EXECUTION COPY
ABFS MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST 1998-1
MORTGAGE LOAN PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES
SERIES 1998-1
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
Execution Copy
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
PRUDENTIAL SECURITIES INCORPORATED
Xxx Xxx Xxxx Xxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
February 27, 1998
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Prudential Securities Secured Financing Corporation (the
"Depositor") proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein and in
the attached Underwriting Agreement Standard Provisions, dated February 27, 1998
(the "Standard Provisions"), between the Depositor and Prudential Securities
Incorporated, to issue and sell to you (the "Underwriter") the Securities
specified in Schedule I hereto (the "Offered Securities"). The Depositor agrees
that each of the provisions of the Standard Provisions is incorporated herein by
reference in its entirety, and shall be deemed to be a part of this Agreement to
the same extent as if such provisions had been set forth in full herein; and
each of the representations and warranties set forth therein shall be deemed to
have been made at and as of the date of this Underwriting Agreement. Each
reference to the "Representative" herein and in the provisions of the Standard
Provisions so incorporated by reference shall be deemed to refer to you. Unless
otherwise defined herein, terms defined in the Standard Provisions are used
herein as therein defined. The Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying
Prospectus relating to the Offered Securities (together, the "Prospectus") are
incorporated by reference herein.
Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein and in
the Standard Provisions incorporated herein by reference, the Depositor agrees
to issue and sell to the Underwriter, and the Underwriter agrees to purchase
from the Depositor, at the time and place and at the purchase price to the
Underwriter and in the manner set forth in Schedule I hereto, the entire
original principal balance of the Offered Securities.
[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank]
2
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding,
please sign and return to us two counterparts hereof, and upon acceptance hereof
by you, this letter and such acceptance hereof, including the provisions of the
Standard Provisions incorporated herein by reference, shall constitute a binding
agreement between the Underwriter and the Depositor.
Yours truly,
PRUDENTIAL SECURITIES SECURED
FINANCING CORPORATION
By: _________________________________
Name:
Title:
Accepted as of the date hereof:
PRUDENTIAL SECURITIES INCORPORATED
By: __________________________________
Name:
Title:
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
SCHEDULE I
Title of Offered Securities: ABFS Mortgage Loan Trust 1998-1, Mortgage
Loan Pass-Through Certificates, Series
1998-1, Class A-1, Class A-2, Class A-3,
Class A-4, Class A-5 and Class A-6.
Terms of Offered Securities: The Offered Securities shall have the terms
set forth in the Prospectus and shall conform
in all material respects to the descriptions
thereof contained therein, and shall be
issued pursuant to a Pooling and Servicing
Agreement to be dated as of February 1, 1998
among the Depositor, American Business
Credit, Inc., as servicer, and The Chase
Manhattan Bank, as trustee.
Purchase Price: The purchase price for the Offered Securities
shall be 99.50%, 99.50%, 99.50%, 99.50%.
99.50% and 99.50% of the aggregate principal
balance of the Class A-1, Class A-2, Class
A-3, Class A-4, Class A-5 and Class A-6
Certificates, respectively, as of the Closing
Date, plus accrued interest at the rate of
6.490%, 6.490%, 6.695%, 7.145% and 6.595% per
annum, on the aggregate principal balance of
the Class A-2, Class A-3, Class A-4, Class
A-5 and Class A-6 Certificates, respectively,
from February 1, 1998 to, but not including,
March 12, 1998.
Specified funds for payment of Federal Funds (immediately available funds).
Purchase Price:
Required Ratings: Aaa by Xxxxx'x Investors Service, Inc.
AAA by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services
Closing Date: On or about March 12, 1998 at 10:00 A.M.
eastern standard time or at such other time
as the Depositor and the Underwriter shall
agree.
Closing Location: Offices of American Business Credit, Inc.,
Balapointe Office Centre, 000 Xxxxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxxx Xxxxxx,
Xxxxxxxxxxxx 00000.
Name and address of Designated Representative: Prudential
Representative: Securities Incorporated.
Address for Notices, etc.: Xxx Xxx Xxxx Xxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
Attn: Xxx Xxxx
STANDARD PROVISIONS TO UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
February 27, 1998
From time to time, Prudential Securities Secured Financing
Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the "Depositor") may enter into one or more
underwriting agreements (each, an "Underwriting Agreement") that provide for the
sale of designated securities to the several underwriters named therein (such
underwriters constituting the "Underwriters" with respect to such Underwriting
Agreement and the securities specified therein). The several underwriters named
in an Underwriting Agreement will be represented by one or more representatives
as named in such Underwriting Agreement (collectively, the "Representative").
The term "Representative" also refers to a single firm acting as sole
representative of the Underwriters and to Underwriters who act without any firm
being designated as their representative. The standard provisions set forth
herein (the "Standard Provisions") may be incorporated by reference in any
Underwriting Agreement. This Agreement shall not be construed as an obligation
of the Depositor to sell any securities or as an obligation of any of the
Underwriters to purchase such securities. The obligation of the Depositor to
sell any securities and the obligation of any of the Underwriters to purchase
any of the securities shall be evidenced by the Underwriting Agreement with
respect to the securities specified therein. An Underwriting Agreement shall be
in the form of an executed writing (which may be in counterparts), and may be
evidenced by an exchange of telegraphic communications or any other rapid
transmission device designed to produce a written record of the communications
transmitted. The obligations of the underwriters under this Agreement and each
Underwriting Agreement shall be several and not joint. Unless otherwise defined
herein, the terms defined in the Underwriting Agreement are used herein as
defined in the Prospectus referred to below.
1. The Offered Securities. The Depositor proposes to sell
pursuant to the applicable Underwriting Agreement to the several Underwriters
named therein home equity loan certificates (the "Securities") representing
beneficial ownership interests in a trust, the trust property of which consists
of a pool of home equity loans (the "Mortgage Loans") and certain related
property. The Securities will be issued pursuant to a pooling and servicing
agreement (the "Pooling and Servicing Agreement") by and among the Depositor,
American Business Credit, Inc., as Servicer (the "Servicer") and The Chase
Manhattan Bank, as trustee (the "Trustee").
The terms and rights of any particular issuance of Securities
shall be as specified in the Underwriting Agreement relating thereto and in or
pursuant to the Pooling and Servicing Agreement identified in such Underwriting
Agreement. The Securities which are the subject of any particular Underwriting
Agreement into which this Agreement is incorporated are herein referred to as
the "Offered Securities."
The Depositor has filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No.
333-27355), including a prospectus relating to the Securities under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"). The term "Registration
Statement" means such registration statement as amended to the date of the
Underwriting Agreement. The term "Base Prospectus" means the prospectus included
in the Registration Statement. The term "Prospectus" means the Base Prospectus
together with the prospectus supplement specifically relating to the Offered
Securities, as first filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424. The term
"Preliminary Prospectus" means a preliminary
prospectus supplement specifically relating to the Offered Securities together
with the Base Prospectus.
2. Offering by the Underwriters. Upon the execution of the
Underwriting Agreement applicable to any Offered Securities and the
authorization by the Representative of the release of such Offered Securities,
the several Underwriters propose to offer for sale to the public the Offered
Securities at the prices and upon the terms set forth in the Prospectus.
3. Purchase, Sale and Delivery of the Offered Securities.
Unless otherwise specified in the Underwriting Agreement, payment for the
Offered Securities shall be made by certified or official bank check or checks
payable to the order of the Depositor in immediately available or next day
funds, at the time and place set forth in the Underwriting Agreement, upon
delivery to the Representative for the respective accounts of the several
Underwriters of the Offered Securities registered in definitive form and in such
names and in such denominations as the Representative shall request in writing
not less than five full business days prior to the date of delivery. The time
and date of such payment and delivery with respect to the Offered Securities are
herein referred to as the "Closing Date".
4. Conditions of the Underwriters' Obligations. The respective
obligations of the several Underwriters pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement
shall be subject, in the discretion of the Representative, to the accuracy in
all material respects of the representations and warranties of the Depositor
contained herein as of the date of the Underwriting Agreement and as of the
Closing Date as if made on and as of the Closing Date, to the accuracy in all
material respects of the statements of the officers of the Depositor and the
Servicer made in any certificates pursuant to the provisions hereof and of the
Underwriting Agreement, to the performance by the Depositor of its covenants and
agreements contained herein and to the following additional conditions
precedent:
(a) All actions required to be taken and all filings required
to be made by or on behalf of the Depositor under the 1933 Act and the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "1934 Act") prior to
the sale of the Offered Securities shall have been duly taken or made.
(b) (i) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the
Registration Statement shall be in effect; (ii) no proceedings for such purpose
shall be pending before or threatened by the Commission, or by any authority
administering any state securities or "Blue Sky" laws; (iii) any requests for
additional information on the part of the Commission shall have been complied
with to the Representative's reasonable satisfaction; (iv) since the respective
dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus except as otherwise stated therein, there shall have been no material
adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, earnings, affairs,
regulatory situation or business prospects of the Depositor; (v) there are no
material actions, suits or proceedings pending before any court or governmental
agency, authority or body or threatened, affecting the Depositor or the
transactions contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement; (vi) the Depositor is
not in violation of its charter or its by-laws or in default in the performance
or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in
any contract, indenture, mortgage, loan agreement, note, lease or other
instrument to which it is a party or by which
2
it or its properties may be bound, which violations or defaults separately or in
the aggregate would have a material adverse effect on the Depositor; and (vii)
the Representative shall have received, on the Closing Date a certificate, dated
the Closing Date and signed by an executive officer of the Depositor, to the
foregoing effect.
(c) Subsequent to the execution of the Underwriting Agreement,
there shall not have occurred any of the following: (i) if at or prior
to the Closing Date, trading in securities on the New York Stock
Exchange shall have been suspended or any material limitation in
trading in securities generally shall have been established on such
exchange, or a banking moratorium shall have been declared by New York
or United States authorities; (ii) if at or prior to the Closing Date,
there shall have been an outbreak or escalation of hostilities between
the United States and any foreign power, or of any other insurrection
or armed conflict involving the United States which results in the
declaration of a national emergency or war, and, in the reasonable
opinion of the Representative, makes it impracticable or inadvisable to
offer or sell the Offered Securities; or (iii) if at or prior to the
Closing Date, a general moratorium on commercial banking activities in
New York shall have been declared by either federal or New York State
authorities.
(d) The Representative shall have received, on the Closing
Date, a certificate dated the Closing Date and signed by an executive
officer of the Depositor to the effect that attached thereto is a true
and correct copy of the letter from each nationally recognized
statistical rating organization (as that term is defined by the
Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the 1933 Act) that
rated the Offered Securities and confirming that, unless otherwise
specified in the Underwriting Agreement, the Offered Securities have
been rated in the highest rating categories by each such organization
and that each such rating has not been rescinded since the date of the
applicable letter.
(e) The Representative shall have received, on the Closing
Date, an opinion of Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx, special counsel for the
Depositor, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory
to the Representative and containing opinions substantially to the
effect set forth in Exhibit A hereto.
(f) The Representative shall have received, on the Closing
Date, an opinion of counsel for the Servicer, dated the Closing Date,
in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative and counsel
for the Underwriters and containing opinions substantially to the
effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto.
(g) The Representative shall have received, on the Closing
Date, an opinion of counsel for the Trustee, dated the Closing Date, in
form and substance satisfactory to the Representative and counsel for
the Underwriters and containing opinions substantially to the effect
set forth in Exhibit C hereto.
(h) The Representative shall have received, on the Closing
Date, an opinion of Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx, counsel for the Underwriters,
dated the Closing Date, with respect to the incorporation of the
Depositor, the validity of the Offered Securities, the Registration
Statement, the Prospectus and other related matters as the Underwriters
may reasonably
3
require, and the Depositor shall have furnished to such counsel such
documents as they request for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon
such matters.
(i) The Representative shall have received, on or prior to the
date of first use of the prospectus supplement relating to the Offered
Securities, and on the Closing Date if requested by the Representative,
letters of independent accountants of the Depositor in the form and
reflecting the performance of the procedures previously requested by
the Representative.
(j) The Depositor shall have furnished or caused to be
furnished to the Representative on the Closing Date a certificate of an
executive officer of the Depositor satisfactory to the Representative
as to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the
Depositor herein at and as of such Closing Date as if made as of such
date, as to the performance by the Depositor of all of its obligations
hereunder to be performed at or prior to such Closing Date, and as to
such other matters as the Representative may reasonably request;
(k) The Servicer shall have furnished or caused to be
furnished to the Representative on the Closing Date a certificate of
officers of such Servicer in form and substance reasonably satisfactory
to the Representative;
(l) The Certificate Insurance Policy shall have been duly
executed and issued at or prior to the Closing Date and shall conform
in all material respects to the description thereof in the Prospectus
Supplement.
(m) The Representative shall have received, on the Closing
Date, an opinion of counsel to Financial Security Assurance Inc. (the
"Certificate Insurer"), dated the Closing Date, in form and substance
satisfactory to the Representative and counsel for the Underwriters and
containing opinions substantially to the effect set forth in Exhibit D
hereto.
(n) On or prior to the Closing Date there shall not have
occurred any downgrading, nor shall any notice have been given of (i)
any intended or potential downgrading or (ii) any review or possible
change in rating the direction of which has not been indicated, in the
rating accorded the Certificate Insurer's claims paying ability by any
"nationally recognized statistical rating organization," as such term
is defined for purposes of the 1933 Act.
(o) There has not occurred any change, or any development
involving a prospective change, in the condition, financial or
otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations, since September
30, 1997, of the Certificate Insurer, that is in the Representative's
judgment material and adverse and that makes it in the Representative's
judgment impracticable to market the Offered Securities on the terms
and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus.
(p) The Representative shall have been furnished such further
information, certificates, documents and opinions as the Representative
may reasonably request.
4
5. Covenants of the Depositor. In further consideration of the
agreements of the Underwriters contained in the Underwriting Agreement, the
Depositor covenants as follows:
(a) To furnish the Representative, without charge, copies of
the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto including
exhibits and as many copies of the Prospectus and any supplements and
amendments thereto as the Representative may from time to time
reasonably request.
(b) Immediately following the execution of the Underwriting
Agreement, the Depositor will prepare a prospectus supplement setting
forth the principal amount, notional amount or stated amount, as
applicable, of Offered Securities covered thereby, the price at which
the Offered Securities are to be purchased by the Underwriters from the
Depositor, either the initial public offering price or prices or the
method by which the price or prices at which the Offered Securities are
to be sold will be determined, the selling concessions and
reallowances, if any, any delayed delivery arrangements, and such other
information as the Representative and the Depositor deem appropriate in
connection with the offering of the Offered Securities, but the
Depositor will not file any amendment to the Registration Statement or
any supplement to the Prospectus of which the Representative shall not
previously have been advised and furnished with a copy a reasonable
time prior to the proposed filing or to which the Representative shall
have reasonably objected. The Depositor will use its best efforts to
cause any amendment to the Registration Statement to become effective
as promptly as possible. During the time when a Prospectus is required
to be delivered under the 1933 Act, the Depositor will comply so far as
it is able with all requirements imposed upon it by the 1933 Act and
the rules and regulations thereunder to the extent necessary to permit
the continuance of sales or of dealings in the Offered Securities in
accordance with the provisions hereof and of the Prospectus, and the
Depositor will prepare and file with the Commission, promptly upon
request by the Representative, any amendments to the Registration
Statement or supplements to the Prospectus which may be necessary or
advisable in connection with the distribution of the Offered Securities
by the Underwriters, and will use its best efforts to cause the same to
become effective as promptly as possible. The Depositor will advise the
Representative, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time
when any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amended
Registration Statement has become effective or any supplement to the
Prospectus or any amended Prospectus has been filed. The Depositor will
advise the Representative, promptly after it receives notice or obtains
knowledge thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any order
preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary Prospectus or the
Prospectus, or the suspension of the qualification of the Offered
Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the
initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of
any request made by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of
the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or for additional
information, and the Depositor will use its best efforts to prevent the
issuance of any such stop order or any order suspending any such
qualification, and if any such order is issued, to obtain the lifting
thereof as promptly as possible.
(c) If, at any time when a prospectus relating to the Offered
Securities is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act, any event
occurs as a result of which the Prospectus as
5
then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a
material fact, or omit to state any material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of
the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if it
is necessary for any other reason to amend or supplement the Prospectus
to comply with the 1933 Act, to promptly notify the Representative
thereof and upon their request to prepare and file with the Commission,
at the Depositor's own expense, an amendment or supplement which will
correct such statement or omission or any amendment which will effect
such compliance.
(d) During the period when a prospectus is required by law to
be delivered in connection with the sale of the Offered Securities
pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, the Depositor will file, on a
timely and complete basis, all documents that are required to be filed
by the Depositor with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13, 14, or
15(d) of the 1934 Act.
(e) To qualify the Offered Securities for offer and sale under
the securities or "Blue Sky" laws of such jurisdictions as the
Representative shall reasonably request and to pay all expenses
(including fees and disbursements of counsel) in connection with such
qualification of the eligibility of the Offered Securities for
investment under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Representative
may designate provided that in connection therewith the Depositor shall
not be required to qualify to do business or to file a general consent
to service of process in any jurisdiction.
(f) To make generally available to the Depositor's security
holders, as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than
eighteen months after the date on which the filing of the Prospectus,
as amended or supplemented, pursuant to Rule 424 under the 1933 Act
first occurs, an earnings statement of the Depositor covering a
twelve-month period beginning after the date of the Underwriting
Agreement, which shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the
1933 Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission
thereunder (including, at the option of the Depositor, Rule 158).
(g) For so long as any of the Offered Securities remain
outstanding, to furnish to the Representative upon request in writing
copies of such financial statements and other periodic and special
reports as the Depositor may from time to time distribute generally to
its creditors or the holders of the Offered Securities and to furnish
to the Representative copies of each annual or other report the
Depositor shall be required to file with the Commission.
(h) For so long as any of the Offered Securities remain
outstanding, the Depositor will, or will cause the Servicer to, furnish
to the Representative, as soon as available, a copy of
(i) the annual statement of compliance delivered by the
Servicer to the Trustee under the applicable Pooling and Servicing
Agreement, (ii) the annual independent public accountants' servicing
report furnished to the Trustee pursuant to the applicable Pooling and
Servicing Agreement, (iii) each report regarding the Offered Securities
mailed to the holders of such Securities, and (iv) from time to time,
such other information concerning such Securities as the Representative
may reasonably request.
6
6. Representations and Warranties of the Depositor. The Depositor
represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each Underwriter, as of the date of
the Underwriting Agreement, as follows:
(a) The Registration Statement including a prospectus relating
to the Securities and the offering thereof from time to time in
accordance with Rule 415 under the 1933 Act has been filed with the
Commission and such Registration Statement, as amended to the date of
the Underwriting Agreement, has become effective. No stop order
suspending the effectiveness of such Registration Statement has been
issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or
threatened by the Commission. A prospectus supplement specifically
relating to the Offered Securities will be filed with the Commission
pursuant to Rule 424 under the 1933 Act; provided, however, that a
supplement to the Prospectus prepared pursuant to Section 5(b) hereof
shall be deemed to have supplemented the Basic Prospectus only with
respect to the Offered Securities to which it relates. The conditions
to the use of a registration statement on Form S-3 under the 1933 Act,
as set forth in the General Instructions on Form S-3, and the
conditions of Rule 415 under the 1933 Act, have been satisfied with
respect to the Depositor and the Registration Statement. There are no
contracts or documents of the Depositor that are required to be filed
as exhibits to the Registration Statement pursuant to the 1933 Act or
the rules and regulations thereunder that have not been so filed.
(b) On the effective date of the Registration Statement, the
Registration Statement and the Basic Prospectus conformed in all
material respects to the requirements of the 1933 Act and the rules and
regulations thereunder, and did not include any untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; on
the date of the Underwriting Agreement and as of the Closing Date, the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus conform, and as amended or
supplemented, if applicable, will conform in all material respects to
the requirements of the 1933 Act and the rules and regulations
thereunder, and on the date of the Underwriting Agreement and as of the
Closing Date, neither of such documents includes any untrue statement
of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading, and neither of such documents as amended or supplemented,
if applicable, will include any untrue statement of a material fact or
omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided,
however, that the foregoing does not apply to statements or omissions
in any of such documents based upon written information furnished to
the Depositor by any Underwriter specifically for use therein.
(c) Since the respective dates as of which information is
given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, except as
otherwise stated therein, there has been no material adverse change in
the condition, financial or otherwise, earnings, affairs, regulatory
situation or business prospects of the Depositor, whether or not
arising in the ordinary course of the business of the Depositor.
(d) The Depositor has been duly organized and is validly
existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State
of Delaware.
7
(e) The Depositor has all requisite power and authority
(corporate and other) and all requisite authorizations, approvals,
orders, licenses, certificates and permits of and from all government
or regulatory officials and bodies to own its properties, to conduct
its business as described in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus and to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement, the
Underwriting Agreement, the Pooling and Servicing Agreement and, if
applicable, the Custodial Agreement, except such as may be required
under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase
and distribution by the Underwriter of the Offered Securities; all such
authorizations, approvals, orders, licenses, certificates are in full
force and effect and contain no unduly burdensome provisions; and,
except as set forth or contemplated in the Registration Statement or
the Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending
or, to the best knowledge of the Depositor, threatened that would
result in a material modification, suspension or revocation thereof.
(f) The Offered Securities have been duly authorized, and when
the Offered Securities are issued and delivered pursuant to the
Underwriting Agreement, the Offered Securities will have been duly
executed, issued and delivered and will be entitled to the benefits
provided by the applicable Pooling and Servicing Agreement, subject, as
to the enforcement of remedies, to applicable bankruptcy,
reorganization, insolvency, moratorium and other laws affecting the
rights of creditors generally, and to general principles of equity
(regardless of whether the entitlement to such benefits is considered
in a proceeding in equity or at law), and will conform in substance to
the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus, and will in all material respects be in the form
contemplated by the Pooling and Servicing Agreement.
(g) The execution and delivery by the Depositor of this
Agreement, the Underwriting Agreement and the Pooling and Servicing
Agreement are within the corporate power of the Depositor and none of
the execution and delivery by the Depositor of this Agreement, the
Underwriting Agreement and the Pooling and Servicing Agreement, the
consummation by the Depositor of the transactions therein contemplated,
or the compliance by the Depositor with the provisions thereof, will
conflict with or result in a breach of, or constitute a default under,
the charter or the by-laws of the Depositor or any of the provisions of
any law, governmental rule, regulation, judgment, decree or order
binding on the Depositor or its properties, or any of the provisions of
any indenture, mortgage, contract or other instrument to which the
Depositor is a party or by which it is bound, or will result in the
creation or imposition of a lien, charge or encumbrance upon any of its
property pursuant to the terms of any such indenture, mortgage,
contract or other instrument, except such as have been obtained under
the 1933 Act and such consents, approvals, authorizations,
registrations or qualifications as may be required under state
securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and
distribution of the Offered Securities by the Underwriters.
(h) The Underwriting Agreement has been, and at the Closing
Date the Pooling and Servicing Agreement will have been, duly
authorized, executed and delivered by the Depositor.
8
(i) At the Closing Date, each of the Underwriting Agreement
and the Pooling and Servicing Agreement will constitute a legal, valid
and binding obligation of the Depositor, enforceable against the
Depositor, in accordance with its terms, subject, as to the enforcement
of remedies, to applicable bankruptcy, reorganization, insolvency,
moratorium and other laws affecting the rights of creditors generally,
and to general principles of equity and the discretion of the court
(regardless of whether the enforcement of such remedies is considered
in a proceeding in equity or at law).
(j) No filing or registration with, notice to, or consent,
approval, non-disapproval, authorization or order or other action of,
any court or governmental authority or agency is required for the
consummation by the Depositor of the transactions contemplated by the
Underwriting Agreement or the Pooling and Servicing Agreement, except
such as have been obtained and except such as may be required under the
1933 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder, or state securities or
"Blue Sky" laws, in connection with the purchase and distribution of
the Offered Securities by the Underwriters.
(k) The Depositor owns or possesses or has obtained all
material governmental licenses, permits, consents, orders, approvals
and other authorizations necessary to lease, own or license, as the
case may be, and to operate, its properties and to carry on its
business as presently conducted and has received no notice of
proceedings relating to the revocation of any such license, permit,
consent, order or approval, which singly or in the aggregate, if the
subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would materially
adversely affect the conduct of the business, results of operations,
net worth or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Depositor.
(l) Other than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus,
there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which the
Depositor is a party or of which any property of the Depositor is the
subject which, if determined adversely to the Depositor would
individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on the
condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, affairs, or business or
business prospects of the Depositor and, to the best of the Depositor's
knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by
governmental authorities or threatened by others.
(m) Each of the Offered Securities will, when issued, be a
"mortgage related security" as such term is defined in Section 3(a)(41)
of the 1934 Act.
(n) At the Closing Date or any Subsequent Transfer Date, as
the case may be, each of the Mortgage Loans which is a subject of the
Pooling and Servicing Agreement and all such Mortgage Loans in the
aggregate will meet the criteria for selection described in the
Prospectus, and at the Closing Date or any Subsequent Transfer Date, as
the case may be, the representations and warranties made by the
Depositor in such Pooling and Servicing Agreement will be true and
correct as of such date.
(o) At the time of execution and delivery of the Pooling and
Servicing Agreement and on any Subsequent Transfer Date, as the case
may be, the Depositor will have good and marketable title to the
Mortgage Loans being transferred to the Trustee pursuant to the Pooling
and Servicing Agreement, free and clear of any lien, mortgage, pledge,
charge,
9
encumbrance, adverse claim or other security interest (collectively,
"Liens"), and will not have assigned to any person any of its right,
title or interest in such Mortgage Loans or in such Pooling and
Servicing Agreement or the Offered Securities being issued pursuant
thereto, the Depositor will have the power and authority to transfer
such Mortgage Loans to the Trustee and to transfer the Offered
Securities to each of the Underwriters, and upon execution and delivery
to the Trustee of the Pooling and Servicing Agreement and delivery to
each of the Underwriters of the Offered Securities, and on any
Subsequent Transfer Date, as the case may be, the Trustee will have
good and marketable title to the Mortgage Loans and each of the
Underwriters will have good and marketable title to the Offered
Securities, in each case free and clear of any Liens.
(p) The Pooling and Servicing Agreement is not required to be
qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, and the
Trust Fund (as defined in the Pooling and Servicing Agreement) is not
required to be registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended.
(q) Any taxes, fees and other governmental charges in
connection with the execution, delivery and issuance of the
Underwriting Agreement, this Agreement, the Pooling and Servicing
Agreement and the Offered Securities have been or will be paid at or
prior to the Closing Date.
7. Indemnification and Contribution. (a) The Depositor agrees to
indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter (including Prudential Securities
Incorporated acting in its capacity as Representative and as one of the
Underwriters), and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the
meaning of the 1933 Act, against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities,
joint or several, to which such Underwriter or such controlling person may
become subject under the 1933 Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims,
damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based
upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact
contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the
Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based
upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required
to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading,
and will reimburse each Underwriter and each such controlling person for any
legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter or such
controlling person in connection with investigating or defending any such loss,
claim, damage, liability or action; provided, however, that the Depositor will
not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage
or liability arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration
Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or
supplement thereto in reliance upon and in conformity with (1) written
information furnished to the Depositor by any Underwriter through the
Representative specifically for use therein or (2) information regarding the
Mortgage Loans except to the extent that the Depositor has been indemnified by
the Servicer. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability
which the Depositor may otherwise have.
(b) Each Underwriter will indemnify and hold harmless the
Depositor, each of the Depositor's directors, each of the Depositor's officers
who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the
Depositor, within the meaning of the 1933 Act, against
10
any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Depositor, or any such
director, officer or controlling person may become subject, under the 1933 Act
or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions
in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in the Registration
Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, or any amendment or
supplement thereto, or any other prospectus relating to the Offered Securities,
or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state
therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the
extent, that such untrue statements or alleged untrue statements or omission or
alleged omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with written
information furnished to the Depositor by any Underwriter through the
Representative specifically for use therein; and each Underwriter will reimburse
any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Depositor or any such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with investigating or
defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action. This indemnity
agreement will be in addition to any liability which such Underwriter may
otherwise have. The Depositor acknowledges that the statements set forth under
the caption "PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION" in the Prospectus Supplement constitute the
only information furnished to the Depositor by or on behalf of any Underwriter
for use in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the
Prospectus, and each of the several Underwriters represents and warrants that
such statements are correct as to it.
(c) In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in
circumstances in which the indemnity agreement provided for in the preceding
parts of this Section 7 is for any reason held to be unavailable to or
insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b)
above in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in
respect thereof) referred to therein, then the indemnifying party shall
contribute to the amount paid or payable by the indemnified party as a result of
such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof);
provided, however, that no person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within
the meaning of Section 11(f) of the 1933 Act) shall be entitled to contribution
from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. In
determining the amount of contribution to which the respective parties are
entitled, there shall be considered the relative benefits received by the
Depositor on the one hand, and the Underwriters on the other, from the offering
of the Offered Securities (taking into account the portion of the proceeds of
the offering realized by each), the Depositor's and the Underwriters' relative
knowledge and access to information concerning the matter with respect to which
the claim was asserted, the opportunity to correct and prevent any statement or
omission, and any other equitable considerations appropriate in the
circumstances. The Depositor and the Underwriters agree that it would not be
equitable if the amount of such contribution were determined by pro rata or per
capita allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such
purpose). No Underwriter or person controlling such Underwriter shall be
obligated to make contribution hereunder which in the aggregate exceeds the
total underwriting fee of the Offered Securities purchased by such Underwriter
under the Underwriting Agreement, less the aggregate amount of any damages which
such Underwriter and its controlling persons have otherwise been required to pay
in respect of the same or any substantially similar claim. The Underwriters'
obligation to contribute hereunder are several in proportion to their respective
underwriting obligations and not joint. For purposes of this Section 7, each
person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of
the 1933 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and
each director of the Depositor, each officer of the Depositor who signed the
Registration Statement, and each person, if
11
any, who controls the Depositor within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933
Act, shall have the same rights to contribution as the Depositor.
(d) The parties hereto agree that the first sentence of
Section 5 of the Indemnification Agreement (the "Indemnification Agreement")
dated as of the Closing Date among the Certificate Insurer, the Servicer, the
Depositor and the Underwriter shall not be construed as limiting the Depositor's
right to enforce its rights under Section 7 of this Agreement. The parties
further agree that, as between the parties hereto, to the extent that the
provisions of Section 5 of the Indemnification Agreement conflict with Section 7
hereof, the provisions of Section 7 hereof shall govern.
8. Survival of Certain Representations and Obligations. The
respective representations, warranties, agreements, covenants, indemnities and
other statements of the Depositor, its officers and the several Underwriters set
forth in, or made pursuant to, the Underwriting Agreement shall remain in full
force and effect, regardless of any investigation, or statement as to the result
thereof, made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, the Depositor, or any of the
officers or directors or any controlling person of any of the foregoing, and
shall survive the delivery of and payment for the Offered Securities.
9. Termination. (a) The Underwriting Agreement may be
terminated by the Depositor by notice to the Representative in the event that a
stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have
been issued or proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or
threatened.
(b) The Underwriting Agreement may be terminated by the
Representative by notice to the Depositor in the event that the Depositor shall
have failed, refused or been unable to perform all obligations and satisfy all
conditions to be performed or satisfied hereunder by the Depositor at or prior
to the Closing Date.
(c) Termination of the Underwriting Agreement pursuant to this
Section 9 shall be without liability of any party to any other party other than
as provided in Sections 7 and 11 hereof.
10. Default of Underwriters. If any Underwriter or
Underwriters defaults or default in their obligation to purchase Offered
Securities which it or they have agreed to purchase under the Underwriting
Agreement and the aggregate principal amount of the Offered Securities which
such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase is ten
percent or less of the aggregate principal amount, notional amount or stated
amount, as applicable, of the Offered Securities to be sold under the
Underwriting Agreement, as the case may be, the other Underwriters shall be
obligated severally in proportion to their respective commitments under the
Underwriting Agreement to purchase the Offered Securities which such defaulting
Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase. If any Underwriter or
Underwriters so defaults or default and the aggregate principal amount of the
Offered Securities with respect to which such default or defaults occurs or
occur is more than ten percent of the aggregate principal amount, notional
amount or stated amount, as applicable, of Offered Securities to be sold under
the Underwriting agreement, as the case may be, and arrangements satisfactory to
the Representative and the Depositor for the purchase of such Offered Securities
by other persons (who may include
12
one or more of the non-defaulting Underwriters including the Representative) are
not made within 36 hours after any such default, the Underwriting Agreement will
terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriters or
the Depositor except for the expenses to be paid or reimbursed by the Depositor
pursuant to Section 11 hereof. As used in the Underwriting Agreement, the term
"Underwriter" includes any person substituted for an Underwriter under this
Section 10. Nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability
for its default.
11. Expenses. The Depositor agrees with the several
Underwriters that:
(a) whether or not the transactions contemplated in the
Underwriting Agreement are consummated or the Underwriting Agreement is
terminated, the Depositor will pay all fees and expenses incident to
the performance of its obligations under the Underwriting Agreement,
including, but not limited to, (i) the Commission's registration fee,
(ii) the expenses of printing and distributing the Underwriting
Agreement and any related underwriting documents, the Registration
Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, any amendments
or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, and any
Blue Sky memorandum or legal investment survey and any supplements
thereto, (iii) fees and expenses of rating agencies, accountants and
counsel for the Depositor, (iv) the expenses referred to in Section
5(e) hereof, and (v) all miscellaneous expenses referred to in Item 30
of the Registration Statement;
(b) all out-of-pocket expenses, including counsel fees,
disbursements and expenses, reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in
connection with investigating, preparing to market and marketing the
Offered Securities and proposing to purchase and purchasing the Offered
Securities under the Underwriting Agreement will be borne and paid by
the Depositor if the Underwriting Agreement is terminated by the
Depositor pursuant to Section 9(a) hereof or by the Representative on
account of the failure, refusal or inability on the part of the
Depositor to perform all obligations and satisfy all conditions on the
part of the Depositor to be performed or satisfied hereunder; and (c)
the Depositor will pay the cost of preparing the certificates for the
Offered Securities.
Except as otherwise provided in this Section 11, the
Underwriters agree to pay all of their expenses in connection with
investigating, preparing to market and marketing the Offered Securities and
proposing to purchase and purchasing the Offered Securities under the
Underwriting Agreement, including the fees and expenses of their counsel and any
advertising expenses incurred by them in making offers and sales of the Offered
Securities.
12. Notices. All communications under the Underwriting
Agreement shall be in writing and, if sent to the Underwriters, shall be mailed,
delivered or telegraphed and confirmed to the Representative at the address and
to the attention of the person specified in the Underwriting Agreement, and, if
sent to the Depositor, shall be mailed, delivered or telegraphed and confirmed
to Prudential Securities Secured Financing Corporation, One New York Plaza, New
York, New York 10292, Attention: Managing Director-Asset Finance Group;
provided, however, that any notice to any Underwriter pursuant to the
Underwriting Agreement shall be mailed, delivered or telegraphed and confirmed
to such Underwriter at the address furnished by it.
13
13. Representative of Underwriters. Any Representative
identified in the Underwriting Agreement will act for the Underwriters of the
Offered Securities and any action taken by the Representative under the
Underwriting Agreement will be binding upon all of such Underwriters.
14. Successors. The Underwriting Agreement shall inure to the
benefit of and shall be binding upon the several Underwriters and the Depositor
and their respective successors and legal representatives, and nothing expressed
or mentioned herein or in the Underwriting Agreement is intended or shall be
construed to give any other person any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim
under or in respect of the Underwriting Agreement, or any provisions herein
contained, the Underwriting Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof
being intended to be and being for the sole and exclusive benefit of such
persons and for the benefit of no other person except that (i) the
representations and warranties of the Depositor contained herein or in the
Underwriting Agreement shall also be for the benefit of any person or persons
who controls or control any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the
1933 Act, and (ii) the indemnities by the several Underwriters shall also be for
the benefit of the directors of the Depositor, the officers of the Depositor who
have signed the Registration Statement and any person or persons who control the
Depositor within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act. No purchaser of the
Offered Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed a successor because of
such purchase. This Agreement and each Underwriting Agreement may be executed in
two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of
which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
15. Time of the Essence. Time shall be of the essence of each
Underwriting Agreement.
14
Governing Law. This Agreement and each Underwriting Agreement
shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of
New York.
[Signature Page Follows]
15
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding,
please sign and return two counterparts hereof.
Yours truly,
PRUDENTIAL SECURITIES SECURED
FINANCING CORPORATION
By: _________________________________
Name:
Title:
Accepted as of the date hereof:
PRUDENTIAL SECURITIES INCORPORATED
By: __________________________________
Name:
Title: Vice President
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement Standard Provisions]
Exhibit A
Opinions of Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx,
special counsel for the Depositor
(1) Each of the Documents constitutes the valid, legal and
binding agreement of the Depositor, and is enforceable against the Depositor in
accordance with its terms.
(2) The Certificates, assuming the due execution by the
Trustee and due authentication by the Trustee and payment therefor pursuant to
the Underwriting Agreement, are validly issued and outstanding and are entitled
to the benefits of the Pooling and Servicing Agreement.
(3) No consent, approval, authorization or order of,
registration or filing with, or notice to, any governmental authority or court
is required under federal laws or the laws of the State of New York for the
execution, delivery and performance of the Documents or the offer, issuance,
sale or delivery of the Certificates or the consummation of any other
transaction contemplated thereby by the Depositor, except such which have been
obtained.
(4) The Registration Statement and the Prospectus (other than
the financial and statistical data included therein, as to which we are not
called upon to express any opinion), at the time the Registration Statement
became effective, as of the date of execution of the Underwriting Agreement and
as of the date hereof comply as to form in all material respects with the
requirements of the 1933 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, and the
Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, and we do not know of any
amendment to the Registration Statement required to be filed, or of any
contracts, indentures or other documents of a character required to be filed as
an exhibit to the Registration Statement or required to be described in the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus, which has not been filed or described
as required.
(5) Neither the qualification of the Pooling and Servicing
Agreement under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, nor the
registration of the Trust Fund created by the Pooling and Servicing Agreement
under the Investment Company Act of 1940 is required.
(6) The statements in the Prospectus Supplement set forth
under the caption "DESCRIPTION OF THE CERTIFICATES," to the extent such
statements purport to summarize certain provisions of the Certificates or of the
Pooling and Servicing Agreement or of the Unaffiliated Seller's Agreement, are
fair and accurate in all material respects.
Exhibit B
Opinions of Counsel to
the Servicer
-----------------------
(1) The Servicer has been duly organized and is validly
existing as a corporation in good standing under the federal laws of the United
States and is duly qualified to transact business in the State of Pennsylvania.
(2) The Servicer has the requisite power and authority to
execute and deliver, engage in the transactions contemplated by, and perform and
observe the conditions of, the Pooling and Servicing Agreement and the
Unaffiliated Seller's Agreement dated as of the Closing Date (the "Unaffiliated
Seller's Agreement") between the Servicer, Upland, NJMIC, the Seller and the
Depositor, together referred to hereinafter as the "Servicer Agreements".
(3) The Servicer Agreements have been duly and validly
authorized, executed and delivered by the Servicer, all requisite corporate
action having been taken with respect thereto, and each constitutes the valid,
legal and binding agreement of the Servicer, and are enforceable against the
Servicer in accordance with their respective terms.
(4) Neither the transfer of the Mortgage Loans to the
Depositor, nor the execution, delivery or performance by the Servicer of the
Servicer Agreements (A) conflicts or will conflict with or results or will
result in a breach of, or constitutes or will constitute a default under or
violates or will violate, (i) any term or provision of the Articles of
Incorporation or By-laws of the Servicer; (ii) any term or provision of any
material agreement, contract, instrument or indenture, to which the Servicer or
any of its subsidiaries is a party or is bound; or (iii) any order, judgment,
writ, injunction or decree of any court or governmental agency or body or other
tribunal having jurisdiction over the Servicer or any of its properties; or (B)
results in, or will result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or
encumbrance upon the Trust Fund or upon the Certificates, except as otherwise
contemplated by the Pooling and Servicing Agreement.
(5) The endorsement and delivery of each Mortgage Note, and
the preparation, delivery and recording of an Assignment of Mortgage with
respect to each Mortgage is sufficient fully to transfer to the Depositor and
its assignees all right, title and interest of the Servicer in the Mortgage Note
and Mortgage, as noteholder and mortgagee or assignee thereof.
(6) No consent, approval, authorization or order of,
registration or qualification of or with or notice to, any court, governmental
agency or body or other tribunal is required under the laws of New York or
Pennsylvania, for the execution, delivery and performance of the Servicer
Agreements or the consummation of any other transaction contemplated thereby by
the Servicer, except such which have been obtained.
(7) There are no legal or governmental suits, proceedings or
investigations pending or, to such counsel's knowledge, threatened against the
Servicer before any court,
16
governmental agency or body or other tribunal (A) which, if determined adversely
to the Servicer, would individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse
effect on (i) the consolidated financial position, business prospects,
stockholders' equity or results of operations of the Servicer; (ii) the
Servicer's ability to perform its obligations under, or the validity or
enforceability of, the Servicer Agreements; (iii) any Mortgage Note or Mortgaged
Property, or the title of any Mortgagor to any Mortgaged Property; or (B) which
have not otherwise been disclosed in the Registration Statement and to the best
of such counsel's knowledge, no such proceedings or investigations are
threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or threatened by others.
Exhibit C
Opinions of Counsel to
the Trustee
---------------------------
(1) The Trustee is a New York banking corporation duly
organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the New York
and has the power and authority to enter into and to take all actions required
of it under the Pooling and Servicing Agreement.
(2) The Pooling and Servicing Agreement has been duly
authorized, executed and delivered by the Trustee and the Pooling and Servicing
Agreement constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Trustee,
enforceable against the Trustee in accordance with its terms, except as
enforceability thereof may be limited by (A) bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization or other similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors'
rights generally, as such laws would apply in the event of a bankruptcy,
insolvency or reorganization or similar occurrence affecting the Trustee, and
(B) general principles of equity regardless of whether such enforcement is
sought in a proceeding at law or in equity.
(3) No consent, approval, authorization or other action by any
governmental agency or body or other tribunal is required on the part of the
Trustee in connection with its execution and delivery of the Pooling and
Servicing Agreement or the performance of its obligations thereunder.
(4) The Certificates have been duly executed, authenticated
and delivered by the Trustee.
(5) The execution and delivery of, and performance by the
Trustee of its obligations under, the Pooling and Servicing Agreement do not
conflict with or result in a violation of any statute or regulation applicable
to the Trustee, or the charter or bylaws of the Trustee, or to the best
knowledge of such counsel, any governmental authority having jurisdiction over
the Trustee or the terms of any indenture or other agreement or instrument to
which the Trustee is a party or by which it is bound.
