SUBORDINATED GUARANTEE
SUBORDINATED
GUARANTEE made
as
of the 29th day of January, 2007, by Manulife Financial Corporation, a company
incorporated under the Insurance
Companies Act
(Canada)
(the “Guarantor”),
in
favour of the Holders (defined herein) of certain subordinated debentures
issued
by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company, a corporation amalgamated under
Insurance
Companies Act (Canada)
(the “Corporation”)
and in
favour of CIBC Mellon Trust Company as trustee (including any successor pursuant
to the terms of the Indenture (as defined herein), the “Trustee”),
under
the terms of a trust indenture made as of February 16, 2001, as the same
may be amended and supplemented in accordance with the terms thereof (the
“Indenture”)
between the Corporation and the Trustee on behalf of the Holders of the
Corporation’s 6.24% subordinated debentures due February 16, 2016 (first
redeemable February 16, 2011) (the “Debentures”).
WHEREAS,
the
Guarantor owns all of the outstanding common shares of the
Corporation;
AND
WHEREAS,
the
Guarantor wishes to execute this Subordinated Guarantee to guarantee to the
Trustee and the Holders the due and punctual payment by the Corporation of
all
amounts payable by the Corporation under the Debentures and the
Indenture;
AND
WHEREAS,
this
Subordinated Guarantee is intended to enable the Corporation to obtain an
exemption (as the same may be amended, restated or superseded from time to
time,
the “Continuous
Disclosure Exemption”)
from
filing certain continuous disclosure documents with the Canadian securities
regulatory authorities, which will relieve the Corporation of costs and
inconvenience;
AND
WHEREAS, as
the
owner of all of the Corporation’s outstanding common shares, the Guarantor will
indirectly benefit from the benefits to the Corporation referred to in the
previous recital;
NOW
THEREFORE,
in
consideration of the premises set forth herein, and other good and valuable
consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged,
the
Guarantor hereby agrees as follows:
Section 1. Defined
Terms.
The
following terms, as used herein, shall have the following meanings:
(a)
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“Business
Day”
means any day on which Canadian chartered banks are open for business
in
Toronto, Ontario and which is not a Saturday or a
Sunday;
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(b)
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“Continuous
Disclosure Exemption”
has the meaning attributed to such term in the recitals
hereto;
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(c)
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“Guaranteed
Obligations”
has the meaning attributed to such term in Section 2
hereof;
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(d)
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“Guarantor
Senior Indebtedness”
means the
principal of, and the interest, premium, fees and other amounts
owing, if
any, in respect of:
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(i)
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all
liabilities and indebtedness of the Guarantor (other than indebtedness
in
respect of this Subordinated Guarantee), whether outstanding on
the date
of this Subordinated Guarantee or thereafter created, incurred,
assumed,
guaranteed or indemnified for money borrowed by the Guarantor or
for money
borrowed by others (other than the Debentures) for which the Guarantor
is
responsible or liable (including without limitation by way of assumption,
guarantee or indemnity);
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(ii)
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amounts
owing by the Guarantor, or amounts owing by others for which the
Guarantor
is responsible or liable, in respect of hedging or swap
arrangements;
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(iii)
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liabilities
and indebtedness of the Guarantor whether outstanding on the date
of this
Subordinated Guarantee or thereafter created, incurred, assumed,
guaranteed or indemnified by the Guarantor in connection with the
acquisition by the Guarantor or by others of any person, business,
property or other assets; and
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(iv)
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any
renewal, extension, replacement or refinancing of any liability
or
indebtedness referred to in paragraphs (i) to (iii) of this definition,
including any renewal, extension, replacement or refinancing of
any
previous renewal, extension, replacement or
refinancing;
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in
each
case unless the terms of such liability or indebtedness provide that such
liability or indebtedness ranks pari passu with, or is subordinate in right
of
payment to, the Debentures or this Subordinated Guarantee thereof;
(e)
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“Holders”
means the Persons for the time being entered in the registers of
the
Corporation for the Debentures as holders of
Debentures;
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(f)
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“MD&A”
has the meaning attributed thereto in Section 13
hereof; and
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(g)
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“Person”
means
any individual, partnership, limited partnership, joint venture,
syndicate, sole proprietorship, company or corporation with or
without
share capital, unincorporated association, trust, trustee, executor,
administrator or other legal personal representative, government
or
governmental authority or entity, however designated or
constituted.
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Section 2. Guarantee.
The
Guarantor hereby unconditionally and, subject to Section 10
hereof,
irrevocably guarantees to each Holder and to the Trustee, on behalf of each
such
Holder, as principal and not merely as surety, the due and punctual payment
(whether at stated maturity, upon acceleration or otherwise) of the principal,
premium, if any, interest and
redemption
price, if any, on each Debenture and all other amounts payable by the
Corporation under the Indenture; provided, however, that the payment of interest
on overdue installments of interest is guaranteed only to the extent permitted
by law (such amounts, the “Guaranteed
Obligations”).
In the
case of the failure of the Corporation to punctually make any such payment
of
principal, premium, if any, interest and redemption price, if any, on each
Debenture or any other amounts payable by the Corporation under the Indenture,
the Guarantor hereby agrees to cause any such payment to be made punctually
when
and as the same shall become due and payable (whether at stated maturity,
upon
acceleration or otherwise), and in any event within 15 days of receiving
notice of any such failure and demand for payment therefor from the Trustee
or,
to the extent permitted by Section 15
hereof,
any Holder, and as if such payment were made by the Corporation.
Section 3. Guarantee
Absolute.
The
Guarantor agrees that the guarantee contained in this Subordinated Guarantee
is
a guarantee of payment and that the Guarantor’s obligation to pay the Guaranteed
Obligations hereunder shall be primary, absolute and unconditional and, without
limiting the generality of the foregoing, shall not be released, discharged
or
otherwise affected by:
(a)
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any
extension of the time or times for the payment of the Guaranteed
Obligations, renewal, settlement, compromise, waiver, indulgence
or
release granted to the Corporation by the Holders or the Trustee
in
respect of any obligation of the Corporation under the Indenture
or any
Debenture, by operation of law or
otherwise;
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(b)
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any
modification or amendment of or supplement to the Indenture or
any
Debenture;
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(c)
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any
change in the corporate existence, structure or ownership of the
Corporation, or any insolvency, bankruptcy, reorganization or other
similar proceeding affecting the Corporation or its assets or any
resulting release or discharge of any obligation of the Corporation
contained in the Indenture or any
Debenture;
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(d)
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the
existence of any defense, claim, set-off or other rights which
the
Guarantor may have at any time against the Corporation, the Trustee,
any
Holder or any other Person, whether in connection herewith or any
unrelated transactions;
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(e)
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any
invalidity, illegality, irregularity or unenforceability for any
reason of
the Indenture or any Debenture or in any part thereof as regards
the
Corporation, or any provision of applicable law or regulation purporting
to prohibit the payment by the Corporation of the principal, premium,
if
any, interest or redemption price, if any, on any Debenture or
any other
amount payable by the Corporation under the
Indenture;
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(f)
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any
other act or omission to act or delay of any kind by the Corporation,
the
Trustee, any Holder or any other Person or any other circumstance
whatsoever which might, but for the provisions of this paragraph,
constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of the Guarantor’s
obligations hereunder;
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(g)
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any
contest by the Corporation or any Person as to the amount of the
Guaranteed Obligations;
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(h)
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the
failure to enforce the provisions of any Debenture or the Indenture;
or
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(i)
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the
recovery of any judgment against the Corporation or any action
to enforce
the same.
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Section 4. Subordination.
(a)
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The
Guarantor covenants and agrees that the Guarantor’s obligations under this
Subordinated Guarantee to make any payment with respect to the
Debentures
are expressly subordinated, to the extent and in the manner hereinafter
set forth, in right of payment to the prior payment in full of
all
Guarantor Senior Indebtedness. Anything in this Subordinated Guarantee
to
the contrary notwithstanding, upon any distribution of assets of
the
Guarantor upon any dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization
of the Guarantor, whether in bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization
or
receivership proceedings or upon an assignment for the benefit
of
creditors or any other marshalling of the assets and liabilities
of the
Guarantor or otherwise (subject to the power of a court of competent
jurisdiction to make other equitable provision reflecting the rights
conferred in this Subordinated Guarantee upon the Guarantor Senior
Indebtedness and the holders thereof with respect to payments in
respect
of this Subordinated Guarantee and the Holders by a lawful plan
or
reorganization under applicable insolvency
law),
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(i)
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the
holders of all Guarantor Senior Indebtedness shall be entitled
to receive
payment in full of any principal thereof, premium, if any, interest,
redemption price, if any, or any other amount payable, and any
interest
thereon, due thereon before any Holder is entitled to receive any
payment
pursuant to this Subordinated Guarantee in respect of the principal,
premium, interest, redemption price or any other amount payable
of or on the Debentures, or interest on overdue amounts thereof;
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(ii)
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any
payment or distribution of assets of the Guarantor of any kind
or
character, whether in cash, property or securities, to which the
Holders
or the Trustee would be entitled except for the provisions of this
Section 4(a)
shall be paid by the liquidating trustee or agent or other person
making
such payment or distribution, whether a trustee in bankruptcy,
a receiver
or liquidating trustee or otherwise, directly to the holders of
Guarantor
Senior Indebtedness or their representative or representatives
or to the
trustee or trustees under any indenture under which any instruments
evidencing any of such Guarantor Senior Indebtedness may have been
issued,
as their respective interests may appear, to the extent necessary
to make
payment in full of all such Guarantor Senior Indebtedness remaining
unpaid, after giving effect to any concurrent payment or distribution
to
the holders of such Guarantor Senior Indebtedness in respect thereof;
and
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(iii)
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in
the event that, notwithstanding the foregoing, any payment or distribution
of assets of the Guarantor of any kind or character, whether in
cash,
property or securities, shall be received by the Trustee on behalf
of the
Holders or any Holder before all Guarantor Senior Indebtedness
is paid in
full, such payment or distribution shall be paid over to the holders
of
such Guarantor Senior Indebtedness or their representative or
representatives or to the trustee or trustees under any indenture
under
which any instruments evidencing any of such Guarantor Senior Indebtedness
may have been issued, as their respective interests may appear,
for
application to the payment of all Guarantor Senior Indebtedness
remaining
unpaid until all such Guarantor Senior Indebtedness shall have
been paid
in full, after giving effect to any concurrent payment or distribution
to
the holders of such Guarantor Senior Indebtedness in respect
thereof.
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(b)
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Subject
to the payment in full of all Guarantor Senior Indebtedness, the
Holders
shall be subrogated to the rights of the holders of Guarantor Senior
Indebtedness to receive payments or distributions of cash, property
or
securities of the Guarantor applicable to Guarantor Senior Indebtedness
until the principal, premium, interest, redemption price, if any,
or any
other amount payable, and any interest thereon, of or on the Debentures
shall be paid in full and no payments or distributions to the Holders
of
cash, property or securities otherwise distributable to the Guarantor
Senior Indebtedness shall, as between the Guarantor, its creditors
other
than the holders of Guarantor Senior Indebtedness, and the Holders,
be
deemed to be a payment by the Guarantor to or on account of the
Debentures. It is understood that the provisions of this paragraph
and
paragraph (a) above are and are intended solely for the purpose
of
defining the relative rights of the Holders, on the one hand, and
the
holders of Guarantor Senior Indebtedness, on the other hand. Nothing
contained in this paragraph or paragraph (a) above or elsewhere
in this
Subordinated Guarantee is intended to or shall impair, as between
the
Guarantor, its creditors other than the holders of Guarantor Senior
Indebtedness, and the Holders, the obligation of the Guarantor,
which is
unconditional and absolute, to pay to the Holders the principal,
premium,
interest, redemption price or any other amount payable of or on
the
Debentures, as and when the same shall become due and payable in
accordance with their terms, or to affect the relative rights of
the
Holders and creditors of the Guarantor other than the holders of
Guarantor
Senior Indebtedness, nor shall anything herein or in the Debentures
prevent the Trustee or the Holders from exercising all remedies
otherwise
permitted by applicable law upon default under the Indenture, subject
to
the rights, if any, under this paragraph or paragraph (a) above
of the
holders of Guarantor Senior Indebtedness in respect of cash, property
or
securities of the Guarantor received upon the exercise of any such
remedy.
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(c)
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No
payment by the Guarantor on account of principal, premium, interest,
redemption price or any other amount payable of or on the Debentures
shall
be made unless full payment of amounts then due for principal,
premium, if
any, sinking funds and interest or any other amount payable on
Guarantor
Senior Indebtedness has been made or duly provided for in money
or money’s
worth.
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(d)
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The
Guarantor shall be subrogated to all rights of the Holders and
the Trustee
against the Corporation in respect of any amounts paid to such
Holders by
the Guarantor pursuant to the provisions of this Subordinated Guarantee;
provided, however, that the Guarantor shall not be entitled to
enforce or
to receive any payments arising out of or based upon such right
of
subrogation until the principal of, premium, if any, interest and
redemption price, if any, on all Debentures shall have been paid
in
full.
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Section 5. Covenants.
(a)
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The
Guarantor shall furnish to the Trustee and each Holder such continuous
disclosure documents of the Guarantor that the Guarantor is required
to
deliver to Holders pursuant to the Continuous Disclosure Exemption
in the
manner and at the times required by the Continuous Disclosure
Exemption.
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(b)
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The
Guarantor shall file with Canadian securities regulatory authorities
such
continuous disclosure documents of the Guarantor that the Guarantor
is
required to file pursuant to the Continuous Disclosure Exemption
in the
manner and at the times required by the Continuous Disclosure
Exemption.
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Section 6. Representations
and Warranties.
The
Guarantor hereby represents and warrants as of the date hereof
that:
(a)
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Authorization;
No Contravention.
The execution, delivery and performance by the Guarantor of this
Subordinated Guarantee (i) are within its powers, have been duly
authorized by all necessary corporate action, require no action
by or in
respect of, or filing with, any governmental body, agency or official
except as have been obtained or filed, and do not contravene any
of the
terms, conditions or provisions of the
by-laws, constating documents or resolutions of its shareholders
or
directors, and (ii) do not contravene, or constitute a default
under, any
provision of applicable law or regulation, as amended from time
to time,
or of any judgment, injunction, order, decree, agreement or other
instrument binding upon the Guarantor or result in or require the
creation
or imposition of any lien on any asset of the Guarantor other than
any
contravention, default or lien which would not have a material
adverse
effect on the ability of the Guarantor to perform its obligations
under
this Subordinated Guarantee.
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(b)
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Binding
Effect.
This Subordinated Guarantee constitutes the legal, valid and binding
obligation of the Guarantor, enforceable against the Guarantor
in
accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be
limited by
the effect of any bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyances,
reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws affecting the
enforcement
of creditors’ rights generally and by general principles of equity and
subject to the qualifications that equitable remedies may only
be granted
in a court of competent jurisdiction (regardless of whether such
enforceability is considered in a proceeding at law or in
equity).
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(c)
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Litigation.
There is no action, suit or proceeding pending against the Guarantor
or,
to the knowledge of the Guarantor, threatened against the Guarantor
before
any court or arbitrator or any governmental body, agency or official
in
which there is a reasonable possibility of an adverse decision
(i) which,
except as disclosed by the Guarantor in any filings with Canadian
securities regulatory authorities, would have a material adverse
effect on
the ability of the Guarantor to perform its obligations under this
Subordinated Guarantee, or (ii) which in any manner draws into
question
the enforceability or validity of this Subordinated
Guarantee.
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Section 7. Manner
of Payment.
All
payments to be made by the Guarantor hereunder shall be made to the Trustee
for
application in accordance with Section 6.7 of the Indenture.
Section 8. Enforcement
of Guarantee.
The
Guarantor agrees that the Trustee or any Holder (but subject always to the
provisions of Section 15
hereof)
need not seek or exhaust their recourse against the Corporation or any other
Person in respect of the Guaranteed Obligations before being entitled to
payment
under this Subordinated Guarantee.
Section 9. Waiver.
The
Guarantor hereby irrevocably waives promptness, diligence, acceptance hereof,
presentment, demand, filing of claims with a court in the event of the merger,
amalgamation, reorganization, insolvency, bankruptcy or similar proceeding
affecting the Corporation or its assets or change in corporate structure
or
ownership of the Corporation, protest and any and all other notice not provided
for herein and any requirement that at any time the Trustee, any Holder (but
subject always to the provisions of Section 15
hereof)
or any other Person exhaust any right or take any action against the Corporation
or any other Person and any other circumstance whatsoever that might otherwise
constitute a legal or
equitable
discharge, release or defense of the Guarantor or that might otherwise limit
recourse against the Guarantor.
Section 10. Notices.
All
notices and other communications provided for or permitted hereunder shall
be
made as follows:
If
to the Guarantor:
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Manulife
Financial Corporation
000
Xxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxx
Xxxxxxx,
Xxxxxxx
X0X
0X0
Attention: Treasurer
Fax
No.: 000-000-0000
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If
to the
Corporation, the Trustee or any Holder as specified in Article 10 of the
Indenture.
Section 11. No
Waiver; Remedies.
No
failure on the part of the Trustee or any Holder (but subject always to the
provisions of Section 15
hereof)
to exercise, and no delay in exercising, any right hereunder shall operate
as a
waiver thereof; nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right hereunder
preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other
right. The remedies herein provided are cumulative and not exclusive of any
remedies provided by law.
Section 12. Continuing
Guarantee; Reinstatement in Certain Circumstances.
The
guarantee contained in this Subordinated Guarantee is a continuing guarantee
and
the Guarantor’s obligations hereunder shall:
(i) remain
in
full force and effect until the earlier of the indefeasible payment in full
of
the Guaranteed Obligations or termination of the Subordinated Guarantee pursuant
to Section 13;
(ii) be
binding upon the Guarantor and its successors and assigns; and
(iii) inure
to
the benefit of and be enforceable by the Trustee and any Holder (but subject
always to the provisions of Section 15
hereof)
and their respective successors and permitted assigns;
provided,
however, that this Subordinated Guarantee shall not be construed to create
any
right in any Person other than the Trustee and any Holder (but subject to
the
provisions of Section 15
hereof)
and their respective successors and permitted assigns, or to be a contract
in
whole or in part for the benefit of any Person other than the Trustee and
the
Holders (but subject to the provisions of Section 15
hereof)
and their respective successors and permitted assigns. If at any time any
payment of any of the Guaranteed Obligations is rescinded or must otherwise
be
restored or returned upon the insolvency, bankruptcy or reorganization of
the
Corporation or otherwise, the obligations of the Guarantor hereunder with
respect to such payment shall be reinstated as though such payment had been
due
but not made at such time.
Section 13. Term. Notwithstanding
Section 12,
this
Subordinated Guarantee shall come into force and be effective as of the date
hereof and shall terminate and be of no further force and effect (except
in
respect of any demand previously made on the Guarantor hereunder) at the
earlier
of:
(i) unless
the Guarantor and the Corporation agree to the contrary, the date that no
Debentures are outstanding;
(ii) the
date
as of which the Guarantor no longer owns, directly or indirectly, all of
the
outstanding common shares of the Corporation;
(iii) the
date
that the Continuous Disclosure Exemption is no longer available to the
Corporation; or
(iv) the
date
the Corporation commences filing with the local securities regulatory authority
or regulator in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario,
Québec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador its own
(i) audited annual financial statements including management’s discussion
and analysis (“MD&A”),
(ii) unaudited interim financial statements including MD&A,
(iii) annual information forms, (iv) press releases and material
change reports in the case of material change reports that are also material
changes in the affairs of the Guarantor, and (v) other material contracts,
in each case pursuant to National Instrument 51-102 - Continuous
Disclosure Obligations.
Section 14. Stay
of Liability to Pay or Time for Payment.
Without
limiting any other provision of this Subordinated Guarantee, if the liability
to
pay or the time for payment of any Guaranteed Obligation is stayed upon the
insolvency, bankruptcy or reorganization of the Corporation, all such amounts
otherwise subject to payment shall nonetheless be payable by the Guarantor
hereunder to the Trustee or, to the extent permitted by Section 15,
hereof,
the Holders forthwith on demand.
Section 15. Holders
May Not Enforce.
No
Holder shall have the right to institute any suit, action or proceeding against
the Guarantor for any default hereunder except in the manner and subject
to the
conditions, mutatis
mutandis,
set
forth in Section 6.6 of the Indenture, it being understood and intended that
no
one or more of the Holders shall have any right in any manner whatsoever
to
enforce any right hereunder or pursuant hereto by any action except as aforesaid
and that all powers and trusts hereunder shall be exercised and all proceedings
at law or in equity shall be instituted, had and maintained by the Trustee,
except as aforesaid.
Section 16. Expenses.
The
Guarantor shall pay, or reimburse, the Trustee and the Holders for all costs
and
expenses including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees and
disbursements reasonably incurred by it in connection with the enforcement
of
this Subordinated Guarantee; provided, however, that the Guarantor shall
only be
required to pay, or reimburse, for the reasonable attorneys’ fees and
disbursements for one counsel for the Trustee and the Holders.
Section 17. Governing
Law.
This
Subordinated Guarantee shall be governed by, and construed in accordance
with,
the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable
therein.
Section 18. Severability.
Any
provision of this Subordinated Guarantee which is illegal, invalid, prohibited
or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be
ineffective to the extent of such illegality, invalidity, prohibition or
unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof and
any
such illegality, invalidity, prohibition or unenforceability in any judgment
shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other
jurisdiction.
Section 19. Entire
Agreement.
This
Subordinated Guarantee embodies the entire agreement of the Guarantor with
respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any prior written or
oral
agreements and understandings relating to the subject matter hereof and
thereof.
[remainder
of page intentionally left blank]
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the Guarantor has caused this Subordinated Guarantee to
be duly
executed and delivered as of the date first written above as a contract under
seal with the intention that the Guarantor be bound whether or not there
is
consideration for this Subordinated Guarantee notwithstanding references
to
consideration in this Subordinated Guarantee.
(seal)
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MANULIFE
FINANCIAL CORPORATION
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By: /s/
Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxxx
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Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxxx |
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Title: Senior
Executive Vice President
and
Chief Financial
Officer
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