FORM OF UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
Exhibit 1
FORM OF
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
[Date]
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
Xxxx
Corporation, a Virginia corporation (the “Company”), proposes,
subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, to issue and sell to the
Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the “Underwriters”) for
whom you are acting as representatives (the “Representatives”)
[_________ principal amount of its debt securities] [_____________ shares of its
preferred stock/common stock] (the “Offered
Securities”). [The Offered Securities will be issued under an
indenture, dated as of ____, ____ (the “Indenture”), between
the Company and ___________ as Trustee.]
1. Representations and
Warranties. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees
with, each Underwriter as set forth below in this Section 1.
(a) The
Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a
registration statement on Form S-3, including a prospectus, relating to the
registration of various securities, including the Offered Securities, to be sold
from time to time by the Company. The registration statement as
amended to the date of this Agreement, that has been filed under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”),
including any information incorporated by reference therein and the information,
if any, deemed pursuant to Rule 430B or 430C under the Securities Act to be
part of the registration statement is hereinafter referred to as the “Registration
Statement”; the prospectus included therein as of the date of the initial
filing of the Registration Statement, as amended, including any prospectus
furnished to you by the Company and attached to or used with a preliminary
prospectus supplement or the Prospectus Supplement (as defined below) is
hereinafter referred to as the “Basic
Prospectus”. The Basic Prospectus, as supplemented by the
prospectus supplement filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to
Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act before the second business day after
the date hereof (or such earlier time as may be required under the Securities
Act) (the “Prospectus
Supplement”), relating to the Offered Securities, in the form furnished
to you for use in connection with the offering of the Offered Securities is
hereinafter referred to as the “Prospectus”. If,
prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company has filed an
abbreviated registration statement on Form S-3 to register additional
Offered Securities pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (the
“Rule 462
Registration Statement”), then any reference herein to the term
“Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include such Rule 462
Registration Statement. Any reference to the term Registration
Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any preliminary form of prospectus previously
filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 of the Securities Act or the
Prospectus shall include the documents incorporated therein by
reference. The terms “supplement” and “amendment” or “amend” as used
in this Agreement shall include all documents subsequently filed by the Company
with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
(the
“Exchange Act”), that
are deemed to be incorporated by reference in the
Prospectus. (i) At the time of initial filing of the
Registration Statement, (ii) at the time of the most recent amendment or
supplement thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of
the Securities Act and (iii) at the time the Company or any person acting
on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c))
made any offer relating to the Offered Securities in reliance on the exemption
of Rule 163, the Company was a “well known seasoned issuer” as defined in
Rule 405. The Registration Statement, except the
Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, is an “automatic shelf
registration statement” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act
that initially became effective not earlier than three years prior to the date
hereof and, if applicable, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement
(i) has been filed with the Commission and, if so filed, has become
effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act or
(ii) is proposed to be filed with the Commission and, when so filed, will
become effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities
Act; no notice of objection of the Commission to the use of the automatic shelf
registration form pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Securities Act has
been received by the Company, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the
Registration Statement is in effect, and no proceedings for such purpose are
pending before or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the
Commission.
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(b) (i) Each
document, filed or to be filed pursuant to the Exchange Act and incorporated by
reference in the Prospectus or preliminary form of such Prospectus complied or
will comply, in each case as of the date when so filed, in all material respects
with the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission
thereunder, (ii) the Registration Statement as of the date it initially
became effective, did not contain and at the time of each amendment or
supplement thereto, as amended or supplemented, did not and will not,
(x) as of the date it was so amended or supplemented, (y) as of the
Effective Time and (z) as of the Closing Date, contain any untrue statement
of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading,
(iii) the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as amended or
supplemented, as of the date it initially became effective, complied and
(x) at the time of each amendment or Supplement thereto (y) as of the
Effective Time and (z) as of the Closing Date, complied and will comply in
all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and
regulations of the Commission thereunder and (iv) the Prospectus, as
amended or supplemented, (x) as of the date thereof, (y) at the time
of filing the Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424 and (z) on the Closing
Date, does not contain and will not contain any untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein,
in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading,
except that the representations and warranties set forth in this paragraph do
not apply to that part of the Registration Statement which shall constitute the
Statement of Eligibility and Qualification (Form T-1) under the Trust
Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, of the Trustee or statements or omissions in
the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any other amendment thereof or
supplement thereto based upon information relating to the Underwriters furnished
to the Company in writing by or on behalf of the Underwriters expressly for use
therein. “Effective Time” of the Registration Statement relating to
the Offered Securities shall mean the time of the first contract of sale for the
Offered Securities.
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(c) (i) Each
“issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 under the
Securities Act, relating to the Offered Securities in the form filed or required
to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form
retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g) under the
Securities Act (an “Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus”), filed or to be filed pursuant to the Securities Act (to the
extent required thereby) complied or will comply, in each case as of the date
thereof, in all material respects with the Securities Act, (ii) as of the
Applicable Time, the Issuer Free Writing Prospectus intended for general
distribution to prospective investors, as specified in Schedule III hereto
(a “General Use Issuer
Free Writing Prospectus”), issued at or prior to the date hereof, the
information relating to the principal amount and price of the Offered Securities
set forth in Schedule I and the preliminary prospectus supplement including
the accompanying Basic Prospectus, all considered together (collectively, the
“General Disclosure
Package”), did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or
omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and
(iii) as of the Applicable Time, each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, when
considered together with the General Disclosure Package, did not contain any
untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which
they were made, not misleading, except that the representations and warranties
set forth in this paragraph do not apply to statements or omissions in any
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or preliminary prospectus supplement including
the Basic Prospectus based upon information relating to the Underwriters
furnished to the Company in writing by or on behalf of the Underwriters
expressly for the use therein. “Applicable Time”
shall mean [___] [a.m./p.m.] on the date of this Agreement.
(d) Subsequent
to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration
Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and except as set
forth or contemplated in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus,
neither the Company nor any of its Significant Subsidiaries (as defined below)
has incurred any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent or
entered into any material transactions not in the ordinary course of business,
and there has not been any material adverse change in the consolidated financial
position or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a
whole.
(e) The
Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in
good standing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia and has full
corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to
conduct its business as described in the General Disclosure Package and the
Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement;
and the Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business
and is in good standing in each other jurisdiction in which such qualification
is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the
conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or be in good
standing would not result in a material adverse effect on the consolidated
financial position or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries
taken as a whole (a “Material Adverse
Effect”).
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(f) Each
domestic subsidiary of the Company (any such subsidiary being identified on
Schedule II hereto) which constituted a “significant subsidiary” within the
meaning of Regulation S-X as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal
year (each, a “Significant Subsidiary”) has been duly incorporated and is
validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the
jurisdiction of its incorporation, has full corporate power and authority to
own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described
in the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact
business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such
qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of
property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or
be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect; except as
otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure
Package and the Prospectus, all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of
each such Significant Subsidiary has been duly authorized and validly issued, is
fully paid and nonassessable and is owned by the Company, directly or through
wholly owned subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage,
pledge, lien, encumbrance or claim; none of the outstanding shares of capital
stock of any such Significant Subsidiary was issued in violation of the
preemptive or similar rights of any securityholder of such Significant
Subsidiary.
(g) This
Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, and
is a valid and binding agreement.
(h) The
Offered Securities have been duly authorized and, when [executed and
authenticated in accordance with the provisions of the Indenture and] issued and
delivered to the Underwriters against payment thereof as provided in this
Agreement, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company
[entitled to the benefits provided by the Indenture; the Indenture has been duly
qualified under the Trust Indenture Act and has been duly authorized, executed
and delivered by the Company and constitutes a valid and binding agreement of
the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable
bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and
other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights
from time to time in effect and to general equity principles, including, without
limitation, concepts of materiality, reasonableness, good faith, fair dealing
and the possible unavailability of specific performance or injunctive relief
regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law]; and the
Offered Securities [and the Indenture] will conform in all material respects to
the description[s] thereof in the General Disclosure Package and Prospectus;
and, except as described in the General Disclosure Package and Prospectus, the
shareholders of the Company have no preemptive rights with respect to the
Offered Securities.
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(i) Neither
the Company nor any of its Significant Subsidiaries is in violation of its
charter or bylaws. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and
the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and in the Prospectus
and compliance by the Company with its obligations hereunder and under the
Indenture have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and do not
and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or
both, result in (i) the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or
encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any Significant
Subsidiary pursuant to any agreement or instrument to which the Company or any
Significant Subsidiary is a party or by which the Company or any Significant
Subsidiary is bound, (ii) any violation by the Company or any of its
Significant Subsidiaries of the provisions of the charter or bylaws of the
Company or any Significant Subsidiary or (iii) any violation by the Company
or any, of its Significant Subsidiaries of any applicable law, statute, rule,
regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any government, government
instrumentality, regulatory body, administrative agency, arbitrator or court,
domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any Significant
Subsidiary or any of their assets, properties or operations, except in the case
of clauses (i) and (iii), where such breach, default or violation would not
result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(j) No
consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any
governmental body or agency is required for the performance by the Company of
its obligations under this Agreement, except such as have been obtained and made
under the Securities Act and such as may be required by the securities laws of
the various states in connection with the offer and sale of the Offered
Securities.
(k) There are
no legal or governmental proceedings pending or threatened to which the Company
or any of its subsidiaries is a party or to which any of the properties of the
Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject that are required to be described
in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus
and are not so described or any statues, regulations, contracts or other
documents that are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the
General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the
Registration Statement that are not so described or filed.
(l) The
Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Offered
Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the
Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus will
not be, required to register as an “investment company” as such term is defined
in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(m) There are
no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person
granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration
statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company
or to require the Company to include such securities with the Offered Securities
registered pursuant to the Registration Statement.
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2. Purchase and
Sale. Subject to the terms and conditions and in reliance upon
the representations and warranties herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue
and sell to each Underwriter, and each Underwriter agrees, severally and not
jointly, to purchase from the Company the principal amount of Offered Securities
set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto at the
price indicated on Schedule I hereto (the “Purchase
Price”).
It is
understood that the several Underwriters propose to offer the Offered Securities
for sale to the public as set forth in the Prospectus.
3. Delivery and
Payment. Delivery of and payment for the Offered Securities
shall be made at 10:00 AM, New York City time in immediately available funds, on
[ ], or such later date (not later than five
business days after such specified date) as the Representatives and the Company
shall mutually agree, which date and time may be postponed by agreement between
the Representatives and the Company or as provided in Section 8 hereof
(such date and time of delivery and payment for the Offered Securities being
herein called the “Closing
Date”).
The
Offered Securities shall be registered in such names and issued in such
denominations as you shall request not later than one full business day prior to
the Closing Date. The Offered Securities shall be made available to
you for inspection not later than 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the
business day next preceding the Closing Date. The Offered Securities
shall be delivered to you on the Closing Date for the respective accounts of the
several Underwriters, against payment of the Purchase Price therefor by wire
transfer in immediately available funds to the account specified by the Company
to the Underwriters (no later than noon on the Business Day prior to the Closing
Date) at the office of counsel to the Underwriters, or such other place mutually
acceptable to the Representatives and the Company.
4. Agreements. The
Company agrees with the several Underwriters that:
(a) Prior to
the termination of the offering of the Offered Securities, the Company will not
use or file any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus nor file any amendment to the
Registration Statement or supplement (including the Prospectus Supplement) to
the Basic Prospectus unless the Company has furnished you a copy for your review
prior to such use or filing. Subject to the foregoing sentence the Company will
cause the Prospectus to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the applicable
paragraph of Rule 424. The Company will promptly advise the
Representatives (i) when the Prospectus shall have been filed with the
Commission pursuant to Rule 424, (ii) when, prior to the termination
of the offering of the Offered Securities, any amendment to the Registration
Statement shall have been filed or become effective, (iii) of any request
by the Commission for any amendment of the Registration Statement or amendment
of or supplement to the Prospectus or for any additional information,
(iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the institution or threatening of
any proceeding for that purpose, (v) of the receipt by the Company of any
notice of objection of the Commission to the use of the Registration Statement
or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under
the Securities Act and (vi) of the receipt by the Company of any
notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Offered
Securities for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any
proceeding for such purpose. The Company will use its reasonable best
efforts to prevent the issuance of any such order suspending the effectiveness
of the Registration Statement, preventing or suspending the use of any
preliminary prospectus supplement or the Prospectus or suspending any such
qualification of the Offered Securities and, if any such order is issued, to
obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal thereof.
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(b) If, at
any time prior to the Closing Date, any event occurs as a result of which the
General Disclosure Package as then amended or supplemented would include any
untrue statements of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which
they were made, not misleading or if it shall be necessary to amend or
supplement the General Disclosure Package to comply with the Securities Act or
the Exchange Act or the respective rules thereunder, the Company promptly will
prepare and file with the Commission (to the extent required), subject to the
first sentence of paragraph (a) of this Section 4, an amendment or
supplement which will correct such statement or omission or effect such
compliance.
(c) If, at
any time when a prospectus relating to the Offered Securities is required to be
delivered under the Securities Act, any event occurs as a result of which the
Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statements
of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading or if it shall be necessary to amend the Registration
Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with the Securities
Act or the Exchange Act or the respective rules thereunder, the Company promptly
will prepare and file with the Commission, subject to the first sentence of
paragraph (a) of this Section 4, an amendment or supplement which will
correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance.
(d) As soon
as practicable, the Company will make generally available to its securityholders
and to the Representatives an earnings statement or statements of the Company
and its subsidiaries which will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of
the Securities Act and Rule 158 under the Securities Act.
(e) The
Company will furnish to each of the Representatives and counsel for the
Underwriters, without charge, a copy of the Registration Statement (including
exhibits thereto) and each amendment thereto which shall become effective on or
prior to the Closing Date and, so long as delivery of a prospectus by an
Underwriter or dealer may be required by the Securities Act, as many copies of
any preliminary prospectus or related preliminary prospectus supplement, the
Prospectus and any amendments thereof and supplement thereto and each Issuer
Free Writing Prospectus (if applicable) as the Representatives may reasonably
request. The Company will pay the expenses of printing related to the
offering.
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(f) The
Company will use its reasonable efforts to qualify the Offered Securities for
sale under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives may reasonably
designate in writing to the Company not later than the Closing Date, will
maintain such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution
of the Offered Securities; provided that in
connection therewith the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign
corporation or as a dealer in securities or to execute or file any consent to
service of process in any jurisdiction.
(g) Until the
business day following the Closing Date, the Company will not, without the
consent of the Representatives, offer, sell or contract to sell, or announce the
offering of, any debt securities covered by the Registration Statement or any
other registration statement filed under the Securities Act.
5. Agreements of the
Underwriters. (a) Each Underwriter represents and agrees
with the Company that, unless it has obtained the prior consent of the Company,
it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Offered Securities
that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or that would otherwise
constitute a “free writing prospectus”, as defined in Rule 405 under the
Securities Act, required to be filed with the Commission.
(b) The
Company consents to the use by any Underwriter of a free writing prospectus that
(i) contains only information describing the preliminary terms of the
Offered Securities or their offering or information that describes the final
terms of the Offered Securities or their offering and that it is included in or
is subsequently included in the Prospectus, including by means of a pricing term
sheet in the form of Schedule I hereto, or (ii) does not contain any
material information about the Company or their securities that was provided by
or on behalf of the Company, it being understood that and agreed that the
Company shall not be responsible to any Underwriter for liability arising from
any inaccuracy in such free writing prospectus referred to in clause (i) or
(ii) as compared with the information in the Registration Statement, the
Prospectus or the General Disclosure Package.
6. Conditions to the
Obligations of the Underwriters. The obligations of the Underwriters to
purchase the Offered Securities shall be subject to the accuracy of the
representations and warranties on the part of the Company contained herein as of
the date hereof and the Closing Date, to the accuracy of the statements of the
Company made in certificates pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the
performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following
additional conditions:
(a) The
Prospectus, and any related supplement, shall have been filed in the manner and
within the time period required by Rule 424; each Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus shall have been filed (to the extent required) in the manner and
within the time period required by Rule 433; and no stop order suspending
the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued and no
proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or, to the knowledge of
the Company, threatened.
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(b) The
Company shall have furnished to the Representatives the opinion of
Xxxxxx X. Pain, Esq., Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of the
Company, dated the Closing Date, to the effect that:
(i) the
Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in
good standing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia with corporate
power to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the
Prospectus;
(ii) the
Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of
business and is in good standing under the laws of each jurisdiction in which it
owns or leases properties, or conducts any business, which requires such
qualification, other than where the failure to be so qualified or in good
standing would not have a Material Adverse Effect;
(iii) each
subsidiary of the Company (any such subsidiary being identified in such opinion)
which constituted a “significant subsidiary” within the meaning of Regulation
S-X as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year (each, a
“Significant Subsidiary”) has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as
a corporation under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation with corporate
power to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the General
Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign
corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the
laws of each jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties, or conducts any
business, so as to require such qualification, other than where the failure to
be so qualified and in good standing would not have a Material Adverse
Effect;
(iv) [the
execution and delivery of the Indenture and] the issuance of the Offered
Securities and the performance by the Company of its obligations under this
Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated will not
conflict with or result in a breach of any of the terms or provisions of, or
constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan
agreement or other agreement or instrument material to the Company and its
subsidiaries, taken as a whole and known to such counsel, or, to the knowledge
of such counsel, any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental
agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company, its Significant
Subsidiaries or any of their respective properties;
(v) to the
knowledge of such counsel, there is no pending or threatened action, suit or
proceeding before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any
arbitrator involving the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries, which
alone or in the aggregate is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken
as a whole which is not adequately disclosed in the Registration Statement, the
General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. To the knowledge of
such counsel, there are no agreements, contracts, indentures, leases or other
instruments to which the Company or any of the Significant Subsidiaries is a
party or to which any of their respective properties or assets is subject that
would be required to be described in, or filed as exhibits to, the Registration
Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus that have not been
so described or filed; and the statements included or incorporated in the
General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus describing any legal proceedings
or material contracts or agreements relating to the Company and its subsidiaries
fairly summarize such matters in all material respects;
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(vi) the
Company is not an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment
Company Act of 1940.
In
rendering such opinion, such counsel may rely (A) as to matters involving
the application of laws of any jurisdiction other than the United States, to the
extent deemed proper and specified in such opinion, upon the opinion of other
counsel of good standing believed to be reliable and who are satisfactory to
counsel for the Underwriters and (B) as to matters of fact, to the extent
deemed proper, on certificates of responsible officers of the Company and public
officials. References to the Prospectus in this paragraph (b)
include any supplements thereto at the Closing Date.
(c) The
Company shall have furnished to the Representatives a letter from Xxxxxx X.
Pain, Esq., Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of the Company, dated
the Closing Date, to the effect that such counsel has no reason to believe that
(i) on the date hereof the Registration Statement (except for the financial
statements and other information of an accounting, statistical or financial
nature included therein, as to which such counsel does not express any view),
was not appropriately responsive in all material respects to the requirements of
the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission
thereunder, (ii) the Registration Statement, on the date such Registration
Statement became effective, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or
omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
make the statements therein not misleading, or (iii) that the General
Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, or the Prospectus, at the Closing
Date, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a
material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of
the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (in each case
except for the financial statements and other information of an accounting,
statistical or financial nature included therein, as to which such counsel does
not express any view).
(d) Hunton
& Xxxxxxxx LLP, Virginia counsel to the Company, shall have furnished to the
Representatives an opinion, dated the Closing Date, to the effect
that:
(i) the
Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in
good standing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia with corporate
power to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the General
Disclosure Package and the Prospectus [and to execute and deliver the Indenture]
and to authorize, create and issue the Offered Securities;
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(ii) [the
Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the
Company;]
(iii) no
consent, authorization, order of approval of any Virginia government agency or
body, or to such counsel’s knowledge, any court thereof, is required on the part
of the Company for the execution and delivery of this Agreement or for the
issuance and sale of the Offered Securities, the consummation of any other of
the transactions contemplated in the Agreement [or the execution and delivery of
the Indenture], except such as may be required under the securities laws of the
Commonwealth of Virginia;
(iv) the
Offered Securities have been duly authorized and, when issued, paid for and
delivered in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be validly
issued, fully paid and non-assessable and the issuance of such Offered
Securities will not be subject to any preemptive or similar rights created by
the Virginia Stock Corporation Act or the Restated Articles of Incorporation or
bylaws of the Company;
(v) this
Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the
Company;
(vi) none of
the issue, delivery and sale of the Offered Securities, the consummation of any
of the other transactions contemplated in this Agreement or the fulfillment of
the terms of this Agreement [or the execution and delivery of the Indenture]
will conflict with or result in a breach of the Restated Articles of
Incorporation or bylaws of the Company or any order, decree or regulation, known
to such counsel to be applicable to the Company, of any court, regulatory body,
administrative agency or governmental body of the Commonwealth of Virginia;
and
(vii) the
statements in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the
caption “Description of Capital Stock” insofar as such statements purport to
constitute summaries of the terms of Virginia statutes, constitute accurate
summaries of the terms of such statutes in all material respects.
In
rendering such opinion, such counsel may rely (A) as to matters involving
the application of laws of any jurisdiction other than the Commonwealth of
Virginia or the United States, to the extent deemed proper and specified in such
opinion, upon the opinion of other counsel of good standing believed to be
reliable and who are satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters and
(B) as to matters of fact, to the extent deemed proper, on certificates of
responsible officers of the Company and public officials. References to the
Prospectus in this paragraph (d) include any supplements thereto at the
Closing Date.
(e) Cravath,
Swaine & Xxxxx LLP, special counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to
the Representatives an opinion, dated the Closing Date, to the effect
that:
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(i) [assuming
that the Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the
Company, the Indenture will constitute a legally valid and binding obligation of
the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms,
subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer,
reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws affecting creditors’ rights
generally, and except that such counsel may advise that the enforceability of
the Indenture is subject to the effect of general principles of equity
including, without limitation, concepts or materiality, reasonableness, good
faith and fair dealing and the possible unavailability of specific performance
or injunctive relief, regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity
or at law, and, if applicable, is subject to provisions of law which may require
that a judgment for money damages rendered by a court in the United States be
expressed in United States dollars;
(ii) ]
assuming the Offered Securities have been duly authorized, when [executed and
authenticated in accordance with the provisions of the Indenture and] delivered
to and paid for by the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, the Offered
Securities will constitute legally valid and binding obligations of the Company,
[entitled to the benefits of the Indenture and] enforceable against the Company
in accordance with their terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency,
fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws affecting
creditors’ rights from time to time in effect and to general principles of
equity including, without limitation, concepts of materiality, reasonableness,
good faith and fair dealing and the possible unavailability of specific
performance or injunctive relief, regardless of whether considered in a
proceeding in equity or at law, and, if applicable, is subject to provisions of
law which may require that a judgment for money damages rendered by a court in
the United States be expressed in United States dollars;
[(iii) the
Indenture has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act;]
(iv) the
Offered Securities conform in all material respects to the description thereof
contained in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;
(v) no
authorization, approval or other action by, and no notice to, consent of, order
of or filing with, any United States Federal or New York governmental authority
or regulatory body is required for the consummation of the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement, except such as have been obtained under the
Securities Act, [the Trust Indenture Act] and such as may be required under the
state securities laws of any jurisdiction in connection with the purchase and
distribution of Offered Securities by the Underwriters and such other approvals
(specified in such opinion) as have been obtained; and
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(vi) the
Registration Statement is an “automatic shelf registration statement” as defined
in Rule 405 under the Securities Act that initially became effective not
earlier than three years prior to the date hereof; the Prospectus was filed with
the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 of the Rules and Regulations on or
about the date hereof and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the
Registration Statement has been issued, and, to such counsel’s knowledge, no
proceeding for that purpose is pending or threatened by the
Commission.
In
rendering such opinion, such counsel may rely as to matters of fact, to the
extent deemed proper, on certificates of responsible officers of the Company and
public officials. References to the Prospectus in this paragraph (e)
include any supplements thereto at the Closing Date.
(f) The
Company shall have furnished to the Representatives a letter of Cravath, Swaine
& Xxxxx LLP, dated the Closing Date, to the effect that although such
counsel has made certain inquiries and investigations in connection with the
preparation of the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and
the Prospectus, the limitations inherent in the role of outside counsel are such
that such counsel cannot and does not assume responsibility for the accuracy or
completeness of the statements made in the Registration Statement, the General
Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except insofar as such statements relate
to such counsel and as set forth in paragraph (iv) above. Subject to the
foregoing, such counsel confirms to the Underwriters, on the basis of the
information gained in the course of the performance of the services rendered,
that the Registration Statement on the date such Registration Statement became
effective, the General Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, and the
Prospectus, as of the Closing Date (in each case except for the financial
statements and other information of an accounting, statistical or financial
nature included herein, as to which such counsel does not express any view),
appeared or appears on its face to be appropriately responsive in all material
respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and
regulations of the Commission thereunder. Furthermore, subject to the
foregoing, such counsel advises the Underwriters that such counsel’s work in
connection with this matter did not disclose any information that gave such
counsel reason to believe that the Registration Statement on the date such
Registration Statement became effective, contained an untrue statement of a
material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein
or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or that the General
Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, or the Prospectus, at the Closing
Date, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a
material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of
the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (in each case
except for the financial statements and other information of an accounting,
statistical or financial nature included therein, as to which such counsel does
not express any view). Such counsel may state that the documents incorporated by
reference in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus were prepared and
filed by the Company without its participation.
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(g) The
Representatives shall have received from counsel for the Underwriters, such
opinion or opinions, dated the Closing Date, with respect to the issuance and
sale of the Offered Securities, the Registration Statement, the General
Disclosure Package, the Prospectus (together with any, supplement thereto) and
other related matters as the Representatives may reasonably require, and the
Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they reasonably
request for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon such matters.
(h) The
Company shall have furnished to the Representatives a certificate of the
Company, signed by the Chairman of the Board, the President or any Vice
President and the principal financial or accounting officer of the Company,
dated the Closing Date, to the effect that the signers of such certificate have
carefully examined the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package,
the Prospectus, any supplement to the Prospectus and this Agreement and
that:
(i) the
representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and
correct in all material respects on and as of the Closing Date with the same
effect as if made on the Closing Date and the Company has complied with all the
agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or
satisfied at or prior to the Closing Date;
(ii) no stop
order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued
and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or, to the Company’s
knowledge, threatened; and
(iii) since the
date of the most recent financial statements included or incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the
Prospectus, there has been no material adverse change in the consolidated
financial position or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries,
taken as a whole, except as set forth in or contemplated in the General
Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(i) At the
Closing Date, KPMG LLP, who has certified the financial statements of the
Company and its subsidiaries included or incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, as
then amended and supplemented, shall have furnished to each Representative a
letter, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to
such Representatives, containing statements and information of the type
ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with
respect to the financial statements and certain financial information relating
to the Company contained in or incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, as then amended or
supplemented.
In
addition, on the date hereof, such accountants shall have furnished to the
Representatives a letter or letters, dated as of the date hereof, in form and
substance satisfactory to the Representatives, to the effect set forth
above.
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(j) Subsequent
to the execution of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date, there shall
not have been (i) any change or decrease specified in the letter or letters
referred to in paragraph (i) of this Section 6 or (ii) any change
or any development involving a prospective change, which will result in a
material adverse change in the consolidated financial position or results of
operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as whole, which, in any
case referred to in clause (i) or (ii) above, is, in the judgment of the
Representatives, so adverse as to make it impractical or inadvisable to enforce
contracts of sale for the Offered Securities.
(k) Subsequent
to the execution of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date, there shall
not have been any decrease in the ratings of any of the Company’s debt
securities by Xxxxx’x Investors Service, Inc. or Standard & Poor’s
Corporation.
(l) Prior to
the Closing Date, the Company shall have furnished to the Representatives such
further information, certificates and documents as the Representatives may
reasonably request.
If any of
the conditions specified in this Section 6 shall not have been fulfilled in
all material respects when and as provided in this Agreement, or if any of the
opinions and certificates mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall
not be in all material respects reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to
the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, this Agreement and all
obligations of the Underwriters hereunder may be canceled at, or at any time
prior to, the Closing Date by the Representatives. Notice of such cancellation
shall be given to the Company in writing or by telephone or telegraph confirmed
in writing.
7. Reimbursement of
Underwriters’ Expenses. If the sale of the Offered Securities
provided for herein is not consummated because any condition to the obligations
of the Underwriters set forth in Section 6 hereof is not satisfied, because
of any termination pursuant to Section 10 hereof or because of any refusal,
inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any agreement herein
or comply with any provision hereof other than by reason of a default by any of
the Underwriters, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters severally promptly
following demand for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable
fees and disbursements of counsel) that shall have been incurred by them in
connection with the proposed purchase and sale of the Offered Securities against
receipt of a statement in reasonable detail of such expenses.
8. Indemnification and
Contribution. (a) The Company agrees to indemnify
and hold harmless each Underwriter, the directors, officers, employees and
agents of each Underwriter and each person who controls any Underwriter within
the meaning of either the Securities Act or the Exchange Act against any and all
losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which they or any
of them may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or other
Federal or state statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise,
insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect
thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement for the
registration of the Offered Securities as originally filed or in any amendment
thereof, or in the General Disclosure Package, or in any amendment thereof, or
supplement thereto, or in the Basic Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus or
related preliminary prospectus supplement or the Prospectus, or in any amendment
thereof, or supplement thereto, or in any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or
arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein
a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading, and agrees to reimburse each such indemnified
party, as incurred, for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them
in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage,
liability or action; provided, however, that the
Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss,
claim, damage or liability arises out of, or is based upon any such untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made
therein in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to
the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the
Representatives. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any
liability which the Company may otherwise have.
16
(b) Each
Underwriter severally agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of
its directors, each of its officers who signs the Registration Statement, and
each person who controls the Company within the meaning of either the Securities
Act or the Exchange Act, to the same extent as the foregoing indemnity from the
Company to each Underwriter (but excluding the proviso clauses thereof), but
only with reference to written information relating to such Underwriter
furnished to the Company by or on behalf of such Underwriter through the
Representatives specifically for inclusion in the documents referred to in the
foregoing indemnity. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to
any liability which any Underwriter may otherwise have. The Company
acknowledges that the statements set forth in the [ ]
paragraphs in the Prospectus constitute the only information furnished in
writing by or on behalf of the several Underwriters for inclusion in the
documents referred to in the foregoing indemnity, and you, as the
Representatives, confirm that such statements are correct.
(c) Promptly
after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 8 of notice of the
commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect
thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under this Section 8,
notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the
failure to so notify the indemnifying party (i) will not relieve it from
liability under paragraph (a) or (b) above unless and to the extent it did
not otherwise learn of such action and such failure results in the forfeiture by
the indemnifying party of substantial rights and defenses and (ii) will
not, in any event, relieve the indemnifying party from any obligations to any
indemnified party other than the indemnification obligation provided in
paragraph (a) or (b) above. The indemnifying party shall be
entitled to appoint counsel of the indemnifying party’s choice at the
indemnifying party’s expense to represent the indemnified party in any action
for which indemnification is sought (in which case the indemnifying party shall
not thereafter be responsible for the fees and expenses of any separate counsel
retained by the indemnified party or parties except as set forth below); provided, however, that such
counsel shall be satisfactory to the indemnified
party. Notwithstanding the indemnifying party’s election to appoint
counsel to represent the indemnified party in an action, the indemnified party
shall have the right to employ separate counsel, and the indemnifying party
shall bear the reasonable fees, costs and expenses of such separate counsel if
(i) the use of counsel chosen by the indemnifying party to represent the
indemnified party would present such counsel with a conflict of interest,
(ii) the actual or potential defendants in, or targets of, any such action
include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the
indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal
defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties which are different
from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, (iii) the
indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to the
indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time
after notice of the institution of such action or (iv) the indemnifying
party shall authorize the indemnified party to employ separate counsel at the
expense of the indemnifying party; provided, however, that the
indemnifying party shall not be liable for the fees and expenses of more than
one separate counsel under this provision for all indemnified parties taken
together. An indemnifying party shall not be liable for any
settlement of any action or claim effected without its consent.
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(d) In the
event that the indemnity provided in paragraph (a) or (b) of this
Section 8 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified
party for any reason, the Company and the Underwriters agree to contribute to
the aggregate losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including legal or other
expenses reasonably incurred in connection with investigating or defending the
same) (collectively, “Losses”) to which the
Company and one or more of the Underwriters may be subject in such proportion as
is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company and by
the Underwriters from the offering of the Offered Securities; provided, however, that in no
case shall any Underwriter (except as may be provided in any agreement among the
Underwriters relating to the offering of the Offered Securities) be responsible
for any amount in excess of the underwriting discount or commission applicable
to the Offered Securities purchased by such Underwriter hereunder. If
the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is unavailable for
any reason, the Company and the Underwriters shall contribute in such proportion
as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the
relative fault of the Company and of the Underwriters in connection with the
statement or omissions which resulted in such Losses as well as any other
relevant equitable considerations. Benefits received by the Company
shall be deemed to be equal to the total net proceeds from the offering (before
deducting expenses), and benefits received by the Underwriters shall be deemed
to be equal to the total underwriting discounts and commissions, in each case as
set forth on the cover page of the Prospectus. Relative fault shall
be determined by reference to whether any alleged untrue statement or omission
relates to information provided by the Company or the
Underwriters. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would
not be just and equitable if contribution were determined by pro rata allocation or
any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable
considerations referred to above. Notwithstanding the provisions of
this paragraph (d), no person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation
(within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be
entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent
misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 8, each person
who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of either the Securities Act or
the Exchange Act and each director, officer, employee and agent of an
Underwriter shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and
each person who controls the Company within the meaning of either the Securities
Act or the Exchange Act, each officer of the Company who shall have signed the
Registration Statement and each director of the Company shall have the same
rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the applicable
terms and conditions of this paragraph (d).
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9. Default by an
Underwriter. If any one or more Underwriters shall fail to
purchase and pay for any of the Offered Securities agreed to be purchased by
such Underwriter or Underwriters hereunder and such failure to purchase shall
constitute a default in the performance of its or their obligations under this
Agreement, the remaining Underwriters shall be obligated severally to take up
and pay for (in the respective proportions which the amount of Offered
Securities set forth opposite their names in Schedule I hereto bears to the
aggregate amount of Offered Securities set forth opposite the names of all the
remaining Underwriters) the Offered Securities which the defaulting Underwriter
or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase; provided, however, that in the
event that the aggregate amount of Offered Securities which the defaulting
Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase shall exceed 10% of
the aggregate amount of Offered Securities set forth in Schedule I hereto,
the remaining Underwriters shall have the right to purchase all, but shall not
be under any obligation to purchase any, of the Offered Securities, and if such
nondefaulting Underwriters do not purchase all the Offered Securities, this
Agreement will terminate without liability to any nondefaulting Underwriters or
the Company. In the event of default by any Underwriter as set forth
in this Section 9, the Closing Date shall be postponed for such period, not
exceeding seven days, as the Representatives shall determine in order that the
required changes in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or in any
other documents or arrangements may be effected. Nothing contained in
this Agreement shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter of its liability, if
any, to the Company and any nondefaulting Underwriter for damages occasioned by
its default hereunder.
10. Termination. This
Agreement shall be subject to termination in the absolute discretion of the
Representatives, by notice given to the Company prior to delivery of and payment
for the Offered Securities, if prior to such time any of the following shall
have occurred: (i) trading in any securities of the Company has
been suspended by the Commission or a national securities exchange, or trading
generally on the New York Stock Exchange shall have been suspended, or minimum
or maximum prices for trading shall have been fixed, or maximum ranges for
prices of securities shall have been required, on said exchange, (ii) a
banking moratorium shall have been declared either by Federal or New York State
authorities, or (iii) any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or other
national or international calamity or crisis, if the effect of such outbreak,
escalation, calamity or crisis would, in the Representatives’ reasonable
judgment, make the offering or delivery of the Offered Securities
impracticable.
11. Representations and
Indemnities to Survive. The respective agreements,
representations, warranties, indemnities and other statements of the Company or
its officers and of the Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this
Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation
made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or the Company or any of the officers,
directors or controlling persons referred to in Section 8 hereof, and will
survive delivery of and payment for the Offered Securities. The
provisions of Sections 7 and 8 hereof shall survive the termination or
cancellation of this Agreement.
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12. Notices. All
communications hereunder will be in writing and effective only on receipt, and,
if sent to the Representatives, will be mailed, delivered or faxed and confirmed
to them, at the address specified in Schedule I hereto; or, if sent to the
Company, will be mailed, delivered or telegraphed and confirmed to it at 000
Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxx 0000, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000, Attention of the
Secretary.
13. Successors. This
Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto
and their respective successors and the officers and directors and controlling
persons referred to in Section 8 hereof, and no other person will have any
right or obligation hereunder.
14. Counterparts. This
Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, all of which shall be
considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when one or
more counterparts have been signed by each of the parties hereto and delivered
to each of the other parties hereto.
15. Applicable
Law. This Agreement will be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
If the
foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign
and return to us the enclosed duplicate hereof, whereupon this letter and your
acceptance shall represent a binding agreement among the Company and the several
Underwriters.
Very
truly yours,
XXXX
CORPORATION,
The
foregoing Agreement is
hereby
confirmed and accepted
as of the
date specified above.
By: [ ]
By: [ ]
Name:
Title:
For
themselves and the other several
Underwriters,
if any, named in
Schedule I
to the foregoing Agreement.
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