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EXHIBIT 1-35
THE DETROIT EDISON COMPANY
DEBT SECURITIES
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
[ ]
[UNDERWRITERS]
To the Representatives of the
several Underwriters named in the
respective Pricing Agreements
hereinafter described.
Dear Sirs:
From time to time The Detroit Edison Company, a Michigan corporation
(the "Company"), proposes to enter into one or more Pricing Agreements (each a
"Pricing Agreement") in the form of Annex I hereto, with such additions and
deletions as the parties thereto may determine, and, subject to the terms and
conditions stated herein and therein, to issue and sell to the firms named in
Schedule I to the applicable Pricing Agreement (such firms constituting the
"Underwriters" with respect to such Pricing Agreement and the securities
specified therein) certain of its debt securities (the "Securities") specified
in Schedule II to such Pricing Agreement (with respect to such Pricing
Agreement, the "Designated Securities").
The terms and rights of any particular issuance of Designated
Securities shall be as specified in the Pricing Agreement relating thereto and
in or pursuant to the indenture (the "Indenture") identified in such Pricing
Agreement.
1. Particular sales of Designated Securities may be made from time
to time to the Underwriters of such Securities, for whom the firms designated as
representatives of the Underwriters of such Securities in the Pricing Agreement
relating thereto will act as representatives (the "Representatives"). The term
"Representatives" 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. This underwriting agreement (the "Agreement") shall not
be construed as an obligation of the Company to sell any of the Securities or as
an obligation of any of the Underwriters to purchase the Securities. The
obligation of the Company to issue and sell any of the Securities and the
obligation of any of the Underwriters to purchase any of the Securities shall be
evidenced by the Pricing Agreement with respect to the Designated Securities
specified therein. Each Pricing Agreement shall specify the aggregate principal
amount of such Designated Securities, the initial public offering price of such
Designated Securities, the purchase price to the Underwriters of such Designated
Securities, the names of the Underwriters of such Designated Securities, the
names of the Representatives of such Underwriters and the
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principal amount of such Designated Securities to be purchased by each
Underwriter and shall set forth the date, time and manner of delivery of such
Designated Securities and payment therefor. The Pricing Agreement shall also
specify (to the extent not set forth in the Indenture and the registration
statement and prospectus with respect thereto) the terms of such Designated
Securities. A Pricing 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 communications transmitted. The obligations of the
Underwriters under this Agreement and each Pricing Agreement shall be several
and not joint.
2. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of
the Underwriters that:
(a) A registration statement in respect of the Securities has been
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission"); such
registration statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, each in the
form heretofore delivered or to be delivered to the Representatives and,
excluding exhibits to such registration statement, but including all documents
incorporated by reference in the prospectus contained therein, to the
Representatives for each of the other Underwriters have been declared effective
by the Commission in such form; no other document with respect to such
registration statement or document incorporated by reference therein has
heretofore been filed or transmitted for filing with the Commission; and 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 (any preliminary prospectus included in such registration
statement or filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) of the rules and
regulations of the Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"Act"), being hereinafter called a "Preliminary Prospectus"; the various parts
of such registration statement, including all exhibits thereto and the documents
incorporated by reference in the prospectus contained in the registration
statement at the time such part of the registration statement became effective
but excluding Forms T-1, each as amended at the time such part of the
registration statement became effective, being hereinafter called the
"Registration Statement"; the prospectus relating to the Securities, in the form
in which it has most recently been filed, or transmitted for filing, with the
Commission on or prior to the date of this Agreement, being hereinafter called
the "Prospectus"; any reference herein to any Preliminary Prospectus or the
Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by
reference therein pursuant to the applicable form under the Act, as of the date
of such Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, as the case may be; any reference
to any amendment or supplement to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus
shall be deemed to refer to and include any documents filed after the date of
such Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, as the case may be, under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and
incorporated by reference in such Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, as the
case may be; any reference to any amendment to the Registration Statement shall
be deemed to refer to and include any annual report of the Company filed
pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the effective date
of the Registration Statement that is incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement; and any reference to the Prospectus as amended or
supplemented shall be deemed to refer to the Prospectus as amended or
supplemented in relation to the applicable Designated Securities in the form in
which it is filed with the Commission
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pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof,
including any documents incorporated by reference therein as of the date of such
filing);
(b) The documents incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, when
they became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be,
conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act or the
Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission
thereunder, and none of such documents contained an untrue statement of a
material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein
or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; and any further
documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Prospectus or any
further amendment or supplement thereto, when such documents become effective or
are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, will conform in all material
respects to the requirements of the Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and
the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and will not contain an
untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to
be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading;
provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any
statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information
furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter of Designated Securities
through the Representatives expressly for use in the Prospectus as amended or
supplemented relating to such Securities;
(c) The Registration Statement and the Prospectus conform, and any
further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus will conform, in all material respects to the requirements of the Act
and the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the "Trust Indenture Act"), and
the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and do not and will not,
as of the applicable effective date as to the Registration Statement and any
amendment thereto and as of the applicable filing date as to the Prospectus and
any amendment or supplement thereto, contain an untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary
to make the statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that this
representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made
in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the
Company by an Underwriter of Designated Securities through the Representatives
expressly for use in the Prospectus as amended or supplemented relating to such
Securities;
(d) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained
since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or
incorporated by reference in the Prospectus any material loss or interference
with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not
covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action,
order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus;
and, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there has not been any material
change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its
subsidiaries or any material adverse change, or any development involving a
prospective material adverse change (in either case not in the ordinary course
of business), in or affecting the general affairs, management, financial
position, shareholders' equity or results of operations of the Company and its
subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus;
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(e) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as
a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its
incorporation, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its
properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus;
(f) The Company has good and marketable title to all properties
standing of record in its name (which includes, without limitation, all of those
properties, except pollution control facilities standing in the names of certain
municipalities which are being purchased by the Company pursuant to installment
sales contracts and the undivided ownership interest of Michigan Public Power
Agency in a portion of the Belle River Power Plant, in each case as described in
the Prospectus, which constitute or on which there are erected its principal
plants, generating stations and substations and on which its general office and
service buildings are constructed and all other important parcels of real
estate) and improvements thereon, subject to the lien of the Mortgage and to
minor exceptions and minor defects, irregularities and deficiencies which in the
opinion of the Company, do not materially impair the use of such property for
the purpose for which it is held by the Company, and the Company has adequate
rights to maintain and operate such of its transmission and distribution
facilities as are located on public or other property not owned by the Company.
(g) The Securities have been duly authorized, and, when Designated
Securities are issued and delivered pursuant to this Agreement and the Pricing
Agreement with respect to such Designated Securities, such Designated Securities
will have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered and will
constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company entitled to the
benefits provided by the Note Indenture, which will be substantially in the form
filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement; the Note Indenture has been
duly authorized and duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act and, at the
Time of Delivery for such Designated Securities (as defined in Section 4
hereof), the Note Indenture will constitute a valid and legally binding
instrument, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject, as to
enforcement, to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other laws of general
applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights and to general equity
principles; and the Note Indenture conforms, and the Designated Securities will
conform, to the descriptions thereof contained in the Prospectus as amended or
supplemented with respect to such Designated Securities;
(h) The issue and sale of the Securities and the compliance by the
Company with all of the provisions of the Securities, the Note Indenture, this
Agreement and any Pricing Agreement, and the consummation of the transactions
herein and therein contemplated will not conflict with or result in a breach or
violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under,
any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or
instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company is bound or
to which any of the property or assets of the Company is subject, nor will such
action result in any violation of the provisions of the Restated Articles of
Incorporation, as amended, or By-laws of the Company or any statute or any
order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having
jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties; and no consent,
approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any
such court or governmental agency or body is required for the issue and sale of
the Securities or the consummation by the Company of the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement or any Pricing Agreement or the Note Indenture,
except such as have been, or will have been prior to the Time of Delivery,
obtained under the Act
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and the Trust Indenture 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 Securities
by the Underwriters; and
(i) Other than as set forth in the Prospectus, there are no legal or
governmental proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries
is a party or of which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is
the subject which, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its
subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse
effect on the consolidated financial position, shareholders' equity or results
of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries; and, to the best of the
Company's knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by
governmental authorities or threatened by others.
3. Upon the execution of the Pricing Agreement applicable to any
Designated Securities and authorization by the Representatives of the release of
such Designated Securities, the several Underwriters propose to offer such
Designated Securities for sale upon the terms and conditions set forth in the
Prospectus as amended or supplemented.
4. Designated Securities to be purchased by each Underwriter pursuant
to the Pricing Agreement relating thereto, in definitive form to the extent
practicable, and in such authorized denominations and registered in such names
as the Representatives may request upon at least twenty-four hours' prior notice
to the Company, shall be delivered by or on behalf of the Company to the
Representatives for the account of such Underwriter, against payment by such
Underwriter or on its behalf of the purchase price therefor in the manner
specified in the Pricing Agreement relating thereto, payable to the order of the
Company, all at the place and time and date specified in such Pricing Agreement
or at such other place and time and date as the Representatives and the Company
may agree upon in writing, such time and date being herein called the "Time of
Delivery" for such Securities.
5. The Company agrees with each of the Underwriters of any Designated
Securities:
(a) To prepare the Prospectus as amended and supplemented in relation
to the applicable Designated Securities in a form approved by the
Representatives and to file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the
Act not later than the Commission's close of business on the second business day
following the execution and delivery of the Pricing Agreement relating to the
applicable Designated Securities or, if applicable, such earlier time as may be
required by Rule 424(b); to make no further amendment or any supplement to the
Registration Statement or Prospectus as amended or supplemented after the date
of the Pricing Agreement relating to such Securities and prior to the Time of
Delivery for such Securities which shall be disapproved by the Representatives
for such Securities promptly after reasonable notice thereof; to advise the
Representatives promptly of any such amendment or supplement after such Time of
Delivery and furnish the Representatives with copies thereof; to file promptly
all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be
filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Xxxxxxx 00 (x), 00 (x), 00
xx 00 (x) of the Exchange Act for so long as the delivery of a prospectus is
required in connection with the offering or sale of such Securities, and during
such same period to advise the Representatives, promptly after it receives
notice thereof, of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has
been filed or becomes effective or any supplement to the Prospectus or any
amended Prospectus has
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been filed with the Commission, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop
order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any prospectus
relating to the Securities, of the suspension of the qualification of such
Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or
threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the
Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement or
Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of
any such stop order or of any such order preventing or suspending the use of any
prospectus relating to the Securities or suspending any such qualification, to
use promptly its best efforts to obtain its withdrawal;
(b) Promptly from time to time to take such action as the
Representatives may reasonably request to qualify such Securities for offering
and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives
may request and to comply with such laws so as to permit the continuance of
sales and dealings therein in such jurisdictions for as long as may be necessary
to complete the distribution of such Securities, provided that in connection
therewith the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation
or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction;
(c) To furnish the Underwriters with copies of the Prospectus as
amended or supplemented in such quantities as the Representatives may reasonably
request, and, if the delivery of a prospectus is required at any time in
connection with the offering or sale of the Securities and if at such time any
event shall have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or
supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to
state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in
the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such Prospectus
is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it shall be necessary
during such same period to amend or supplement the Prospectus or to file under
the Exchange Act any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus in
order to comply with the Act, the Exchange Act or the Trust Indenture Act, to
notify the Representatives and upon their request to file such document and to
prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter and to any dealer in
securities as many copies as the Representatives may from time to time
reasonably request of an amended Prospectus or a supplement to the Prospectus
which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance;
(d) To make generally available to its securityholders as soon as
practicable, but in any event not later than eighteen months after the effective
date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c)), an earnings
statement of the Company and its subsidiaries (which need not be audited)
complying with Section 11 (a) of the Act and the rules and regulations of the
Commission thereunder (including at the option of the Company Rule 158); and
(e) During the period beginning from the date of the Pricing Agreement
for such Designated Securities and continuing to and including the earlier of
(i) the termination of trading restrictions for such Designated Securities, as
notified to the Company by the Representatives and (ii) the Time of Delivery for
such Designated Securities, not to offer, sell, contract to sell or otherwise
dispose of any debt securities of the Company which mature more than one year
after such Time of Delivery and which are substantially similar to such
Designated Securities, without the prior written consent of the Representatives.
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6. The Company covenants and agrees with the several Underwriters
that the Company will pay or cause to be paid the following: (i) the fees,
disbursements and expenses of the Company's counsel and accountants in
connection with the registration of the Securities under the Act and all other
expenses in connection with the preparation, printing and filing of the
Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and
amendments and supplements thereto and the mailing and delivering of copies
thereof to the Underwriters and dealers; (ii) the cost of printing or producing
any Agreement among Underwriters, this Agreement, any Pricing Agreement, any
Indenture, any Blue Sky and Legal Investment Memoranda and any other documents
in connection with the offering, purchase, sale and delivery of the Securities;
(iii) all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Securities for
offering and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 5(b)
hereof, including the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in
connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky and legal
investment surveys; (iv) any fees charged by securities rating services for
rating the Securities; (v) the cost of preparing the Securities; (vi) the fees
and expenses of any Trustee and any agent of any Trustee and the fees and
disbursements of counsel for any Trustee in connection with any Indenture and
the Securities; and (vii) all other costs and expenses incident to the
performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically
provided for in this Section. It is understood, however, that, except as
provided in this Section, Section 8 and Section 11 hereof, the Underwriters will
pay all of their own costs and expenses, including the fees of their counsel,
transfer taxes on resale of any of the Securities by them, and any advertising
expenses connected with any offers they may make.
7. The obligations of the Underwriters of any Designated Securities
under the Pricing Agreement relating to such Designated Securities shall be
subject, in the discretion of the Representatives, to the condition that all
representations and warranties and other statements of the Company in or
incorporated by reference in the Pricing Agreement relating to such Designated
Securities are, at and as of the Time of Delivery for such Designated
Securities, true and correct, the condition that the Company shall have
performed all of its obligations hereunder theretofore to be performed, and the
following additional conditions:
(a) The Prospectus as amended or supplemented in relation to the
applicable Designated Securities shall have been filed with the Commission
pursuant to Rule 424 (b) within the applicable time period prescribed for such
filing by the rules and regulations under the Act and in accordance with Section
5(a) hereof; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement or any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceeding for that
purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; and all
requests for additional information on the part of the Commission shall have
been complied with to the Representatives' reasonable satisfaction;
(b) Counsel for the Underwriters shall have furnished to the
Representatives such opinion or opinions (a draft of each such opinion is
attached as Annex II(a) hereto), dated the Time of Delivery for such Designated
Securities, with respect to the incorporation of the Company, this Agreement,
the validity of the Indenture, the Designated Securities, the Registration
Statement, the Prospectus as amended or supplemented and other related matters
as the Representatives may reasonably request, and such counsel shall have
received such papers and information as they may reasonably request to enable
them to pass upon such matters;
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(c) Xxxxxxxxxxx X. Xxxx, Esq., Vice President and General Counsel to
the Company, shall have furnished to the Representatives his written opinion (a
draft of such opinion, subject to such changes as shall be mutually agreed to
prior to the Time of Delivery is attached as Annex II(b) hereto), dated the Time
of Delivery for such Designated Securities, in form and substance satisfactory
to the Representatives, to the effect that:
(i) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly
existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the
jurisdiction of its incorporation, with power and authority (corporate
and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described
in the Prospectus as amended or supplemented;
(ii) The Company has good and marketable title to all properties
standing of record in its name (which includes, without limitation, all
of those properties, except pollution control facilities standing in
the names of certain municipalities which are being purchased by the
Company pursuant to installment sales contracts and the undivided
ownership interest of Michigan Public Power Agency in a portion of the
Belle River Power Plant, in each case as described in the Prospectus,
which constitute or on which there are erected its principal plants,
generating stations and substations and on which its general office and
service buildings are constructed and all other important parcels of
real estate) and improvements thereon, subject to the lien of the
Mortgage and to minor exceptions and minor defects, irregularities and
deficiencies which, in the opinion of the Company, do not materially
impair the use of such property for the purpose for which it is held by
the Company, and the Company has adequate rights to maintain and
operate such of its transmission and distribution facilities as are
located on public or other property owned by the Company;
(iii) To the best of such counsel's knowledge after due inquiry
and other than as set forth in the Prospectus, there are no legal or
governmental proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its
subsidiaries is a party or of which any property of the Company or any
of its subsidiaries is the subject which, if determined adversely to
the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or in the
aggregate have a material adverse effect on the consolidated financial
position, shareholders' equity or results of operations of the Company
and its subsidiaries; and, to the best of such counsel's knowledge, no
such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental
authorities or threatened by others;
(iv) This Agreement and the Pricing Agreement with respect to the
Designated Securities have been duly authorized, executed and delivered
by the Company and are valid and binding agreements of the Company
enforceable in accordance with their terms, subject, as to enforcement,
to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other laws of general
applicability relating to or offering creditors rights and to general
equity principles and, except as rights to indemnity thereunder may be
limited by applicable law;
(v) The Designated Securities have been duly authorized,
executed, authenticated, issued and delivered and constitute valid and
legally binding obligations of the Company entitled to the benefits
provided by the Note Indenture, subject, as to
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enforcement, to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other laws
of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights and
to general equity principles; and the Designated Securities and the
Note Indenture conform to the descriptions thereof in the Prospectus as
amended or supplemented;
(vi) The Note Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and
delivered by the parties thereto and constitutes a valid and legally
binding instrument, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject,
as to enforcement, to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other
laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors'
rights and to general equity principles; and the Indenture has been
duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act;
(vii) The issue and sale of the Designated Securities and the
compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of the Designated
Securities, the Note Indenture, this Agreement and the Pricing
Agreement with respect to the Designated Securities and the
consummation of the transactions herein and therein contemplated will
not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the
terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture,
mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or
instrument known to such counsel, after due inquiry, to which the
Company is a party or by which the Company is bound or to which any of
the property or assets of the Company is subject, nor will such actions
result in any violation of the provisions of the Restated Articles of
Incorporation, as amended, or By-laws of the Company or any statute or
any order, rule or regulation known to such counsel of any court or
governmental agency, including, without limitation, the Michigan Public
Service Commission or any body having jurisdiction over the Company or
any of its properties, except that such counsel need express no opinion
as to rights to indemnity which may be limited by applicable law;
(viii) No consent, approval, authorization, order, registration
or qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency,
including, without limitation, the Michigan Public Service Commission
or any body is required for the issue and sale of the Designated
Securities or the consummation by the Company of the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement or such Pricing Agreement or the Note
Indenture, except such as have been obtained under the Act, the Trust
Indenture Act and from the Michigan Public Service Commission 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 Designated Securities by the
Underwriters;
(ix) The documents incorporated by reference in the Prospectus as
amended or supplemented (other than the financial statements and
related schedules therein and except for those parts of the
Registration Statement which constitute the Statements of Eligibility
and Qualification of the Trustee (the "Forms T-1"), as to which such
counsel need express no opinion), when they became effective or were
filed with the Commission, as the case may be, complied as to form in
all material respects with the requirements of the Act or the Exchange
Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission
thereunder; and he has no reason to believe that any of such documents,
when they became effective or were so filed, as the case may be,
contained,
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in the case of a registration statement which became effective under
the Act, an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading, or, in the case of other documents
which were filed under the Act or the Exchange Act with the Commission,
an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material
fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of
the circumstances under which they were made when such documents were
so filed, not misleading; and
(x) The Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or
supplemented and any further amendments and supplements thereto made by
the Company prior to the Time of Delivery for the Designated Securities
(other than the financial statements and related schedules therein and
except for those parts of the Registration Statement which constitute
the Forms T-1, as to which such counsel need express no opinion) comply
as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Act
and the Trust Indenture Act and the rules and regulations thereunder;
such counsel has no reason to believe that, as of its effective date,
the Registration Statement or any further amendment thereto (including
the filing of the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K with
the Commission) made by the Company prior to the Time of Delivery
(other than the financial statements and related schedules therein and
except for those parts of the Registration Statement which constitute
the Forms T-1, as to which such counsel need express no opinion)
contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading or that, as of its date, the
Prospectus as amended or supplemented or any further amendment or
supplement thereto made by the Company prior to the Time of Delivery
(other than the financial statements and related schedules therein and
except for those parts of the Registration Statement which constitute
the Forms T-1, as to which such counsel need express no opinion)
contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a
material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances in which they were made, not misleading or that, as of
the Time of Delivery, either the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus as amended or supplemented or any further amendment or
supplement thereto made by the Company prior to the Time of Delivery
(other than the financial statements and related schedules therein and
except for those parts of the Registration Statement which constitute
the Forms T-1, as to which such counsel need express no opinion)
contains an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a
material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances in which they were made, not misleading; and such counsel
does not know of any amendment to the Registration Statement required
to be filed or any contracts or other documents of a character required
to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or required to
be incorporated by reference into the Prospectus as amended or
supplemented or required to be described in the Registration Statement
or the Prospectus as amended or supplemented which are not filed or
incorporated by reference or described as required;
(d) On the date of the Pricing Agreement relating to the Designated
Securities, the independent accountants of the Company who have certified the
financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries included or
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall have furnished to
the Representatives a letter or letters dated the date of the Pricing
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Agreement, each in a form satisfactory to you (a draft of the form of letter is
attached as Annex III(a) hereto);
(e) At the Time of Delivery for such Designated Securities, the
independent accountants of the Company who have certified the financial
statements of the Company and its subsidiaries included or incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement shall have furnished to the
Representatives a "bring down" letter or letters dated at the Time of Delivery,
each in a form satisfactory to you (a draft of the form of letter is attached as
Annex III(b) hereto);
(f) (i) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries shall have
sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or
incorporated by reference in the Prospectus as amended or supplemented any
material loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or
other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute
or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or
contemplated in the Prospectus as amended or supplemented, and (ii) since the
respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus as amended
or supplemented there shall not have been any material change in the capital
stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any
material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material
adverse change (other than such as may have occurred in the ordinary course of
business), in or affecting the general affairs, management, financial position,
shareholders' equity or results of operations of the Company and its
subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus as
amended or supplemented, the effect of which, in any such case described in
Clause (i) or (ii), is in the judgment of the Representatives so material and
adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public
offering or the delivery of the Designated Securities on the terms and in the
manner contemplated in the Prospectus as amended or supplemented;
(g) On or after the date of the Pricing Agreement relating to the
Designated Securities (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating
accorded the Company's debt securities by any "nationally recognized statistical
rating organization," as that term is defined by the Commission for purposes of
Rule 436(g) (2) under the Act and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly
announced that it has under surveillance or review, with possible negative
implications, its rating of any of the Company's debt securities;
(h) On or after the date of the Pricing Agreement relating to the
Designated Securities there shall not have occurred any of the following: (i) a
suspension or material limitation in trading in securities generally on the New
York Stock Exchange; (ii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities
in New York declared by either Federal or New York State authorities; or (iii)
the outbreak or escalation of hostilities involving the United States or the
declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war if the effect of
any such event specified in this Clause (iii) in the judgment of the
Representatives makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public
offering or the delivery of the Designated Securities on the terms and in the
manner contemplated in the Prospectus as amended or supplemented; and
(i) The Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to the
Representatives at the Time of Delivery for the Designated Securities a
certificate or certificates of officers of the Company satisfactory to the
Representatives as to the accuracy of the representations and
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warranties of the Company herein at and as of such Time of Delivery, as to the
performance by the Company of all of its obligations hereunder to be performed
at or prior to such Time of Delivery, as to the matters set forth in subsections
(a) and (f) of this Section and as to such other matters as the Representatives
may reasonably request.
8. (a) The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter
against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which
such Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such
losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out
of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a
material fact contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary
prospectus supplement, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus as amended or
supplemented and any other prospectus relating to the Securities, 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 for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred
by such Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such
action or claim as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the
Company shall 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 an untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in any Preliminary
Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus supplement, the Registration Statement,
the Prospectus as amended or supplemented and any other prospectus relating to
the Securities, or any such amendment or supplement in reliance upon and in
conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter
of Designated Securities through the Representatives expressly for use in the
Prospectus as amended or supplemented relating to such Securities.
(b) Each Underwriter will indemnify and hold harmless the Company
against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company may
become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims,
damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based
upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact
contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus supplement,
the Registration Statement, the Prospectus as amended or supplemented and any
other prospectus relating to the Securities, 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, in each case to the extent, but only to
the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission
or alleged omission was made in any Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary
prospectus supplement, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus as amended or
supplemented and any other prospectus relating to the Securities, or any such
amendment or supplement in reliance upon and in conformity with written
information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the
Representatives expressly for use therein; and will reimburse the Company for
any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection
with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are
incurred.
(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection
(a) or (b) above of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified
party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the
indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in
writing of the commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the
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indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to
any indemnified party otherwise than under such subsection. In case any such
action shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall notify the
indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be
entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it shall wish, jointly
with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense
thereof, with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party (who shall not,
except with the consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying
party), and, after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party
of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall
not be liable to such indemnified party under such subsection for any legal
expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in each case subsequently
incurred by such indemnified party, in connection with the defense thereof other
than reasonable costs of investigation.
(d) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 8 is
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 each
indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such
indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or
actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the
relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters
of the Designated Securities on the other from the offering of the Designated
Securities to which such loss, claim, damage or liability (or action in respect
thereof) relates. If, however, the allocation provided by the immediately
preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law or if the indemnified
party failed to give the notice required under subsection (c) above, then each
indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such
indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such
relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and
the Underwriters of the Designated Securities on the other in connection with
the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or
liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant
equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the
one hand and such Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same
proportion as the total net proceeds from such offering (before deducting
expenses) received by the Company bear to the total underwriting discounts and
commissions received by such Underwriters. The relative fault shall be
determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged
untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state
a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company on the one hand
or such Underwriters on the other and the parties' relative intent, knowledge,
access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or
omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and
equitable if contribution pursuant to this subsection (d) were determined by pro
rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such
purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the
equitable considerations referred to above in this subsection (d). The amount
paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims,
damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this
subsection (d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably
incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending
any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (d),
no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the
amount by which the total price at which the applicable Designated Securities
underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public
exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been
required to pay
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by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged
omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning
of Section 11 (f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person
who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The obligations of the
Underwriters of Designated Securities in this subsection (d) to contribute are
several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations with respect
to such Securities and not joint.
(e) The obligations of the Company under this Section 8 shall be in
addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have and shall extend,
upon the same terms and conditions, to each person, if any, who controls any
Underwriter within the meaning of the Act; and the obligations of the
Underwriters under this Section 8 shall be in addition to any liability which
the respective Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same
terms and conditions, to each officer and director of the Company and to each
person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Act.
9. (a) If any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to purchase
the Designated Securities which it has agreed to purchase under the Pricing
Agreement relating to such Designated Securities, the Representatives may in
their discretion arrange for themselves or another party or other parties to
purchase such Designated Securities on the terms contained herein. If within
thirty-six hours after such default by any Underwriter the Representatives do
not arrange for the purchase of such Designated Securities, then the Company
shall be entitled to a further period of thirty-six hours within which to
procure another party or other parties satisfactory to the Representatives to
purchase such Designated Securities on such terms. In the event that, within the
respective prescribed period, the Representatives notify the Company that they
have so arranged for the purchase of such Designated Securities, or the Company
notifies the Representatives that it has so arranged for the purchase of such
Designated Securities, the Representatives or the Company shall have the right
to postpone the Time of Delivery for such Designated Securities for a period of
not more than seven days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be
made necessary in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus as amended or
supplemented, or in any other documents or arrangements, and the Company agrees
to file promptly any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or
the Prospectus which in the opinion of the Representatives may thereby be made
necessary. The term "Underwriter" as used in this Agreement shall include any
person substituted under this Section with like effect as if such person had
originally been a party to the Pricing Agreement with respect to such Designated
Securities.
(b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of
the Designated Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the
Representatives and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the
aggregate principal amount of such Designated Securities which remains
unpurchased does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate principal amount of
the Designated Securities, then the Company shall have the right to require each
non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the principal amount of Designated
Securities which such Underwriter agreed to purchase under the Pricing Agreement
relating to such Designated Securities and, in addition, to require each
non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase its pro rata share (based on the
principal amount of Designated Securities which such Underwriter agreed to
purchase under such Pricing Agreement) of the Designated Securities of such
defaulting
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Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made; but
nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its
default.
(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of
the Designated Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the
Representatives and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above the
aggregate principal amount of Designated Securities which remains unpurchased
exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate principal amount of the Designated
Securities, as referred to in subsection (b) above, or if the Company shall not
exercise the right described in subsection (b) above to require non-defaulting
Underwriters to purchase Designated Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or
Underwriters, then the Pricing Agreement relating to such Designated Securities
shall thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of any non-defaulting
Underwriter or the Company, except for the expenses to be borne by the Company
and the Underwriters as provided in Section 6 hereof and the indemnity and
contribution agreements in Section 8 hereof; but nothing herein shall relieve a
defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.
10. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations,
warranties and other statements of the Company and the several Underwriters, as
set forth in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them, respectively,
pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of
any investigation (or any statement as to the results thereof) made by or on
behalf of any Underwriter or any controlling person of any Underwriter, or the
Company, or any officer or director or controlling person of the Company, and
shall survive delivery of and payment for the Securities.
11. If any Pricing Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to Section 9
hereof, the Company shall not then be under any liability to any Underwriter
with respect to the Designated Securities covered by such Pricing Agreement
except as provided in Section 6 and Section 8 hereof; but, if for any other
reason Designated Securities are not delivered by or on behalf of the Company as
provided herein, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters through the
Representatives for all out-of-pocket expenses approved in writing by the
Representatives, including fees and disbursements of counsel, reasonably
incurred by the Underwriters in making preparations for the purchase, sale and
delivery of such Designated Securities, but the Company shall then be under no
further liability to any Underwriter with respect to such Designated Securities
except as provided in Section 6 and Section 8 hereof.
12. In all dealings hereunder, the Representatives of the Underwriters
of Designated Securities shall act on behalf of each of such Underwriters, and
the parties hereto shall be entitled to act and rely upon any statement,
request, notice or agreement on behalf of any Underwriter made or given by such
Representatives jointly or by such of the Representatives, if any, as may be
designated for such purpose in the Pricing Agreement.
All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in
writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or
facsimile transmission to the address of the Representatives as set forth in the
Pricing Agreement; and if to the Company shall be delivered or sent by mail,
telex or facsimile transmission to the address of the Company set forth in the
Registration Statement: Attention: Secretary; provided, however, that any notice
to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 8(c) hereof shall be delivered or sent by
mail, telex or facsimile
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transmission to such Underwriter at its address set forth in its Underwriters'
Questionnaire, or telex constituting such Questionnaire, which address will be
supplied to the Company by the Representatives upon request. Any such
statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect upon receipt
thereof.
13. This Agreement and each Pricing Agreement shall be binding upon,
and inure solely to the benefit of, the Underwriters, the Company and, to the
extent provided in Section 8 and Section 10 hereof, the officers and directors
of the Company and each person who controls the Company or any Underwriter, and
their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, and
no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this
Agreement or any such Pricing Agreement. No purchaser of any of the Securities
from any Underwriter shall be deemed a successor or assign by reason merely of
such purchase.
14. Time shall be of the essence of each Pricing Agreement. As used
herein, "business day" shall mean any day when the Commission's office in
Washington, D.C. is open for business.
15. This Agreement and each Pricing Agreement shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
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16. This Agreement and each Pricing Agreement may be executed by any
one or more of the parties hereto and thereto in any number of counterparts,
each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such respective
counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument.
Very truly yours,
The Detroit Edison Company
By:________________________
Name:
Title:
Accepted as of the date hereof:
[UNDERWRITERS]
By:_____________________
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ANNEX I
PRICING AGREEMENT
[UNDERWRITERS]
As Representatives of the several
Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto,
[ ]
Dear Sirs:
The Detroit Edison Company, a Michigan corporation (the "Company"),
proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein and in the
Underwriting Agreement, dated [ ] (the "Underwriting Agreement"),
between the Company on the one hand and [UNDERWRITERS] on the other hand, to
issue and sell to the Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the
"Underwriters") the Securities specified in Schedule II hereto (the "Designated
Securities"). Each of the provisions of the Underwriting Agreement 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 Pricing
Agreement, except that each representation and warranty which refers to the
Prospectus in Section 2 of the Underwriting Agreement shall be deemed to be a
representation or warranty as of the date of the Underwriting Agreement in
relation to the Prospectus (as therein defined), and also a representation and
warranty as of the date of this Pricing Agreement in relation to the Prospectus
as amended or supplemented relating to the Designated Securities which are the
subject of this Pricing Agreement. Each reference to the Representatives herein
and in the provisions of the Underwriting Agreement so incorporated by reference
shall be deemed to refer to you. Unless otherwise defined herein, terms defined
in the Underwriting Agreement are used herein as therein defined. The
Representatives designated to act on behalf of the Representatives and on behalf
of each of the Underwriters of the Designated Securities pursuant to Section 12
of the Underwriting Agreement and the address of the Representatives referred to
in such Section 12 are set forth at the end of Schedule II hereto.
An amendment to the Registration Statement, or a supplement to the
Prospectus, as the case may be, relating to the Designated Securities, in the
form heretofore delivered to you is now proposed to be filed with the
Commission.
Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein and in the
Underwriting Agreement incorporated herein by reference, the Company agrees to
issue and sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees,
severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at the time and place
and at the purchase price to the Underwriters set forth in Schedule II hereto,
the principal amount of Designated Securities set forth opposite the name of
such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto.
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign
and return to us counterparts hereof, and upon acceptance hereof by you, on
behalf of each of the Underwriters, this letter and such acceptance hereof,
including the provisions of the Underwriting Agreement incorporated herein by
reference, shall constitute a binding agreement between each of the Underwriters
and the Company. It is understood that your acceptance of this letter on behalf
of each of the Underwriters is or will be pursuant to the authority set forth in
a form of Agreement among Underwriters, the form of which shall be submitted to
the Company for examination upon request, but without warranty on the part of
the Representatives as to the authority of the signers thereof.
Very truly yours,
The Detroit Edison Company
By:_______________________
Name:
Title:
Accepted as of the date hereof:
[UNDERWRITERS]
By:___________________________
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SCHEDULE I
Principal Amount
of Designated
Securities to be
Underwriter Purchased
----------- --------------------------
Sch. I-1
21
SCHEDULE II
TITLE OF DESIGNATED SECURITIES:
AGGREGATE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT:
PRICE TO PUBLIC:
PURCHASE PRICE BY UNDERWRITERS:
SPECIFIED FUNDS FOR PAYMENT OF PURCHASE PRICE:
INDENTURE:
Indenture dated as of June 30, 1993, as supplemented by and through a
Seventh Supplemental Indenture dated as of [ ] between the Company and
Bankers Trust Company, as Trustee
MATURITY:
INTEREST RATE:
INTEREST PAYMENT DATES:
REDEMPTION PROVISIONS:
SINKING FUND PROVISIONS:
No sinking fund provisions.
Sch. II-1
22
TIME OF DELIVERY:
9:00 A.M.
[ ], 1998
CLOSING LOCATION FOR DELIVERY OF SECURITIES:
Xxxxx & Xxxx LLP
Xxx Xxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF REPRESENTATIVES:
Sch. II-2