GUARANTEE AGREEMENT dated as of August 30, 2006, among FEDERATED DEPARTMENT STORES, INC. FEDERATED RETAIL HOLDINGS, INC. and JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., as Paying Agent
EXHIBIT 10.2
dated as of August 30, 2006, among FEDERATED DEPARTMENT STORES, INC. FEDERATED RETAIL HOLDINGS, INC. and JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., as Paying Agent |
[Reference No. 6701-495]
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLE I
Definitions
SECTION 1.01. Credit Agreement....................................................................................... 1
SECTION 1.02. Other Defined Terms.................................................................................. 1
ARTICLE II
Guarantee
SECTION 2.01. Guarantee................................................................................................... 2
SECTION 2.02. Guarantee of Payment................................................................................. 2
SECTION 2.03. No Limitations............................................................................................ 2
SECTION 2.04. Reinstatement............................................................................................. 3
SECTION 2.05. Agreement To Pay; Subrogation.................................................................. 3
SECTION 2.06. Information................................................................................................. 4
ARTICLE III
Subrogation and Subordination
ARTICLE IV
Miscellaneous
SECTION 4.01. Notices....................................................................................................... 4
SECTION 4.02. Waivers; Amendment.................................................................................. 4
SECTION 4.03. Successors and Assigns.............................................................................. 5
SECTION 4.04. Survival of Agreement................................................................................. 5
SECTION 4.05. Counterparts; Effectiveness; Several Agreement.......................................... 5
SECTION 4.06. Severability................................................................................................. 5
SECTION 4.07. Right of Set-Off.......................................................................................... 6
SECTION 4.08. Governing Law........................................................................................... 6
SECTION 4.09. Headings.................................................................................................... 6
SECTION 4.10. Termination or Release................................................................................ 6
GUARANTEE AGREEMENT dated as of August 30, 2006, among FEDERATED DEPARTMENT STORES, INC., FEDERATED RETAIL HOLDINGS, INC. and JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., as Paying Agent.
Reference is made to the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of August 30, 2006 (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the "Credit Agreement"), among Federated Department Stores, Inc. ("FDSI"), Federated Retail Holdings, Inc. (the "Borrower"), the Lenders party thereto, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and Bank of America, N.A., as Administrative Agents and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Paying Agent. The Lenders have agreed to extend credit to the Borrower subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Credit Agreement. The obligations of the Lenders to extend such credit are conditioned upon, among other things, the execution and delivery of this Agreement. FDSI is the parent company of the Borrower, will derive substantial benefits from the extension of credit to the Borrower pursuant to the Credit Agreement and is willing to execute and deliver this Agreement in order to induce the Lenders to extend such credit. Accordingly, the parties hereto agree as follows:
SECTION 1.01. Credit Agreement. (a) Capitalized terms used in this Agreement and not otherwise defined herein have the meanings specified in the Credit Agreement.
(b) The rules of construction specified in Section 1.03 of the Credit Agreement also apply to this Agreement.
SECTION 1.02. Other Defined Terms. As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings specified below:
"Credit Agreement" has the meaning assigned to such term in the preliminary statement of this Agreement.
"Credit Parties" means (a) the Lenders, (b) the Agents, (c) the Issuing Banks, (d) the beneficiaries of the Borrower's indemnification obligations under the Credit Agreement and (e) the successors and assigns of each of the foregoing.
"Guarantor" means FDSI.
"Obligations" means the due and punctual payment by the Borrower of (a) the principal of and interest (including interest accruing during the pendency of any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceeding, regardless of whether allowed or allowable in such proceeding) on the Loans, when and as due, whether at maturity, by acceleration, upon one or more dates set for prepayment or otherwise, (b) each payment required to be made by the Borrower under the Credit Agreement in respect of any Letter of Credit, when and as due, including payments in respect of reimbursement of disbursements, interest thereon (including interest accruing during the pendency of any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceeding, regardless of whether allowed or allowable in such proceeding) and obligations to provide cash collateral, and (c) all other monetary obligations of the Borrower to any of the Credit Parties under the Credit Agreement and each of the other Loan Documents, including obligations to pay fees, expense reimbursement obligations and indemnification obligations, whether primary, secondary, direct, contingent, fixed or otherwise (including monetary obligations incurred during the pendency of any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceeding, regardless of whether allowed or allowable in such proceeding).
SECTION 2.03. No Limitations. (a) Except for termination of the Guarantor's obligations hereunder as expressly provided in Section 4.10, the obligations of the Guarantor hereunder shall not be subject to any reduction, limitation, impairment or termination for any reason, including any claim of waiver, release, surrender, alteration or compromise, and shall not be subject to any defense or set-off, counterclaim, recoupment or termination whatsoever by reason of the invalidity, illegality or unenforceability of the Obligations or otherwise. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the obligations of the Guarantor hereunder shall not be discharged or impaired or otherwise affected by (i) the failure of the Paying Agent or any other Credit Party to assert any claim or demand or to enforce any right or remedy under the provisions of any Loan Document or otherwise; (ii) any rescission, waiver, amendment or modification of, or any release from any of the terms or provisions of, any Loan Document or any other agreement; (iii) the release of any security held by the Paying Agent or any other Credit Party for the Obligations or any of them; (iv) any default, failure or delay, wilful or otherwise, in the payment of the Obligations; or (v) any other act or omission that may or might in any manner or to any extent vary the risk of the Guarantor or otherwise operate as a discharge of the Guarantor as a matter of law or equity (other than the payment in full in cash of all the Obligations). The Guarantor expressly authorizes the Credit Parties to take and hold security for the payment and performance of the Obligations, to exchange, waive or release any or all such security (with or without consideration), to enforce or apply such security and direct the order and manner of any sale thereof in their sole discretion or to release or substitute any one or more other guarantors or obligors upon or in respect of the Obligations, all without affecting the obligations of the Guarantor hereunder.
(b) To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Guarantor waives any defense based on or arising out of any defense of the Borrower or the unenforceability of the Obligations or any part thereof from any cause, or the cessation from any cause of the liability of the Borrower, other than the payment in full in cash of all the Obligations. The Paying Agent and the other Credit Parties may, at their election, foreclose on any security held by one or more of them by one or more judicial or nonjudicial sales, accept an assignment of any such security in lieu of foreclosure, compromise or adjust any part of the Obligations, make any other accommodation with the Borrower or exercise any other right or remedy available to them against the Borrower, without affecting or impairing in any way the liability of the Guarantor hereunder except to the extent the Obligations have been paid in full in cash. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Guarantor waives any defense arising out of any such election even though such election operates, pursuant to applicable law, to impair or to extinguish any right of reimbursement or subrogation or other right or remedy of the Guarantor against the Borrower or any security.
ARTICLE
III
Subrogation and Subordination
The Guarantor and the Borrower agree that, in the event of any payment by the Guarantor in respect of any of the Obligations, all rights of the Guarantor to indemnity, contribution or subrogation, whether under applicable law or otherwise, shall be fully subordinated to the indefeasible payment in full in cash of the Obligations.
SECTION 4.02. Waivers; Amendment. (a) No failure or delay by any Agent, any Issuing Bank or any Lender in exercising any right or power hereunder or under the Credit Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or power, or any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce such a right or power, preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or power. The rights and remedies of the Agents, the Issuing Banks and the Lenders hereunder and under the Credit Agreement are cumulative and are not exclusive of any rights or remedies that they would otherwise have. No waiver of any provision of this Agreement or consent to any departure by any Loan Party therefrom shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be permitted by paragraph (b) of this Section 4.02, and then such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the purpose for which given. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the making of a Loan or issuance of a Letter of Credit shall not be construed as a waiver of any Default, regardless of whether any Agent, any Lender or any Issuing Bank may have had notice or knowledge of such Default at the time. No notice or demand on any Loan Party in any case shall entitle any Loan Party to any other or further notice or demand in similar or other circumstances.
(b) Neither this Agreement nor any provision hereof may be waived, amended or modified except pursuant to an agreement or agreements in writing entered into by the Paying Agent and the Loan Party or Loan Parties with respect to which such waiver, amendment or modification is to apply, subject to any consent required in accordance with Section 9.02 of the Credit Agreement.
SECTION 4.08. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the law of the State of New York.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have duly executed this Agreement as of the day and year first above written.
FEDERATED DEPARTMENT STORES, INC., |
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by /s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Title: Executive Vice President and CFO |
FEDERATED RETAIL HOLDINGS, INC., |
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by /s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Title: Vice President and CFO |
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., as |
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by /s/ Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx |
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Name: Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx |
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Title: Vice President |