each holder of the Notes (irrespective of the amount of Notes then owned by it) with sufficient information, sufficiently far in advance of the date a decision is required, to enable such holder to make an informed and considered decision with respect to any proposed amendment, waiver or consent in respect of any of the provisions hereof or of the Notes. The Company will deliver executed or true and correct copies of each amendment, waiver or consent effected pursuant to the provisions of this Section 17 to each holder of outstanding Notes promptly following the date on which it is executed and delivered by, or receives the consent or approval of, the requisite holders of Notes.
(b) Payment. The Company will not directly or indirectly pay or cause to be paid any remuneration, whether by way of supplemental or additional interest, fee or otherwise, or grant any security, to any holder of Notes as consideration for or as an inducement to the entering into by such holder of Notes of any waiver or amendment of any of the terms and provisions hereof, or of the Notes unless such remuneration is concurrently paid, or security is concurrently granted, on the same terms, ratably to each holder of Notes then outstanding even if such holder did not consent to such waiver or amendment.
Section 17.3. Binding Effect, Etc. Any amendment or waiver consented to as provided in this Section 17 applies equally to all holders of Notes affected thereby and is binding upon them and upon each future holder of any Note and upon the Company without regard to whether such Note has been marked to indicate such amendment or waiver. No such amendment or waiver will extend to or affect any obligation, covenant, agreement, Default or Event of Default not expressly amended or waived or impair any right consequent thereon. No course of dealing between the Company and the holder of any Note nor any delay in exercising any rights hereunder or under any Note shall operate as a waiver of any rights of any holder of such Note. As used herein, the term “this Agreement” and references thereto shall mean this Agreement as it may from time to time be amended or supplemented.
Section 17.4. Notes Held by Company, Etc. Solely for the purpose of determining whether the holders of the requisite percentage of the aggregate principal amount of Notes then outstanding approved or consented to any amendment, waiver or consent to be given under this Agreement or the Notes, or have directed the taking of any action provided herein or in the Notes to be taken upon the direction of the holders of a specified percentage of the aggregate principal
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amount of Notes then outstanding, Notes directly or indirectly owned by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates shall be deemed not to be outstanding.
SECTION 18. Notices.
All notices and communications provided for hereunder shall be in writing and sent (a) by telefacsimile if the sender on the same day sends a confirming copy of such notice by a recognized overnight delivery service (charges prepaid), or (b) by registered or certified mail with return receipt requested (postage prepaid), or (c) by a recognized overnight delivery service (charges prepaid). Any such notice must be sent:
(1) if to a Purchaser or its nominee, to such Purchaser or its nominee at the address specified for such communications in Schedule A to this Agreement, or at such other address as such Purchaser or its nominee shall have specified to the Company in writing, |
(2) if to any other holder of any Note, to such holder at such address as such other holder shall have specified to the Company in writing, or |
(3) if to the Company, to the Company at its address set forth at the beginning hereof to the attention of X. Xxxx Xxxxx, Esq., General Counsel, with a copy to Hub International Limited, 00 Xxxx Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx, 00000, Attention: X. Xxxx Xxxxx, Esq., General Counsel, or at such other address as the Company shall have specified to the holder of each Note in writing. |
Notices under this Section 18 will be deemed given only when actually received.
SECTION 19. Reproduction of Documents.
This Agreement and all documents relating hereto, including, without limitation, (a) consents, waivers and modifications that may hereafter be executed, (b) documents received by each Purchaser at the Closing, and (c) financial statements, certificates and other information previously or hereafter furnished to any holder of the Notes, may be reproduced by such holder by any photographic, photostatic, microfilm, microcard, miniature photographic or other similar process and such holder may destroy any original document so reproduced. The Company agrees and stipulates that, to the extent permitted by applicable law, any such reproduction shall be admissible in evidence as the original itself in any judicial or administrative proceeding (whether or not the original is in existence and whether or not such reproduction was made by such holder in the regular course of business) and any enlargement, facsimile or further reproduction of such reproduction shall likewise be admissible in evidence. This Section 19 shall not prohibit the Company or any other holder of Notes from contesting any such reproduction to the same extent that it could contest the original, or from introducing evidence to demonstrate the inaccuracy of any such reproduction.
SECTION 20. Confidential Information.
For the purposes of this Section 20, “Confidential Information” means information delivered to any Purchaser by or on behalf of the Company or any Subsidiary in connection with
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the transactions contemplated by or otherwise pursuant to this Agreement that is proprietary in nature and that was clearly marked or labeled or otherwise adequately identified when received by such Purchaser as being confidential information of the Company or such Subsidiary, provided that such term does not include information that (a) was publicly known or otherwise known to such Purchaser prior to the time of such disclosure, (b) subsequently becomes publicly known through no act or omission by such Purchaser or any Person acting on such Purchaser’s behalf, (c) otherwise becomes known to such Purchaser other than through disclosure by the Company or any Subsidiary or (d) constitutes financial statements delivered to such Purchaser under Section 7.1 that are otherwise publicly available. Each Purchaser will maintain the confidentiality of such Confidential Information in accordance with procedures adopted by such Purchaser in good faith to protect confidential information of third parties delivered to such Purchaser, provided that such Purchaser may deliver or disclose Confidential Information to (1) such Purchaser’s directors, trustees, officers, employees, agents, attorneys and affiliates (to the extent such disclosure reasonably relates to the administration of the investment represented by such Purchaser’s Notes), (2) such Purchaser’s financial advisors and other professional advisors who agree to hold confidential the Confidential Information substantially in accordance with the terms of this Section 20, (3) any other holder of any Note, (4) any Institutional Investor to which such Purchaser sells or offers to sell such Note or any part thereof or any participation therein (if such Person has agreed in writing prior to its receipt of such Confidential Information to be bound by the provisions of this Section 20), (5) any Person from which such Purchaser offers to purchase any security of the Company (if such Person has agreed in writing prior to its receipt of such Confidential Information to be bound by the provisions of this Section 20), (6) any Federal, provincial or state regulatory authority having jurisdiction over such Purchaser, (7) the National Association of Insurance Commissioners or any similar organization, or any nationally recognized rating agency that requires access to information about such Purchaser’s investment portfolio or (8) any other Person to which such delivery or disclosure may be necessary or appropriate (i) to effect compliance with any law, rule, regulation or order applicable to such Purchaser, (ii) in response to any subpoena or other legal process, (iii) in connection with any litigation to which such Purchaser is a party or (iv) if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, to the extent such Purchaser may reasonably determine such delivery and disclosure to be necessary or appropriate in the enforcement or for the protection of the rights and remedies under such Purchaser’s Notes and this Agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 20, the Company agrees that the holders shall not have any obligation to maintain as confidential any information with respect to the “tax treatment” and “tax structure” (in each case, within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.6011-4) of the transactions contemplated in this Agreement and the Notes and all materials of any kind (including opinions or other tax analyses) that are provided to the holders relating to such tax treatment and tax structure. Each holder of a Note, by its acceptance of a Note, will be deemed to have agreed to be bound by and to be entitled to the benefits of this Section 20 as though it were a party to this Agreement. On reasonable request by the Company in connection with the delivery to any holder of a Note of information required to be delivered to such holder under this Agreement or requested by such holder (other than a holder that is a party to this Agreement or its nominee), such holder will enter into an agreement with the Company embodying the provisions of this Section 20.
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SECTION 21. Substitution of Purchaser.
Each Purchaser shall have the right to substitute any one of such Purchaser’s Affiliates as the purchaser of the Notes that such Purchaser has agreed to purchase hereunder, by written notice to the Company, which notice shall be signed by both such Purchaser and such Affiliate, shall contain such Affiliate’s agreement to be bound by this Agreement and shall contain a confirmation by such Affiliate of the accuracy with respect to it of the representations set forth in Section 6. Upon receipt of such notice, wherever the word “Purchaser” is used in this Agreement (other than in this Section 21), such word shall be deemed to refer to such Affiliate in lieu of such Purchaser. In the event that such Affiliate is so substituted as a purchaser hereunder and such Affiliate thereafter transfers to such Purchaser all of the Notes then held by such Affiliate, upon receipt by the Company of notice of such transfer, wherever the word “Purchaser” is used in this Agreement (other than in this Section 21), such word shall no longer be deemed to refer to such Affiliate, but shall refer to such Purchaser, and such Purchaser shall have all the rights of an original holder of the Notes under this Agreement.
SECTION 22. Submission to Jurisdiction, Judgments, Etc.
Section 22.1. Submission to Jurisdiction. The Company hereby irrevocably consents and submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any court located within the State of New York sitting in the Borough of Manhattan and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and irrevocably agrees that all actions or proceedings relating to this Agreement or the Notes may be litigated in such courts, and the Company irrevocably waives any objection which it may have based on improper venue or forum non conveniens to the conduct of any proceeding in any such court. The Company hereby irrevocably appoints, with respect to any suit or proceeding that may be initiated hereunder or under the Notes, Xxxx Group Inc. as the Company’s agent for the purpose of accepting service of process within the State of New York and agrees to retain and consents that all such service of process be made by mail or messenger directed to its General Counsel at its office located at 0000 Xxxxxx xx xxx Xxxxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx, 00000, with a copy to the Company’s General Counsel at its office located at 00 Xxxx Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx, 00000 or at such other address of Xxxx Group Inc. located in the State of New York, as may be designated by the Company by notice to each holder of Notes and that service so made shall be deemed to be completed upon the earlier of actual receipt or three Business Days after the same shall have been posted to the Company. Nothing contained in this Section 22.1 shall affect the right of any holder of Notes to serve legal process in any other manner permitted by law or to bring any action or proceeding in the courts of any jurisdiction against the Company or to enforce a judgment obtained in the courts of any other jurisdiction.
Section 22.2. Judgments. Any payment made by the Company to any holder of the Notes or for the account of any such holder in respect of any amount payable by the Company in lawful currency of the United States of America, which payment is made in a foreign currency, whether pursuant to any judgment or order of a court or tribunal or otherwise, shall constitute a discharge of the obligations of the Company only to the extent of the amount of lawful currency of the United States of America which may be purchased with such other foreign currency, on the day of payment. The Company covenants and agrees that it shall, as a separate and independent obligation, which shall not be merged in any such judgment or order, pay or cause
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to be paid the amount payable in lawful currency of the United States of America and not so discharged in accordance with the foregoing.
Section 22.3. Interest Act (Canada). Whenever a rate of interest under this Agreement or the Notes is calculated on the basis of a year (the “deemed year”) which contains fewer days than the actual number of days in the calendar year of calculation, such rate of interest shall be expressed as a yearly rate for the purposes of the Interest Act (Canada) by multiplying such rate of interest by the actual number of days in the calendar year of calculation and dividing it by the number of days in the deemed year; provided that, whenever interest to be paid hereunder is to be calculated on the basis of a year of 360 days consisting of twelve 30-day months, such rate of interest shall be expressed as a yearly rate for the purposes of the Interest Act (Canada) by multiplying such rate of interest by a fraction of which
(a) the numerator is the product of: |
(1) the actual number of days in the calendar year in which the same is to be ascertained, and |
(2) the sum of (i) the product of (A) 30 and (B) the number of complete months elapsed in the relevant period and (ii) the number of days elapsed in any incomplete month in the relevant period, and |
(b) the denominator is the product of (1) 360 and (2) the number of days in the relevant period. |
Section 22.4. Normal Rates. The principle of deemed reinvestment of interest shall not apply to any interest calculation under this Agreement or the Notes. All interest payments to be made hereunder shall be paid without allowance or deduction for deemed reinvestment or otherwise, before and after demand, default and judgment. The rates of interest specified in this Agreement and the Notes are intended to be nominal rates and not effective rates and any interest calculated hereunder shall be calculated using the nominal rate method and not the effective rate method of calculation.
SECTION 23. Miscellaneous.
Section 23.1. Successors and Assigns. All covenants and other agreements contained in this Agreement by or on behalf of any of the parties hereto bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns (including, without limitation, any subsequent holder of a Note) whether so expressed or not.
Section 23.2. Payments Due on Non-Business Days. Anything in this Agreement or the Notes to the contrary notwithstanding, any payment of principal of or Make-Whole Amount or interest on any Note that is due on a date other than a Business Day shall be made on the next succeeding Business Day without including the additional days elapsed in the computation of the interest payable on such next succeeding Business Day.
Section 23.3. Severability. Any provision of this Agreement that is prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such
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prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall (to the full extent permitted by law) not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction.
Section 23.4. Construction. (a) Each covenant contained herein shall be construed (absent express provision to the contrary) as being independent of each other covenant contained herein, so that compliance with any one covenant shall not (absent such an express contrary provision) be deemed to excuse compliance with any other covenant. Where any provision herein refers to action to be taken by any Person, or which such Person is prohibited from taking, such provision shall be applicable whether such action is taken directly or indirectly by such Person.
(b) Where the character or amount of any asset or liability or item of income or expense is required to be determined or any consolidation or other accounting computation is required to be made for the purposes of this Agreement, the same shall be done in accordance with GAAP, to the extent applicable, except where such principles are inconsistent with the requirements of this Agreement.
Section 23.5. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original but all of which together shall constitute one instrument. Each counterpart may consist of a number of copies hereof, each signed by less than all, but together signed by all, of the parties hereto.
Section 23.6. Currency. All moneys referred to in this Agreement and the Notes shall mean money which at the time is lawful money of the United States of America.
Section 23.7. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with, and the rights of the parties shall be governed by, the law of the State of New York excluding choice-of-law principles of the law of such State that would require the application of the laws of a jurisdiction other than such State.
* * * * *
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The execution hereof by the Purchasers shall constitute a contract among the Company and the Purchasers for the uses and purposes hereinabove set forth.
Very truly yours, | ||||||
Hub International Limited | ||||||
By | /s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx | |||||
Name: | Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx | |||||
Title: | President and Chief Operating Officer | |||||
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The foregoing is hereby agreed
to as of the date thereof.
The Travelers Insurance Company | ||||
By | /s/ Xxxx X. Xxxxx | |||
Name: | Xxxx X. Xxxxx | |||
Title: | Assistant Investment Officer | |||
The Travelers Insurance Company | ||||
Separate Account STFMG | ||||
By | /s/ Xxxx X. Xxxxx | |||
Name: | Xxxx X. Xxxxx | |||
Title: | Assistant Investment Officer | |||
The Travelers Insurance Company | ||||
Separate Account SLFMG | ||||
By | /s/ Xxxx X. Xxxxx | |||
Name: | Xxxx X. Xxxxx | |||
Title: | Assistant Investment Officer | |||
The Travelers Life and Annuity Company | ||||
By | /s/ Xxxx X. Xxxxx | |||
Name: | Xxxx X. Xxxxx | |||
Title: | Assistant Investment Officer | |||
Primerica Life Insurance Company | ||||
By | /s/ Xxxx X. Xxxxx | |||
Name: | Xxxx X. Xxxxx | |||
Title: | Assistant Investment Officer | |||
41
Connecticut General Life Insurance Company | ||||
By | CIGNA Investments, Inc. (authorized Agent) | |||
By | /s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |||
Name: | Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |||
Title: | Managing Director | |||
CIGNA Life Insurance Company of New York | ||||
By | CIGNA Investments, Inc. (authorized Agent) | |||
By | /s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |||
Name: | Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |||
Title: | Managing Director | |||
Life Insurance Company Of North America | ||||
By | CIGNA Investments, Inc. (authorized Agent) | |||
By | /s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |||
Name: | Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |||
Title: | Managing Director | |||
Minnesota Life Insurance Company | ||||||||
By Advantus Capital Management, Inc. | ||||||||
By | /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx | |||||||
Name: | Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx | |||||||
Title: | Vice President | |||||||
MTL Insurance Company | ||||||||
By Advantus Capital Management, Inc. | ||||||||
By | /s/ Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx | |||||||
Name: | Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx | |||||||
Title: | Vice President | |||||||
By: Advantus Capital Management, Inc. | ||||||||
Security National Life Insurance Company | ||||||||
By Advantus Capital Management, Inc. | ||||||||
By | /s/ Xxxx Xxxxxxxx | |||||||
Name: | Xxxx Xxxxxxxx | |||||||
Title: | Vice President | |||||||
Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company of Michigan | ||||||||
By: Advantus Capital Management, Inc. | ||||||||
By | /s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxx | |||||||
Name: | Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxx | |||||||
Title: | Vice President | |||||||
Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Michigan | ||||||||
By: Advantus Capital Management, Inc. | ||||||||
By | /s/ Xxxxx Xxxxxxx | |||||||
Name: | Xxxxx Xxxxxxx | |||||||
Title: | Vice President | |||||||
Farm Bureau General Insurance Company of Michigan | ||||||||
By: Advantus Capital Management, Inc. | ||||||||
By | /s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |||||||
Name: | Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |||||||
Title: | Vice President | |||||||
American Republic Insurance Company | ||||||||
By: Advantus Capital Management, Inc. | ||||||||
By | /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |||||||
Name: | Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |||||||
Title: | Vice President | |||||||
Great Western Insurance Company | ||||||||
By: Advantus Capital Management, Inc. | ||||||||
By | /s/ Xxxxx Xxxx | |||||||
Name: | Xxxxx Xxxx | |||||||
Title: | Vice President | |||||||
American Fidelity Assurance Company | ||||||||
By: Advantus Capital Management, Inc. | ||||||||
By | /s/ Xxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx | |||||||
Name: | Xxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx | |||||||
Title: | Vice President | |||||||
West American Insurance Company | ||||
By | /s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx | |||
Name: | Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx | |||
Title: | Senior Vice President, Investments | |||
Beneficial Life Insurance Company | ||||
By: | /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |||
Name: | Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |||
Title: | Senior Vice President & CFO | |||