SUBSCRIPTION AGENT AGREEMENT
(Subscription Agent - FINAL)
This Subscription Agent Agreement (the “Agreement”) is made as of April 7, 2014,by and among SWK Holdings Corporation, (the ” Company”), a Delaware corporation, Computershare Inc., a Delaware corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiary Computershare Trust Company, N.A., a national banking association (collectively, the “Agent” or individually “Computershare” and the “Trust Company”, respectively). All terms not defined herein shall have the meaning given in the prospectus (the “Prospectus”) included in the Registration Statement on Form S-1, File No. 1. 333-193942 filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 13, 2014, as amended by any amendment filed with respect thereto (the “Registration Statement”).
The Company hereby appoints the Agent to act as subscription agent in connection with the distribution of Subscription Certificates and the issuance and exercise of the Rights in accordance with the terms set forth in this Agreement and the Agent hereby accepts such appointment.
2. Form and Execution of Subscription Certificates.
A. Each Subscription Certificate shall be non-transferable. The Agent shall, in its capacity as Transfer Agent of the Company, maintain a register of Subscription Certificates and the holders of record thereof (each of whom shall be deemed a “Shareholder” hereunder for purposes of determining the rights of holders of Subscription Certificates). Each Subscription Certificate shall, subject to the provisions thereof, entitle the Shareholder in whose name it is recorded to the following:
(1) With respect to Record Date Shareholders only, the right to acquire prior to the Expiration Date (as defined herein), at the subscription price, as defined in the Prospectus, a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the ratio of shares of Common Stock for every one Right specified in the Prospectus (the “Primary Subscription Right”); and
(2) With respect to Record Date Shareholders only, the right to subscribe for additional shares of Common Stock, subject to the availability of such shares,to the allotment of such shares as may be available among Record Date Shareholders who exercise Over-Subscription Rights on the basis specified in the Prospectus, and the subscription limitation, as defined in the Prospectus; provided, however, that such Record Date Shareholder has exercised all Primary Subscription Rights (the “Over-Subscription Privilege”).
B. Create a special account for the issuance of shares of Common Stock to Shareholders who have exercised the rights set forth herein. Prior to the issuance of Common Stock as set forth herein, the Company shall provide an opinion of counsel to set up the reserve of shares. The opinion shall state that all shares are:
(1) Registered, or subject to a valid exemption from registration, under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”), as amended, and all appropriate state securities law filings have been made with respect to the shares, or alternatively, that the shares are “covered securities” under Section 18 of the Securities Act; and
(2) Validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
3. Rights and Issuance of Subscription Certificates.
A. Each Subscription Certificate shall evidence the Rights of the Shareholder therein named to purchase Common Stock upon the terms and conditions therein and herein set forth.
B. Upon the written advice of the Company, signed by any of its duly authorized officers, as to the Record Date, the Agent shall, from a list of the Company Shareholders as of the Record Date to be prepared by the Agent in its capacity as Transfer Agent of the Company, prepare and record Subscription Certificates in the names of the Shareholders, setting forth the number of Rights to subscribe for the Company’s Common Stock calculated on the basis of one Right for each share of Common Stock recorded on the books in the name of each such Shareholder as of the Record Date. The number of Rights that are issued to Record Date Shareholders will be rounded up by the Agent, to the nearest number of Full Rights as Fractional Rights will not be issued. Each Subscription Certificate shall be dated as of the Record Date and shall be executed manually or by facsimile signature of a duly authorized officer of the Subscription Agent. Upon the written advice, signed as aforesaid, as to the effective date of the Registration Statement, the Agent shall promptly countersign and deliver the Subscription Certificates, together with a copy of the Prospectus, instruction letter and any other document as the Company deems necessary or appropriate, to all Shareholders with record addresses in the United States (including its territories and possessions and the District of Columbia). Delivery shall be by first class mail (without registration or insurance), except for those Shareholders having a registered address outside the United States (who will only receive copies of the Prospectus, instruction letter and other documents as the Company deems necessary or appropriate, if any), delivery shall be by air mail (without registration or insurance) and by first class mail (without registration or insurance) to those Shareholders having APO or FPO addresses. No Subscription Certificate shall be valid for any purpose unless so executed.
C. The Agent will mail a copy of the Prospectus, instruction letter, a special notice and other documents as the Company deems necessary or appropriate, if any, but not Subscription Certificates to Record Date Shareholders whose record addresses are outside the United States (including its territories and possessions and the District of Columbia ) (“Foreign Record Date Shareholders”). The Rights to which such Subscription Certificates relate will be held by the Agent for such Foreign Record Date Shareholders’ accounts until instructions are received to exercise the Rights.
A. Record Date Shareholders may acquire shares of Common Stock on Primary Subscription and pursuant to the Over-Subscription Privilege by delivery to the Agent as specified in the Prospectus of (i) the Subscription Certificate with respect thereto, duly executed by such Shareholder in accordance with and as provided by the terms and conditions of the Subscription Certificate, together with (ii) the subscription price, for each share of Common Stock subscribed for by exercise of such Rights, in U.S. dollars by money order or check drawn on a bank in the United States, in each case payable to the order of Computershare.
B. Rights may be exercised at any time after the date of issuance of the Subscription Certificates with respect thereto but no later than 5:00 P.M. New York time on such date as the Company shall designate to the Agent in writing (the “Expiration Date”). For the purpose of determining the time of the exercise of any Rights, delivery of any material to the Agent shall be deemed to occur when such materials are received at the Shareholder Services Division of the Agent specified in the Prospectus.
C. Any excess payment to be refunded by the Company to a shareholder will be mailed by Computershare within ten Business Days after the cancellation of the offering or rejection of all or part of a shareholder’s Over-Subsciption. Computershare will not issue or deliver certificates or Statements of Holding for shares subscribed for until payment in full therefore has been received, including collection of checks and payment.
Irregular subscriptions not otherwise covered by specific instructions herein shall be submitted to an appropriate officer of the Company and handled in accordance with his or her instructions. Such instructions will be documented by the Agent indicating the instructing officer and the date thereof.
6. Over-Subscription and Standby Purchaser.
If, after allocation of shares of Common Stock to Record Date Shareholders, there remain unexercised Rights, then the Agent shall allot the shares issuable upon exercise of such unexercised Rights (the “Remaining Shares”) to shareholders who have exercised all the Rights initially issued to them and who wish to acquire more than the number of shares for which the Rights issued to them are exercisable. Shares subscribed for pursuant to the Over-Subscription Privilege will be allocated in the amounts of such over-subscriptions. If the number of shares for which the Over-Subscription Privilege has been exercised is greater than the Remaining Shares, the Agent shall allocate the Remaining Shares to Record Date Shareholders exercising Over-Subscription Privilege based on the number of shares of Common Stock owned by them on the Record Date. Agent understands that the Company has entered into a standby purchase agreement with Double Black Diamond, L.P., (“Standby Purchaser.”) As such any remaining shares to be issued shall be allocated to the Standby Purchaser. The percentage of Remaining Shares each over-subscribing Record Date Shareholder or the Standby Purchaser may acquire will be rounded up to result in delivery of whole shares of Common Stock. The Agent shall advise the Company immediately upon the completion of the allocation set forth above as to the total number of shares subscribed and distributable. All allotments of shares pursuant to the Over-Subscription Privilege shall be subject to the subscription limitation.
The Agent will deliver (i) certificates or Statement of Holding reflecting new shares of Company Common Stock in the Direct Registration System, representing those shares of Common Stock purchased pursuant to exercise of Primary Subscription Rights and (ii) certificates or Statements of Holding representing those shares purchased pursuant to the exercise of the Over-Subscription Privilege as soon as practicable after the Expiration Date and after all allocations have been effected.
8. Holding Proceeds of Rights Offering.
A. All proceeds received by Computershare from Shareholders in respect of the exercise of Rights shall be held by Computershare, on behalf of the Company, in a segregated account (the “Account”). No interest shall accrue to the Company or shareholders on funds held in the Account pending disbursement in the manner described in Section 4(C) above.
B. Computershare shall deliver all proceeds received in respect of the exercise of Rights to the Company as promptly as practicable, but in no event later than ten business days after the closing.
C. The Company acknowledges that the bank accounts maintained by Computershare in connection with the services provided under this Agreement will be in its name and that Computershare may receive investment earnings in connection with the investment at Computershare’s risk and for its benefit of funds held in those accounts from time to time.
Daily, during the period commencing when the offering is launch and until termination of the offering, the Agent will report by telephone or telecopy, confirmed by letter, to an officer of the Company, data regarding Rights exercised, the total number of shares of Common Stock subscribed for, and payments received therefor, bringing forward the figures from the previous day’s report in each case so as to show the cumulative totals and any such other information as may be mutually determined by the Company and the Agent.
If any Subscription Certificate is lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed, the Agent may, on such terms which will indemnify and protect the Company and the Agent as the Agent may in its discretion impose (which shall include a corporate bond of indemnity satisfactory to the Agent, and in the case of a mutilated Subscription Certificate, shall include the surrender and cancellation thereof), issue a new Subscription Certificate of like denomination in substitution for the Subscription Certificate so lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed.
11. Compensation for Services.
The Company agrees to pay to the Agent compensation for its services hereunder in accordance with its Fee Schedule to act as Agent attached hereto as Exhibit A. The Company further agrees that it will reimburse the Agent for its reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in the performance of its duties as such.
12. Instructions, Indemnification and Limitation of Liability.
In addition to the foregoing, the Agent:
A. Shall have no duties or obligations other than those specifically set forth herein or as may subsequently be requested of the Agent by the Company with respect to the offering and agreed upon by the Agent;
B. May rely on and shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Company in acting upon any certificate, instrument, opinion, notice, letter, facsimile transmission, telegram or other document, or any security delivered to it, and reasonably believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed by the proper party or parties;
C. May consult with counsel satisfactory to it (including counsel for the Company) and shall be held harmless in relying on the written advice or opinion of such counsel in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in accordance with such advice or opinion of such counsel.
13. Changes in Subscription Certificate.
The Agent may, without the consent or concurrence of the Shareholders in whose names Subscription Certificates are registered, by supplemental agreement or otherwise, concur with the Company in making any changes or corrections in a Subscription Certificate that it shall have been advised by counsel (who may be counsel for the Company) is appropriate to cure any ambiguity or to correct any defective or inconsistent provision or clerical omission or mistake or manifest error therein or herein contained, and which shall not be inconsistent with the provision of the Subscription Certificate except insofar as any such change may confer additional rights upon the Shareholders.
A. Except as provided in Section 14(B) below, neither this Agreement nor any rights or obligations hereunder may be assigned or delegated by either party without the written consent of the other party.
B. The Agent may, without further consent on the part of the Company, subcontract with other subcontractors for systems, processing, telephone and mailing services, and post-exchange activities, as may be required from time to time;provided, however, that the Agent shall be as fully responsible to the Company for the acts and omissions of any subcontractor as it is for its own acts and omissions.
15. Third Party Beneficiaries.
Except as explicitly stated elsewhere in this Agreement, nothing under this Agreement shall be construed to give any rights or benefits in this Agreement to anyone other than the Agent and the Company and the duties and responsibilities undertaken pursuant to this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Agent and the Company. Neither party shall make any commitments with third parties that are binding on the other party without the other party’s prior written consent.
The validity, interpretation and performance of this Agreement shall be governed by the law of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
This Agreement does not constitute an agreement for a partnership or joint venture between the Agent and the Company.
In the event either party is unable to perform its obligations under the terms of this Agreement because of acts of God, strikes, terrorist acts, equipment or transmission failure or damage reasonably beyond its control, or other cause reasonably beyond its control, such party shall not be liable for damages to the other for any damages resulting from such failure to perform or otherwise from such causes. Performance under this Agreement shall resume when the affected party or parties are able to perform substantially that party’s duties.
Neither party to this Agreement shall be liable to the other party for any consequential, indirect, special or incidental damages under any provisions of this Agreement or for any consequential, indirect, penal, special or incidental damages arising out of any act or failure to act hereunder even if that party has been advised of or has foreseen the possibility of such damages.
If any provision of this Agreement shall be held invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, the validity, legality, and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired.
This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original and all of which together shall be considered one and the same agreement.
The captions and descriptive headings herein are for the convenience of the parties only. They do not in any way modify, amplify, alter or give full notice of the provisions hereof.
D. |
(a) | promptly notify the other party in writing of any unauthorized possession, use or disclosure of the other party’s Confidential Information by any person or entity that may become known to such party; |
E. |
(b) | promptly furnish to the other party full details of the unauthorized possession, use or disclosure; and |
(c) | promptly use commercially reasonable efforts to prevent a recurrence of any such unauthorized possession, use or disclosure of Confidential Information. |
23.5 Costs. Each party will bear the costs it incurs as a result of compliance with this Section 23.
This Agreement shall remain in effect until the earlier of (a) thirty (30) days after the Expiration Date; (b) it is terminated by either party upon a material breach of this Agreement which remains uncured for 30 days after written notice of such breach has been provided; or (c) 30 days’ written notice has been provided by either party to the other. Upon termination of the Agreement, the Agent shall retain all canceled Certificates and related documentation as required by applicable law.
Until further notice in writing by either party hereto to the other party, all written reports, notices and other communications between the Agent and the Company required or permitted hereunder shall be delivered or mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid, telecopy or overnight courier guaranteeing next day delivery, addressed as follows:
If to the Company, to:
SWK Holdings Corporation
00000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000
Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 00000
Attn: Xxxxxxx Xxxxx
If to the Agent, to:
Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
c/o Computershare Inc.
000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx, XX 00000
Attn: Reorganization Department
The provisions of Paragraphs 12, 15, 17-19, 22, and 24-31 shall survive any termination, for any reason, of this Agreement.
This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties hereto and supersedes any prior agreement with respect to the subject matter hereof whether oral or written.
In the event of any conflict, discrepancy, or ambiguity between the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement and any schedules or attachments hereto, the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement shall take precedence.
All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns hereunder.
The parties hereto have participated jointly in the negotiation and drafting of this Agreement. In the event any ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, this Agreement shall be construed as if drafted jointly by all parties hereto, and no presumption or burden of proof shall arise favoring or disfavoring any party by virtue of the authorship of any provision of this Agreement.
Descriptive headings contained in this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not control or affect the meaning or construction of any of the provisions hereof.
For both Entities:
COMPUTERSHARE TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
and COMPUTERSHARE, INC.
By: /s/ Xxxx Xxxxxxxx
Title:Vice President
Date: 4/7/14
SWK HOLDINGS CORPORATION
By: /s/ Xxxxxxx Xxxxx
Title: Managing Director
Date: 4/7/14
Fee Schedule to Serve as
Subscription Agent for
SWK Holdings Corporation
A. FEES FOR SERVICES
$ |
20,000.00 |
Subscription Agent Project Management Fee* | |
$ | 15.00 | Per subscription form processed (registered and beneficial) | |
$ | 7.50 | Per sale or transfer of rights, if applicable | |
$ | 3.50 | Per refund check issued and mailed, if applicable | |
$ | 12.00 | Per notice of guarantee/ defective subscription/ withdrawal | |
$ | 5.00 | Calculating proration, each item, if applicable | |
$ | 3,500.00 | Midnight Expiration, if applicable | |
$ | 3,500.00 | Per offer extension, if applicable | |
*Minimum charge should the project be canceled for any reason after the mailing of the subscription form.
§ | Designating an operational team to carry out Subscription Agent duties, including document review and execution of legal agreement, review of subscription form and communication materials, project management, and on-going project updates and reporting |
§ | Coordinating the offering with the Depositary Trust Company |
§ | Interfacing with the Information Agent |
§ | Calculating Rights to be distributed to each shareholder |
§ | Printing shareholder information on the subscription form |
§ | Coordinating the mailing of subscription materials to shareholders with the Information Agent |
§ | Tracking and reporting the number of subscriptions made, as required |
§ | Processing rights received and exercised |
§ | Depositing participant checks daily |
§ | Providing receipt summation of checks received |
§ | Prorating subscriptions as required, if applicable |
§ | Forwarding funds to SWK Holdings Corporation at the end of the offering period |
§ | Calculating, issuing and mailing shares and refund checks, if applicable |
§ | Affixing legends to appropriate stock certificates, where applicable |
C. ITEMS NOT COVERED
§ | Items not specified in the “Services Covered” section set forth in this Agreement, including any services associated with new duties, legislation or regulatory fiat which become effective after the date of this Agreement (these will be provided on an appraisal basis) |
§ | All out-of-pocket expenses such as certificates, checks, postage, stationery, wire transfers, and excess material disposal (these will be billed as incurred) |
§ | Special reporting requests (including but not limited to escheatment, reconciliation and audit reports) and requests to expedite processed items outside of our standard target of 7-10 day turnaround time |
§ | Fee Schedule based upon information known at this time about the transaction. |
§ | Significant changes made in the terms or requirements of this transaction could require modifications to this Fee Schedule |
§ | Company responsible for printing of materials (Prospectus and ancillary documents) |
§ | No interest shall accrue to shareholders or the company |
The Project Management Fee will be rendered and payable on the effective date of the transaction. An invoice for any out-of-pockets and per item fees realized will be rendered and payable on a monthly basis. |