AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER
AGREEMENT
AND PLAN OF MERGER
THIS
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER (this “Agreement”), dated as of March 15, 2007, is
by and between Center Bancorp, Inc., a New Jersey corporation ("Buyer"), and
Beacon Trust Company, a limited purpose trust company chartered under the laws
of the State of New Jersey (the “Company”).
RECITALS
A.
Buyer
desires to acquire the Company and the Company’s Board of Directors has
determined, based upon the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth, that
the
acquisition is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. The
acquisition will be accomplished by (i) Buyer’s forming a limited purpose trust
company chartered under the laws of the State of New Jersey as a wholly-owned
Subsidiary of Buyer (such Subsidiary being hereinafter referred to as “Newco”),
(ii) merging the Company with and into Newco with Newco as the surviving entity
(the “Merger”) and (iii) the Company’s shareholders receiving the merger
consideration hereinafter set forth. The Boards of Directors of the Company
and
Buyer have duly adopted and approved this Agreement and the Board of Directors
of the Company has directed that it be submitted to its shareholders for
approval.
B.
Concurrently with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, and as a
condition and inducement to Buyer's willingness to enter into this Agreement,
certain shareholders of the Company have entered into a shareholders’ agreement
with Buyer (the “Shareholders’ Agreement”).
C.
Concurrently with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, and as a
condition and inducement to Buyer's willingness to enter into this Agreement,
the Company has entered into employment agreements with thirteen of its
employees, effective as of the consummation of the Merger (the “New Employment
Agreements”).
D.
Copies
of the executed Shareholders’ Agreement and New Employment Agreements have been
provided to Buyer’s counsel.
E.
As
soon
as practicable following the date hereof, Buyer will make application to the
Department of Banking and Insurance of the State of New Jersey to form
Newco as a limited purpose trust company chartered under the laws of the State
of New Jersey
and,
following the organization of Newco as a limited purpose trust company, Buyer
will apply to the Superior Court of the State of New Jersey to have Newco
substituted in every fiduciary capacity in place of the Company as the successor
trustee and fiduciary with respect to all of the Trust Accounts (as defined
herein) pursuant to N.J.S.A. 17:16R-1 et seq. (the “Fiduciary
Act”).
F. The
Company will provide Buyer with a certification, to be filed with the
above-mentioned application, pursuant to which the Company will confirm that
it
understands and agrees that it shall be bound as a party to any order entered
by
the Superior Court of New Jersey in the proceeding on such
application.
G. The
parties intend that, as soon as practicable following entry of a Substitution
Order pursuant to the Fiduciary Act, the receipt of all other necessary consents
and approvals and the expiration of all applicable waiting periods, the parties
will effect the Merger.
H. The
Boards of Directors of the Company and Buyer have determined that it is in
the
best interests of their respective companies and their shareholders to
consummate the transactions provided for herein.
I.
The
parties desire to make certain representations, warranties and agreements in
connection with the Merger and also to prescribe certain conditions to the
Merger.
J.
Certain terms are defined in Section 10.14(a).
NOW,
THEREFORE,
in
consideration of the mutual covenants, representations, warranties and
agreements contained herein, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the
parties agree as follows:
ARTICLE
I
THE
MERGER AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS
1.1
Establishing
Newco.
Promptly after the execution of this Agreement, Buyer shall use commercially
reasonably efforts to organize an entity, referred to herein as “Newco”, as a
limited purpose trust company chartered under the laws of the State of New
Jersey. It is understood that from and after the date that Newco is organized,
Newco shall be a wholly-owned Subsidiary of Buyer until such time as the capital
stock of Newco is transferred to Buyer’s Union Center National Bank Subsidiary
pursuant to this Article I.
1.2
The
Merger.
Subject
to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, in accordance with the provisions
of N.J.S.A. 17:9A-132 et
seq.,
at the
Effective Time (as defined in Section 1.3 hereof) the Company shall merge with
and into Newco, and Buyer shall cause Newco to merge with the
Company,
under
the charter of Newco. Newco
shall be the surviving entity (hereinafter sometimes called the "Surviving
Trust
Company") in the Merger, and shall continue its corporate existence under the
laws of the State of New Jersey. The name of the Surviving Trust Company shall
be Beacon Trust Company. Upon consummation of the Merger, the separate corporate
existence of the Company shall terminate.
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1.3
Closing,
Closing Date, Determination Date and Effective Time.
Unless
a different date, time and/or place are agreed to by the parties hereto, the
closing of the Merger (the "Closing") shall take place at 10:00 a.m., at the
offices of Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx PC, 00 Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx, Xxx Xxxxxx
00000, on a date determined by Buyer on at least five Business Days notice
(the
"Closing Notice") given to the Company, which date (the "Closing Date") shall
be
not more than ten (10) Business Days following the receipt of all necessary
regulatory, governmental and shareholder approvals and consents and the
expiration of all statutory waiting periods in respect thereof and the
satisfaction or waiver of all of the conditions to the consummation of the
Merger specified in Article VII (other than the delivery of certificates and
other instruments and documents to be delivered at the Closing). In the Closing
Notice, Buyer shall specify the "Determination Date", which date shall be the
first date on which all bank regulatory approvals (and waivers, if applicable)
necessary for consummation of the Merger have been received (disregarding any
waiting period) and either party has notified the other in writing that all
such
approvals (and waivers, if applicable) have been received. Upon consummation
of
the Closing, the Buyer shall file with the New Jersey Department of Banking
and
Insurance (the “Department”) the notice of consummation of the Merger
(the
“Departmental Notice”) contemplated by N.J.S.A.
17:9A-137.B.
The
Merger shall become effective (and be consummated) at the date and time (the
“Effective Time”) of the
filing of the Departmental Notice with the Department.
1.4
Effect
of the Merger.
At the
Effective Time, the Surviving Trust Company shall be considered the same
business and corporate entity as each of Newco and the Company and thereupon
and
thereafter, all the property, rights, privileges, powers and franchises of
each
of Newco and the Company shall vest in the Surviving Trust Company and the
Surviving Trust Company shall be subject to and be deemed to have assumed all
of
the debts, liabilities, obligations and duties of each of Newco and the Company
and shall have succeeded to all of each of their relationships, as fully and
to
the same extent as if such property, rights, privileges, powers, franchises,
debts, liabilities, obligations, duties and relationships had been originally
acquired, incurred or entered into by the Surviving Trust Company. In addition,
any reference to either of Newco and the Company in any contract or document,
whether executed or taking effect before or after the Effective Time, shall
be
considered a reference to the Surviving Trust Company if not inconsistent with
the other provisions of the contract or document; and any pending action or
other judicial proceeding to which either of Newco or the Company is a party
shall not be deemed to have abated or to have discontinued by reason of the
Merger, but may be prosecuted to final judgment, order or decree in the same
manner as if the Merger had not been made; or the Surviving Trust Company may
be
substituted as a party to such action or proceeding, and any judgment, order
or
decree may be rendered for or against it that might have been rendered for
or
against either of Newco or the Company if the Merger had not
occurred.
1.5
Conversion
of Company Common Stock.
(a)
At
the Effective Time, subject to the other provisions of this Section 1.5, Section
1.6, Section 1.9, Section 1.19 and Section 2.2(e), each shareholder of the
Company shall, by virtue of this Agreement and without any action on the part
of
the Company, Buyer or such shareholder, be entitled to receive, in respect
of
the
shares
of
common stock, par value $2.65 per share, of the Company (“Company Common Stock”)
issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time and held by
such
shareholder, including Option Shares and Non-Option Shares (which, for the
avoidance of doubt, shall not include (i) shares of Company Common Stock held
in
the Company's treasury or (ii) shares of Company Common Stock held directly
or
indirectly by Buyer or the Company or any of their respective Subsidiaries
(except for Trust Account Shares and DPC Shares, as such terms are defined
in
Section 1.5(b) hereof), the following:
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(i)
for
all
of
the
Option
Shares held by such shareholder, a number of shares (such number of shares
being
herein called the “Buyer/Option
Shares”)
of
common stock, no par value, of Buyer ("Buyer Common Stock") equal to
the
lesser of (A) the product of (w)
the
Adjusted Stock Number divided by the
Fully
Diluted Number, such quotient to be rounded to four decimal places,
multiplied by (x) the number of Option Shares held by such
shareholder
and (B)
the
product of (y) the Stock
Number divided by the Fully Diluted Number, such quotient to be rounded to
four
decimal places,
multiplied by (z) the total number of shares of Company Common Stock held by
such shareholder;
(ii)
for
all
of
the
Non-Option Shares held by such shareholder, a number of shares of Buyer Common
Stock, equal to the excess of (x) the number
of
shares of Buyer Common Stock which is the product of (A) the Stock
Number divided by the Fully Diluted Number, such quotient to be rounded to
four
decimal places,
multiplied by (B) the total number of shares of Company Common Stock held by
such shareholder
over (y)
the number of Buyer/Option Shares into which such shareholder’s Option Shares,
if any, were converted pursuant to clause (a)(i) above;
(iii)
for
all
of
the
Non-Option Shares held by such shareholder, a cash payment, payable promptly
after the Effective Time, without interest, in an amount equal to the
product of (x)
$3,259,480 divided by the
Fully
Diluted Number,
multiplied by (y) the total number of shares of Company Common Stock held by
such shareholder;
(iv)
subject to Article IX, for
all
of
the
Option
Shares and Non-Option Shares held by such shareholder, a cash payment, payable
promptly after the First Year Payment Date, without interest, in an amount
equal
to the
product of (x)
$1,125,000 (the “First Year Payment Amount”), subject to reduction in accordance
with Section 1.6, divided by the
Fully
Diluted Number,
multiplied by (y) the total number of shares of Company Common Stock held by
such shareholder ;
and
(v)
subject to Article IX, for
all
of
the
Option
Shares and Non-Option Shares held by such shareholder, a cash payment, payable
promptly after the Second Year Payment Date, without interest, in an amount
equal to the
product of (x)
$1,125,000 (the “Second Year Payment Amount”), subject to reduction in
accordance with Section 1.6, divided by the Fully Diluted Number,
multiplied by (y) the total number of shares of Company Common Stock held by
such shareholder.
4
Buyer
and
the Company have agreed upon a calculation of the shares of Buyer Common Stock
that would be issued to each current shareholder of the Company pursuant to
Sections 1.5(a)(i) and 1.5(a)(ii) based upon the assumptions set forth
therein.
(b)
At
the Effective Time, (i) all shares of Company Common Stock that are owned by
the
Company as treasury stock and (ii) all shares of Company Common Stock that
are
owned directly or indirectly by Buyer or the Company or any of their respective
Subsidiaries (other than shares of Company Common Stock (x) held directly or
indirectly in trust accounts, managed accounts and the like or otherwise held
in
a fiduciary capacity for the benefit of third parties (any such shares, and
shares of Buyer Common Stock which are similarly held, whether held directly
or
indirectly by Buyer or the Company, as the case may be, being referred to herein
as "Trust Account Shares") or (y) held by Buyer or the Company or any of their
respective Subsidiaries in respect of a debt previously contracted (any such
shares of Company Common Stock, and shares of Buyer Common Stock which are
similarly held, being referred to herein as "DPC Shares")), shall be canceled
and shall cease to exist and no stock of Buyer or other consideration shall
be
delivered in exchange therefor. All other shares of Company Common Stock
(including Option Shares and Non-Option Shares) shall cease to be outstanding.
All shares of Buyer Common Stock that are owned by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries (other than Trust Account Shares and DPC Shares) shall become
treasury stock of Buyer.
(c)
On
and after the Effective Time, holders of certificates which immediately prior
to
the Effective Time represented outstanding shares of Company Common Stock (the
"Certificates") shall cease to have any rights as shareholders of the Company,
except the right to receive the consideration set forth in this Article I for
each such share held by them. The consideration which any one Company
shareholder may receive pursuant to this Article I is referred to herein as
the
“Merger Consideration” and the consideration which all of the Company
shareholders are entitled to receive pursuant to this Article I is referred
to
herein as the “Aggregate Merger Consideration”. The right to receive the
consideration described in Sections 1.5(a)(iv) and 1.5(a)(v) shall not be
transferable (other than by will or by operation of law, in which case Buyer
shall be given written notice of such transfer) without the prior written
consent of Buyer.
(d)
Notwithstanding any provision herein to the contrary, if, between the date
of
this Agreement and the Effective Time, the shares of Buyer Common Stock shall
be
changed into a different number or class of shares by reason of any
reclassification, recapitalization, split-up, combination, exchange of shares
or
readjustment, or a stock dividend thereon shall be declared with a record date
within said period, appropriate adjustments shall be made to the merger
consideration payable hereunder in shares of Buyer Common Stock.
(e)
At
the Effective Time, Buyer shall pay $100,000 to an account designated by the
Shareholder Representative. It is understood that funds in such account shall
be
used by the Shareholder Representative to defray out-of-pocket expenses that
the
Shareholder Representative may incur in performing the Shareholder
Representative’s duties hereunder.
5
1.6
Possible
Adjustment of the First Year Payment Amount and the Second Year Payment
Amount.
The
following provisions shall apply in determining the amounts to be paid pursuant
to Sections 1.5(a)(iv) and 1.5(a)(v):
(a)
Promptly after the end of the First Year and the Second Year, the Shareholder
Representative shall prepare and submit to Buyer an income statement of the
Surviving Trust Company, prepared in accordance with GAAP, setting forth the
Pre-Tax Income of the Surviving Trust Company for the First Year and the Second
Year, respectively. Buyer shall cause the Surviving Trust Company to cooperate
with the Shareholder Representative in the preparation of such income
statements, including by arranging for personnel of the Surviving Trust Company
to prepare such income statements.
(b)
During the 30-day period following Buyer’s receipt of an income statement
furnished pursuant to Section 1.6(a) (each, a “Section 1.6 Income Statement”),
Buyer and its representatives shall be permitted to review the working papers
relating to such Section 1.6 Income Statement. The Section 1.6 Income Statement
shall become final and binding upon the parties on the 30th day following
delivery thereof, unless Buyer gives written notice of its disagreement with
the
Section 1.6 Income Statement (a “Notice of Disagreement”) to the Shareholder
Representative prior to such date. Any Notice of Disagreement shall
(i) specify in reasonable detail the nature of any disagreement so asserted
and (ii) only include disagreements based on mathematical errors or based
on Pre-Tax Income not being calculated in accordance with this Agreement. If
a
Notice of Disagreement is received by the Shareholder Representative in a timely
manner, then the Section 1.6 Income Statement (as revised in accordance with
this sentence) shall become final and binding on the earlier of (A) the
date Buyer and the Shareholder Representative resolve in writing any differences
they have with respect to the matters specified in the Notice of Disagreement
and (B) the date any disputed matters specified in the Notice of
Disagreement are finally resolved in writing by the Accounting Firm. During
the
30-day period following the delivery of a Notice of Disagreement, Buyer and
the
Shareholder Representative shall seek in good faith to resolve in writing any
differences that they may have with respect to the matters specified in the
Notice of Disagreement. At the end of such 30-day period, Buyer and the
Shareholder Representative shall submit to a mutually acceptable independent
accounting firm (the “Accounting Firm”) for arbitration any and all matters that
remain in dispute and that were properly included in the Notice of Disagreement.
In such submission, Buyer shall specify the amount of Pre-Tax Income that it
believes the Surviving Trust Company earned during the First Year or the Second
Year, whichever is applicable (the “Buyer’s Submitted Amount”), and the
Shareholder Representative shall specify the amount of Pre-Tax Income that
it
believes the Surviving Trust Company earned during the First Year or the Second
Year, whichever is applicable (the “Shareholder Representative’s Submitted
Amount”). The Accounting Firm shall be instructed to render its determination of
all matters submitted to it within 30 days following submission. The fees
and expenses of the Accounting Firm incurred pursuant to this Section 1.06
shall be (i) borne by the Buyer if the amount of Pre-Tax Income reflected in
the
Accounting Firm’s final determination is closer to the Shareholder
Representative’s Submitted Amount than to the Buyer’s Submitted Amount, (ii)
borne by the former shareholders of the Company if the amount of Pre-Tax Income
reflected in the Accounting Firm’s final determination is closer to the Buyer’s
Submitted Amount than to the Shareholder Representative’s Submitted Amount and
(iii) borne equally by the Buyer and the former shareholders of the Company
if
the amount of Pre-Tax Income reflected in the Accounting Firm’s determination is
precisely midway between the Shareholder Representative’s Submitted Amount and
the Buyer’s Submitted Amount. Any fees to be paid by the former shareholders of
the Company pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence shall be paid by
reduction of the First Year Payment Amount or the Second Year Payment Amount,
as
applicable, or if that is insufficient to cover such fees, by the Shareholder
Representative. The fees and disbursements of Buyer’s independent auditors
incurred in connection with their review of the Section 1.6 Income Statement
and
of any Notice of Disagreement shall be borne by Buyer, and the fees and
disbursements of any independent auditors retained by the Shareholder
Representative incurred in connection with their review of the Statement and
any
Notice of Disagreement shall be paid by the Shareholder Representative. If
(I) a
determination of Pre-Tax Income is submitted to an Accounting Firm pursuant
to
this Section 1.6(b), (II) the amount of Pre-Tax Income reflected in the
Accounting Firm’s final determination with respect to such matter is closer to
the Shareholder Representative’s Submitted Amount than to the Buyer’s Submitted
Amount, (III) the Shareholder Representative performs all of his obligations
under this Section 1.6(b) in a timely manner and (IV) following such
determination by the Accounting Firm, the First Year Payment or the Second
Year
Payment provided for in Section 1.6(c), whichever is applicable, is greater
than
zero, then there shall be added to the First Year Payment or Second Year Payment
provided for in Section 1.6(c), whichever is applicable, an amount equal to
interest on such payment, from the sixtieth day following the end of the First
Year or the Second Year, whichever is applicable, to the date of such payment,
at a rate of interest equal to the federal funds rate, as such rate may change
from time to time.
6
(c)
There
shall be no reduction in the First Year Payment Amount in the event that First
Year Pre-Tax Income equals or exceeds the First Year Milestone. Notwithstanding
any provision herein to the contrary:
(i)
in
the event that the First Year Pre-tax Income is less than the First Year
Milestone but equals or exceeds the First Year Base Amount, the First Year
Payment Amount shall be reduced to an amount equal to $1,125,000 multiplied
by a
fraction, the numerator of which is the amount by which the First Year Pre-Tax
Income exceeds the First Year Base Amount and the denominator of which is
$361,664; and
(ii)
in
the event that the First Year Pre-tax Income is less than the First Year Base
Amount, the First Year Payment Amount shall be reduced to zero.
(d)
There
shall be no reduction in the Second Year Payment Amount in the event that Second
Year Pre-Tax Income equals or exceeds the Second Year Milestone. Notwithstanding
any provision herein to the contrary:
(i)
in
the event that the Second Year Pre-tax Income is less than the Second Year
Milestone but equals or exceeds the Second Year Base Amount, the Second Year
Payment Amount shall be reduced to an amount equal to $1,125,000 multiplied
by a
fraction, the numerator of which is the amount by which the Second Year Pre-Tax
Income exceeds the Second Year Base Amount and the denominator of which is
$447,554; and
(ii)
in
the event that the Second Year Pre-tax Income is less than the Second Year
Base
Amount, the Second Year Payment Amount shall be reduced to zero.
(e) For
purposes of this Agreement, “Pre-Tax Income” shall mean the net income of the
Surviving Trust Company for a particular period before the provision for income
taxes, determined in accordance with GAAP, except that unless otherwise agreed
in writing by the Shareholder Representative and Buyer, the following provisions
shall apply in calculating Pre-Tax Income:
7
(i) all
inter-company expenses shall be omitted to the extent that such expenses do
not
represent reimbursement for expenses owed by the Surviving Trust Company for
services performed by the Buyer or its Affiliates or any third-party
vendor;
(ii) the
purchase and sales price of any goods and services sold by the Surviving Trust
Company to Buyer or any of its Subsidiaries (other than the Surviving Trust
Company), or by Buyer or any of its Subsidiaries (other than the Surviving
Trust
Company) to the Surviving Trust Company, shall be adjusted to reflect the
amounts that the Surviving Trust Company would have paid or realized if dealing
with an independent third party in an arm’s-length transaction;
(iii) if
the
fees charged by the Surviving Trust Company to its Trust Account holders are
decreased during the Transition Period at the Buyer’s direction and without the
approval of the Shareholder Representative or increased during the Transition
Period without the approval of Buyer, each fee payment made thereafter pursuant
to the revised fee structure shall be deemed to have been made at the rate
in
existence before such increase or decrease was implemented;
(iv)
no
expense shall be recorded in respect of any amortization of goodwill relating
to
Buyer’s acquisition of the Company;
(v) no
expense shall be recorded in respect of any depreciation for any capital asset
purchased by the Surviving Trust Company during the Transition Period at the
Buyer’s direction, other than with respect to capital assets purchased by the
Surviving Trust Company in the ordinary course of business or with respect
to
capital assets purchased by the Surviving Trust Company with the approval of
the
Shareholder Representative;
(vi)
if
the
Surviving Trust Company acquires any business during the Transition Period,
the
results of operations of such business, as well as the costs or fees associated
with such acquisition, shall not be reflected in First Year Pre-Tax Income
or
Second Year Pre-Tax Income unless otherwise agreed in writing by Buyer and
the
Shareholder Representative prior to the consummation of such acquisition;
8
(vii)
no
expense shall be recorded for any bonus payment approved in writing by Buyer;
and
(vii)
if,
during the Transition Period, (x) Buyer decides to cause the Surviving Trust
Company to divest any line of business which has, since January 1, 2006,
contributed in any material respect to the Company’s net income, (y) such action
is not taken in response to instructions or directions from a Governmental
Entity and (z) the Shareholder Representative objects in writing to such action
before it is taken, then, during the portion of the Transition Period that
remains after such divestiture is completed (the “Remaining Transition Period”),
(I) there shall be added to the Surviving Trust Company’s revenues, for each
month in the Remaining Transition Period, an amount equal to the average monthly
revenues attributable to such line of business from January 1, 2007 through the
date of such divestiture and (II) there shall be added to the Surviving Trust
Company’s expenses, for each month in the Remaining Transition Period, an amount
equal to the average monthly expenses attributable to such line of business
from
January 1, 2007 through the date of such divestiture.
(f)
During the Transition Period, unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the
Shareholder Representative and Buyer, Buyer shall cause Union Center National
Bank and Subsidiaries of Union Center National Bank to refrain from offering
estate planning, trust administration, tax or custody services to any high
net
worth individual customer unless (i) Buyer or Union Center National Bank offers
to permit the Surviving Trust Company to perform such business for such customer
and the Surviving Trust Company declines to perform such business, or (ii)
such
customer advises Union Center National Bank or Subsidiaries of Union Center
National Bank that he or she is unwilling to be a customer of the Surviving
Trust Company or (iii) prior to engaging in any such service, the Buyer offers
a
proposal which the Shareholder Representative accepts for adjusting the
calculation of Pre-Tax Income hereunder to assure that such competition is
neutral in its impact on the calculation of Pre-Tax Income hereunder, such
acceptance not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed, or (iv) Buyer agrees
that
there shall be no reduction in the First Year Payment Amount (unless such
competition commences in the Second Year, in which case there the First Year
Payment Amount shall not be affected) or the Second Year Payment Amount. It
is
acknowledged that this Section 1.6(f) shall not apply to the acquisition of
any
business or business unit, which shall be governed by the provisions of section
1.6(e)(vi).
1.7
Stock
Options.
All
outstanding options which may be exercised for issuance of Company Common Stock
(each, a "Stock Option" and collectively the "Stock Options") are described
in
Section 1.7 of the Company Disclosure Schedule and are issued and outstanding
pursuant to the Company’s 2001 Stock Option Plan (the "Company Stock Option
Plan") and the agreements pursuant to which such Stock Options were granted
(each, an "Option Grant Agreement"). True and complete copies of the Company’s
Stock Option Plan and all Option Grant Agreements relating to outstanding Stock
Options have been delivered to Buyer. At the Effective Time, each Stock Option
which is outstanding and unexercised immediately prior thereto, whether or
not
then vested or exercisable, shall automatically be converted into an option
to
purchase Buyer Common Stock (a “New Option”) as follows: (i) the number of
shares of Buyer Common Stock covered by each New Option shall equal the number
of shares of Company Common Stock covered by the corresponding Stock Option
immediately prior to the Effective Time multiplied by the Exchange Multiple
(as
hereinafter defined) and (ii) the exercise price for each New Option shall
equal
the exercise price of the corresponding Stock Option immediately prior to the
Effective Time divided by the Exchange Multiple. In substantially all respects,
the terms of each New Option shall otherwise be identical to the terms of the
corresponding Stock Option in effect immediately prior to the consummation
of
the Merger, subject to any provisions in the Company Stock Option Plan which
require acceleration of vesting as a result of the consummation of the Merger.
In effecting such conversion, the aggregate number of shares of Buyer Common
Stock to be subject to each New Option will be rounded up or down, if necessary,
to the nearest whole share (with one-half being rounded up) and the aggregate
exercise price shall be rounded up or down, if necessary, to the nearest whole
cent (with one-half being rounded up). At the Effective Time, the Company Stock
Option Plan shall be terminated. The adjustments provided herein with respect
to
any Stock Options that are "incentive stock options" (as defined in Section
422
of the Code) shall be effected in such manner as shall not cause a modification,
extension or renewal of the Stock Options, within the meaning of Section 424(a)
of the Code. Prior to the Effective Time, the Company shall take or cause to
be
taken all actions required under the Company Stock Option Plan to provide for
the foregoing. For purposes of this Agreement, the “Exchange Multiple” shall be
(x) the Option Number divided by (y) the Fully Diluted Number, such quotient
to
be rounded to four decimal places.
9
1.8
Buyer
Common Stock.
Except
for shares of Buyer Common Stock owned by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
(other than Trust Account Shares and DPC Shares), which shall be converted
into
treasury stock of Buyer as contemplated by Section 1.5, the shares of Buyer
Common Stock and shares of capital stock of Newco issued and outstanding
immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be unaffected by the Merger and
such shares shall remain issued and outstanding.
1.9
Shares
of Dissenting Shareholders.
Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, any shares of
Company Common Stock that are issued and outstanding as of the Effective Time
and that are held by a shareholder who has properly exercised his appraisal
rights (the "Dissenting Shares") under applicable law,
shall
not be converted into the right to receive the Merger Consideration unless
and
until the holder shall have failed to perfect, or shall have effectively
withdrawn or lost, his, her or its right to dissent from the Merger under
applicable
law,
and to
receive such consideration as may be determined to be due with respect to such
Dissenting Shares pursuant to and subject to the requirements of applicable
law.
If any
such holder shall have failed to perfect or shall have effectively withdrawn
or
lost such right, each share of such holder's Company Common Stock shall
thereupon be deemed to have been converted into and to have become, as of the
Effective Time, the right to receive, without any interest thereon, the
consideration provided for in Section 1.5 upon surrender of the Certificate
or
Certificates representing such Dissenting Shares. The Company shall give Buyer
(i) prompt notice of any notice or demands for appraisal or payment for shares
of Company Common Stock received by the Company and (ii) the opportunity to
participate in and direct all negotiations and proceedings with respect to
any
such demands or notices. The Company shall not, without the prior written
consent of Buyer, make any payment with respect to, or settle, offer to settle
or otherwise negotiate, any such demands.
1.10
Certificate
of Incorporation and By-Laws.
Subject
to Section 1.11, at the Effective Time, the Certificate of Incorporation of
Newco (in the form of Exhibit
A
annexed
hereto) as it shall exist immediately prior to the Effective Time shall continue
as the Certificate of Incorporation of the Surviving Trust Company until
otherwise amended as provided by law; provided
however,
that
(i) Newco’s name shall change to Beacon Trust Company upon consummation of the
Merger and (ii) Newco shall have the right, between the date hereof and the
Closing, to modify the Certificate of Incorporation in a manner that will not
adversely affect the shareholders of the Company and upon the acceptance of
such
modification by the Department, the Certificate of Incorporation of Newco as
so
modified shall be substituted for Exhibit
A.
Subject
to Section 1.11, at the Effective Time, the By-Laws of Newco, as in effect
immediately prior to the Effective Time, shall be the By-Laws of the Surviving
Trust Company until thereafter amended in accordance with applicable
law
10
1.11
Limited
Liability Company.
In the
event that the Buyer requests permission from the Department to organize Newco
as a limited liability company and the Department permits Newco to be organized
as a limited liability company, then, notwithstanding any provision herein
to
the contrary, (i) the operating agreement of Newco shall continue as the
operating agreement of the Surviving Trust Company, except that Newco’s name
shall change to Beacon Trust Company upon consummation of the Merger, (ii)
the
provisions of Sections 1.10 and 1.12 shall be inapplicable, (iii) three
individuals to be designated by the Company immediately prior to the Effective
Time (one of whom shall be Xxxxxx Xxxx, provided that he is then serving on
the
Board of Directors of the Company), together with Xxxx X. Xxxxx and one other
individual who shall be designated by Buyer prior to the Effective Time, shall
be the managers of the Surviving Trust Company, each to hold office in
accordance with such operating agreement until their respective successors
are
duly elected or appointed and qualified pursuant to the terms of such operating
agreement and (iv) the officers of the Company immediately prior to the
Effective Time shall be officers of the Surviving Trust Company, each to hold
office in accordance with such operating agreement until their respective
successors are duly elected or appointed and qualified pursuant to the terms
of
such operating agreement.
1.12
Directors
and Officers.
Three
individuals to be designated by the Company immediately prior to the Effective
Time (one of whom shall be Xxxxxx Xxxx, provided that he is then serving on
the
Board of Directors of the Company), together with Xxxx X. Xxxxx and one other
individual who shall be designated by Buyer prior to the Effective Time, shall
be the directors of the Surviving Trust Company, each to hold office in
accordance with the Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws of the Surviving
Trust Company until their respective successors are duly elected or appointed
and qualified. The officers of the Company immediately prior to the Effective
Time shall be officers of the Surviving Trust Company, each to hold office
in
accordance with the Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws of the Surviving
Trust Company until their respective successors are duly elected or appointed
and qualified.
1.13
Tax
Consequences.
It is
intended that the Merger shall constitute a reorganization within the meaning
of
Section 368(a) of the Code and that this Agreement shall constitute a "plan
of
reorganization" for purposes of Section 368 of the Code.
11
1.14
Withholding
Rights.
Buyer
shall be entitled to deduct and withhold, or cause the Exchange Agent to deduct
and withhold, from funds provided by the holder or from the consideration
otherwise payable pursuant to this Agreement to any holder of Company Common
Stock, the minimum amounts (if any) that Buyer is required to deduct and
withhold with respect to the making of such payment under the Code, or any
provision of state, local or foreign Tax law. To the extent that amounts are
so
withheld by Buyer, such withheld amounts shall be treated for all purposes
of
this Agreement as having been paid to the holder of Company Common Stock in
respect of which such deduction and withholding was made by Buyer.
1.15
Newco’s
Participation.
Upon
the organization of Newco and at such time as Newco shall have the authority
to
execute a joinder agreement, Buyer shall cause Newco to execute a joinder
agreement, in form and substance satisfactory to Buyer and acceptable to the
Company (such acceptance not to be unreasonably withheld), acknowledging Newco’s
agreement to be a party to the Merger, subject to the terms and conditions
of
this Agreement. If requested by Buyer, the Company shall, at such time as such
joinder agreement is executed, enter into an agreement with Newco, consistent
in
all respects with this Agreement, conforming to the requirements of N.J.S.A.
17:9A-134. At such time as Newco shall have the authority to file the Fiduciary
Petition, Buyer shall cause Newco to promptly file the Fiduciary
Petition.
1.16
Post-Closing
Transfer.
It is
acknowledged and understood that subsequent to the Effective Time, Buyer intends
to contribute 100% of the equity interests of the Surviving Trust Company to
Buyer’s subsidiary, Union Center National Bank.
1.17
Changes
in Structure.
As
executed by the parties, this Agreement contemplates the merger of the Company
with and into Newco. In the event that (a) prior to the date on which the Proxy
Statement (as defined in Section 3.4 hereof) is mailed to the Company’s
shareholders, Buyer proposes an alternative structure for the transactions
contemplated hereby, and (b) such alternate structure does not adversely affect
the Company’s shareholders in any material respect, then the Company shall
negotiate in good faith with Buyer and shall use commercially reasonable efforts
to restructure the transactions contemplated hereby in accordance with such
proposal.
12
1.18
Other
Adjustments.
In the
event that Buyer declares or effects a stock dividend, reclassification,
recapitalization, split-up, combination, exchange of shares or similar
transaction between the date hereof and the Determination Date, all calculations
to be made hereunder based on the market price of Buyer Common Stock at any
time
through the Determination Date shall be appropriately adjusted for the purposes
of this Article I and the definitions incorporated in to this Article
I.
1.19
Tax
Opinion.
If the
tax opinion referred to in Section 7.1(d) and to be delivered at the Closing
(the "Tax Opinion") cannot be rendered (as reasonably determined by Xxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxx PC and as reasonably concurred in by XxXxxxxx & English LLP as a
result of the Merger’s potentially failing to satisfy continuity of interest
requirements under applicable federal income tax principles relating to
reorganizations under Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986,
as
amended (the “Code”), then the parties hereto shall use commercially reasonable
efforts to modify this Agreement such that the amount of cash to be paid
pursuant to Section 1.5(a)(iii) shall be decreased, and the number of shares
of
Buyer Common Stock (valued at the Stock Price) shall be increased, to the
minimum extent necessary to enable the Tax Opinion to be rendered.
ARTICLE
II
EXCHANGE
OF SHARES
2.1
Buyer
to Make Shares Available.
The
Company and Buyer hereby appoint Registrar and Transfer Company (or such other
transfer agent as Buyer shall designate in good faith) as the exchange agent
(the "Exchange Agent") for purposes of effecting the conversion of Company
Common Stock hereunder. At or prior to the Effective Time, Buyer shall deposit,
or shall cause to be deposited, with the Exchange Agent, for the benefit of
the
holders of Certificates, for exchange in accordance with this Article II,
certificates representing the shares of Buyer Common Stock issuable hereunder
and cash in an amount sufficient to pay the aggregate amount of cash payable
pursuant to Section 1.5(a)(iii) (such cash and certificates for shares of Buyer
Common Stock, together with any dividends or distributions with respect thereto,
being hereinafter referred to as the "Exchange Fund") to be issued and paid
pursuant to Section 2.2(a) in exchange for outstanding shares of Company Common
Stock. On or about the First Year Payment Date, Buyer shall deposit, or shall
cause to be deposited, with the Exchange Agent, for the benefit of the former
holders of Certificates, cash in an amount sufficient to pay the aggregate
amount of cash payable pursuant to Section 1.5(a)(iv) (such cash, together
with
any dividends or distributions with respect thereto, being hereinafter referred
to as the "First Year Exchange Fund") to be paid pursuant to Section 2.2(a).
On
or about the Second Year Payment Date, Buyer shall deposit, or shall cause
to be
deposited, with the Exchange Agent, for the benefit of the former holders of
Certificates, cash in an amount sufficient to pay the aggregate amount of cash
payable pursuant to Section 1.5(a)( v) (such cash, together with any dividends
or distributions with respect thereto, being hereinafter referred to as the
"Second Year Exchange Fund") to be paid pursuant to Section 2.2(a).
13
2.2
Exchange
of Shares.
(a)
As
soon as practicable after the Effective Time, the Exchange Agent shall mail
to
each holder of record of a Certificate or Certificates a letter of transmittal
(which shall specify that delivery shall be effected, and risk of loss and
title
to the Certificates shall pass, only upon delivery of the Certificates to the
Exchange Agent) and instructions for use in effecting the surrender of the
Certificates in exchange for the Merger Consideration into which the shares
of
Company Common Stock represented by such Certificate or Certificates shall
have
been converted pursuant to this Agreement. The Company shall have the right
to
review both the letter of transmittal and the instructions prior to the
Effective Time and provide reasonable comments thereon. After the Effective
Time, upon surrender of a Certificate for exchange and cancellation to the
Exchange Agent, together with such letter of transmittal, duly executed, the
holder of such Certificate shall be entitled to receive in exchange therefor
the
portion of the Merger Consideration to which such holder of Company Common
Stock
shall have become entitled pursuant to the provisions of Sections 1.5(a)(i),
1.5(a)(ii) and 1.5(a)(iii), and the Certificate so surrendered shall forthwith
be canceled. After the First Year Payment Date, each individual or entity which
theretofore has surrendered a Certificate for exchange and cancellation to
the
Exchange Agent, together with such letter of transmittal, duly executed, shall
be entitled to receive the portion of the Merger Consideration, if any, to
which
such individual or entity shall have become entitled pursuant to the provisions
of Section 1.5(a)(iv). After the Second Year Payment Date, each individual
or
entity which theretofore has surrendered a Certificate for exchange and
cancellation to the Exchange Agent, together with such letter of transmittal,
duly executed, shall be entitled to receive the portion of the Merger
Consideration, if any, to which such individual or entity shall have become
entitled pursuant to the provisions of Section 1.5(a)(v). No interest will
be
paid or accrued on any cash constituting Merger Consideration (including cash
to
be paid in lieu of fractional shares) or on any unpaid dividends or
distributions, if any, payable to holders of Certificates.
(b)
No
dividends or other distributions declared after the Effective Time with respect
to Buyer Common Stock and payable to the holders of record thereof shall be
paid
to the holder of any unsurrendered Certificate until the holder thereof shall
surrender such Certificate in accordance with this Article II. After the
surrender of a Certificate in accordance with this Article II, the record holder
thereof shall be entitled to receive any such dividends or other distributions,
without any interest thereon, which theretofore had become payable with respect
to shares of Buyer Common Stock, if any, represented by such
Certificate.
(c)
If
any certificate representing shares of Buyer Common Stock is to be issued in
a
name other than that in which the Certificate surrendered in exchange therefor
is registered, it shall be a condition of the issuance thereof that the
Certificate so surrendered shall be properly endorsed (or accompanied by an
appropriate instrument of transfer) and otherwise in proper form for transfer,
and that the person requesting such exchange shall pay to the Exchange Agent
in
advance any transfer or other taxes required by reason of the issuance of a
certificate representing shares of Buyer Common Stock in any name other than
that of the registered holder of the Certificate surrendered, or required for
any other reason, or shall establish to the satisfaction of the Exchange Agent
that such Tax has been paid or is not payable.
14
(d)
After
the Effective Time, there shall be no transfers on the stock transfer books
of
the Company of the shares of Company Common Stock which were issued and
outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time. If, after the Effective
Time, Certificates representing such shares are presented for transfer to the
Exchange Agent, they shall be canceled and exchanged for Merger Consideration
as
determined in accordance with Article I and this Article II.
(e)
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, no certificates
or
scrip representing fractional shares of Buyer Common Stock shall be issued
upon
the surrender for exchange of Certificates, no dividend or distribution with
respect to Buyer Common Stock shall be payable on or with respect to any
fractional share, and such fractional share interests shall not entitle the
owner thereof to vote or to any other rights of a shareholder of Buyer. In
lieu
of the issuance of any such fractional share, Buyer shall pay to each former
shareholder of the Company who otherwise would be entitled to receive a
fractional share of Buyer Common Stock an amount in cash determined by
multiplying (i) the closing sale price of one share of Buyer Common Stock on
the
Nasdaq Global Select Market (the “Nasdaq/GSM”) on the Closing Date by (ii) the
fraction of a share of Buyer Common Stock which such holder would otherwise
be
entitled to receive pursuant to Sections 1.5(a)(i) and 1.5(a)(ii).
(f)
Any
portion of the Exchange Fund that remains unclaimed by the former shareholders
of the Company for six months after the Effective Time, any portion of the
First
Year Exchange Fund that remains unclaimed by the former shareholders of the
Company for six months after the First Year Payment Date and any portion of
the
Second Year Exchange Fund that remains unclaimed by the former shareholders
of
the Company for six months after the Second Year Payment Date shall be paid
to
Buyer. Any former shareholders of the Company who have not theretofore complied
with this Article II shall thereafter look only to Buyer for payment of the
cash, shares of Buyer Common Stock, cash in lieu of fractional shares and unpaid
dividends and distributions on the Buyer Common Stock deliverable in respect
of
each share of Company Common Stock such shareholder holds as determined pursuant
to this Agreement, in each case, without any interest thereon. None of Buyer,
the Company, the Exchange Agent or any other person shall be liable to any
former holder of shares of Company Common Stock for any amount properly
delivered to a public official pursuant to applicable abandoned property,
escheat or similar laws.
(g)
In
the event any Certificate shall have been lost, stolen or destroyed, upon the
making of an affidavit of that fact by the person claiming such Certificate
to
be lost, stolen or destroyed and, if required by Buyer, upon the posting by
such
person of a bond in such amount as Buyer may direct as indemnity against any
claim that may be made against it with respect to such Certificate, the Exchange
Agent will issue in exchange for such lost, stolen or destroyed Certificate
the
cash and/or shares of Buyer Common Stock and cash in lieu of fractional shares
deliverable in respect thereof pursuant to this Agreement.
15
ARTICLE
III
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
References
herein to the “Company Disclosure Schedule" shall mean all of the disclosure
schedules, dated as of the date hereof and referenced to the specific sections
and subsections of this Agreement, which have been delivered on the date hereof
by the Company to Buyer. Except as set forth in the Company Disclosure Schedule,
the Company hereby represents and warrants to Buyer as follows:
3.1
Corporate
Organization.
(a)
The
Company is a state-chartered limited purpose trust company duly organized and
validly existing under the laws of the State of New Jersey. The Company does
not
have, and has never had, any Subsidiaries. The Company has the corporate power
and authority to own or lease all of its properties and assets and to carry
on
its business as it is now being conducted and is duly licensed or qualified
to
do business in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted
by it or the character or the location of the properties and assets owned or
leased by it makes such licensing or qualification necessary, except where
the
failure to be so licensed or qualified would not have a Material Adverse Effect
on the Company. The Company has delivered to Buyer’s counsel true and complete
copies of the Certificate of Incorporation and By-laws of the Company. As used
in this Agreement, the term "Material Adverse Effect" means, with respect to
the
Company, a material adverse effect on (i) the business, assets, results of
operations or financial condition of the Company, other than any such effect
attributable to or resulting from (A) any change, effect, event or occurrence
relating to the United States economy or financial or securities markets in
general, (B) any change, effect, event or occurrence relating to the Company’s
industry to the extent not affecting the Company to a materially greater extent
than it affects other entities in such industry, (C) any change in banking
or
similar laws, rules or regulations of general applicability or interpretations
thereof by courts or governmental authorities, (D) any change in generally
accepted accounting principles or regulatory accounting principles applicable
to
the Company and other entities in its industry or (E) any action or omission
of
the Company taken with the prior written consent of Buyer or (ii) the ability
of
the Company to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby.
(b)
The
minute books of the Company contain true and correct records of all meetings
and
other corporate actions held or taken since December 31, 2001 of its
shareholders and Board of Directors (including committees of its Board of
Directors).
16
(c)
Except as set forth in Section 3.1(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, the
Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any equity interest
in
any corporation, company, association, partnership, joint venture or other
entity except for shares held by the Company in a fiduciary or custodial
capacity in the normal course of its business (which, except as disclosed in
Section 3.1(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, do not in the aggregate
constitute more than 5% of the voting shares or interests in any such
corporation, company, association, partnership, joint ventures or other entity).
3.2
Capitalization.
(a)
The
authorized capital stock of the Company consists of one million five hundred
thousand 1,500,000 shares of Company Common Stock and no shares of preferred
stock. As of the date hereof, there are 601,740 shares of Company Common Stock
outstanding, and 141,318 shares of Company Common Stock held by the Company
as
treasury stock. As of the date hereof, there are (i) no shares of Company Common
Stock reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding stock options or
otherwise except for 2,500 shares of Company Common Stock reserved for issuance
pursuant to the Company Stock Option Plan and described in Section 1.7 of the
Company Disclosure Schedule. All of the issued and outstanding shares of Company
Common Stock have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid,
nonassessable and free of preemptive rights, with no personal liability
attaching to the ownership thereof. Except as referred to above or reflected
in
Section 3.2(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, the Company does not have
and
is not bound by any outstanding subscriptions, options, warrants, calls,
commitments or agreements of any character calling for the purchase or issuance
of any shares of Company Common Stock or any other equity security of the
Company or any securities representing the right to purchase or otherwise
receive any shares of Company Common Stock or any other equity security of
the
Company. The names of the optionees, the date of each option to purchase Company
Common Stock granted, the number of shares subject to each such option, the
expiration date of each such option, and the price at which each such option
may
be exercised under the Company Stock Option Plan are set forth in Section 1.7
of
the Company Disclosure Schedule.
(b)
As
of the
date hereof, the shareholders of the Company who are parties to the
Shareholders’ Agreement own of record or beneficially a total of 340,181 shares
of Company Common Stock.
(c)
Section 3.2(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth the number of
shares of Company Common Stock beneficially owned (computed in accordance with
Rule 13d-3 of the Securities and Exchange Commission) by each of the members
of
the Board of Directors of the Company and by each executive officer of the
Company.
17
3.3
Authority;
No Violation.
(a)
The
Company has full corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this
Agreement and, subject to (x) the parties’ obtaining (i) all regulatory
approvals required to effectuate the Merger and (ii) the other approvals listed
in Section 3.4 and (y) the approval of the Company's shareholders as
contemplated herein, to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby. To
the
Company’s knowledge, each party to the Shareholders’ Agreement (other than
Buyer) has full power and authority to execute and deliver the Shareholders’
Agreement and to perform such party’s obligations thereunder. The execution and
delivery of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated
hereby have been duly and validly approved by the Board of Directors of the
Company. The Board of Directors of the Company has directed that this Agreement
and the transactions contemplated hereby be submitted to the Company's
shareholders for approval at a meeting of such shareholders and, except for
the
adoption of this Agreement by the requisite vote of the Company's shareholders,
no other corporate proceedings on the part of the Company are necessary to
approve this Agreement and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby.
This Agreement has been duly and validly executed and delivered by the Company
and (assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by Buyer) this Agreement
constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against
the Company in accordance with its terms, except as enforcement may be limited
by general principles of equity whether applied in a court of law or a court
of
equity and by bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting creditors'
rights and remedies generally.
(b)
Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Company, nor the
consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby, nor
compliance by the Company with any of the terms or provisions hereof, will
(i)
violate any provision of the Certificate of Incorporation or By-Laws of the
Company, or (ii) assuming that the consents and approvals referred to in Section
3.4 hereof are duly obtained and except as set forth in Section 3.3(b) of the
Company Disclosure Schedule, (x) violate any statute, code, ordinance, rule,
regulation, judgment, order, writ, decree or injunction applicable to the
Company, or any of its properties or assets, or (y) violate, conflict with,
result in a breach of any provision of or the loss of any benefit under,
constitute a default (or an event which, with notice or lapse of time, or both,
would constitute a default) under, result in the termination of or a right
of
termination or cancellation under, accelerate the performance required by,
or
result in the creation of any lien, pledge, security interest, charge or other
encumbrance upon any of the respective properties or assets of the Company
under, any of the terms, conditions or provisions of (i) any Governing Agreement
or (ii) any note, bond, mortgage, indenture, deed of trust, license, lease,
agreement (other than a Governing Agreement) or other instrument or obligation
(other than a Governing Agreement) to which the Company is a party, or by which
the Company or any of its properties or assets may be bound or affected, except,
with respect to clause (x) and clause (y)(ii) above, such as individually or
in
the aggregate will not have a Material Adverse Effect on the
Company.
18
3.4
Consents
and Approvals.
Except
for (a) the filing of applications and notices, as applicable, with the Office
of the Comptroller of the Currency (the “OCC”) and Federal Reserve Board and
approval of such applications and notices, (b) the filing of applications and
notices, as applicable, with the Department
and
approval of such applications and notices, (c) the
filing with the Superior Court of New Jersey of the Fiduciary Petition and
the
issuance by the Superior Court of New Jersey of the Substitution
Order,
(d) the
filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) of a proxy
statement in definitive form relating to the meeting of the Company's
shareholders to be held in connection with this Agreement and the transactions
contemplated hereby (the "Proxy Statement") and the filing and declaration
of
effectiveness of the registration statement on Form S-4 (the "S-4") in which
the
Proxy Statement will be included as a prospectus, (e) the approval of this
Agreement by the requisite vote of the shareholders of the Company, (f) the
filing of the Departmental Notice, (g) approval of the listing of the Buyer
Common Stock to be issued in the Merger on the Nasdaq/GSM, (h) such filings
as
shall be required to be made with any applicable state securities bureaus or
commissions, (i) such consents, authorizations, approvals or exemptions under
the Environmental Laws (as defined in Section 3.17) and notices and filings
with
the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) or the Pension Benefit Guaranty
Corporation (the “PBGC”) with respect to employee benefit plans as are described
in Section 3.4 of the Company Disclosure Schedule and (j) such other filings,
authorizations or approvals as may be set forth in Section 3.4 of the Company
Disclosure Schedule, no consents or approvals of or filings or registrations
with any court, administrative agency or commission or other governmental
authority or instrumentality (each a "Governmental Entity") or with any third
party (including any party to a Governing Agreement) are necessary in connection
with (1) the execution and delivery by the Company of this Agreement or (2)
the
consummation by the Company of the Merger and the other transactions
contemplated hereby (including the succession by the Surviving Trust Company
to
all of the rights and obligations of the Company with respect to the
Non-objecting Trust Accounts).
3.5
Reports.
The
Company has timely filed all reports, registrations and statements, together
with any amendments required to be made with respect thereto, that they were
required to file since December 31, 2001 with (i) the Department and (ii) any
other Governmental Entity that regulates the Company (collectively with the
Department, the "Company Regulatory Agencies"), and have paid all fees and
assessments due and payable in connection therewith. Except for normal
examinations conducted by the Company Regulatory Agencies in the regular course
of the business of the Company, and except as set forth in Section 3.5 of the
Company Disclosure Schedule, no Company Regulatory Agency has initiated any
proceeding or, to the knowledge of the Company, investigation into the business
or operations of the Company since December 31, 2001. There is no material
unresolved violation, criticism, or exception by any Company Regulatory Agency
with respect to any report or statement relating to any examinations of the
Company.
19
3.6
Financial
Statements.
(a)
The
Company has previously made available to Buyer copies of (a) the statements
of
financial condition of the Company as of December 31, 2004 and 2005, and the
related statements of income, changes in shareholders' equity and cash flows
for
the years ended December 31, 2003, 2004 and 2005, in each case accompanied
by
the audit report of Xxxxx Xxxxx & Associates, P.A., independent public
accountants with respect to the Company, and the notes related thereto; and
(b)
the internally prepared statements of financial condition of the Company as
of
September 30, 2005 and 2006, and the related internally prepared statements
of
income of the Company for the nine months ended September 30, 2005 and 2006
(the
financial statements referenced in clauses (a) and (b), the “Company Financial
Statements”). Xxxxx Xxxxx & Associates, P.A. is independent with respect to
the Company to the extent required by Regulation S-X of the SEC. Except as
set
forth in Section 3.6 of the Company Disclosure Schedule, the statements of
financial condition of the Company (including the related notes, where
applicable) included within the Company Financial Statements fairly present,
and
any statements of financial condition of the Company (including the related
notes, where applicable) which may be filed with the SEC pursuant to SEC
regulations upon consummation of the Merger will fairly present in accordance
with GAAP consistently applied during the periods involved, the financial
position of the Company as of the dates thereof, and the statements of income,
changes in shareholders' equity and cash flows (including the related notes,
where applicable) included within the Company Financial Statements fairly
present in accordance with GAAP consistently applied during the periods
involved, and any statements of income, changes in shareholders' equity and
cash
flows of the Company (including the related notes, where applicable) which
may
be filed with the SEC pursuant to SEC regulations upon consummation of the
Merger will fairly present in accordance with GAAP consistently applied during
the periods involved, the results of the operations and financial position
of
the Company for the respective fiscal periods therein set forth; each of the
Company Financial Statements (including the related notes, where applicable)
complies, and each of such financial statements (including the related notes,
where applicable) which may be filed with the SEC pursuant to SEC regulations
upon consummation of the Merger will comply, with applicable accounting
requirements and with the published rules and regulations of the SEC with
respect thereto, including without limitation Regulation S-X; and each of the
Company Financial Statements (including the related notes, where applicable)
has
been, and each of such financial statements (including the related notes, where
applicable) which may be filed with the SEC pursuant to SEC regulations upon
consummation of the Merger will be, prepared in accordance with GAAP
consistently applied during the periods involved, except, in the case of
unaudited statements, as permitted by the SEC with respect to financial
statements included on Form 10-Q. The books and records of the Company have
been, and are being, maintained in accordance with GAAP and any other applicable
legal and accounting requirements.
(b)
Except as and to the extent reflected, disclosed or reserved against in the
Company Financial Statements (including the notes thereto), as of December
31,
2005 the Company did not have any liabilities, whether absolute, accrued,
contingent or otherwise, material to the financial condition of the Company
which were required to be so disclosed under GAAP. Since December 31, 2005,
the
Company has not incurred any liabilities except in the ordinary course of
business consistent with past practice, except as specifically contemplated
by
this Agreement.
20
(c)
Since
December 31, 2005, there have been no significant changes in the internal
controls utilized by the Company with respect to their financial records (the
“Internal Controls”) or in other factors that could significantly affect the
Internal Controls, including any corrective actions with regard to significant
deficiencies and material weaknesses. There are no significant deficiencies
in
the design or operation of the Internal Controls which could adversely affect
the ability of the Company to record, process, summarize and report financial
data and there are no material weaknesses in the Internal Controls. The Company
is not aware of any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management
or
other employees who have a significant role in preparing the Company’s financial
statements.
3.7
Broker's
and Other Fees.
Neither
the Company nor any of its officers or directors has employed any broker or
finder or incurred any liability for any broker's fees, commissions or finder's
fees in connection with any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement,
except that the Company has engaged, and will pay a fee or commission to,
Berkshire Capital Securities LLC (the “Firm”) in accordance with the terms of an
agreement between the Firm and the Company, a true and correct copy of which
has
been previously made available by the Company to Buyer. Other than fees payable
to its attorneys and accountants at their standard rates (the names and terms
of
retention of which are set forth in Section 3.7 of the Company Disclosure
Schedule) and the fees payable to the Firm (as set forth in the above-mentioned
agreement), there are no fees payable by the Company to its financial advisors,
attorneys or accountants, in connection with this Agreement or the transactions
contemplated hereby or which would be triggered by consummation of the Merger
or
the termination of the services of such advisors, attorneys or accountants
by
the Company.
3.8
Absence
of Certain Changes or Events.
(a)
Except as set forth in Section 3.8(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, since
December 31, 2005, the Company has carried on its business in the ordinary
course consistent with past practices.
(b)
Except as set forth in Section 3.8(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, since
December 31, 2005, the Company has not (i) increased the wages, salaries,
compensation, pension, or other fringe benefits or perquisites payable to any
current or former executive officer, employee or director from the amount
thereof in effect as of December 31, 2005 (which amounts have been previously
disclosed to Buyer), granted any severance or termination pay, entered into
any
contract to make or grant any severance or termination pay, or paid any bonus
(except for salary increases and bonus payments made in the ordinary course
of
business consistent with past practices following the date hereof), (ii)
suffered any strike, work stoppage, slow-down, or other labor disturbance,
(iii)
been a party to a collective bargaining agreement, contract or other agreement
or understanding with a labor union or organization, (iv) been subject to any
union organizing activities
or (v)
entered into, or amended, any employment, deferred compensation, consulting,
severance, termination or indemnification agreement with any such current or
former executive officer, employee or director.
21
(c)
Except as set forth in Section 3.8(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule or
as
expressly contemplated by this Agreement, the Company has not taken or permitted
any of the actions set forth in Section 5.1 between December 31, 2005 and the
date hereof and, during that period, the Company has conducted its business
only
in the ordinary course, consistent with past practice.
(d)
Except for liabilities incurred in connection with this Agreement or the
transactions contemplated hereby, and except as set forth in Section 3.8(d)
of
the Company Disclosure Schedule, since December 31, 2005, there has not been:
(i)
any
act, omission or other event which has had a Material Adverse Effect on the
Company, including, but not limited to, any Material Adverse Effect arising
from
or relating to fraudulent or unauthorized activity,
(ii)
any
issuance of Company Stock Options or restricted shares of Company Common Stock
(in any event, identifying in Section 3.8(d) of the Company Disclosure Schedule
the issue date, exercise price and vesting schedule, as applicable, for
issuances since December 31, 2005),
(iii)
any
declaration, setting aside or payment of any dividend or other distribution
(whether in cash, stock or property) with respect to any of the Company's
capital stock,
(iv)
any
split, combination or reclassification of any of the Company's capital stock
or
any issuance or the authorization of any issuance of any other securities in
respect of, in lieu of or in substitution for shares of the Company's capital
stock, except for issuances of Company Common Stock upon the exercise in
accordance with their present terms of Company Stock Options awarded prior
to
the date hereof,
(v)
(A)
any granting by the Company to any current or former director, executive officer
or other employee of any increase in compensation, bonus or other benefits,
except for increases to then current employees who are not directors or
executive officers that were made in the ordinary course of business consistent
with past practice, (B) any granting by the Company to any such current or
former director, executive officer or employee of any increase in severance
or
termination pay, or (C) any entry by the Company into, or any amendment of,
any
employment, deferred compensation, consulting, severance, termination or
indemnification agreement with any such current or former director, executive
officer or any employee,
22
(vi)
except insofar as may have been required by a change in GAAP or regulatory
accounting principles, any change in accounting methods, principles or practices
by the Company affecting its assets, liabilities or business, including, without
limitation, any reserving, renewal or residual method, or estimate of practice
or policy,
(vii)
any
Tax election or change in any Tax election, amendment to any Tax Return (as
defined in Section 3.10(e)), closing agreement with respect to Taxes, or
settlement or compromise of any Tax liability by the Company,
(viii)
any material change in investment policies or practices, or
(ix)
any
agreement or commitment (contingent or otherwise) to do any of the
foregoing.
3.9
Legal
Proceedings.
(a)
Except as set forth in Section 3.9(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, the
Company is not a party to any, and there are no pending or, to the Company's
knowledge, threatened, legal, administrative, arbitral or other proceedings,
claims, actions or governmental or regulatory investigations of any material
nature against the Company or challenging the validity or propriety of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(b)
Except as set forth in Section 3.9(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, there
is no injunction, order, judgment, decree, or regulatory restriction imposed
upon the Company or the assets of the Company, other than any such injunction,
order, judgment, decree, or regulatory restriction which would not have a
Material Adverse Effect upon the Company.
(c)
There
are
no pending accounting proceedings known to the Company relating to the Trust
Accounts.
3.10
Taxes.
(a)
Except
where a failure to file Tax Returns, a failure of any such Tax Return to be
complete and accurate in any respect or the failure to pay any Tax, individually
or in the aggregate, would not have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company,
(i) the Company has duly filed all Tax Returns required to be filed by it;
(ii)
all such filed Tax Returns are complete and accurate in all respects, and (iii)
the Company has duly and timely paid all Taxes (as defined below) that are
required to be paid by it, except with respect to matters contested in good
faith in appropriate proceedings and disclosed to Buyer in writing. The Company
has established as of September 30, 2006, on its books and records reserves
in
accordance with GAAP consistently applied that are adequate in the opinion
of
management of the Company for the payment of all federal, state and local Taxes
not yet due and payable, but are incurred in respect of the Company through
such
date. The Company has not waived any statute of limitations with respect to
any
material Taxes or, to the extent related to such Taxes, agreed to any extension
of time with respect to a Tax assessment or deficiency, in each case to the
extent such waiver or agreement is currently in effect. Except as set forth
in
Section 3.10(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, the federal, state, local
income, franchise, sales and use Tax Returns of the Company have been examined
by the IRS or the appropriate state, local or foreign Tax authority (or are
closed to examination due to the expiration of the applicable statute of
limitations) and no deficiencies were asserted as a result of such examinations
which have not been resolved and paid in full. There
is
no action, suit, investigation, audit, claim or assessment pending or proposed
or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, with respect to Taxes of the
Company.
To
the
knowledge of the Company, no
claim
has ever been made by a Tax authority in a jurisdiction where the Company does
not file Tax Returns that the Company is or may be subject to Taxes assessed
by
such jurisdiction. The Company does not have
any
material liability for any Taxes of any person or entity, other than the
Company, under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1502-6 or any comparable provision
of state, local, or foreign law, as a transferee or successor, by contract
or
otherwise. The Company has made available to Buyer true and correct copies
of
the United States federal, state, local and foreign income Tax Returns filed
by
the Company for taxable years ended after December 31, 2002 and before the
date
hereof.
23
(b)
Except
as
set forth in Section 3.10(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, the Company
(i)
has not requested any extension of time within which to file any Tax Return
which Tax Return has not since been filed, (ii) is not a party to any agreement
providing for the allocation or sharing of Taxes, (iii) is not required to
include in income any adjustment pursuant to Section 481(a) of the Code, by
reason of a voluntary change in accounting method initiated by the Company
(nor
does the Company have any knowledge that the IRS has proposed any such
adjustment or change of accounting method) or has any
application pending with the IRS or any other Tax authority requesting
permission for any change in accounting method,
(iv)
has not filed a consent pursuant to Section 341(f) of the Code or agreed to
have
Section 341(f)(2) of the Code apply, (v) has not issued or assumed any
obligation under Section 279 of the Code, any high yield discount obligation
as
described in Section 163(f)(1) of the Code or any registration-required
obligation within the meaning of Section 163(f)(2) of the Code that is not
in
registered form, (vi) is not, or
has
not been during the applicable period specified in section 897(c)(1)(A)(ii)
of
the Code, a United States real property holding corporation within the meaning
of Section 897(c)(2) of the Code,
(vii)
is not or has not been a member of an affiliated group (within the meaning
of
Section 1504(a) of the Code) filing consolidated United States federal income
Tax Returns (other than such a group the common parent of which is or was the
Company), (viii) has not been a party to any distribution occurring during
the
last three years in which the parties to such distribution treated the
distribution as one to which Section 355 of the Code (or any similar provision
of state, local or foreign law) applied, (ix) has disclosed on its federal
income Tax Returns all positions taken therein that could give rise to
substantial understatement of federal income Tax within the meaning of Section
6662 of the Code; and (x) has not participated in a “reportable transaction”
within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.6011-4(b).
(c)
Except as set forth in Section 3.10(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule,
no
officer, director, employee or agent (or former officer, director, employee
or
agent) of the Company is entitled to now, or will or may be entitled to as
a
consequence of this Agreement or the Merger or otherwise, to any payment or
benefit from the Company or from Buyer, the Surviving Trust Company or any
of
Buyer’s other Subsidiaries which if paid or provided would constitute an "excess
parachute payment", as defined in Section 280G of the Code or regulations
promulgated thereunder.
24
(d)
The
Company (i) has complied in all material respects with all applicable laws,
rules and regulations relating to the payment and withholding of Taxes from
the
wages or salaries of employees and independent contractors, (ii) has paid over
to the proper governmental authorities all amounts required to be so withheld
and (iii) is not liable for any Taxes for failure to comply with such laws,
rules and regulations.
(e)
For
the purposes of this Agreement, (i) the term “Taxes” shall
include any of the following imposed by or payable to any Governmental Entity:
any income, gross receipts, license, payroll, employment, excise, severance,
stamp, business, occupation, premium, windfall profits, environmental (including
taxes under Section 59A of the Code), capital stock, franchise, profits,
withholding, social security (or similar Tax), unemployment, disability, real
property, personal property, sales, use, transfer, registration, or value added
Tax, any alternative or add-on minimum Tax, any estimated Tax, and any levy,
impost, duty, assessment or withholding, in each case including any interest,
penalty, or addition thereto, whether or not disputed; and (ii) the term “Tax
Return” shall mean any return, declaration, report, claim for refund,
information return or statement relating to Taxes, including any schedule or
attachment thereto, and including any amendment thereof, to be filed (whether
on
a mandatory or elective basis) with any Governmental Entity responsible for
the
collection or imposition of Taxes.
3.11
Employee
Benefits.
(a)
Except as disclosed in Section 3.11(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule,
neither the Company nor any ERISA Affiliate (as defined herein) maintains or
contributes to any "employee pension benefit plan", within the meaning of
section 3(2) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended
("ERISA") ("the Company Pension Plans"), "employee welfare benefit plan", within
the meaning of Section 3(l) of ERISA (the "Company Welfare Plans"), stock option
plan, stock purchase plan, stock appreciation right plan, deferred compensation
plan, severance plan, bonus plan, employment agreement or other similar plan,
program or arrangement, whether formal or informal, written or unwritten, (the
plans, programs and arrangements identified in Section 3.11(a) of the Company
Disclosure Schedule being collectively referred to as the “Company Benefit
Plans”). The Company has never had an obligation to contribute to any
"multiemployer plan", within the meaning of sections 3(37) and 4001(a)(3) of
ERISA. As used herein, “ERISA Affiliate” means any entity required to be
aggregated with the Company under Section 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Code
or
Section 4001 of ERISA.
25
(b)
The
Company has delivered to Buyer a complete and accurate copy of each of the
following with respect to each of the Company Pension Plans and the Company
Welfare Plans: (i) plan document, summary plan description, and summary of
material modifications (or, if not available or unwritten, a detailed
description of the foregoing); (ii) trust agreement or insurance contract,
if
any; (iii) most recent IRS determination letter, if any; (iv) three most recent
actuarial reports, if any; and (v) three most recent annual reports on Form
5500, including any schedules and attachments thereto.
(c)
At
December 31, 2005, the fair value of plan assets of the Company Pension Plans
subject to Title IV of ERISA exceeds the then projected benefit obligation
of
each of the Company Pension Plans based upon the actuarial assumptions used
for
purposes of the preparation of the Company Financial Statements for the year
ended December 31, 2005.
(d)
During the last five years, the PBGC has not asserted any claim for liability
against the Company which has not been paid in full.
(e)
All
premiums (and interest charges and penalties for late payment, if applicable)
due to the PBGC with respect to each Company Pension Plan have been paid. All
contributions required to be made to each Company Pension Plan under the terms
thereof, ERISA or other applicable law have been timely made, and all amounts
properly accrued to date as liabilities of the Company which have not been
paid
have been properly recorded on the books of the Company.
(f)
Except as disclosed in Section 3.11(f) of the Company Disclosure Schedule,
each
of the Company Pension Plans, the Company Welfare Plans and each other plan
and
arrangement identified in Section 3.11(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule
has
been operated in compliance in all material respects with the provisions of
ERISA, the Code, all regulations, rulings and announcements promulgated or
issued thereunder, and all other applicable governmental laws and regulations.
Furthermore, except as disclosed in Section 3.11(f) of the Company Disclosure
Schedule, the IRS has issued a favorable determination letter with respect
to
each of the Company Pension Plans and, except as disclosed in Section 3.11(f)
of
the Company Disclosure Schedule, no fact or circumstance exists which could
disqualify any such plan that could not be retroactively corrected (in
accordance with the procedures of the IRS). No event has occurred and no
condition exists that could subject the Company or the fund of any Company
Benefit Plan to an excise Tax or penalty, whether by indemnity or
otherwise.
(g)
Except as disclosed in Section 3.11(g) of the Company Disclosure Schedule,
no
non-exempt prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 4975 of the
Code or Section 406 of ERISA, has occurred with respect to any of the Company
Welfare Plans or the Company Pension Plans.
26
(h)
None
of the Company Pension Plans or any trust created thereunder has been
terminated, nor have there been any "reportable events" within the meaning
of
Section 4043(b) of ERISA, with respect to any of the Company Pension
Plans.
(i)
No
"accumulated funding deficiency", within the meaning of Section 412 of the
Code
and Section 302 of ERISA, has been incurred with respect to any of the Company
Pension Plans.
(j)
Except as disclosed in Section 3.11(j) of the Company Disclosure Schedule,
there
are no pending, or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened or
anticipated claims (other than routine claims for benefits) by, on behalf of,
or
against any, of the Company Pension Plans or the Company Welfare Plans, any
trusts related thereto or any other plan or arrangement identified in any
subsection of Section 3.11 of the Company Disclosure Schedule. No assets of
the
Company are subject to any lien under Section 412 of the Code.
(k)
Except as disclosed in Section 3.11(k) of the Company Disclosure Schedule,
no
Company Pension Plan or Company Welfare Plan provides medical or death benefits
(whether or not insured) beyond an employee's retirement or other termination
of
service, other than (i) coverage mandated by law, or (ii) death benefits under
any Company Pension Plan.
(l)
There
are no unfunded benefits obligations which are not accounted for by reserves
shown in the Company Financial Statements and established under GAAP, or
otherwise noted on the Company Financial Statements. All contributions required
to have been made or remitted and all expenses required to have been paid by
the
Company with respect to any Company Benefit Plan or under ERISA or the Code
have
been paid within the time prescribed by such Plan, ERISA or the Code. All
contributions with respect to each Company Benefit Plan have been currently
deductible under the Code when made.
(m)
Except as set forth in Section 3.11(m) of the Company Disclosure Schedule,
with
respect to each Company Pension Plan and Company Welfare Plan that is funded
wholly or partially through an insurance policy, there will be no liability
of
the Company as of the Effective Time under any such insurance policy or
ancillary agreement with respect to such insurance policy in the nature of
a
retroactive rate adjustment, loss sharing arrangement or other actual or
contingent liability arising wholly or partially out of events occurring prior
to the Effective Time.
(n)
Except as set forth in Section 3.11(n) of the Company Disclosure Schedule,
neither the Company nor any ERISA Affiliates has announced to employees, former
employees or directors an intention to create, or has otherwise created, a
legally binding commitment to adopt any additional Company Benefit Plans which
are intended to cover employees or former employees of the Company or any ERISA
Affiliates or to amend or modify any existing Company Benefit Plan which covers
or has covered employees or former employees of the Company or any ERISA
Affiliate.
27
(o)
No
Company Pension Plan subject to Title IV of the Code has been terminated, and
no
filing of or notice of intent to terminate or initiation by the PBGC to
terminate has occurred. In addition, there has not been, nor is there likely
to
be, a partial termination of a Company Pension Plan within the meaning of
Section 411(d)(3) of the Code.
(p)
With
respect to the Company Benefit Plans, no event has occurred and, to the
knowledge of the Company, there exists no condition or set of circumstances
in
connection with which the Company, or any ERISA Affiliate could be subject
to
any liability (other than a liability to pay benefits thereunder) under the
terms of such Company Benefit Plans, ERISA, the Code or any other applicable
law, whether by way of indemnity or otherwise.
(q)
During the period from January 1, 2007 through the date hereof, the Company
has
received payments of $1,439,480 in connection with the exercise of stock options
and has issued 143,948 shares of Company Common Stock in connection with such
exercises.
3.12
Company
Information.
(a)
The
information relating to the Company to be contained in the Proxy Statement,
as
of the date the Proxy Statement is mailed to shareholders of the Company and
up
to and including the date of the meeting of shareholders of the Company to
which
such Proxy Statement relates (and, if applicable, the date of the meeting of
shareholders of the Buyer to which such Proxy Statement may relate), will not
contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material
fact
necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under
which they were made, not misleading.
(b)
The
information relating to the Company to be contained in the Company’s
applications to the Department with respect to the transactions contemplated
hereby will be accurate in all material respects.
3.13
Compliance
with Applicable Law.
Except
as set forth in Section 3.13 of the Company Disclosure Schedule, the Company
holds all material licenses, franchises, permits and authorizations necessary
for the lawful conduct of its business, and the Company has complied in all
material respects with and is not in default in any material respect under
any
applicable law, statute, order, rule, regulation, policy and/or guideline of
any
federal, state or local governmental authority relating to the Company or its
Trust Accounts and except as disclosed in Section 3.13 of the Company Disclosure
Schedule, the Company has not received notice of violation of, and does not
know
of any such violations of, any of the above.
28
3.14 Certain
Contracts.
(a)
Except as disclosed in Section 3.14(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule,
the
Company is not a party to or bound by any contract or understanding (whether
written or oral) with respect to the employment, retention or termination of
any
present or former officers, employees, directors or consultants. The Company
has
delivered to Buyer true and correct copies of all employment agreements,
consulting agreements and termination agreements with officers, employees,
directors or consultants to which the Company is a party or is
bound.
(b)
Except as disclosed in Section 3.14(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule,
(i)
as of the date of this Agreement, the Company is not a party to or bound by
any
commitment, agreement or other instrument which is material to the results
of
operations or financial condition of the Company, (ii) no commitment, agreement
or other instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound
limits the freedom of the Company to compete in any line of business or with
any
person, and (iii) the Company is not a party to any collective bargaining
agreement. For purposes of subparagraph (i) above, any contract with a remaining
term of greater than one (1) year or involving the payment of more than $10,000
(other than contracts entered in the ordinary course of business consistent
with
past practice) shall be deemed material.
(c)
Except as disclosed in Section 3.14(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule,
neither the Company, nor to the best knowledge of the Company, any other party
thereto, is in default in any material respect under any material lease,
contract, mortgage, promissory note, deed of trust, loan or other commitment
(except those under which the Company will be the creditor) or arrangement
to
which the Company is a party.
(d)
Except as set forth in Section 3.14(d) of the Company Disclosure Schedule,
neither the entering into of this Agreement nor the consummation of the
transactions contemplated hereunder will cause the Company, the Surviving Trust
Company, Buyer or any of its other Subsidiaries to become obligated to make
any
payment of any kind to any party, including but not limited to, any termination
fee, breakup fee or reimbursement fee, pursuant to any agreement or
understanding between the Company and such party, other than the payments
contemplated by this Agreement.
(e)
Except as set forth in Section 3.14(e) of the Company Disclosure Schedule,
the
Company is not a party to or bound by any contract (whether written or oral)
(i)
with respect to the employment of any directors or independent contractors,
(ii)
which, upon the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement,
will (either alone or upon the occurrence of any additional acts or events)
result in any payment or benefits (whether of severance pay or otherwise)
becoming due, or the acceleration or vesting of any rights to any payment or
benefits, from Buyer, the Company, the Surviving Trust Company or any of their
respective Subsidiaries to any director or consultant thereof.
(f) Except
as
set forth in Section 3.14(f) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, the Company
is
not a party to or bound by any contract (whether written or oral) which (i)
is a
consulting agreement (including data processing, software programming and
licensing contracts) not terminable on 30 days or less notice involving the
payment of more than $25,000 per annum, or (v) which materially restricts the
conduct of any line of business by the Company.
29
(g)
Section 3.14(g) of the Company Disclosure Schedule contains a schedule showing
the good faith estimated present value as of September 30, 2006 of the monetary
amounts payable (including any Tax indemnification payments in respect of income
and/or excise taxes) and identifying the in-kind benefits due under any plan
other than a Tax-qualified plan for each director of the Company and each
officer of the Company with the position of vice president or higher, specifying
the assumptions in such schedule.
Each
contract, arrangement, commitment or understanding of the type described in
this
Section 3.14, whether or not set forth in Section 3.14 of the Company Disclosure
Schedule, is referred to herein as a "Company Contract". The Company has
previously delivered or made available to Buyer true and correct copies of
each
Company Contract.
3.15
Agreements
with Regulatory Agencies.
Except
as set forth in Section 3.15 of the Company Disclosure Schedule, the Company
is
not subject to any cease-and-desist or other order issued by, or is a party
to
any written agreement, consent agreement or memorandum of understanding with,
or
is a party to any commitment letter or similar undertaking to, or is subject
to
any order or directive by, or is a recipient of any extraordinary supervisory
letter from, or has adopted any board resolutions at the request of (each,
whether or not set forth on Section 3.15 of the Company Disclosure Schedule,
a
"Regulatory Agreement"), any Governmental Entity that restricts the conduct
of
its business or that in any manner relates to its management or its business,
nor has the Company been advised by any Governmental Entity that it is
considering issuing or requesting any Regulatory Agreement.
3.16 Properties
and Insurance.
(a)
The
Company has good and marketable title free and clear of all liens, encumbrances,
mortgages, pledges, charges, defaults or equitable interests to all of the
properties and assets, real and personal, tangible or intangible, which are
reflected on the consolidated statement of financial condition of the Company
as
of September 30, 2006 or acquired after such date, except (i) liens for Taxes
not yet due and payable or contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings,
(ii) pledges to secure deposits and other liens incurred in the ordinary course
of business consistent with past practice, (iii) such imperfections of title,
easements and encumbrances, if any, as do not interfere with the use of the
respective property as such property is used on the date of this Agreement,
(iv)
for dispositions and encumbrances of, or on, such properties or assets in the
ordinary course of business consistent with prior practice and which do not
detract materially from the value thereof and (v) mechanics', materialmen's,
workmen's, repairmen's, warehousemen's, carrier's and other similar liens and
encumbrances arising in the ordinary course of business consistent with prior
practice (the items in clauses (i) through (v), “Permitted Liens”), which
Permitted Liens do not materially detract from the Company’s property values.
All leases pursuant to which the Company, as lessee, leases real or personal
property are valid and enforceable in accordance with their respective terms
and
neither the Company nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any other party
thereto, is in default thereunder in any material respect. All material tangible
properties of the Company are in a good state of maintenance and repair,
reasonable wear and tear excepted, conform in all material respects with all
applicable ordinances, regulations and zoning laws and are considered by the
Company to be adequate for the current business of the Company.
30
(b)
Section 3.16(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule lists all policies of
insurance covering business operations and all insurable properties and assets
of the Company showing all risks insured against, in each case under valid,
binding and enforceable policies or bonds, with such amounts and such
deductibles as are specified. Except as disclosed in Section 3.16(b) of the
Company Disclosure Schedule, the Company has not received any notice of
cancellation or notice of a material amendment of any such insurance policy
or
bond or is in default under such policy or bond, no coverage thereunder is
being
disputed and all material claims thereunder have been filed in a timely fashion.
Section
3.16(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a complete and accurate
list of all primary and excess insurance coverage held by the Company currently
or at any time during the past three years. Copies of all insurance policies
will be furnished to Buyer promptly after a written request
therefor.
(c)
Section 3.16(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule separately identifies all
real estate leased by the Company (the “Real Property”). The Company does not
own any real estate. The Company has furnished to Buyer copies of all leases
pursuant to which the Real Property is leased by the Company (the “Real Property
Leases”). The Company does not lease any real estate to any third-party. The
Company is not in default under any real estate lease to which it is a party.
The
Company has valid leasehold interests in all the Real Property, in each case
free of all liens, encumbrances, mortgages, pledges, charges, defaults or
equitable interests other than Permitted Liens, none of which, individually
or
in the aggregate, impairs the utility, value or marketability of such Real
Property. Each Real Property Lease is a valid and binding agreement of the
Company, and no event has occurred and is continuing which, with or without
notice or lapse of time, would constitute a material default or event of default
by the Company under any Real Property Lease or, to the Company’s knowledge, by
any other party thereto. All buildings owned or leased by the Company are in
good operating condition and fit for operation in the ordinary course of
business (subject to normal wear and tear). Neither the whole nor any portion
of
the Real Property is subject to any governmental decree or order to be sold
nor
have any proceedings for the condemnation, expropriation or other taking of
all
or any portion of the Real Property been instituted or, to the Company's
knowledge, threatened by any Governmental Entity, with or without payment
therefor.
(d)
Section 3.16(d) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth an accurate and
complete description of any key man life insurance owned by the Company on
the
lives of any of the Company’s executives or directors.
31
3.17 Environmental
Matters.
Except
as set forth in Section 3.17 of the Company Disclosure Schedule:
(a)
The
Company, is in compliance in all material respects with all applicable
Environmental Laws (as hereinafter defined), including common law, regulations
and ordinances, and with all applicable decrees, orders and contractual
obligations relating to pollution or the discharge of, or exposure to, Hazardous
Materials (as hereinafter defined) in the environment or workplace.
(b)
There
is no suit, claim, action or proceeding, pending or, to the knowledge of the
Company, threatened, before any Governmental Entity or other forum in which
the
Company has been or, with respect to threatened proceedings, may be, named
as a
defendant (x) for alleged noncompliance (including by any predecessor) with
any
Environmental Laws, or (y) relating to the release, threatened release or
exposure to any Hazardous Material whether or not occurring at or on a site
owned, leased or operated by the Company;
(c)
To
the knowledge of the Company, during the period of the Company's ownership
or
operation of any of its current or former properties, there has been no release
of Hazardous Materials in, on, under or affecting any such property. To the
knowledge of the Company, prior to the period of the Company's ownership or
operation of any of its current or former properties, there was no release
of
Hazardous Materials in, on, under or affecting any such property.
(d)
The
following definitions apply for purposes of this Section 3.17: (x) "Hazardous
Materials" means any chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic
substances, petroleum or other
substances or materials regulated under Environmental Laws,
(y)
“Environmental Laws” means all federal, state and local laws governing
Environmental Matters, including, but not limited to, the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation,
and
Liability Act, 42 U.S.C. §9601
et
seq.,
(“CERCLA”),
the Hazardous Material Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxx, 00 X.X.X. §0000 et
seq.,
the
Solid Waste Disposal Act including the
Resource Conservation and Xxxxxxxx Xxx,
xx
0000,
00
X.X.X. §0000
et
seq.
(“RCRA”),
Clean
Water
Act,
33
U.S.
C.
§1251 et
seq.,
the
Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. §7401 et
seq.,
the
Toxic Substances Xxxxxxx Xxx, 00 X.X.X. §0000 et
seq.,
the
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxx, 0 X.X.X. §000 et
seq.,
the
Emergency Planning and Right-To-Know Act of 1986, 00 X.X.X. §00000 et
seq.,
the
New
Jersey
Spill
Compensation and Control Act, N.J.S.A. 58:10A-23.11, et
seq.
(“Spill
Act”); the
New
Jersey Water
Pollution Control
Act,
N.J.S.A. 58:
10A-1 et
seq.;
the
New Jersey Air Pollution Control Act, N.J.S.A. 26:2C-1, et
seq.
as in
effect and amended,
and
all
other
applicable federal, state, municipal, county and local laws and ordinances,
and
the
rules
and regulations promulgated thereunder,
and
any
applicable
provisions of
common
law and civil law providing for any remedy or right of recovery or right of
injunctive relief with respect to Environmental Matters, as these laws,
ordinances, rules and regulations were in the
past
or
are in effect; and (z) "Environmental Matters" means all matters, conditions,
liabilities, obligations, damages, losses, claims, requirements, prohibitions,
and restrictions arising out of or relating to the environment, safety, or
sanitation, or the production, storage, handling, use, emission, release,
discharge, dispersal, or disposal of any substance, product or waste which
is
hazardous or toxic or which is regulated by any Environmental Law
whatsoever.
32
3.18
Opinion.
Prior
to the execution of this Agreement, the Company has received an oral opinion
from Berkshire Capital Securities LLC to the effect that the Merger
Consideration is fair to the shareholders of the Company from a financial point
of view.
3.19
Indemnification.
Except
as provided in the Company Contracts identified in Section 3.19 of the Company
Disclosure Schedule or the Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws of the
Company, the Company is not a party to any indemnification agreement with any
of
its present or former directors, officers, employees, agents or other persons
who serve or served in any other capacity with any other enterprise at the
request of the Company (a "Covered Person"), and, to the best knowledge of
the
Company, there are no claims for which any Covered Person would be entitled
to
indemnification under the Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws of the
Company, applicable law or regulation or any indemnification
agreement.
3.20
Business
Matters.
(a)
Assuming that the Substitution Order is entered, no consent of any customer
of
the Company is required in order for the Company to consummate the Merger or
for
the Surviving Trust Company to succeed to all of the business and contractual
rights of the Company.
(b) The
Company has been validly appointed and is the duly acting trustee with respect
to each of the Trust Accounts and in such capacity, to its knowledge, has valid
legal title to the Trust Assets. Except as set forth in Section 3.20(b) of
the
Company Disclosure Schedule, the Company has not been disqualified or removed
as
trustee from any Trust Accounts since January 1, 2004.
(c) The
Company has made available to Buyer true copies of all Governing Agreements
in
the possession of the Company. All of the various Governing Agreements to which
the Company is a party were duly executed and delivered by it. All of the
Governing Agreements constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company
and, to the Company’s knowledge, each of the other parties thereto, enforceable
against the Company and, to the Company’s knowledge, each such other party in
accordance with their respective terms, except as may be limited by general
principles of equity whether applied in a court of law or a court of equity
and
by bankruptcy, insolvency, and similar laws affecting creditors’ rights and
remedies generally. Assuming that the Substitution Order is entered, Newco
and
the parties hereto will not be required, in order to consummate the Merger,
to
obtain a consent from any party under any Governing Agreement with respect
to a
Non-objecting Trust Account.
33
(d) The
Company has performed, in all material respects, all duties and obligations,
made all determinations and complied, in all material respects, with all
administrative procedures required to be performed or made by it under each
of
the Governing Agreements with respect to each of the Trust
Accounts.
(e) The
Company has properly administered in all material respects all of the Trust
Accounts in accordance with the terms of the Governing Agreements, applicable
state and federal statutory laws and regulations and applicable common law
fiduciary standards (including standards with respect to conflicts of interest
and self-dealing). To the Company’s knowledge, neither the Company nor any of
their respective directors, officers or employees has committed any breach
of
trust with respect to any of the Trust Accounts.
(f)
The Company has provided Buyer with a true, correct and complete listing, as
of
December 31, 2006, of all of the Trust Accounts, the Trust Assets and the Fair
Market Value of the Trust Assets held in such Trust Accounts together with
the
account number, the Fair Market Value of the assets under management as of
such
date and the fees paid and accrued in 2006 with respect to each Trust
Account.
(g) To
the Company’s knowledge, there is no default existing under any Governing
Agreement and there is no event of default (as defined in any such Governing
Agreement) or event, which with the lapse of time or giving of notice, or both,
would constitute an event of default under any Governing Agreement.
(h)
The
Company’s files relating to the Trust Accounts contain copies of all Governing
Agreements that are in the Company’s possession or under its control and all
other material documentation within its possession or under its control
regarding the Company’s performance of and compliance with its duties and
obligations under the Governing Agreements, including, without limitation,
all
material correspondence within the Company’s possession or under its control
between the Company and other persons relating to any of the Trust
Accounts.
(i)
The
Company’s fee arrangements with respect to the Trust Accounts are enforceable in
accordance with the terms of the applicable Governing Agreements, except as
may
be limited by general principles of equity whether applied in a court of law
or
a court of equity and by bankruptcy, insolvency, and similar laws affecting
creditors’ rights and remedies generally.
3.21
Reorganization.
The
Company has no reason to believe that the Merger will fail to qualify as a
reorganization under Section 368(a) of the Code.
3.22
Related
Party Transactions.
Except
as set forth in Section 3.22 of the Company Disclosure Schedule, since January
1, 2005, the Company has not engaged in any transaction with an officer,
director or shareholder of the Company of the type which would be required
to be
disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Rule S-K of the Securities and Exchange
Commission if the Company were subject to such Item.
34
3.23
Disclosure.
No
representation or warranty contained in Article III of this Agreement or in
the
Company Disclosure Schedules contains any untrue statement of a material fact
or
omits to state a material fact necessary to make the statements in Article
III
not misleading.
3.24
Employees;
Employment Matters.
(a)
Section 3.24(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule lists the
names
and titles of, and current annual compensation and most recent annual bonus
for,
each current employee of the Company, together with a description of any
agreements concerning such employees and the individual’s employee status (e.g.,
full-time, part-time, temporary, active, leave of absence, hourly,
salaried).
(b)
There
are no personnel policies applicable to the employees of the
Company.
(c)
Section 3.24(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule lists all shares of Company
Common Stock issued pursuant to any restricted stock agreement (written or
unwritten) including (i) the date such shares were sold or awarded, (ii) the
purchase price per share, if any, (iii) the number of shares issued, (iv) the
number of such shares which, as of the date hereof, have vested, and (v) the
vesting schedule for such shares which, as of the date hereof, have not vested.
(d)
Except as set forth in Section 3.24(d) of the Company Disclosure Schedule,
with
respect to current and former employees and service providers of the Company
(each an “Employee”):
(i)
The
Company is and has been in compliance in all material respects with all
applicable laws respecting employment and employment practices, terms and
conditions of employment and wages and hours, including any laws respecting
minimum wage and overtime payments, employment discrimination, workers’
compensation, family and medical leave, immigration, and occupational safety
and
health requirements, and has not and is not engaged in any unfair labor
practice;
(ii)
there is no basis for any claim by any Employee that such Employee was subject
to a wrongful discharge or any employment discrimination by the Company, or
their respective management, arising out of or relating to such Employee’s race,
sex, age, religion, national origin, ethnicity, handicap or any other protected
characteristic under applicable laws;
(ii)
there is not now, nor within the past six years has there been, any actions,
suits, claims, labor disputes or grievances pending, or, to the knowledge of
the
Company, threatened or reasonably anticipated relating to any labor, safety
or
discrimination matters involving any Employee, including charges of unfair
labor
practices or discrimination complaints, which, if adversely determined, would,
individually or in the aggregate, result in any liability to the
Company;
35
(iii)
the
Employees of the Company are not and have never been represented by any labor
union, no collective bargaining agreement is binding and in force against the
Company or currently being negotiated by the Company, and to the Company’s
knowledge, no union organization campaign is in progress with respect to any
of
the Employees, and no question concerning representation exists respecting
such
Employees;
(iv)
the
Company has not entered into any agreement, arrangement or understanding
restricting its ability to terminate the employment of any or all of its
Employees at any time, for any lawful or no reason, without penalty or
liability;
(v)
to
the Company’s knowledge, each person classified by the Company as an independent
contractor satisfies and has satisfied the requirements of any applicable law
to
be so classified, and the Company has fully and accurately reported such
independent contractors’ compensation on IRS Forms 1099 when required to do
so;
(vi)
the
Company does not have any liability for any payment with respect to unemployment
compensation benefits, social security or other benefits or obligations for
Employees (other than routine payments to be made in the normal course of
business and consistent with past practice); and
(vii)
there are no pending, threatened or reasonably anticipated claims or actions
against the Company under any worker’s compensation policy or long-term
disability policy.
(f)
No
“mass
layoff,” “plant closing” or similar event as defined by the Worker Adjustment
and Retraining Notification Act with respect to the Company has
occurred.
ARTICLE
IV
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES OF BUYER
Buyer
hereby represents and warrants to the Company as follows:
4.1
Corporate
Organization.
Buyer
is a corporation duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under
the
laws of the State of New Jersey. Buyer has the corporate power and authority
to
own or lease all of its properties and assets and to carry on its business
as it
is now being conducted, and is duly licensed or qualified to do business in
each
jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted by it or the
character or location of the properties and assets owned or leased by it makes
such licensing or qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so
licensed or qualified would not have a Material Adverse Effect on Buyer. As
used
in this Agreement, the term "Material Adverse Effect" means, with respect to
the
Buyer, a material adverse effect on (i) the business, assets, results of
operations or financial condition of Buyer and its Subsidiaries, taken as a
whole, other than any such effect attributable to or resulting from (A) any
change, effect, event or occurrence relating to the United States economy or
financial or securities markets in general, (B) any change, effect, event or
occurrence relating to the financial services industry to the extent not
affecting Buyer and its Subsidiaries to a materially greater extent than it
affects other entities in such industry, (C) any change in banking or similar
laws, rules or regulations of general applicability or interpretations thereof
by courts or governmental authorities, (D) any change in generally accepted
accounting principles or regulatory accounting principles applicable to Buyer
and its Subsidiaries and other entities in Buyer’s industry or (E) any action or
omission of Buyer or its Subsidiaries taken with the prior written consent
of
the Company or (ii) the ability of Buyer and its Subsidiaries to consummate
the
transactions contemplated hereby. Buyer is registered as a bank holding company
under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the "BHCA"). Buyer
has
delivered to the Company’s counsel true and complete copies of the Certificate
of Incorporation and By-laws of Buyer.
36
4.2
Capitalization.
(a)
The
authorized capital stock of Buyer consists of Twenty Million (20,000,000) shares
of Buyer Common Stock and Five Million (5,000,000) shares of preferred stock,
no
par value (the "Buyer Preferred Stock"). As of December 31, 2006, there were
13,248,406 shares of Buyer Common Stock outstanding, 1,219,556 shares of Buyer
Common Stock held by Buyer as treasury stock, no shares of Buyer Preferred
Stock
outstanding and no shares of Buyer Preferred Stock held by Buyer as treasury
stock. As of December 31, 2006, there were no shares of Buyer Common Stock
or
Buyer Preferred Stock reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding stock
options or otherwise except for (x) 923,439 shares of Buyer Common Stock
reserved for issuance pursuant to Buyer’s stock incentive plans (the “Buyer
Option Plans”), copies of which have been delivered to the Company’s counsel,
and (y) 573,954
shares
of Buyer Common Stock reserved for issuance pursuant to Buyer’s dividend
reinvestment and stock purchase plan, a copy of which has been delivered to
the
Company’s counsel (the “DRP Plan”). All of the issued and outstanding shares of
Buyer Common Stock have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully
paid, nonassessable and free of preemptive rights, with no personal liability
attaching to the ownership thereof. Except for shares of capital stock issuable
pursuant to the Buyer Option Plans and the DRP Plan, as of the date hereof
Buyer
does not have and is not bound by any outstanding subscriptions, options,
warrants, calls, commitments or agreements of any character calling for the
purchase or issuance of any shares of Buyer Common Stock or Buyer Preferred
Stock or any other equity security of Buyer or any securities representing
the
right to purchase or otherwise receive any shares of Buyer Common Stock or
any
other equity security of Buyer. The shares of Buyer Common Stock to be issued
pursuant to the Merger will be duly authorized and validly issued and, at the
Effective Time, all such shares will be fully paid, nonassessable and free
of
preemptive rights, with no personal liability attaching to the ownership
thereof.
(b)
Buyer
owns all of the issued and outstanding shares of the capital stock of Union
Center National Bank, free and clear of all liens, charges, encumbrances and
security interests whatsoever, and all of such shares are duly authorized and
validly issued and are fully paid, nonassessable and free of preemptive rights,
with no personal liability attaching to the ownership thereof. As of the date
of
this Agreement, Union Center National Bank is not bound by any outstanding
subscriptions, options, warrants, calls, commitments or agreements of any
character with any party that is not a direct or indirect Subsidiary of Buyer
calling for the purchase or issuance of any shares of capital stock or any
other
equity security of Union Center National Bank or any securities representing
the
right to purchase or otherwise receive any shares of capital stock or any other
equity security of Union Center National Bank.
37
4.3
Authority;
No Violation.
(a)
Buyer
has full corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement
and, subject to the parties’ obtaining (i) all regulatory approvals required to
organize Newco, effectuate the Merger and transfer the outstanding equity
interests of the Surviving Trust Company to Union Center National Bank and
(ii)
the other approvals listed in Section 4.4, to consummate the transactions
contemplated hereby. The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the
consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby have been duly and validly
approved by the Board of Directors of Buyer. With the exception of steps to
be
taken to organize Newco and to cause Newco to execute the joinder agreement
referred to herein, no other corporate proceedings on the part of Buyer are
necessary to approve this Agreement and to consummate the transactions
contemplated hereby. This Agreement has been duly and validly executed and
delivered by Buyer and (assuming due authorization, execution and delivery
by
the Company) this Agreement constitutes a valid and binding obligation of Buyer,
enforceable against Buyer in accordance with its terms, except as enforcement
may be limited by general principles of equity whether applied in a court of
law
or a court of equity and by bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting
creditors' rights and remedies generally.
(b)
Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement by Buyer, nor the
consummation by Buyer of the transactions contemplated hereby, nor compliance
by
Buyer with any of the terms or provisions hereof, will (i) violate any provision
of the Certificate of Incorporation or By-Laws of Buyer or the certificate
of
incorporation, by-laws or similar governing documents of any of its
Subsidiaries, or (ii) assuming that the consents and approvals referred to
in
Section 4.4 hereof are duly obtained, (x) violate any statute, code, ordinance,
rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ, decree or injunction applicable to
Buyer or any of its Subsidiaries, or any of their respective properties or
assets, or (y) violate, conflict with, result in a breach of any provision
of or
the loss of any benefit under, constitute a default (or an event which, with
notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute a default) under, result
in
the termination of or a right of termination or cancellation under, accelerate
the performance required by, or result in the creation of any lien, pledge,
security interest, charge or other encumbrance upon any of the respective
properties or assets of Buyer or any of its Subsidiaries under, any of the
terms, conditions or provisions of any note, bond, mortgage, indenture, deed
of
trust, license, lease, agreement or other instrument or obligation to which
Buyer or any of its Subsidiaries is a party, or by which they or any of their
respective properties or assets may be bound or affected, except, with respect
to (x) and (y) above, such as individually or in the aggregate will not have
a
Material Adverse Effect on Buyer.
38
4.4
Consents
and Approvals.
Except
for (a) the filing of applications and notices, as applicable, with the OCC
and
Federal Reserve Board and approval of such applications and notices, (b) the
formation of Newco and the filing of applications and notices, as applicable,
with the Department and approval of such applications and notices, (c) the
filing with the SEC of the Proxy Statement and the filing and declaration of
effectiveness of the S-4, (d) the approval of this Agreement by the requisite
vote of the shareholders of the Company, (e) the filing of the Departmental
Notice with the Department, (f) approval of the listing of the Buyer Common
Stock to be issued in the Merger on the Nasdaq/GSM, (g) such filings as shall be
required to be made with any applicable state securities bureaus or commissions,
(h) such consents, authorizations, approvals or exemptions as may be required
under the Environmental Laws, (i) the
filing with the Superior Court of New Jersey of the Fiduciary Petition and
the
issuance by the Superior Court of New Jersey of the Substitution
Order,
and (j)
confirmation, to Buyer’s satisfaction, that all conditions to the issuance of
Buyer Common Stock hereunder without registration under the Securities Act
of
1933 have been satisfied, no consents or approvals of or filings or
registrations with any Governmental Entity or with any third party are necessary
in connection with (1) the execution and delivery by Buyer of this Agreement
and
(2) the consummation by Newco of the Merger and the other transactions
contemplated hereby.
4.5
Reports.
Buyer
and each of its Subsidiaries have timely filed all reports, registrations and
statements, together with any amendments required to be made with respect
thereto, that they were required to file since December 31, 2001 with (i) the
Federal Reserve Board, (ii) the OCC, (iii) the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation (the “FDIC”) and (iv) any other Governmental Entity that regulates
Buyer or any of its Subsidiaries (collectively with the FRB, the OCC and the
FDIC, the "Buyer’s Regulatory Agencies"), and have paid all fees and assessments
due and payable in connection therewith. Except for normal examinations
conducted by the Buyer’s Regulatory Agencies in the regular course of the
business of Buyer and its Subsidiaries, no Buyer’s Regulatory Agency has
initiated any proceeding or, to the knowledge of Buyer, investigation into
the
business or operations of Buyer or any of its Subsidiaries since December 31,
2001 the effect of which is reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Effect
on Buyer. There is no unresolved violation, criticism, or exception by any
Buyer’s Regulatory Agency with respect to any report or statement relating to
any examinations of Buyer or any of its Subsidiaries the effect of which is
reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Effect on Buyer.
39
4.6
Financial
Statements.
Buyer
has previously made available to the Company copies of the consolidated
statements of financial condition of Buyer and its Subsidiaries as of December
31, 2004 and 2005 and the related consolidated statements of income, changes
in
shareholders' equity and cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2003,
2004
and 2005, in each case accompanied by the audit report of KPMG LLP, independent
public accountants with respect to Buyer, and the notes related thereto; and
(b)
the consolidated statements of financial condition of Buyer and its Subsidiaries
as of September 30, 2005 and 2006, and the related consolidated statements
of
income and cash flows of Buyer for the nine months ended September 30, 2005
and
2006 (the financial statements referenced in clauses (a) and (b), the “Buyer
Financial Statements”). KPMG LLP was independent with respect to Buyer and its
Subsidiaries to the extent required by Regulation S-X of the SEC. The
consolidated statements of financial condition of Buyer (including the related
notes, where applicable) included within the Buyer Financial Statements fairly
present, and the consolidated statements of financial condition of Buyer
(including the related notes, where applicable) to be incorporated by reference
in the S-4 will fairly present, the consolidated financial position of Buyer
and
its Subsidiaries as of the dates thereof, and the consolidated statements of
income, changes in shareholders' equity and cash flows (including the related
notes, where applicable) included within the Buyer Financial Statements fairly
present, and the consolidated statements of income, changes in shareholders'
equity and cash flows of Buyer (including the related notes, where applicable)
to be incorporated by reference in the S-4 will fairly present, the results
of
the consolidated operations and consolidated financial position of Buyer and
its
Subsidiaries for the respective fiscal periods therein set forth; each of the
Buyer Financial Statements (including the related notes, where applicable)
complies, and each of such consolidated financial statements (including the
related notes, where applicable) to
be
incorporated by reference in the S-4 will comply, with applicable accounting
requirements and with the published rules and regulations of the SEC with
respect thereto, including without limitation Regulation S-X; and each of the
Buyer Financial Statements (including the related notes, where applicable)
has
been, and each of such consolidated financial statements (including the related
notes, where applicable) to be incorporated by reference in the S-4 will be,
prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles
consistently applied during the periods involved, except, in the case of
unaudited statements, as permitted by the SEC with respect to financial
statements included on Form 10-Q. The books and records of Buyer and its
Subsidiaries have been, and are being, maintained in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles and any other applicable legal and accounting
requirements.
4.7
SEC
Reports.
Buyer
has previously made available to the Company’s counsel a true and correct copy
of each final registration statement, prospectus, report, schedule and
definitive proxy statement filed since December 31, 2004 by Buyer with the
SEC
pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) or the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act” and such statements, prospectuses,
reports and schedules, the "Buyer Reports"), and no such registration statement,
prospectus, report, schedule or proxy statement contained any untrue statement
of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances in which they were made, not misleading, except that information
as of a later date shall be deemed to modify information as of an earlier date.
Buyer has timely filed all Buyer Reports and other documents required to be
filed by it under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, and, as of their
respective dates, all Buyer Reports complied in all material respects with
the
published rules and regulations of the SEC with respect thereto.
40
4.8
Absence
of Certain Changes or Events.
Except
as disclosed in any Buyer Report filed with the SEC prior to the date of this
Agreement, since December 31, 2005, there has been no change or development
or
combination of changes or developments which, individually or in the aggregate,
has had a Material Adverse Effect on Buyer.
4.9
Legal
Proceedings.
(a)
Except as disclosed in any Buyer Report filed with the SEC prior to the date
of
this Agreement or as may arise in connection with any proxy contest relating
to
Buyer’s 2007 annual meeting of shareholders, neither Buyer nor any of its
Subsidiaries is a party to any, and there are no pending or, to Buyer's
knowledge, threatened, legal, administrative, arbitral or other proceedings,
claims, actions or governmental or regulatory investigations of any material
nature against Buyer or any of its Subsidiaries or challenging the validity
or
propriety of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(b)
There
is no injunction, order, judgment, decree, or regulatory restriction imposed
upon Buyer, any of its Subsidiaries or the assets of Buyer or any of its
Subsidiaries, other than any such injunction, order, judgment, decree, or
regulatory restriction which would not have a Material Adverse Effect upon
Buyer.
4.10
Buyer
Information.
(a)
The
information relating to Buyer and Newco to be contained in the Proxy Statement,
as of the date the Proxy Statement is mailed to shareholders of the Company,
and
up to and including the date of the meeting of shareholders of the Company
to
which such Proxy Statement relates, will not contain any untrue statement of
a
material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements
therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading. The Proxy Statement (except for such portions thereof that relate
only to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries) will comply in all material
respects with the provisions of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations
thereunder.
(b)
The
information relating to Buyer and Newco to be contained in Buyer’s and Newco’s
applications to the OCC, the Federal Reserve Board and the Department will
be
accurate in all material respects.
4.11
Compliance
with Applicable Law.
Each of
Buyer and its Subsidiaries hold all material licenses, franchises, permits
and
authorizations necessary for the lawful conduct of its business, and each of
Buyer and each of its Subsidiaries has complied with and is not in default
in
any respect under any applicable law, statute, order, rule, regulation, policy
and/or guideline of any federal, state or local governmental authority relating
to Buyer or its Subsidiaries (other than where such defaults or non-compliance
will not, alone or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on Buyer
and
its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole) and Buyer and its Subsidiaries have not
received notice of violation of, and do not know of any such violations of,
any
of the above which have had or are likely to have a Material Adverse Effect
on
Buyer.
41
4.12
Agreements
with Regulatory Agencies.
Neither
Buyer nor any of its Subsidiaries is subject to any Regulatory Agreement with
any Governmental Entity that restricts the conduct of its business or that
in
any manner relates to its capital adequacy, its credit policies, its management
or its business, nor has Buyer or any of its Subsidiaries been advised by any
Governmental Entity that it is considering issuing or requesting any Regulatory
Agreement.
4.13
Reorganization.
Buyer
has no reason to believe that the Merger will fail to qualify as a
reorganization under Section 368(a) of the Code.
4.14
Disclosure.
No
representation or warranty contained in Article IV of this Agreement contains
any untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a material fact
necessary to make the statements in Article IV not misleading.
ARTICLE
V
COVENANTS
RELATING TO CONDUCT OF BUSINESS
5.1
Covenants
of the Company.
Except
as expressly provided in this Agreement, during the period from the date of
this
Agreement to the Effective Time, the Company shall use commercially reasonable
efforts to (i) conduct its business in the ordinary and usual course consistent
with past practices and prudent business practices; (ii) maintain and preserve
intact its business organization, properties, leases, employees and advantageous
business relationships and retain the services of its officers and key
employees, (iii) take no action which would adversely affect or delay the
ability of the Company, Buyer or Newco to perform its covenants and agreements
on a timely basis under this Agreement and (iv) take no action which would
adversely affect or delay the ability of the Company, Buyer or Newco to obtain
any necessary approvals, consents, orders (including the Substitution Order)
or
waivers of any governmental authority required for the transactions contemplated
hereby or which would reasonably be expected to result in any such approvals,
consents, orders or waivers containing any material condition or restriction.
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, and except as set forth in
Section 5.1 of the Company Disclosure Schedule or as otherwise specifically
provided by this Agreement or consented to in writing by Buyer, the Company
shall not:
(a)
declare or pay any dividends on, or make other distributions in respect of,
any
of its capital stock;
42
(b)
(i)
repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire (except for the acquisition of Trust
Account Shares and DPC Shares, as such terms are defined in Section 1.5(b)
hereof) any shares of the capital stock of the Company, or any securities
convertible into or exercisable for any shares of the capital stock of the
Company, (ii) split, combine or reclassify any shares of its capital stock
or
issue or authorize or propose the issuance of any other securities in respect
of, in lieu of or in substitution for shares of its capital stock, or (iii)
issue, deliver or sell, or authorize or propose the issuance, delivery or sale
of, any shares of its capital stock or any securities convertible into or
exercisable for, or any rights, warrants or options to acquire, any such shares,
or enter into any agreement with respect to any of the foregoing, except, in
the
case of clauses (ii) and (iii), for the issuance of up to a total of 2,500
shares of Company Common Stock upon the exercise of stock options granted under
the Company Stock Option Plan prior to the date hereof, any such exercise to
be
in accordance with the present terms of such options;
(c)
amend
its Certificate of Incorporation, By-laws or other similar governing documents;
(d)
(i)
initiate, solicit or encourage, directly or indirectly, any inquiries or the
making of any proposal or offer (including, without limitation, any proposal
or
offer to shareholders of the Company) with respect to a merger, consolidation
or
similar transaction involving, or any purchase of, all or more than 10% of
the
assets or any equity securities of the Company (any such proposal or offer
being
hereinafter referred to as an "Acquisition Proposal") or (ii) engage in any
negotiations concerning, or provide any confidential information or data to,
or
have any discussions with, any person relating to an Acquisition Proposal.
The
Company will notify Buyer immediately orally (within 12 hours) and in writing
(within 24 hours) if any such inquiries, proposals or offers are received by,
any such information is requested from, or any such negotiations or discussions
are sought to be initiated or continued with the Company after the date hereof,
and, as part of such notification, shall disclose to Buyer the identity of
the
person making such inquiry, proposal or offer and the substance of such inquiry,
proposal or offer in reasonable detail and will keep Buyer informed of any
developments with respect thereto immediately upon the occurrence thereof.
The
Company will immediately cease and cause to be terminated any existing
activities, discussions or negotiations with any parties conducted heretofore
with respect to any of the foregoing. The Company will take the necessary steps
to inform its officers, directors, agents, and representatives (including,
without limitation, any investment banker, attorney or accountant retained
by
it) of the obligations undertaken in this Section 5.1(d). The Company will
promptly request each person (other than Buyer) that has executed a
confidentiality agreement prior to the date hereof in connection with its
consideration of a business combination with the Company to return or destroy
all confidential information previously furnished to such person by or on behalf
of the Company. The Company shall take all steps necessary to enforce all such
confidentiality agreements.
(e)
make
any capital expenditures other than those which (i) are made in the ordinary
course of business consistent with past practice or are necessary to maintain
existing assets in good repair and (ii) in any event are in an amount of no
more
than $50,000 in the aggregate;
43
(f)
enter
into any new line of business or offer any new products or services;
(g)
acquire or agree to acquire, by merging or consolidating with, or by purchasing
a substantial equity interest in or a substantial portion of the assets of,
or
by any other manner, any business or any corporation, partnership, association
or other business organization or division thereof or otherwise acquire any
assets, which would be material, individually or in the aggregate, to the
Company (it being understood that for purposes of this clause “g”, any
assumption of another institution’s liabilities shall be conclusively deemed to
be material);
(h)
take
any action that is intended or may reasonably be expected to result in any
of
the conditions to the Merger set forth in Article VII not being satisfied;
(i)
change its methods of accounting in effect at December 31, 2005, except as
required by changes in GAAP or regulatory accounting principles as concurred
with in writing by the Company's independent auditors;
(j)(i)
except as required by applicable law or as required to maintain qualification
pursuant to the Code, adopt, amend, or terminate any Company Benefit Plan
(including, without limitation, any plan) or any agreement, arrangement, plan,
trust, other funding arrangement or policy between the Company and one or more
of its current or former directors, officers, employees or independent
contractors, change any trustee or custodian of the assets of any plan or
transfer plan assets among trustees or custodians, (ii) except for normal salary
increases in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice,
which increases do not exceed, for any employee, 4% of base salary in effect
on
the date of this Agreement, increase or accelerate payment of in any manner
the
compensation or fringe benefits of any director, officer or employee or pay
any
benefit not required by any Plan or agreement as in effect as of the date hereof
or (iii) grant or award any stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted
stock, restricted stock units or performance units or shares;
(k)
other
than activities in the ordinary course of business consistent with past
practice, sell, lease, encumber, assign or otherwise dispose of, or agree to
sell, lease, encumber, assign or otherwise dispose of, any of its material
assets, properties or other rights or agreements except as otherwise
specifically contemplated by this Agreement;
(l)
other
than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, incur
any
indebtedness for borrowed money or assume, guarantee, endorse or otherwise
as an
accommodation become responsible for the obligations of any other individual,
corporation or other entity;
(m)
relocate its business;
44
(n)
create, renew, amend or terminate or give notice of a proposed renewal,
amendment or termination of, any material contract, agreement or lease for
goods, services or office space to which the Company is a party or by which
the
Company or its properties is bound, other than the renewal in the ordinary
course of business of any lease the term of which expires prior to the Closing
Date;
(o)
other
than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, make
any
investment either by purchase of stock or securities, contributions to capital,
property transfers or purchase of any property or assets of any other
individual, corporation or other entity;
(p)
settle any claim, action or proceeding involving any liability of the Company
for money damages in excess of $50,000 or involving any material restrictions
upon the operations of the Company;
(q)
except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and
in
amounts less than $50,000, waive or release any material right or collateral
or
cancel or compromise any extension of credit or other debt or claim;
(r)
make
any investment or commitment to invest in real estate or in any real estate
development project;
(s)
elect
to the Board of Directors of the Company any person who is not a member of
the
Board of Directors of the Company as of the date hereof;
(t)
make
any material Tax election or file any claim for a material income Tax refund;
(u)
materially modify its Fee schedule or materially increase or decrease the
individual Fees applicable to any of the Trust Accounts, unless such
modification is required by the applicable Governing Agreement;
(v)
otherwise amend any Governing Agreement unless such amendment is requested
by a
beneficiary of the applicable Trust Account or a party to such Governing
Agreement other than the Company and is otherwise permitted pursuant to the
terms of such Governing Agreement;
(w)
take
any other action outside of the ordinary course of business; or
(x)
agree
to do any of the foregoing.
5.2
Covenants
of Buyer.
Except
as expressly provided in this Agreement and except as may be required in
connection with any proxy contest that may arise with respect to Buyer’s 2007
annual meeting of shareholders, during the period from the date of this
Agreement to the Effective Time, Buyer shall use commercially reasonably efforts
to (i) maintain and preserve intact its business organization, properties,
leases, employees and advantageous business relationships and retain the
services of its officers and key employees, (ii) take no action which would
adversely affect or delay the ability of the Company or Buyer to perform its
covenants and agreements on a timely basis under this Agreement, and (iii)
take
no action which would adversely affect or delay the ability of the Company,
Buyer or Newco to obtain any necessary approvals, consents or waivers of any
governmental authority required for the transactions contemplated hereby or
which would reasonably be expected to result in any such approvals, consents
or
waivers containing any material condition or restriction. Without limiting
the
generality of the foregoing, and except as otherwise specifically provided
by
this Agreement or consented to in writing by the Company, Buyer shall not,
and
shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to:
45
(a)
take
any action that is intended or may reasonably be expected to result in any
of
the conditions to the Merger set forth in Article VII not being satisfied;
(b)
change its methods of accounting in effect at December 31, 2005, except in
accordance with changes in generally accepted accounting principles or
regulatory accounting principles as concurred with by Buyer's independent
auditors; or
(c)
agree
to do any of the foregoing.
ARTICLE
VI
ADDITIONAL
AGREEMENTS
6.1
Regulatory
Matters.
(a)
Buyer
shall promptly prepare and file with the SEC the S-4, in which the Proxy
Statement will be included as a prospectus. The Company shall cooperate with
Buyer in the preparation of the Proxy Statement to be included within the S-4.
Each of the Company and Buyer shall use its reasonable best efforts to have
the
S-4 declared effective under the Securities Act as promptly as practicable
after
such filing, and the Company shall thereafter mail the Proxy Statement to its
shareholders in connection with a special meeting of the Company’s shareholders
to be held as promptly as practicable after the date hereof in connection with
the approval of this Agreement by the Company’s shareholders (the “Company
Shareholders’ Meeting”). Buyer shall use its reasonable best efforts to obtain
all necessary state securities law or "Blue Sky" permits and approvals required
to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(b)
The
parties hereto shall cooperate with each other and use their reasonable best
efforts to promptly prepare and file all necessary documentation, to effect
all
applications, notices, petitions and filings, and to obtain as promptly as
practicable all permits, consents, orders (including the Substitution Order),
approvals and authorizations of all third parties and Governmental Entities
which are necessary or advisable to consummate the transactions contemplated
by
this Agreement (including without limitation the organization of Newco, the
consummation of the Merger, the filing of the Fiduciary Petition, the submission
of any certification, document or other instrument contemplated by the Fiduciary
Act, the issuance of the Substitution Order, the performance of all steps
contemplated by the recitals to this Agreement and the transfer of the equity
interests of the Surviving Company Subsidiary to Union Center National Bank).
The Company and Buyer shall have the right to review in advance, and to the
extent practicable each will consult the other on, in each case subject to
applicable laws relating to the exchange of information, all the information
relating to the Company or Buyer, as the case may be, and any of Buyer’s
Subsidiaries, which appears in any filing made with, or written materials
submitted to, any third party or any Governmental Entity in connection with
the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement. In exercising the foregoing right,
each of the parties hereto shall act reasonably and as promptly as practicable.
The parties hereto agree that they will consult with each other with respect
to
the obtaining of all permits, consents, approvals and authorizations of all
third parties and Governmental Entities necessary or advisable to consummate
the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement and each party will keep the other
apprised of the status of matters relating to completion of the transactions
contemplated herein.
46
(c)
Buyer
and the Company shall, upon request, furnish each other with all information
concerning themselves, their Subsidiaries, directors, officers and shareholders
and such other matters as may be reasonably necessary or advisable in connection
with the Proxy Statement, the S-4 and any other statement, filing, notice or
application made by or on behalf of Buyer, the Company or any of Buyer’s
Subsidiaries to any Governmental Entity in connection with the Merger (including
any documentation required pursuant to the Fiduciary Act) and the other
transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Buyer agrees promptly to advise
the
Company if at any time prior to the Company Shareholders’ Meeting any
information provided by Buyer for the Proxy Statement becomes incorrect or
incomplete in any material respect and promptly to provide Company with the
information needed to correct such inaccuracy or omission. Buyer shall promptly
furnish the Company with such supplemental information as may be necessary
in
order to cause the Proxy Statement, insofar as it relates to Buyer and its
Subsidiaries, to comply with all applicable legal requirements. The Company
agrees promptly to advise Buyer if at any time prior to the Company
Shareholders’ Meeting any information provided by the Company for the Proxy
Statement becomes incorrect or incomplete in any material respect and promptly
to provide Buyer with the information needed to correct such inaccuracy or
omission. The Company shall promptly furnish Buyer with such supplemental
information as may be necessary in order to cause the Proxy Statement, insofar
as it relates to the Company, to comply with all applicable legal
requirements.
(d)
Buyer
and the Company shall promptly furnish each other with copies of written
communications received by Buyer or the Company, as the case may be, or any
of
their respective Subsidiaries, affiliates or associates (as such terms are
defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act as in effect on the date of this
Agreement) from, or delivered by any of the foregoing to, any Governmental
Entity in respect of the transactions contemplated hereby.
47
6.2
Access
to Information.
(a)
The
Company shall permit Buyer and its representatives, and Buyer shall permit,
and
shall cause each of Buyer’s Subsidiaries to permit, the Company and its
representatives, reasonable access to their respective properties, and shall
disclose and make available to Buyer and its representatives, or the Company
and
its representatives, as the case may be, all books, papers and records relating
to its assets, stock ownership, properties, operations, obligations and
liabilities, including, but not limited to, all books of account (including
the
general ledger), Tax records, minute books of directors' and shareholders'
meetings (excluding information related to the Merger), organizational
documents, Bylaws, material contracts and agreements, filings with any
regulatory authority, accountants' work papers, litigation files, plans
affecting employees, and any other business activities or prospects in which
Buyer and its representatives or the Company and its representatives may have
a
reasonable interest, all to the extent reasonably requested by the party seeking
such access. Neither party shall be required to provide access to or to disclose
information where such access or disclosure would violate or prejudice the
rights of any customer, would contravene any law, rule, regulation, order or
judgment or would waive any privilege. The parties will use their reasonable
best efforts to obtain waivers of any such restriction (other than waivers
of
the attorney-client privilege) and in any event make appropriate substitute
disclosure arrangements under circumstances in which the restrictions of the
preceding sentence apply. For
purposes of Buyer’s investigation pursuant to this Section 6.2(a), the
Company, upon reasonable written or oral notice, shall use its commercially
reasonable efforts to attempt to cause any third party under contract to the
Company to furnish to Buyer, and to its authorized representatives, reasonable
access to such party’s books, records and properties, including, without
limitation, all investment, regulatory, financial, accounting, and tax records
and files relating to the administration of the Trust Accounts, and all files,
computer records and account information necessary for the conversion after
the
Closing Date of the Trust Accounts, from the operating systems of the Company
to
such systems as Buyer may designate. To the extent necessary, the Company shall
use its reasonable efforts to attempt to cause any third party servicer or
other
third party to provide access to such party’s premises and adequate space and
facilities and the cooperation of its personnel, including, without limitation,
copying facilities, to the end that such examination shall be completed
expeditiously, completely and accurately. Any such investigation or examination
pursuant to this Section 6.2(a) shall be at Buyer’s expense. Without
limiting any of the foregoing, Buyer and its authorized representatives shall
be
specifically entitled to conduct (and the Company shall use its commercially
reasonable efforts to attempt to enable it to conduct) tests of any matters
as
they deem reasonably appropriate.
(b)
During the period from the date of this Agreement to the Effective Time, each
of
the Company and Buyer will cause one or more of its designated representatives
to confer with representatives of the other party on a monthly or more frequent
basis regarding its business, operations, properties, assets and financial
condition and matters relating to the completion of the transactions
contemplated herein. On a monthly basis, the Company agrees to provide Buyer
with internally prepared consolidated profit and loss statements no later than
20 days after the close of each calendar month. As soon as reasonably available,
but in no event more than 40 days after the end of each fiscal quarter (other
than the last fiscal quarter of each fiscal year), the Company will deliver
to
Buyer and Buyer will deliver to the Company their respective consolidated
quarterly financial statements. As soon as reasonably available, but in no
event
more than 75 days after the end of each calendar year, the Company will deliver
to Buyer and Buyer will deliver to the Company their respective consolidated
annual financial statements.
48
(c)
All
information furnished pursuant to Sections 6.2(a) and 6.2(b) shall be subject
to, and each of the Company and Buyer shall hold all such information in
confidence in accordance with, the provisions of the confidentiality
agreement.
(d)
No
investigation by either of the parties or their respective representatives
shall
affect the representations, warranties, covenants or agreements of the other
set
forth herein.
6.3
Company
Shareholders’ Meeting.
The
Company shall take all steps necessary to duly call, give notice of, convene
and
hold the Company Shareholders’ Meeting to be held as soon as is reasonably
practicable after the date on which the S-4 becomes effective for the purpose
of
voting upon the approval and adoption of this Agreement and the consummation
of
the transactions contemplated hereby. The Company will, through its Board of
Directors, except to the extent legally required for the discharge by the Board
of Directors of its fiduciary duties as advised by such Board's legal counsel
and the provisions of Article VIII, recommend to its shareholders approval
of
this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby and such other matters
as may be submitted to its shareholders in connection with this Agreement.
Buyer, in reasonable consultation with the Company, shall make all arrangements
with respect to the printing and mailing of the Proxy Statement.
6.4
Legal
Conditions to Merger.
Each of
Buyer and the Company shall, and shall cause its Subsidiaries to, use their
reasonable best efforts (a) to take, or cause to be taken, all actions
necessary, proper or advisable to comply promptly with all legal requirements
which may be imposed on such party or Buyer’s Subsidiaries with respect to the
Merger and, subject to the conditions set forth in Article VII hereof, to
consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and (b) to obtain
(and to cooperate with the other party to obtain) any consent, authorization,
order or approval of, or any exemption by, any Governmental Entity and any
other
third party which is required to be obtained by the Company or Buyer or any
of
Buyer’s Subsidiaries in connection with the Merger and the other transactions
contemplated by this Agreement, and to comply with the terms and conditions
of
such consent, authorization, order or approval.
6.5 Affiliates.
The
Company has confirmed to Buyer’s counsel the identity of all "affiliates" of the
Company under Rule 145 of the Securities Act, including, without limitation,
all
directors and executive officers of the Company. Promptly, but in any event
within two weeks after the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company
shall deliver to Buyer executed letter agreements, each substantially in the
form of Exhibit
B
hereto,
executed by each such person so identified as an affiliate of the Company
agreeing (i) to comply with Rule 145 and (ii) if such person has not executed
the Shareholders’ Agreement, to be present in person or by proxy and vote in
favor of the Merger at the Company Shareholders’ Meeting.
.
49
6.6
Nasdaq
Listing.
Buyer
shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause the shares of Buyer Common Stock
to be issued in the Merger to be approved for listing for quotation on the
Nasdaq/GSM, subject to official notice of issuance, as of the Effective
Time.
6.7
Indemnification.
(a)
For a
period of six years after the Effective Time, Buyer shall indemnify, defend
and
hold harmless each person who is now, or has been at any time prior to the
date
hereof or who becomes prior to the Effective Time, a director or officer of
the
Company or who serves or has served at the request of the Company as a director
or officer with any other person (collectively, the "Indemnitees") against
any
and all claims, damages, liabilities, losses, costs, charges, expenses
(including, subject to the provisions of this Section 6.7, reasonable costs
of
investigation and the reasonable fees and disbursements of legal counsel and
other advisers and experts as incurred), judgments, fines, penalties and amounts
paid in settlement, asserted against, incurred by or imposed upon any Indemnitee
by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director or officer of the
Company or serves or has served at the request of the Company as a director
or
officer with any other person, in connection with, arising out of or relating
to
(i) any threatened, pending or completed claim, action, suit or proceeding
(whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative) relating to any
act
or omission occurring at or prior to the Closing, including, without limitation,
any and all claims, actions, suits, proceedings or investigations by or on
behalf of or in the right of or against the Company or any of their respective
affiliates, or by any former or present shareholder of the Company (each a
"Claim" and collectively, "Claims"), including, without limitation, any Claim
which is based upon, arises out of or in any way relates to the Merger, the
Proxy Statement, this Agreement, any of the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement, the Indemnitee's service as a member of the Board of Directors of
the
Company or of any committee thereof at any time at or prior to the Closing,
the
events leading up to the execution of this Agreement, any statement,
recommendation or solicitation made in connection therewith or related thereto
and any breach of any duty in connection with any of the foregoing, or (ii)
the
enforcement of the obligations of Buyer set forth in this Section 6.7, in each
case to the fullest extent which the Company would have been permitted under
any
applicable law and its Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws had the Merger
not
occurred (and Buyer shall also advance expenses as incurred to the fullest
extent so permitted). Notwithstanding the foregoing, Buyer shall not provide
any
indemnification or advance any expenses with respect to any Claim which relates
to a personal benefit improperly paid or provided, or alleged to have been
improperly paid or provided, to the Indemnitee, but Buyer shall reimburse the
Indemnitee for costs incurred by the Indemnitee with respect to such Claim
when
and if a court of competent jurisdiction shall ultimately determine, and such
determination shall have become final and nonappealable, that the Indemnitee
was
not improperly paid or provided with the personal benefit alleged in the
Claim.
50
Any
Indemnitee wishing to claim indemnification under this Section 6.7 shall
promptly notify Buyer upon learning of any Claim, but the failure to so notify
shall not relieve Buyer of any liability it may have to such Indemnitee except
to the extent that such failure prejudices Buyer. In the event of any Claim
(whether arising before or after the Effective Time) as to which indemnification
under this Section 6.7 is applicable, (x) Buyer shall have the right to assume
the defense thereof and Buyer shall not be liable to such Indemnitees for any
legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses subsequently incurred
by
such Indemnitee in connection with the defense thereof, except that if Buyer
elects not to assume such defense, or counsel for the Indemnitees advises that
there are issues which raise conflicts of interest between Buyer and the
Indemnitees, the Indemnitees may retain counsel satisfactory to them, and Buyer
shall pay the reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel for the Indemnitees
as statements therefor are received; provided, however, that Buyer shall be
obligated pursuant to this Section 6.7 to pay for only one firm of counsel
for
all Indemnitees in any jurisdiction with respect to a matter unless the use
of
one counsel for multiple Indemnitees would present such counsel with a conflict
of interest that is not waived, and (y) the Indemnitees will cooperate in the
defense of any such matter. Buyer shall not be liable for the settlement of
any
claim, action or proceeding hereunder unless such settlement is effected with
its prior written consent. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this
Section 6.7, Buyer shall not have any obligation hereunder to any Indemnitee
when and if a court of competent jurisdiction shall ultimately determine, and
such determination shall have become final and nonappealable, that the
indemnification of such Indemnitee in the manner contemplated hereby is
prohibited by applicable law or public policy.
(b)
Buyer
shall cause the persons serving as officers and directors of the Company
immediately prior to the Effective Time to be covered for a period of six years
from the Effective Time by the directors' and officers' liability insurance
policy maintained by the Company (provided that Buyer may substitute therefor
policies of at least the same coverage and amounts containing terms and
conditions which are not materially less advantageous than such policy or single
premium tail coverage with policy limits equal to the Company's existing annual
coverage limits) with respect to acts or omissions occurring prior to the
Effective Time which were committed by such officers and directors in their
capacity as such; provided, however, that (A) in no event shall Buyer be
required to expend an aggregate premium in excess of 200% of the current annual
premium expended by the Company (the "Insurance Amount") to maintain or procure
insurance coverage (which current annual premium is set forth in Section 6.7(b)
of the Company Disclosure Schedule), (B) if Buyer is unable to maintain or
obtain the insurance called for by this Section 6.7(b), Buyer shall use all
reasonable efforts to obtain as much comparable insurance as is available for
the Insurance Amount and (C)
notwithstanding any provision herein to the contrary, Buyer shall be deemed
to
have satisfied all of its obligations pursuant to this Section 6.7(b) in the
event that it acquires single premium tail insurance at an aggregate premium
of
250%
of
the
current annual premium expended by the Company.
51
(c)
The
provisions of this Section 6.7 are intended to be for the benefit of, and shall
be enforceable by, each Indemnified Party and his or her heirs and
representatives.
6.8
Additional
Agreements.
In case
at any time after the Effective Time any further action is necessary or
desirable to carry out the purposes of this Agreement or to vest the Surviving
Trust Company with full title to all properties, assets, rights, approvals,
immunities and franchises of any of the parties to the Merger, the proper
officers and directors of each party to this Agreement and Buyer’s Subsidiaries
shall take all such necessary action as may be reasonably requested by
Buyer.
6.9
Notification
of Certain Matters.
Each
party shall give prompt notice to the others of (a) any event, condition,
change, occurrence, act or omission which causes any of its representations
hereunder to cease to be true in all material respects (or, with respect to
any
such representation which is qualified as to materiality, causes such
representation to cease to be true in all respects); and (b) any event,
condition, change, occurrence, act or omission which individually or in the
aggregate has, or which, so far as reasonably can be foreseen at the time of
its
occurrence, is reasonably likely to have, a Material Adverse Effect on such
party. Each of the Company and Buyer shall give prompt notice to the other
party
of any notice or other communication from any third party alleging that the
consent of such third party is or may be required in connection with the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
6.10
Failure
to Fulfill Conditions.
In the
event that Buyer or the Company determines that a material condition to its
obligation to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby cannot be
fulfilled on or prior to the Cut-off Date (as defined in Section 8.1(c)) and
that it will not waive that condition, it will promptly notify the other
party.
6.11
Employment
Matters.
From
and after the Effective Time, Buyer shall credit employees of the Company who
are employed at the Closing Date for service with the Company for purposes
of
eligibility and vesting under all employee benefit plans of the Buyer in which
they become participants on or after the Effective Time.
52
6.12
Accountings.
The
Company shall make all accountings required under any Governing Agreement to
be
performed with respect to the Trust Accounts and the Company’s Trust Asset
portfolio through the Closing Date. From and after the date of this Agreement,
the Company shall, to the extent permitted by law, send Buyer copies of
(i) all documents filed by it, (ii) all documents filed or served by
any other person, and (iii) any orders, judgments or notices issued by any
court, in each case in connection with all such accountings.
6.13 Status.
Pursuant
to Treas. Reg. Sec. 1.897-2(h) and Treas. Reg. Sec. 1.1445-2(c)(3)(i), at the
Closing the Company shall furnish to Buyer a statement certifying that the
Company is not, and has never been during the applicable period specified in
Section 897(c)(1)(A)(ii) of the Code, a United States real property holding
corporation within the meaning of Section 897(c)(2) of the Code.
ARTICLE
VII
CONDITIONS
PRECEDENT
7.1
Conditions
to Each Party's Obligations Under this Agreement.
The
respective obligations of each party under this Agreement to consummate the
Merger shall be subject to the satisfaction, or, where permissible under
applicable law, waiver at or prior to the Effective Time of the following
conditions:
(a)
Approval
of Shareholders.
This
Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall have been approved
by
the requisite vote of the shareholders of the Company. The S-4 shall have been
declared effective by the SEC and shall not be subject to a stop order or any
threatened stop order, and the issuance of the Buyer Common Stock shall have
been qualified in every state where such qualification is required under the
applicable state securities laws.
(b)
Regulatory
Filings.
All
necessary regulatory or governmental approvals, orders and consents (including
without limitation the issuance of the Substitution Order and any required
approval of the OCC, the SEC, the Federal Reserve Board and the Department
required to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby (including without
limitation the organization and formation of Newco, the Merger and the transfer
of the outstanding equity interests of the Surviving Trust Company to Union
Center National Bank)) shall have been obtained without the imposition of any
term or condition which would impair, in any material respect, the value of
the
Company to Buyer. All conditions required to be satisfied prior to the Effective
Time by the terms of such approvals, orders and consents shall have been
satisfied; and all statutory waiting periods in respect thereof shall have
expired.
(c)
Suits
and Proceedings.
No
order, judgment or decree shall be outstanding against a party hereto or a
third
party that would have the effect of preventing completion of the Merger; no
suit, action or other proceeding shall be pending or threatened by any
Governmental Entity seeking to restrain or prohibit the Merger; and no suit,
action or other proceeding shall be pending before any court or Governmental
Entity seeking to restrain or prohibit the Merger or obtain other substantial
monetary or other relief against one or more parties hereto in connection with
this Agreement and which Buyer or the Company determines in good faith, based
upon the advice of their respective counsel, makes it inadvisable to proceed
with the Merger because any such suit, action or proceeding has a significant
potential to be resolved in such a way as to deprive the party electing not
to
proceed of any of the material benefits to it of the Merger.
53
(d)
Tax
Opinion.
Buyer
and
Company shall each have received an opinion, dated as of the Effective Time,
of
Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx PC, reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to Company
and its counsel and to Buyer, based upon representation letters reasonably
required by Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx PC dated on or about the date of such opinion,
and such other facts and representations as such counsel may reasonably deem
relevant, to the effect that the Merger will be treated for federal income
Tax
purposes as a reorganization qualifying under the provisions of Section 368(a)
of the Code. In connection therewith and in connection with any Tax opinion
which is included within the S-4, each of Buyer and the Company shall deliver
to
Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx PC representation letters, in each case in form and substance
reasonably satisfactory to Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx PC. Neither Buyer nor the Company
shall, nor shall Buyer cause any of its Subsidiaries to, take any action
inconsistent with the treatment of the Merger as a "reorganization" under
Section 368(a) of the Code.
(e)
Listing
of Shares.
The
shares of Buyer Common Stock which shall be issued to the shareholders of the
Company upon consummation of the Merger shall have been authorized for listing
for quotation on the Nasdaq/GSM, subject to official notice of
issuance.
7.2
Conditions
to the Obligations of Buyer Under this Agreement.
The
obligations of Buyer under this Agreement shall be further subject to the
satisfaction or waiver, at or prior to the Effective Time, of the following
conditions:
(a)
Representations
and Warranties; Performance of Obligations of the Company and the
Company.
Except
for those representations and warranties which are made as of a particular
date,
the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement
shall be true and correct in all material respects (except with respect to
those
representations and warranties which are qualified as to materiality, which
shall be true in all respects) on the Closing Date as though made on and as
of
the Closing Date. The representations and warranties of the Company contained
in
this Agreement which are made as of a particular date shall be true and correct
in all material respects (except with respect to those representations and
warranties which are qualified as to materiality, which shall be true in all
respects) as of such date. The Company shall have performed in all material
respects the agreements, covenants and obligations to be performed by it prior
to the Closing Date.
(b)
Certificates.
The
Company shall have furnished Buyer with such certificates of its officers or
other documents to evidence fulfillment of the conditions set forth in this
Section 7.2 as Buyer may reasonably request, including without limitation the
fulfillment of the conditions set forth in Sections 7.2(a) and
7.2(h).
54
(c)
Legal,
Accounting and Investment Banking Fees.
The
Company shall have furnished Buyer with letters from all attorneys, accountants,
investment bankers and other service providers representing the Company and
its
Subsidiaries in any matters relating to the Merger or the other transactions
contemplated hereby confirming that all fees and disbursements have been paid
in
full for all services rendered through and including the consummation of the
Merger.
(d) Third
Party Consents.
All
consents, waivers and approvals of any third parties (other than Governmental
Entities) which are necessary to permit the consummation of the Merger and
the
other transactions contemplated hereby shall have been obtained or made except
for those the failure to obtain would not have a Material Adverse Effect (i)
on
the Company or (ii) on Buyer and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole. None of
the
approvals or waivers referred to in this Section 7.2(d) shall contain any term
or condition which would have a Material Adverse Effect on the Buyer and its
Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, after giving effect to the Merger.
(e)
Continuing
in Effect.
The
Shareholders’ Agreement and each of the Employment Agreements have remained in
full force and effect up to the Effective Time.
(f)
Dissenting
Shares.
No more
than 30,000 shares of Company Common Stock shall be eligible to constitute
“Dissenting Shares” as of the commencement of the Closing.
(g)
Trust
Assets.
As of
the Closing Date, the Company will not hold any Trust Assets other than the
Trust Assets of the Non-objecting Trust Accounts, and the Trust Assets held
in
each Non-Objecting Trust Account as of the Closing Date shall constitute all
of
the Trust Assets required by the Governing Agreements to be held in such
Non-objecting Trust Accounts.
(h)
Status.
The
Company shall have delivered to Buyer the statement, in form and substance
satisfactory to Buyer, contemplated by Section 6.13.
7.3
Conditions
to Obligations of the Company Under this Agreement.
The
obligation of the Company to effect the Merger is also subject to the
satisfaction or waiver by the Company at or prior to the Effective Time of
the
following conditions:
(a)
Representations
and Warranties; Performance of Obligations of Buyer.
Except
for those representations and warranties which are made as of a particular
date,
the representations and warranties of Buyer contained in this Agreement shall
be
true and correct in all material respects (except with respect to those
representations and warranties which are qualified as to materiality, which
shall be true in all respects) on the Closing Date as though made on and as
of
the Closing Date. The representations and warranties of Buyer contained in
this
Agreement which are made as of a particular date shall be true and correct
in
all material respects (except with respect to those representations and
warranties which are qualified as to materiality, which shall be true in all
respects) as of such date. Buyer shall have performed in all material respects
the agreements, covenants and obligations to be performed by it prior to the
Closing Date.
55
(b)
Certificates.
Buyer
shall have furnished the Company with such certificates of its officers or
other
documents to evidence fulfillment of the conditions set forth in this Section
7.3 as the Company may reasonably request.
ARTICLE
VIII
TERMINATION
AND AMENDMENT
8.1
Termination.
This
Agreement may be terminated at any time prior to the Effective Time, whether
before or after approval of the matters presented in connection with the Merger
by the shareholders of the Company:
(a) by
mutual
consent of the Company and Buyer;
(b)
by
either Buyer or the Company upon written notice to the other party (i) 60 days
after the date on which any request or application for a required regulatory
approval shall have been denied or withdrawn at the request or recommendation
of
the Governmental Entity which must grant such approval, unless within the 60-day
period following such denial or withdrawal a petition for rehearing or an
amended application has been filed with the applicable Governmental Entity,
provided, however, that no party shall have the right to terminate this
Agreement pursuant to this Section 8.1(b)(i) if such denial or request or
recommendation for withdrawal shall be due to the failure of the party seeking
to terminate this Agreement to perform or observe the covenants and agreements
of such party set forth herein or (ii) if any Governmental Entity of competent
jurisdiction shall have issued a final nonappealable order enjoining or
otherwise prohibiting the Merger;
(c)
by
either Buyer or the Company, if the Merger shall not have been consummated
on or
before the date (the “Cut-off Date”) which is nine months from the date hereof,
provided, however, that the right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this
Section 8.1(c) shall not be available to any party whose failure to fulfill
any
of its obligations under this Agreement has been the cause of or resulted in
the
failure of the Closing to occur on or prior to the aforesaid date (the “Delaying
Party”), unless the Delaying Party fulfills such obligations subsequent to the
Cut-Off Date (in which case the Delaying Party shall have the right to terminate
this Agreement pursuant to this Section 8.1(c) in the event that the other
parties hereto are unable or unwilling to consummate the Closing within fifteen
(15) days after receipt of notice that the Delaying Party has fulfilled its
obligations and is prepared to consummate the Closing);
56
(d)
by
either Buyer or the Company if the approval of the shareholders of the Company
required for the consummation of the Merger shall not have been obtained by
reason of the failure to obtain the required vote at a duly held meeting of
such
shareholders or at any adjournment or postponement thereof;
(e)
by
either Buyer or the Company (provided that the terminating party is not then
in
material breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or other agreement
contained herein), if there shall have been a breach of any of the
representations or warranties set forth in this Agreement on the part of the
other party, which breach is not cured within thirty days following written
notice to the party committing such breach, or which breach, by its nature,
cannot be cured prior to the Closing; provided, however, that neither party
shall have the right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 8.1(e)
unless the breach of representation or warranty, together with all other such
breaches, would entitle the party receiving such representation not to
consummate the transactions contemplated hereby under Section 7.2(a) (in the
case of a breach of representation or warranty by the Company) or Section 7.3(a)
(in the case of a breach of representation or warranty by Buyer);
(f)
by
either Buyer or the Company (provided that the terminating party is not then
in
material breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or other agreement
contained herein), if there shall have been a material breach of any of the
covenants or agreements set forth in this Agreement on the part of the other
party hereto, which breach shall not have been cured within thirty days
following receipt by the breaching party of written notice of such breach from
the other party hereto, or which breach, by its nature, cannot be cured prior
to
the Closing;
(g)
by
Buyer if any of the conditions set forth in Sections 7.1 and 7.2 are not
satisfied and are not capable of being satisfied by the Cut-off Date; or
(h)
by
the Company if any of the conditions set forth in Sections 7.1 and 7.3 are
not
satisfied and are not capable of being satisfied by the Cut-off
Date.
8.2
Effect
of Termination.
In the
event of termination of this Agreement by either Buyer or the Company as
provided in Section 8.1, this Agreement shall forthwith become void and have
no
effect except that (i) Sections 8.2 and Article X shall survive any termination
of this Agreement and (ii) notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained
in
this Agreement, in the event that either of the parties shall willfully default
in its obligations hereunder, the non-defaulting party may pursue any remedy
available at law or in equity to enforce its rights and shall be paid by the
willfully defaulting party for all damages, costs and expenses, including
without limitation legal, accounting, investment banking and printing expenses,
incurred or suffered by the non-defaulting party in connection herewith or
in
the enforcement of its rights hereunder.
8.3
Amendment.
Subject
to compliance with applicable law, this Agreement may be amended by the parties
hereto at any time before or after approval of the matters presented in
connection with the Merger by the shareholders of the Company; provided,
however, that after any approval of the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement by the Company's shareholders, there may not be, without further
approval of such shareholders, any amendment of this Agreement which reduces
the
amount or changes the form of the consideration to be delivered to the Company’s
shareholders hereunder other than as contemplated by this Agreement. This
Agreement may not be amended except by an instrument in writing signed on behalf
of each of the parties hereto.
57
8.4
Extension;
Waiver.
At any
time prior to the Effective Time, each of the parties hereto may, to the extent
legally allowed, (a) extend the time for the performance of any of the
obligations or other acts of the other party hereto, (b) waive any inaccuracies
in the representations and warranties of the other party contained herein or
in
any document delivered pursuant hereto and (c) waive compliance with any of
the
agreements or conditions of the other party contained herein. Any agreement
on
the part of a party hereto to any such extension or waiver shall be valid only
if set forth in a written instrument signed on behalf of such party, but such
extension or waiver or failure to insist on strict compliance with an
obligation, covenant, agreement or condition shall not operate as a waiver
of,
or estoppel with respect to, any subsequent or other failure.
ARTICLE
IX
SET-OFF
RIGHT
9.1
Survival.
For
purposes of determining Buyer’s set-off rights hereunder, the Company’s
representations and warranties contained in this Agreement shall survive the
Closing until the amounts described in Sections 1.5(a)(iv) and 1.5(a)(v) are
paid or reduced to zero and shall in no event be affected by any investigation,
inquiry or examination made for or on behalf of Buyer prior to the Closing.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that Buyer notifies the Shareholder
Representative in writing of a Set-Off Claim (as defined herein) prior to the
end of such survival period, the Company’s representations and warranties
contained in this Agreement shall survive beyond the end of such survival period
with respect to any such Set-Off Claim.
9.2
Right
of Set-Off.
Subject
to Section 9.3, Buyer shall have the right to set-off, against any amounts
payable pursuant to Sections 1.5(a)(iv) and 1.5(a)(v), the amount of any and
all
claims, costs, expenses, damages, liabilities, losses or deficiencies (including
attorneys’ fees and other costs and expenses incident to any suit, action or
proceeding) (the “Losses”) which Buyer may suffer, sustain or become subject to,
as a result of any inaccuracy in or breach of any representation or warranty
of
the Company contained in this Agreement or in any certificate delivered by
or on
behalf of the Company hereunder.
9.3
Limitations
on Right of Set-Off.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the absence of intentional fraud: (A) Buyer
shall not have a set-off right under this Article IX with respect to any Losses
until the aggregate amount of all such Losses exceeds $100,000 (the
“Threshold
Amount”),
and
then only to the extent that such Losses exceed the Threshold Amount, (B)
Buyer’s right to recover for Losses shall not extend beyond the amounts payable
pursuant to Sections 1.5(a)(iv) and 1.5(a)(v) and (C) once amounts are actually
paid pursuant to Sections 1.5(a)(iv) and 1.5(a)(v), such amounts shall not
be
recoverable with respect to any claim that Buyer is entitled to a set-off
pursuant to Section 9.2 (each such claim, a “Set-Off Claim”) made after such
amounts are paid pursuant to this Agreement.
58
9.4
Procedure.
In
the
event that Buyer determines that it has a valid Set-Off Claim, Buyer shall
notify the Shareholder Representative and shall provide the Shareholder
Representative with a description of such claim in reasonable detail. Buyer
shall provide the Shareholder Representative with reasonable access to its
books
and records for the purpose of allowing the Shareholder Representative a
reasonable opportunity to verify any such Set-Off Claim. Buyer shall negotiate
in good faith regarding the resolution of any disputed Set-Off Claim. If Buyer
and the Shareholder Representative agree that Buyer has suffered a Loss and
agree upon the amount of such Loss, the amounts next payable pursuant to
Sections 1.5(a)(iv) and 1.5(a)(v) shall be reduced by the amount so agreed
upon.
In the event that the Shareholder Representative does not reach such agreement
with Buyer, then Buyer may institute legal proceedings in order to determine
whether Buyer has suffered a Loss hereunder. In the event that such legal
proceedings are commenced and Buyer prevails in such proceedings, the cost
of
such proceedings (including costs of investigation and reasonable attorneys’
fees and disbursements) incurred by Buyer shall be added to the amount of Losses
deemed to be suffered by Buyer. In the event that such legal proceedings are
commenced and the Shareholder Representative prevails in such proceedings,
the
cost of such proceedings (including costs of investigation and reasonable
attorneys’ fees and disbursements) incurred by the Shareholder Representative
shall be paid by Buyer to the Shareholder Representative.
9.5
Appointment
of the Shareholder Representative.
By
virtue of the approval of the Merger and this Agreement by the requisite vote
of
the Company’s shareholders, each of such shareholders and their transferees
(collectively, the “Shareholders”) shall be deemed to have appointed the
Shareholder Representative to act on behalf of the Shareholders with respect
to
all matters relating to this Article IX, including in considering and certifying
the amount of any Losses, in taking any action on behalf of the Shareholders
pursuant to this Article IX, and generally in performing all acts expressly
required or permitted to be performed by the Shareholder Representative pursuant
hereto; provided, however, that the Shareholder Representative shall have no
obligation to act on behalf of the Shareholders except as expressly provided
herein. Buyer shall have the right to deal exclusively with the Shareholder
Representative with respect to all matters under this Article IX and Buyer
shall
not have any liability to any Shareholder for any acts or omissions of the
Shareholder Representative, or any acts or omissions taken or not taken by
Buyer
at the direction of the Shareholder Representative. The Shareholder
Representative will have no liability to the Shareholders with respect to
actions taken or omitted to be taken in the Shareholder Representative’s
capacity as the Shareholder Representative, except with respect to any liability
resulting from the Shareholder Representative’s gross negligence or willful
misconduct. The Shareholder Representative shall be entitled to rely upon any
directions received from holders of a majority of the Buyer Common Stock
received in the Merger; provided, however, that the Shareholder Representative
shall not be required to follow any such direction, and shall be under no
obligation to take any action in his capacity as the Shareholder Representative,
unless the Shareholder Representative has been provided with funds, security
or
indemnities from the Shareholders which, in the sole determination of the
Shareholder Representative, are sufficient to protect the Shareholder
Representative against the costs, expenses and liabilities which may be incurred
by the Shareholder Representative in responding to such direction or taking
such
action. The Shareholder Representative shall be entitled to engage such counsel,
experts and other agents and consultants as the Shareholder Representative
shall
deem necessary in connection with exercising the Shareholder Representative’s
powers and performing the Shareholder Representative’s function hereunder and
(in the absence of bad faith on the part of the Shareholder Representative)
shall be entitled to conclusively rely on the opinions and advice of such
persons. In the event that the Shareholder Representative expends all funds
reserved for him pursuant to Section 1.5(e), the Shareholder Representative
shall be entitled to reimbursement by the Shareholders, from cash payable to
the
Shareholders pursuant to Sections 1.5(a)(iv) and 1.5(a)(v), for all reasonable
expenses, disbursements and advances (including fees and disbursements of the
Shareholder Representative’s counsel, experts and other agents and consultants)
incurred by the Shareholder Representative in such capacity.
59
ARTICLE
X
GENERAL
PROVISIONS
10.1
Interpretation.
When a
reference is made in this Agreement to Sections, Exhibits or Schedules, such
reference shall be to a Section of or Exhibit or Schedule to this Agreement
unless otherwise indicated. The table of contents, if any, and headings
contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect
in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement. Whenever the words
"include", "includes" or "including" are used in this Agreement, they shall
be
deemed to be followed by the words "without limitation". No provision of this
Agreement shall be construed to require the Company, Buyer or any of Buyer’s
Subsidiaries or affiliates to take any action that would violate any applicable
law, rule or regulation.
10.2
Nonsurvival
of Representations, Warranties and Agreements.
None of
the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements in this Agreement
or
in any instrument delivered pursuant to this Agreement shall survive beyond
the
time contemplated by Section 9.1, except for those covenants and agreements
contained herein and therein which by their terms apply in whole or in part
after the Effective Time.
10.3
Expenses.
Except
as otherwise provided in Articles I and IX, all costs and expenses incurred
in
connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall
be
paid by the party incurring such costs and expenses.
10.4
Notices.
All
notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be
deemed given if delivered personally, telecopied (with confirmation), mailed
by
registered or certified mail (return receipt requested) or delivered by an
express courier (with confirmation) to the parties at the following addresses
(or at such other address for a party as shall be specified by like notice):
60
(a)
|
if to Buyer, to: | |
Center Bancorp, Inc. | ||
0000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx | ||
Xxxxx, Xxx Xxxxxx 00000 | ||
Attn: Xxxx X. Xxxxx | ||
with
a copy to:
|
||
Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx PC | ||
00 Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx | ||
Xxxxxxxx, Xxx Xxxxxx 00000 | ||
Attn: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx, Esq. | ||
and | ||
(b)
|
if to the Company, to: | |
Beacon Trust Company | ||
000 Xxxx Xxxxxx | ||
X.X. Xxx 000 | ||
Xxxxxxx, Xxx Xxxxxx 00000 | ||
Attn: Xxxxxx X. Xxxx | ||
with
a copy to:
|
||
XxXxxxxx & English | ||
Four Gateway Center | ||
000 Xxxxxxxx Xx. | ||
Xxxxxx, XX 00000 | ||
Attn: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxx, Esq. |
10.5
Counterparts;
Facsimile.
This
Agreement may be executed in counterparts, all of which shall be considered
one
and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been
signed by each of the parties and delivered to the other parties, it being
understood that all parties need not sign the same counterpart. Execution
and delivery of this Agreement or any agreement contemplated hereby by facsimile
transmission shall constitute execution and delivery of this Agreement or such
agreement for all purposes, with the same force and effect as execution and
delivery of an original manually signed copy hereof.
61
10.6
Entire
Agreement.
This
Agreement (including the documents and the instruments referred to herein),
together with the Shareholders’ Agreement and all confidentiality agreements
executed by the Company and Buyer with respect to the transactions contemplated
herein, constitute the entire agreement and supersedes all prior agreements
and
understandings, both written and oral, among the parties with respect to the
subject matter hereof.
10.7
Governing
Law.
This
Agreement shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the
State of New Jersey, without regard to any applicable conflicts of
law.
10.8
Severability.
Any
term or provision of this Agreement which is invalid or unenforceable in any
jurisdiction shall, as to that jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of
such invalidity or unenforceability without rendering invalid or unenforceable
the remaining terms and provisions of this Agreement or affecting the validity
or enforceability of any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement in any
other jurisdiction. If any provision of this Agreement is so broad as to be
unenforceable, the provision shall be interpreted to be only so broad as is
enforceable.
10.9
Publicity.
Except
as otherwise required by law, so long as this Agreement is in effect, the
Company shall not issue or cause the publication of any press release or other
public announcement with respect to, or otherwise make any public statement
concerning, the transactions contemplated by this Agreement without the consent
of Buyer, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.
10.10
Assignment;
No Third Party Beneficiaries.
Neither
this Agreement nor any of the rights, interests or obligations hereunder shall
be assigned by any of the parties hereto (whether by operation of law or
otherwise) without the prior written consent of the other parties. Subject
to
the preceding sentence, this Agreement will be binding upon, inure to the
benefit of and be enforceable by the parties and their respective successors
and
assigns. Except as otherwise expressly provided in Section 6.7, this Agreement
(including the documents and instruments referred to herein) is not intended
to
confer upon any person other than the parties hereto any rights or remedies
hereunder.
10.11
Waiver
of Jury Trial.
Each party hereto (each, a “Party”) hereby waives to the fullest extent
permitted by applicable law, any right it may have to a trial by jury in respect
to any suit, action or other proceeding directly or indirectly arising out
of,
under or in connection with this Agreement or any transaction contemplated
hereby. Each Party (a) certifies that no representative of any other Party
has represented, expressly or otherwise, that such other Party would not, in
the
event of any suit, action or other proceeding, seek to enforce that foregoing
waiver and (b) acknowledges that it and the other Parties have been induced
to enter into this Agreement, by, among other things, the mutual waivers and
certifications in this Section 10.11.
10.12 Enforcement
of this Agreement.
The
Company acknowledges and agrees that Buyer would be irreparably damaged if
any
of the provisions of this Agreement are not performed in accordance with their
specific terms and that any breach of this Agreement by the Company may not
be
adequately compensated in all cases by monetary damages alone. Accordingly,
in
addition to any other right or remedy to which Buyer may be entitled, at law
or
in equity, it shall be entitled to enforce any provision of this Agreement
by a
decree of specific performance and to temporary, preliminary and permanent
injunctive relief to prevent breaches or threatened breaches of any of the
provisions of this Agreement, without posting any bond or other
undertaking.
62
10.13
Construction.
In
the
event of any ambiguity in, or dispute regarding the interpretation of, any
of
the provisions of this Agreement, the interpretation to be afforded any such
provision will not be resolved by any rule of interpretation or construction
providing for interpretation against the Party which causes the uncertainty
or
against the Party which drafts the Agreement, and all Parties hereto expressly
agree that in the event of any ambiguity or dispute regarding the interpretation
of any provision contained in this Agreement, such provision will be interpreted
as if each Party hereto participated in the drafting thereof. Unless
otherwise indicated to the contrary herein by the context or use thereof: (i)
the words, “herein,” “hereto,” “hereof” and words of similar import refer to
this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular Section or paragraph hereof;
(ii) words importing the masculine gender shall also include the feminine and
neutral genders, and vice versa; (iii) words importing the singular shall also
include the plural, and vice versa; and (iv) the word “including” means
“including without limitation.”
10.14
Definitions.
(a) The
following terms shall have the following meanings:
“Adjusted
Stock Number” shall equal $8,089,480 divided by the Stock Price, rounded to four
decimals.
“Business
Day” shall mean any
day
except a Saturday, Sunday or any day which is a legal holiday or a day on which
banking institutions in the State of New Jersey are authorized or required
by
law or other government action to close. All time periods in this Agreement
based on a number of days shall be deemed to refer to calendar days unless
the
term Business Day is specifically used.
“Buyer
Common Stock Average Price” means the average of the daily closing sales prices
of Buyer Common Stock as reported on the Nasdaq/GSM (as reported in The Wall
Street Journal or, if not reported thereby, another authoritative source as
chosen by Buyer) for the 10 consecutive full trading days in which such shares
are quoted on the Nasdaq/GSM ending at the close of trading on the Determination
Date.
“Fair
Market Value” shall mean (a) as
to any Securities which are listed or admitted to trading on any national
securities exchange, on any Business Day, the amount equal to (i) the last
sale price of such Securities, regular way, on such date or, if no such sale
takes place on such date, the average of the closing bid and asked prices
thereof on such date, in each case as officially reported on the principal
national securities exchange on which such Securities are then listed or
admitted to trading, or (ii) as to Securities which are not then listed or
admitted to trading on any national securities exchange but are reported through
the automated quotation system of a registered securities association, the
last
trading price of such Securities on such date, or if there shall have been
no
trading on such date, the average of the closing bid and asked prices of such
Securities on such date as shown by such automated quotation system, and
(b) as to any other property on any date, the price which could be
negotiated in an arm’s-length, free market transaction, for cash, between a
willing seller and a willing and able buyer, neither of whom is under undue
pressure or compulsion to complete the transaction.
63
“Fees”
shall mean, with respect to any Trust Account, all fees which the Company is
entitled to receive with respect to such Trust Account pursuant to the Governing
Agreements, including, without limitation, all account administration fees
(whether payable annually, quarterly, monthly or otherwise) and any asset
administration fees.
“Fiduciary
Petition” shall mean
a
petition to the Superior Court of the State of New Jersey to be filed by Buyer
and Newco in accordance with the Fiduciary Act, pursuant to which Newco will
be
substituted in every existing fiduciary capacity for Buyer with respect to
all
Non-objecting Trust Accounts.
“First
Year” shall mean the twelve month period commencing on the first day of the
calendar month immediately following the calendar month in which the Effective
Time occurs.
“First
Year Base Amount” shall mean $783,604.
“First
Year Payment Date” shall mean the date on which the First Year Pre-Tax Income is
finally determined pursuant to Section 1.6.
“First
Year Pre-Tax Income” shall mean the Surviving Trust Company’s Pre-Tax Income for
the First Year, as set forth in the Section 1.6 Income Statement for the First
Year when such Section 1.6 Income Statement becomes final and binding pursuant
to Section 1.6(b).
“First
Year Milestone” shall mean $1,145,268.
“Fully
Diluted Number” shall mean the sum of (i) the aggregate number of shares of
Company Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time and
(ii) the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock issuable immediately prior
to the Effective Time upon exercise, conversion or exchange of all outstanding
stock options, warrants, subscription rights, securities convertible into
Company Common Stock, securities exchangeable for Company Common Stock and
any
other rights to receive, acquire or otherwise obtain Company Common
Stock.
64
“GAAP”
shall mean U.S. generally accepted accounting principles applied consistently
with the manner in which the Company’s 2005 audited financial statements were
prepared.
“Governing
Agreements” shall mean all
trusts, xxxxx, contracts, resolutions, agreements and other written
documentation pursuant to which the Trust Accounts have been established and/or
are governed, including any amendments thereto.
“Non-objecting
Trust Account” shall mean any Trust Account with respect to which Newco is named
the successor trustee pursuant to the Substitution Order.
“Non-Option
Shares” shall mean, for any shareholder of the Company, all shares of Company
Common Stock held by such shareholder which are not Option Shares.
“Option
Number” shall equal $10,289,480 divided by the Stock Price.
“Option
Shares” shall mean, for any shareholder of the Company, the lesser of (i) all
shares of Company common stock issued by the Company on or after March 15,
2006
upon the exercise of stock options by such shareholder, and (ii) fifty-five
percent (55%) of all shares of Company Common Stock held by such shareholder
at
the Effective Time.
“Second
Year” shall mean the twelve month period commencing on the first day after the
First Year ends.
“Second
Year Base Amount” shall mean $969,699.
“Second
Year Pre-Tax Income” shall mean the Surviving Trust Company’s Pre-Tax Income for
the Second Year, as set forth in the Section 1.6 Income Statement for the Second
Year when such Section 1.6 Income Statement becomes final and binding pursuant
to Section 1.6(b).
“Second
Year Payment Date” shall mean the date on which the Second Year Pre-Tax Income
is finally determined pursuant to Section 1.6.
“Second
Year Milestone” shall mean $1,417,253.
“Securities”
shall mean any
(a) privately or publicly issued capital stock, bonds, notes, debentures,
commercial paper, bank acceptances, trade acceptances, trust receipts and other
obligations, partnership interests, instruments or evidences of indebtedness
commonly referred to as securities, warrants, options, including puts and calls
or any combination thereof and the writing of such options and
(b) commodities and commodity futures contracts or options, foreign
exchange and foreign exchange futures contracts or options, other futures
contracts or options of any kind whatsoever, including any such contract
relating to a financial or other index of any kind, rights with respect to
any
of the foregoing, and any other arrangements for investment of financial
instruments that may from time to time be available to the public or to any
individual.
65
“Shareholder
Representative” shall mean Xxxxxx Xxxx or, if Xxxxxx Xxxx ceases to serve in
such capacity hereunder subsequent to the Effective Time, such other individual
as shall be designated as such by persons who received a majority of the shares
of Buyer Common Stock issued pursuant to Sections 1.5(a)(i) and
1.5(a)(ii).
“Stock
Number” shall equal $4,680,000 divided by the Stock Price, rounded to four
decimals.
“Stock
Price” shall mean the Buyer Common Stock Average Price, except that (i) if the
Buyer Common Stock Average Price is greater than $17.22 (the “Ceiling Price”),
the Stock Price shall be the Ceiling Price and (ii) if the Buyer Common Stock
Average Price is less than $14.09 (the “Floor Price”), the Stock Price shall be
the Floor Price.
“Subsidiary”,"
when used with respect to any party, shall mean any corporation, partnership
or
other organization, whether incorporated or unincorporated, which is
consolidated with such party for financial reporting purposes.
“Substitution
Order” shall mean an order entered by the Superior Court of New Jersey, pursuant
to the Fiduciary Act, in form and substance satisfactory to Buyer, pursuant
to
which Newco
shall be substituted in every fiduciary capacity in place of the Company as
the
successor trustee and fiduciary with respect to all of the Trust
Accounts.
“Transition
Period” shall mean the period commencing as of the Effective Time and ending on
the last day of the Second Year.
“Trust
Accounts” shall mean all of the trust and fiduciary accounts or relationships
for which the Company acts as a fiduciary and any additional accounts or
relationships with respect to which the consent of a third-party would be
required in order to enable Newco to be substituted for the Company in the
absence of the Substitution Order.
“Trust
Assets” shall mean, with respect to any trust account, the cash, properties,
assets, deposits, funds, investments, agreements, bills, notes, Securities,
instruments, demands, contracts and rights that are administered, utilized,
or
held for payment to or other benefit of other persons (whether or not
constituting all or a portion of the corpus of any trust) by the Company as
fiduciary, custodian or trustee, pursuant to or in connection with such trust
account.
66
(b) The
following terms are defined in the following sections of this Agreement:
Defined
Term
|
Section
of this Agreement
|
Accounting
Firm
|
Section
1.6(b)
|
Acquisition
Proposal
|
Section
5.1(d)(i)
|
Adjusted
Stock Number
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
Aggregate
Merger Consideration
|
Section
1.5(c)
|
Agreement
|
Lead-in
|
BHCA
|
Section
4.1
|
Business
Day
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
Buyer
|
Lead-in
|
Buyer
Common Stock
|
Section
1.5(a)(i)
|
Buyer
Financial Statements
|
Section
4.6
|
Buyer/Option
Shares
|
Section
1.5(a)(i)
|
Buyer
Option Plans
|
Section
4.2
|
Buyer
Preferred Stock
|
Section
4.2
|
Buyer’s
Regulatory Agencies
|
Section
4.2
|
Ceiling
Price
|
Definition
of Stock Price
|
CERCLA
|
Section
3.17(d)
|
Certificates
|
Section
1.5 (c)
|
Closing
|
Section
1.3
|
Closing
Date
|
Section
1.3
|
Closing
Notice
|
Section
1.3
|
Company
|
Lead-in
|
Company
Common Stock
|
Section
1.5
|
Company
Contract
|
Section
3.14
|
Company
Disclosure Schedule
|
Article
III
|
Company
Financial Statements
|
Section
3.6
|
Company
Pension Plans
|
Section
3.11(a)
|
Company
Regulatory Agencies
|
Section
3.5
|
Company
Shareholder Meeting
|
Section
6.1(a)
|
Company
Stock Option Plan
|
Section
1.7
|
Company
Welfare Plans
|
Section
3.11(a)
|
Covered
Persons
|
Section
3.19
|
Cut-off
Date
|
Section
8.1(c
|
Delaying
Party
|
Section
8.1(c)
|
Departmental
Notice
|
Section
1.3
|
Department
|
Section
1.3
|
Dissenting
Shares
|
Section
1.9
|
DPC
Shares
|
Section
1.5 (b)
|
DRP
Plan
|
Section
4.2
|
Effective
Time
|
Section
1.3
|
Environmental
Laws
|
Section
3.17(d)
|
Environmental
Matters"
|
Section
3.17(d)
|
67
ERISA
|
Section
3.11(a)
|
ERISA
Affiliate
|
Section
11(a)
|
Exchange
Act
|
Section
4.7
|
Exchange
Agent
|
Section
2.1
|
Exchange
Fund
|
Section
2.1
|
Fair
Market Value
|
Section
10.149a0
|
FDIC
|
Section
4.5
|
Fees
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
Fiduciary
Act
|
Recital
E
|
Fiduciary
Petition
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
Firm
|
Section
3.7
|
First
Year Exchange Fund
|
Section
2.1
|
First
Year
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
First
Year Payment Amount
|
Section
1.5(a)(iv)
|
First
Year Payment Date
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
First
Year Pre-Tax Income
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
First
Year Milestone
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
Floor
Price
|
Definition
of Stock Price
|
Fully
Diluted Number
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
Governmental
Entity
|
Section
3.4
|
GAAP
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
Governing
Agreements
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
Hazardous
Materials
|
Section
3.17(d)
|
Indemnitees
|
Section
6.7(a)
|
Insurance
Amount
|
Section
6.7(b)
|
Internal
Controls
|
Section
3.6(c)
|
IRS
|
Section
3.4
|
Investment
Letter
|
Section
6.5
|
Losses”
|
Section
9.2
|
Material
Adverse Effect
|
Sections
3.1 and 4.1
|
Merger
|
Recital
A
|
Merger
Consideration
|
Section
1.5(c)
|
Nasdaq/GSM
|
Section
2.2(e)
|
Newco
|
Recital
A
|
New
Employment Agreements
|
Recital
C
|
New
Option
|
Section
1.7
|
Non-objecting
Trust Account
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
Non-Option
Shares
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
Notice
of Disagreement
|
Section
1.6(b)
|
OCC
|
Section
3.4
|
Option
Grant Agreement
|
Section
1.7
|
Option
Shares
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
Party
|
Section
10.11
|
PBGC
|
Section
3.4
|
Prime
Rate
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
68
Proxy
Statement
|
Section
3.4
|
Regulatory
Agreement
|
Section
3.16(a)
|
Pre-Tax
Income
|
Section
1.6(e)
|
RCRA
|
Section
3.17(d)
|
Real
Property
|
Section
3.16(c)
|
Real
Property Leases
|
Section
3.16(c)
|
Remaining
Transition Period
|
Section
1.6(e)(vii)
|
Regulatory
Agreement
|
Section
3.15
|
S-4
|
Section
3.4
|
SEC
|
Section
3.4
|
Second
Year
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
Second
Year Exchange Fund
|
Section
2.1
|
Second
Year Payment Amount
|
Section
1.5(a)(v)
|
Second
Year Pre-Tax Income
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
Second
Year Payment Date
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
Second
Year Milestone
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
Section
1.6 Income Statement
|
Section
1.6(b)
|
Securities
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
Securities
Act
|
Section
4.7
|
Shareholders
|
Section
9.5
|
Shareholders’
Agreement
|
Recital
B
|
Shareholder
Representative
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
Spill
Act
|
Section
3.17(d)
|
Stock
Option
|
Section
1.7
|
Subsidiary
|
Lead-in
|
Substitution
Order
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
Surviving
Trust Company
|
Section
1.2
|
Taxes
|
Section
3.10(e)
|
Tax
Opinion
|
Section
1.19
|
Threshold
Amount
|
Section
9.3
|
Transition
Period
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
Trust
Account
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
Trust
Assets
|
Section
10.14(a)
|
69
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, Buyer and the Company have caused this Agreement to be executed
by their respective officers thereunto duly authorized as of the date first
above written.
CENTER BANCORP, INC. | ||
|
|
|
By: | /s/ Xxxx X. Xxxxx | |
Name: Xxxx X. Xxxxx |
||
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer |
BEACON TRUST COMPANY | ||
|
|
|
Date: | By: | /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxx |
Name: Xxxxxx X. Xxxx |
||
Title:
Chairman, President and Chief Executive
Officer
|
70
EXHIBIT
A
FORM
OF
CERTIFICATE
OF INCORPORATION
OF
UNION
CENTER TRUST COMPANY
THIS
IS
TO CERTIFY that we, the undersigned, do hereby make and subscribe this
Certificate of Incorporation, and do associate ourselves into a bank pursuant
to
“The Banking Act of 1948”, being Chapter 67 of the laws of 1948, as amended (the
“Act”), and each of us does severally agree to take and pay for the number of
shares of the capital stock of the bank as hereinafter set forth after our
respective names, together with our proportionate share of the surplus and
reserve fund for organization expense and reserve for contingencies herein
provided.
FIRST:
The
name by which the bank shall be known is Union Center Trust
Company.
SECOND:
The
principal office of the bank is to be located at 0000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx in the
Town
of Union, Union County, New Jersey.
THIRD:
Subject
to the limitations set forth in this Article THIRD, the bank shall have power
to
transact the business of banking in all its branches and, to that end, shall
have and may exercise all those powers authorized to be exercised by banks
under
the provisions of “The Banking Act of 1948” as presently enacted and as from
time to time amended, and all those powers which are presently, or in the future
may be authorized by law to be exercised by banks. In particular, but without
limitation, the bank shall have the power to exercise any fiduciary power which
may be law be exercised only by banks which are qualified to act as fiduciaries;
provided, however, that the bank shall not have the power to make loans, and
provided further that it shall not have the power to accept
deposits.
FOURTH:
The
amount of the authorized capital stock of the bank shall be $_________ divided
into _____ shares of the par value of _________ each. The amount of issued
capital stock of the bank shall be $___________ divided into ______ shares
of
the par value of $_____. Authorized but unissued capital stock may be issued
by
the Board of Directors under the provisions of The Banking Act of 1948, as
presently enacted, and as from time to time amended and
supplemented.
FIFTH:
The
amount of surplus with which the bank will commence business is
$________________.
SIXTH:
The
amount of the fund reserved for organization expense is $__________ and the
amount of the reserve for contingencies is $_________.
71
SEVENTH:
The
names and residences of the incorporators, and the number of shares subscribed
for by each, are as follows:
All
shares shall be subscribed for by Center Bancorp, Inc., a New Jersey
corporation.
EIGHTH:
The
number of directors of the bank shall be not less than five, and not more than
twenty-five, as shall from time to time be fixed by the By-Laws.
NINTH:
The
persons who shall serve as directors until the first annual meeting of the
stockholders are as follows:
Name Address
TENTH:
The
Board of Directors of the bank shall have power to make, alter and repeal
By-Laws, subject to alteration or repeal by the stockholders at any meeting.
The
power conferred by this Article TENTH shall be subject to such limitations
as
may from time to time be imposed by law.
ELEVENTH:
The
Board of Directors may, between annual meetings, increase the number of
directors by not more than two, and may appoint persons to fill the vacancies
so
created, subject to the limitations, however, (a) that there shall not at any
time be more directors than authorized by Section 101 of The Banking Act of
1948, and (b) that there shall not be more than twenty-five directors at any
time.
TWELFTH:
The
Board of Directors shall have power to pay dividends from time to time, in
whole
or in part in stock, without approval or ratification of the stockholders,
in
the manner provided by and subject to the limitations contained in Section
52 of
The Banking Act of 1948, as amended, or as may be further amended.
THIRTEENTH:
The
Board of Directors shall have power to appoint an executive committee, from
time
to time, from among its members, in accordance with the statute in such case
made and provided. Such committee shall have and may exercise such powers as
are
authorized by law, subject to the time and provisions of the B-Laws of this
bank.
FOURTEENTH:
A
director of the bank shall not be personally liable to the bank or its
stockholders for damages, for breach of any duty owed to the bank or its
stockholders, except that this provision shall not relieve a director from
liability for any breach of duty based upon an act or omission (a) in breach
of
such person’s duty of loyalty to the bank or its stockholders, (b) not in good
faith or involving a knowing violation of law, or (c) resulting in receipt
by
such person of an improper personal benefit.
72
FIFTEENTH:
For the
duration permitted b y the New Jersey Banking Act, as amended from time to
time,
an officer shall not be personally liable to the bank or its stockholders for
damages for breach of any duty owed to the bank or its stockholders, except
that
this provision shall not relieve an officer from liability for any breach of
duty based upon an act or omission (a) in breach of such person’s duty of
loyalty to the bank or its stockholders, (b) not in good faith or involving
a
knowing violation of law, or (c) resulting in receipt by such person of an
improper personal benefit.
SIXTEENTH:
The
bank shall have perpetual existence, subject to liquidation and dissolution
as
provided by law.
SEVENTEENTH:
The
bank is authorized to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of all
individuals serving as directors thereof against any expense incurred in any
proceedings and any claims asserted against them or any of them by reason of
being or having been a director. The bank may indemnify its directors in every
matter where permitted by law.
EIGHTEENTH:
The
bank is authorized to acquire, through purchase, shares of its own capital
stock. Shares so purchased may, pursuant to the Act, be sold by the bank to
those of its stockholders who pay therefor with cash dividends declared by
the
bank on its capital stock. Subject to the requirements of the Act, these shares
may be purchased by the bank for such other uses and purposes, not contrary
to
law or sound banking principles, and for such consideration as the Board of
Directors may from time to time determine. All shares so acquired shall be
designated as “treasury stock” and, so long as they remain the property of the
bank, they shall not constitute capital stock for the purposes of the
Act.
NINETEENTH:
Unless
otherwise restricted by statute, any director or the entire board of directors
may be removed, with or without cause, by the holders of a majority of the
shares then entitled to vote at an election of directors.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, we have hereunto set our hands and seals the ___ day of
___________, 2007.
73
EXHIBIT
B
FORM
OF AFFILIATE’S LETTER
March
__,
2007
Center
Bancorp, Inc.
0000
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxx,
Xxx Xxxxxx 00000
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
I
am
delivering this letter to you in connection with the proposed acquisition of
Beacon Trust Company, a limited purpose trust company chartered under the laws
of the State of New Jersey (the “Company”), by Center Bancorp, Inc., a New
Jersey corporation and a registered bank holding company (“Buyer”),
pursuant to the merger (the “Merger”)
described in the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of March 15, 2007 (the
“Agreement”),
between Company and Buyer.
I
currently own ________ shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $2.65 per
share (“Company
Common Stock”).
As a
result of the Merger, I will receive shares of Buyer’s common stock, no par
value (“Buyer
Common Stock”),
in
exchange for my Company Common Stock.
I
have
been advised that as of the date of this letter I may be deemed to be an
"affiliate" of the Company, as the term "affiliate" is used in and for purposes
of paragraphs (c) and (d) of Rule 145 (“Rule
145”)
promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”)
under
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities
Act”).
I
acknowledge that if I am deemed to be an affiliate of the Company for purposes
of the Securities Act, my ability to sell, assign, transfer or otherwise dispose
of (“transfer”)
shares
of Buyer Common Stock that I may receive in the Merger will be restricted unless
such transaction is registered under the Securities Act or an exemption from
such registration is available.
I
represent to and agree with Buyer that:
A. Compliance
with Rule 145.
I have
been advised that any issuance of Buyer Common Stock to me pursuant to the
Merger will be registered with the SEC under the Securities Act on a
Registration Statement on Form S-4. However, I have also been advised that,
since I may be deemed to be an affiliate of the Company at the time the Merger
is submitted for a vote of the Company’s stockholders, any transfer by me of
Buyer Common Stock is restricted under Rule 145. I agree not to transfer the
Buyer Common Stock received by me or any of my affiliates pursuant to the Merger
unless (i) such transfer is made in conformity with the volume and other
limitations of Rule 145, (ii) in the opinion of Buyer’s counsel or counsel
reasonably acceptable to Buyer, such transfer is otherwise exempt from
registration under the Securities Act, or (iii) such transfer is registered
under the Securities Act.
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B. Stop
Transfer Instructions; Legend on Certificates.
I also
understand and agree that stop transfer instructions will be given to Buyer’s
transfer agent with respect to my Buyer Common Stock and that there may be
placed on the certificates of my Buyer Common Stock a legend stating in
substance:
"THE
SHARES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE WERE ISSUED IN A TRANSACTION
TO
WHICH RULE 145 PROMULGATED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
APPLIES."
|
C. Voting
with Respect to the Agreement.
Until
the earlier of the consummation of the Merger or the termination of the
Agreement, I agree that I will be present in person or by proxy and consent
to,
approve, authorize and direct the voting of all shares of my Company Common
Stock (whether owned on the date hereof or subsequently acquired) at every
meeting of the shareholders of Company at which such matters are considered
and
at every adjournment thereof or in connection with any written consent of the
shareholders of Company related to such matters, in favor of the adoption of
the
Agreement and the consummation of the Merger and the other transactions
contemplated by the Agreement and against any Acquisition Proposal (as defined
in the Agreement).
D. Consultation
with Counsel.
I have
carefully read this letter and the Agreement and discussed the requirements
of
such documents and other applicable limitations upon my ability to transfer
Buyer Common Stock to the extent I felt necessary with my counsel or counsel
for
the Company or Buyer.
Execution
of this letter is not an admission on my part that I am an "affiliate" of the
Company or Buyer, or a waiver of any rights I may have to object to any claim
that I am such an affiliate on or after the date of this letter. This letter
shall terminate concurrently with any termination of the Agreement in accordance
with its terms.
Very
truly yours,
____________________________________
Name:
Accepted
this _____ day of ______________,2007.
CENTER
BANCORP, INC.
By:
_____________________________________
Name:
Title:
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