EXCHANGE AGREEMENT by and among BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC. GENERAL REINSURANCE CORPORATION WHITE MOUNTAINS INSURANCE GROUP, LTD. and RAILSPLITTER HOLDINGS CORPORATION
Exhibit
2.1
by and
among
BERKSHIRE
HATHAWAY INC.
GENERAL
REINSURANCE CORPORATION
WHITE
MOUNTAINS INSURANCE GROUP, LTD.
and
RAILSPLITTER
HOLDINGS CORPORATION
As of
March 8, 2008
Page
|
ARTICLE
I
CERTAIN
DEFINITIONS AND OTHER MATTERS
|
||
SECTION
1.01.
|
Certain
Definitions
|
1
|
SECTION
1.02.
|
Terms
Defined in Other Sections
|
6
|
ARTICLE
II
EXCHANGE
OF STOCK; DETERMINATION OF CASH AMOUNT; CLOSING
|
||
SECTION
2.01.
|
Exchange
of Stock; Determination of Cash Amount
|
7
|
SECTION
2.02.
|
Closing
|
10
|
SECTION
2.03.
|
White
Mountains' Deliveries at the Closing
|
10
|
SECTION
2.04.
|
Berkshire
Hathaway's Deliveries at the Closing
|
11
|
ARTICLE
III
REORGANIZATION
OF THE COMPANY
|
||
SECTION
3.01.
|
Reorganization
|
12
|
ARTICLE
IV
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES OF WHITE MOUNTAINS
|
||
SECTION
4.01.
|
Organization
|
12
|
SECTION
4.02.
|
Corporate
Power and Authority
|
12
|
SECTION
4.03.
|
Non-Contravention
|
13
|
SECTION
4.04.
|
Consents
|
13
|
SECTION
4.05.
|
Capitalization
of the Company; Ownership of Company Shares; Company
Subsidiaries
|
14
|
SECTION
4.06.
|
Capitalization
of CCIC and IAG; Ownership of CCIC Shares, IAG Shares and IAG Subsidiary
Shares
|
14
|
SECTION
4.07.
|
Financial
Statements; Statutory Statements
|
16
|
SECTION
4.08.
|
Absence
of Certain Changes or Events
|
17
|
SECTION
4.09.
|
Collateral
|
18
|
SECTION
4.10.
|
Undisclosed
Liabilities
|
18
|
SECTION
4.11.
|
Material
Contracts
|
18
|
SECTION
4.12.
|
Litigation
|
18
|
SECTION
4.13.
|
Compliance
with Laws
|
18
|
SECTION
4.14.
|
Employee
Benefits
|
19
|
SECTION
4.15.
|
No
Guarantee Regarding Reserves
|
19
|
SECTION
4.16.
|
Due
Diligence Materials
|
19
|
i
Page
|
SECTION
4.17.
|
Company
Assets, Liabilities and Business
|
19
|
SECTION
4.18.
|
Tax
Opinion
|
20
|
SECTION
4.19.
|
No
Additional Representations
|
20
|
ARTICLE
V
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES OF THE BERKSHIRE PARTIES
|
||
SECTION
5.01.
|
Organization
|
20
|
SECTION
5.02.
|
Corporate
Power and Authority
|
21
|
SECTION
5.03.
|
General
Reinsurance WM Units
|
21
|
SECTION
5.04.
|
Tax
Opinion
|
21
|
SECTION
5.05.
|
Tax
Basis
|
22
|
SECTION
5.06.
|
No
Additional Representations
|
22
|
ARTICLE
VI
COVENANTS
AND AGREEMENTS
|
||
SECTION
6.01.
|
Conduct
of Business of the Company and its Subsidiaries
|
22
|
SECTION
6.02.
|
Access
and Information
|
24
|
SECTION
6.03.
|
Efforts
to Consummate; Further Assurances; Certain Covenants
|
25
|
SECTION
6.04.
|
Confidentiality
|
25
|
SECTION
6.05.
|
Transaction
Agreements
|
26
|
SECTION
6.06.
|
Post-Closing
Benefits
|
26
|
SECTION
6.07.
|
Standstill
Agreement
|
27
|
SECTION
6.08.
|
28
|
|
SECTION
6.09.
|
28
|
|
SECTION
6.10.
|
28
|
|
SECTION 6.11. |
29
|
|
SECTION
6.12.
|
29
|
|
ARTICLE
VII
TAX
MATTERS
|
||
SECTION
7.01.
|
30
|
|
SECTION
7.02.
|
30
|
|
ARTICLE
VIII
CONDITIONS
TO CLOSING
|
||
SECTION
8.01.
|
31
|
|
SECTION
8.02.
|
31
|
|
SECTION
8.03.
|
32
|
|
SECTION
8.04.
|
33
|
ii
Page
|
ARTICLE
IX
TERMINATION;
OPTION TO REQUIRE CONSUMMATION; REMEDIES
|
|||
SECTION
9.01.
|
33
|
||
SECTION
9.02.
|
34
|
||
SECTION
9.03.
|
35
|
||
SECTION
9.04.
|
35
|
||
ARTICLE
X
INDEMNIFICATION
|
|||
SECTION
10.01.
|
36
|
||
SECTION
10.02.
|
36
|
||
SECTION
10.03.
|
39
|
||
ARTICLE
XI
MISCELLANEOUS
|
|||
SECTION
11.01.
|
40
|
||
SECTION
11.02.
|
41
|
||
SECTION
11.03.
|
41
|
||
SECTION
11.04.
|
41
|
||
SECTION
11.05.
|
41
|
||
SECTION
11.06.
|
41
|
||
SECTION
11.07.
|
41
|
||
SECTION
11.08.
|
42
|
||
SECTION
11.09.
|
42
|
||
SECTION
11.10.
|
42
|
||
SECTION
11.11.
|
42
|
||
SECTION
11.12.
|
43
|
||
SECTION
11.13.
|
43
|
||
SECTION
11.14.
|
43
|
||
SECTION
11.15.
|
43
|
||
SECTION
11.16.
|
43
|
||
SECTION
11.17.
|
44
|
EXHIBITS
EXHIBIT A | Form of Note Reimbursement Agreement |
EXHIBIT B | Valuation of Gross Assets and Investment Assets |
EXHIBIT C | Term Sheet for Credit Support Agreement |
iii
This EXCHANGE AGREEMENT, dated as of March 8, 2008
(this “Agreement”), is
entered into by and among BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC., a Delaware corporation
(“Berkshire
Hathaway”), GENERAL REINSURANCE CORPORATION, a Delaware corporation and
an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway (“General Reinsurance”),
WHITE MOUNTAINS INSURANCE GROUP, LTD., a company existing under the laws of
Bermuda (“White
Mountains”), and RAILSPLITTER HOLDINGS CORPORATION, a Delaware
corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of White Mountains (the “Company”).
W I T N E
S S E T H:
WHEREAS,
prior to the Closing, White Mountains will complete the Reorganization, pursuant
to which the Company will hold (i) the CCIC Shares, (ii) the IAG
Shares and (iii) the Cash Amount;
WHEREAS,
upon the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, (i) White
Mountains desires to exchange all of the capital stock of the Company,
consisting solely of the Company Shares, for the General Reinsurance WM Units,
and (ii) General Reinsurance desires to exchange the General Reinsurance WM
Units for the Company Shares; and
WHEREAS,
the parties hereto intend the Exchange to qualify for the Intended Tax-Free
Treatment.
NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants contained in this Agreement,
and intending to be legally bound, the parties hereto agree as
follows:
ARTICLE I
CERTAIN
DEFINITIONS AND OTHER MATTERS
SECTION
1.01. Certain Definitions.
As used
in this Agreement and the Disclosure Schedules hereto, the following terms have
the respective meanings set forth below.
“ACIC” means American
Centennial Insurance Company, a Delaware corporation and a direct, wholly owned
subsidiary of IAG.
“Actionable Breach”
means, with respect to any party, (A) the refusal to consummate the Exchange
despite the fact that all of the conditions to such party’s obligation to
consummate the Exchange set forth in Article VIII of this Agreement have been
satisfied or properly waived and not withdrawn, or (B) such party’s or any of
its Subsidiaries’ act (including a misrepresentation), or failure to take a
required action, with the knowledge or intent (or with the reckless disregard
for the fact) that such act or failure to take a required action
(i) breached any Transaction Agreement, the Tax Representation Letter of
White Mountains (if such party is White Mountains) or the Tax Representation
Letter of Berkshire Hathaway (if such party is Berkshire Hathaway) and
(ii)(x) caused a condition to Closing not to be satisfied or to become
incapable of fulfillment by the Termination Date and/or (y) caused a
Material Increase in Tax Risk.
1
“Affiliate” means,
with respect to any Person, any other Person directly or indirectly controlling,
controlled by or under common control with such Person. For purposes
of this definition, the term “control” (including its correlative meanings, the
terms “controlling”, “controlled by” and “under common control with”), as used
with respect to any Person, shall mean the possession, directly or indirectly,
of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of
such Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or
otherwise.
“Berkshire Parties”
means Berkshire Hathaway and General Reinsurance.
“Berkshire Tax Risk
Certificate” means a certificate, signed on behalf of Berkshire Hathaway
by an authorized officer of Berkshire Hathaway, (i) stating that a Material
Increase in Tax Risk has occurred and (ii) specifically identifying and
describing in detail the reason(s) for such Material Increase in Tax
Risk.
“BICC” means British Insurance
Company of Cayman, a Cayman Islands company and a direct, wholly owned
subsidiary of IAG.
“Business Day” means
any day except a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banking
institutions in (i) New York City or (ii) Xxxxxxxx, Bermuda are
authorized by law or executive order to be closed.
“CCIC” means
Commercial Casualty Insurance Company, a California corporation.
“Code” has the meaning
assigned to such term in Section 1.01 of the Tax Matters
Agreement.
“Controlled Group
Liability” means any liability (i) under Section 302 of ERISA,
Title IV of ERISA, Section 412 of the Code, Section 52(a) of the Code
or the Coal Industry Retiree Health Benefit Act of 1992, as amended, or
(ii) for violation of the continuation coverage requirements of Sections
601 et seq. of
ERISA and Section 4980B of the Code or the group health requirements of
Sections 701 et
seq. of ERISA and Sections 9801 et seq. of the
Code.
“Cravath Tax Risk
Letter” means a letter from Cravath, Swaine & Xxxxx LLP
addressed to White Mountains, reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to
Berkshire Hathaway, stating that Cravath, Swaine & Xxxxx LLP could
not, as of the date of such letter, provide its Tax Opinion for the same
reason(s) identified in the White Mountains Tax Risk Certificate.
2
“Disclosure Schedule”
means the White Mountains Disclosure Schedule or the Berkshire Disclosure
Schedule, as the context requires.
“Employee” means each
employee who, as of the Closing (or such other time as is specified in the
context where used) is employed by a Transferred Subsidiary, it being understood
that Xxxxxx Xxxxx is not, and will not as of the Closing be, an employee of any
Transferred Subsidiary and is therefore not an “Employee” for purposes of this
Agreement.
“Employee Benefit
Plan” means any “employee benefit plan” (as such term is defined in
Section 3(3) of ERISA) and any other compensation or employee benefit plan,
program or arrangement, other than any such plan, program or arrangement that is
mandated by applicable Law.
“ERISA” means the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.
“Final Determination”
has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 1.01 of the Tax Matters
Agreement.
“GAAP” means United
States generally accepted accounting principles.
“General Reinsurance
Transaction Tax” has the meaning assigned to such term in
Section 1.01 of the Tax Matters Agreement.
“Governmental
Authority” means any supranational, national, U.S. federal, state or
local government, foreign or domestic, or the government of any political
subdivision of any of the foregoing, or any entity, authority, agency, ministry
or other similar body exercising executive, legislative, judicial, regulatory or
administrative authority or functions of or pertaining to government, including
any authority or other quasi-governmental entity established by a Governmental
Authority to perform any of such functions.
“IAG” means
International American Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation.
“IAG
Subsidiaries” means, collectively,
ACIC, BICC and IAMC.
“IAG Subsidiary
Shares” means the outstanding shares of common stock, common shares or
ordinary shares, as applicable, of each of the IAG Subsidiaries.
“IAMC” means
International American Management Company, a Delaware corporation and a direct,
wholly owned subsidiary of IAG.
“Intended Tax-Free
Treatment” has the meaning assigned to such term in the recitals of the
Tax Matters Agreement.
“IRS” has the meaning
assigned to such term in Section 1.01 of the Tax Matters
Agreement.
3
“Law” means any
statute, law, ordinance, rule, administrative ruling, regulation, registration,
permit, order, license, decree or judgment, including any of the foregoing as
they relate to Tax.
“Legal Proceeding”
means any private or governmental action, suit, complaint, arbitration, legal or
administrative proceeding or investigation.
“Liabilities” means
any and all debts, liabilities, commitments and obligations of every kind,
nature, character and description whatsoever, whenever arising, whether or not
fixed, contingent or absolute, matured or unmatured, direct or indirect,
liquidated or unliquidated, accrued or unaccrued, known or unknown, asserted or
unasserted, due or to become due, and whether or not required by GAAP to be
reflected in financial statements or disclosed in the notes
thereto.
“Lien” means any lien,
mortgage, pledge, security interest, encumbrance or other similar security
arrangement that grants to any Person any security interest, including any
restriction on the transfer of any asset, any right of first offer, right of
first refusal, right of first negotiation, preemptive right or any similar right
in favor of any Person, any restriction on the receipt of any income derived
from any asset and any limitation or restriction on the right to own, vote,
pledge, sell or otherwise dispose of any security, but excluding any such
restrictions, limitations and other encumbrances for Taxes not yet due and
payable.
“Material Increase in Tax
Risk” means any material increase since the date of this Agreement in the
risk that the Exchange will not qualify for the Intended Tax-Free
Treatment. For the avoidance of doubt, the inability of the parties
to rely on the IRS Ruling at any time after such ruling is issued will be deemed
to be a Material Increase in Tax Risk.
“Xxxxxx Tax Risk
Letter” means a letter from Xxxxxx, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx LLP addressed to
Berkshire Hathaway, reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to White
Mountains, stating that Xxxxxx, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx LLP could not, as of the date
of such letter, provide its Tax Opinion for the same reason(s) identified in the
Berkshire Tax Risk Certificate.
“Non-Qualification
Event” means (i) the mutual written agreement of White Mountains and
Berkshire Hathaway to report the Exchange as taxable, (ii) both of White
Mountains and Berkshire Hathaway in fact report the Exchange as taxable, (iii)
Berkshire Hathaway exercising its right pursuant to Section 9.02(a) to require
the consummation of the Transactions (but only if Berkshire Hathaway provides
White Mountains with a notice that it intends to report the Exchange as taxable
or in fact reports the Exchange as taxable), (iv) White Mountains exercising its
right pursuant to Section 9.02(b) to require the consummation of the
Transactions or (v) a Final Determination that the Exchange does not qualify for
the Intended Tax-Free Treatment.
4
“Note Reimbursement
Agreement” means the Note Reimbursement Agreement by and among the
Company, General Reinsurance and Folksamerica Holding Company, Inc., the form of
which is attached as Exhibit A hereto.
“Person” means an
individual, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, association,
trust or other entity or organization, including a government or political
subdivision or an agency or instrumentality thereof.
“Subsidiary” of any
Person means another Person, an amount of the voting securities, other voting
ownership or voting partnership interests sufficient to elect at least a
majority of its board of directors or other governing body (or, if there are no
such voting interests, more than 50% of the equity interests) of which is owned
directly or indirectly by such first Person or by another Subsidiary of such
first Person.
“Tax” has the meaning
assigned to such term in Section 1.01 of the Tax Matters
Agreement.
“Tax Authority” has
the meaning assigned to such term in Section 1.01 of the Tax Matters
Agreement.
“Tax Matters
Agreement” means the Tax Matters Agreement, dated the date of this
Agreement, by and among Berkshire Hathaway, General Reinsurance, White Mountains
and the Company.
“Tax Opinions” means
(i) the opinion of Cravath, Swaine & Xxxxx LLP received by White
Mountains and (ii) the opinion of Xxxxxx, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx LLP received
by General Reinsurance, that the Exchange should qualify for the Intended
Tax-Free Treatment. For the avoidance of doubt, the Tax Opinions will
not address the tax treatment of the Exchange to White Mountains or its
Affiliates.
“Tax Representation
Letters” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 1.01 of
the Tax Matters Agreement.
“Tax Return” has the
meaning assigned to such term in Section 1.01 of the Tax Matters
Agreement.
“Termination Notice”
means a notice stating that the party delivering the notice wishes to terminate
the Agreement pursuant to Section 9.01 and specifically identifying and
describing in detail the reason(s) that such party has a right to terminate,
including a statement whether the delivering party believes such reason arose
from an Actionable Breach.
“Transaction
Agreements” means this Agreement, the Tax Matters Agreement, the Note
Reimbursement Agreement and the Credit Support Agreement.
“Transactions” means
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the other Transaction
Agreements, including the Reorganization and the Exchange.
5
“Transferred
Subsidiaries” means, collectively, the Company, IAG, the IAG Subsidiaries
and CCIC.
“Transferred Subsidiary
Benefit Plan” means any Employee Benefit Plan that is sponsored by a
Transferred Subsidiary or any employment agreement between a Transferred
Subsidiary, on the one hand, and an employee of a Transferred Subsidiary, on the
other hand.
“White Mountains Tax Risk
Certificate” means a certificate, signed on behalf of White Mountains by
an authorized officer of White Mountains, (i) stating that a Material
Increase in Tax Risk has occurred and (ii) specifically identifying and
describing in detail the reason(s) for such Material Increase in Tax
Risk.
SECTION
1.02. Terms Defined in Other Sections. The following
terms are defined elsewhere in this Agreement in the following
Sections:
Accounting
Firm
|
Section 2.01(c)
|
|
Agreed
Upon Share Price
|
Section 2.01(d)(i)
|
|
Agreement
|
Preamble
|
|
Annual
Statutory Statements
|
Section 4.07(c)
|
|
Base
Cash Amount
|
Section 2.01(d)(ii)
|
|
Berkshire
401(k) Plan
|
Section 6.06
|
|
Berkshire
Disclosure Schedule
|
Article V
|
|
Berkshire
Hathaway
|
Preamble
|
|
Berkshire
Indemnified Parties
|
Section 10.02(a)
|
|
Berkshire
Specified Representations
|
Section 10.01
|
|
Cash
Amount
|
Section 2.01(b)
|
|
CCIC
Balance Sheet
|
Section 4.07(a)
|
|
CCIC
Financial Statements
|
Section 4.07(a)
|
|
CCIC
Shares
|
Section 4.06(a)
|
|
Closing
|
Section 2.02
|
|
Closing
Date
|
Section 2.02
|
|
Company
|
Preamble
|
|
Company
Shares
|
Section 4.05(a)
|
|
Convertible
WM Security
|
Section 6.07
|
|
Credit
Support Agreement
|
Section 7.02
|
|
Damages
|
Section 10.02(d)
|
|
Exchange
|
Section 2.01(a)
|
|
General
Reinsurance
|
Preamble
|
|
General
Reinsurance WM Units
|
Section 2.01(d)(iii)
|
|
Xxxxxxx
|
Section 4.09
|
|
IAG
Balance Sheet
|
Section 4.07(b)
|
|
IAG
Financial Statements
|
Section 4.07(b)
|
6
IAG
Shares
|
Section 4.06(c)
|
|
IAG
and Sub Balance Sheet
|
Section 4.07(b)
|
|
Indemnified
Party
|
Section 10.02(c)
|
|
Indemnifying
Party
|
Section 10.02(c)
|
|
Information
|
Section 6.04(a)
|
|
Insurance
Regulator
|
Section 4.07(c)
|
|
IRS
Ruling
|
Section 8.01(c)
|
|
Maximum
Cash Amount
|
Section 2.01(d)(iv)
|
|
Methodology
|
Section 2.01(c)
|
|
Ordinary
Course of Business
|
Section 6.01(a)
|
|
Quarterly
Statutory Statements
|
Section 4.07(c)
|
|
Reorganization
|
Section 3.01
|
|
Reorganization
Date
|
Section 3.01
|
|
Representatives
|
Section 6.04(a)
|
|
SAP
|
Section 4.07(c)
|
|
Statutory
Statements
|
Section 4.07(c)
|
|
Survival
End Date
|
Section 10.01
|
|
Termination
Date
|
Section 9.01(b)
|
|
Third
Party Claims
|
Section 10.02(c)
|
|
White
Mountains
|
Preamble
|
|
White
Mountains 401(k) Plan
|
Section 6.06
|
|
White
Mountains Disclosure Schedule
|
Article IV
|
|
White
Mountains Indemnified Parties
|
Section 10.02(b)
|
|
White
Mountains Information
|
Section 5.06(b)
|
|
White
Mountains Specified Representations
|
Section 10.01
|
|
White
Mountains Unit
|
Section 2.01(d)(v)
|
ARTICLE
II
EXCHANGE
OF STOCK; DETERMINATION OF CASH AMOUNT; CLOSING
SECTION
2.01. Exchange of Stock; Determination of Cash
Amount. (a) Upon the terms and subject to the
conditions of this Agreement:
(i) White Mountains will assign, transfer, convey and deliver to
General Reinsurance all of the capital stock of the Company, consisting solely
of the Company Shares, and General Reinsurance will accept and acquire from
White Mountains such Company Shares (free and clear of all Liens, other than
Liens arising under this Agreement or any other Transaction Agreement, arising
under securities Laws of general applicability or created by Berkshire Hathaway
or any of its Affiliates); and
7
(ii) General
Reinsurance will assign, transfer, convey and deliver to White Mountains, and
White Mountains will accept and acquire from General Reinsurance, in exchange
for the Company Shares, the General Reinsurance WM Units (free and clear of all
Liens, other than Liens arising under this Agreement or any other Transaction
Agreement, arising under securities Laws of general applicability or created by
White Mountains or any of its Affiliates) (clauses (i) and (ii) of
this Section 2.01(a) are herein referred to collectively as the “Exchange”).
(b) The
cash amount to be contributed to the Company immediately prior to the Exchange
(the “Cash
Amount”) shall be:
(i) if a Non-Qualification Event has occurred as a result of
Berkshire Hathaway exercising its right pursuant to Section 9.02(a) to require
the consummation of the Transactions, then the Cash Amount shall be the Base
Cash Amount;
(ii) if
a Non-Qualification Event has occurred as a result of White Mountains exercising
its right pursuant to Section 9.02(b) to require the consummation of the
Transactions, then the Cash Amount shall be the Base Cash Amount plus U.S.
$251,600,000;
(iii) if
a Non-Qualification Event has occurred and neither Berkshire Hathaway nor White
Mountains has exercised its right pursuant to Section 9.02 to require the
consummation of the Transactions, then the Cash Amount shall be the Base Cash
Amount plus U.S. $125,800,000; and
(iv) if
a Non-Qualification Event has not occurred, then the Cash Amount shall be the
lesser of (i) the Base Cash Amount and (ii) the Maximum Cash
Amount.
(c) Unless
a Non-Qualification Event has occurred (in which case this Section 2.01(c) shall
not apply), prior to the third Business Day following the receipt by White
Mountains and Berkshire Hathaway of the IRS Ruling, White Mountains and
Berkshire Hathaway shall, solely for purposes of determining the Maximum Cash
Amount, mutually determine in good faith (i) the aggregate fair market
value of the gross assets that the Company and its Subsidiaries will hold
immediately after the Exchange (not taking into account any cash to be
contributed pursuant to Section 2.01(b)), and (ii) the aggregate fair
market value of the “investment assets” (as defined in Section 355(g) of
the Code) that the Company and its Subsidiaries will hold immediately after the
Exchange (not taking into account any cash to be contributed pursuant to
Section 2.01(b)); provided that such
determination shall be made in a manner consistent with the methodology used to
prepare Exhibit B, which methodology shall be modified from time to time to take
into account guidance (whether oral or written), if any, received from the IRS
regarding the application of Section 355(g) of the Code (as so modified,
the “Methodology”). If
such determination is not made prior to the third Business Day following the
receipt by White Mountains and Berkshire Hathaway of the IRS Ruling because of
good faith disagreement between White Mountains and Berkshire Hathaway, then the
determination of the matter or matters with respect to which there is
disagreement shall be made as soon as reasonably practicable by KPMG LLP, or
another nationally recognized independent public accounting firm reasonably
satisfactory to both White Mountains and Berkshire Hathaway (the “Accounting
Firm”). The Accounting Firm shall, as soon as reasonably
practicable, and after consulting with both White Mountains and Berkshire
Hathaway, prepare and deliver to White Mountains and Berkshire Hathaway a
preliminary report reflecting its determination of the matter or matters with
respect to which there is disagreement, it being understood that such
determination shall be consistent with the first sentence of this
Section 2.01(c) (including the requirement that any determination shall be
made in a manner consistent with the Methodology). The Accounting
Firm shall respond to any questions of and consider in good faith any comments
on such preliminary report submitted to the Accounting Firm by White Mountains
and Berkshire Hathaway on or before the fifth Business Day following the date
such preliminary report is provided to White Mountains and Berkshire
Hathaway. Thereafter, the Accounting Firm shall, as soon as
reasonably practicable (but no later than 10 Business Days after the date of the
preliminary report), prepare and deliver to White Mountains and Berkshire
Hathaway a report reflecting its final determination of the matter or matters
with respect to which there is disagreement, it being understood that such
determination shall be consistent with the first sentence of this
Section 2.01(c) (including the requirement that any determination shall be
made in a manner consistent with the Methodology). Such determination
shall be final and binding on the parties hereto. White Mountains
shall, and shall cause its Affiliates to, cooperate with and provide the
Accounting Firm reasonable access to the books and records, accountants and
advisors of White Mountains in connection with the Accounting Firm’s preparation
of such reports. All fees and expenses incident to the obtaining of
any such reports shall be borne equally by White Mountains and Berkshire
Hathaway.
8
(d) For
purposes of this Agreement:
(i) “Agreed
Upon Share Price” means U.S. $485;
(ii) “Base Cash Amount”
means U.S. $751,237,000;
(iii) “General Reinsurance WM
Units” means
1,724,200 White Mountains Units, minus (if and only if
(x) a Non-Qualification Event has not occurred and (y) the Base Cash Amount
exceeds the Maximum Cash Amount) the number of White Mountains Units equal to
the quotient (rounded to the nearest whole number) resulting from dividing
(A) the excess of the Base Cash Amount over the Maximum Cash Amount by
(B) the Agreed Upon Share Price;
(iv) “Maximum Cash Amount”
means the amount, in U.S. dollars, that is equal to (A) two times the
aggregate fair market value of the gross assets other than “investment assets”
(as defined in Section 355(g) of the Code) that the Company and its
Subsidiaries will hold immediately after the Exchange (not taking into account
any cash to be contributed pursuant to Section 2.01(b)) minus (B) the
aggregate fair market value of the “investment assets” (as defined in
Section 355(g) of the Code) the Company and its Subsidiaries will hold
immediately after the Exchange (not taking into account any cash to be
contributed pursuant to Section 2.01(b)) minus (C) U.S. $15,000,000,
and in the case of (A) and (B), using the fair market values determined in
accordance with Section 2.01(c); and
9
(v) “White Mountains Unit”
means, as applicable, either (x) a common share, par value U.S. $1.00 per share,
of White Mountains owned by General Reinsurance on the date of this Agreement,
or (y) all consideration that such common share, in one or more transactions, is
converted, exchanged or otherwise transformed into if, following the date of
this Agreement and prior to the Closing, General Reinsurance receives such
consideration, in one or more transactions, for such common share pursuant to a
subdivision, share split, consolidation, share dividend, combination,
reclassification, merger, exchange offer or other transaction that results in
the conversion, exchange or other transformation of such common share into such
consideration.
SECTION
2.02. Closing. The closing (the “Closing”) of the
Exchange and the other transactions contemplated hereby to occur concurrently
therewith shall take place at the offices of Cravath, Swaine & Xxxxx
LLP, Worldwide Plaza, 825 Eighth Avenue, New York, New York on the
fifth Business Day following the time at which the conditions set forth in
Article VIII are satisfied or waived (other than conditions that by their nature
are to be satisfied and are in fact satisfied at the Closing or, to the extent
permitted, waived), or at such other time or place as White Mountains and
Berkshire Hathaway may agree. The date and time upon which the
Closing occurs is referred to as the “Closing
Date”.
SECTION
2.03. White Mountains’ Deliveries at the Closing. At
the Closing, White Mountains will deliver or cause to be delivered to Berkshire
Hathaway the following:
(a) one
or more stock certificates representing all of the issued and outstanding
Company Shares, together with stock powers executed in blank, in proper form for
transfer, with any required transfer stamps affixed thereto;
(b) the
stock books, stock ledgers and minute books of each Transferred
Subsidiary;
(c) a
certificate of an authorized officer of White Mountains pursuant to
Sections 6.10(b) (if a Non-Qualification Event has not occurred), 8.02(a)
and 8.02(b) hereof;
(d) letters
of resignation, dated as of the Closing Date, from each of the directors of the
Company and each of its Subsidiaries;
10
(e) all
books and records of or relating primarily to any Transferred Subsidiary in the
possession or control of White Mountains or any of its Subsidiaries (provided that White
Mountains may retain (i) any such books and records to the extent relating
to businesses of White Mountains and its Subsidiaries, other than the
Transferred Subsidiaries, and shall provide copies of the relevant portions
thereof to Berkshire Hathaway, (ii) all records and analyses prepared in
connection with the Exchange and (iii) all Tax records, and shall provide
to Berkshire Hathaway (to the extent not previously provided) copies of
(A) the separate Tax Returns of, or with respect to, the Transferred
Subsidiaries, (B) the relevant portions of any other Tax Returns and
(C) other existing Tax records (or the relevant portions thereof)
reasonably necessary to prepare and file any Tax Returns of, or with respect to,
the Transferred Subsidiaries, or to defend or contest Tax matters relevant to
the Transferred Subsidiaries for all taxable periods for which the applicable
statute of limitations on assessment remains open, including, in each case, all
Tax records related to Tax attributes of the Transferred Subsidiaries and any
and all communications or agreements with, or rulings by, any Tax Authority with
respect to any Transferred Subsidiary);
(f) each
Transaction Agreement to which White Mountains or any of its Affiliates,
including any Transferred Subsidiary, is anticipated to be a party hereby, duly
executed by such Person; and
(g) such
other documents as are reasonably required by Berkshire Hathaway to be delivered
to effectuate the Transactions or to evidence the authority, existence and good
standing of White Mountains and its relevant Affiliates (except, in the
case of good standing, for entities organized under the Laws of any jurisdiction
that does not recognize such concept).
SECTION
2.04. Berkshire Hathaway’s Deliveries at the
Closing. At the Closing, Berkshire Hathaway will deliver or
cause to be delivered to White Mountains the following:
(a) one
or more stock certificates representing all shares included in the General
Reinsurance WM Units;
(b) a
certificate of an authorized officer of Berkshire Hathaway pursuant to
Sections 6.10(b) (if a Non-Qualification Event has not occurred), 8.03(a)
and 8.03(b) hereof;
(c) each
Transaction Agreement to which Berkshire Hathaway or any of its Affiliates is
anticipated to be a party hereby, duly executed by such Person; and
(d) such
other documents as are reasonably required by White Mountains to be delivered to
effectuate the Transactions or to evidence the authority, existence and good
standing of Berkshire Hathaway and its relevant Affiliates (except, in the case
of good standing, for entities organized under the Laws of any jurisdiction that
does not recognize such concept).
11
ARTICLE
III
REORGANIZATION OF THE COMPANY
SECTION
3.01. Reorganization. White Mountains agrees that,
prior to the Closing Date, White Mountains shall, and shall cause its
Subsidiaries to, complete the reorganization of the Company (the “Reorganization”) such
that after the Reorganization (the date on which the Reorganization is complete,
the “Reorganization
Date”):
(a) White
Mountains shall be the sole and direct shareholder of the Company;
and
(b) the
Company shall be the sole and direct owner of the CCIC Shares and the IAG
Shares, the indirect owner of the IAG Subsidiary Shares (all of which shall be
held directly by IAG) and shall hold directly the Cash Amount.
ARTICLE
IV
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES OF WHITE MOUNTAINS
White
Mountains represents and warrants to the Berkshire Parties, except as otherwise
specifically disclosed to the Berkshire Parties in the disclosure schedule
attached to this Agreement (the “White Mountains Disclosure
Schedule”), as of the date of this Agreement (or, if made as of a
specified date, as of such specified date), as follows:
SECTION
4.01. Organization. Each of White Mountains and the
Transferred Subsidiaries has been duly incorporated and is validly existing and
in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation (except, in
the case of good standing, for entities organized under the Laws of any
jurisdiction that does not recognize such concept) and has all requisite
corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and
assets and to carry on its business as conducted on the date of this
Agreement. Each of White Mountains and the Transferred Subsidiaries
is licensed to do business in each jurisdiction in which either the ownership or
use of its property or assets or the conduct of its business requires such
license, except for such failures to be so licensed that, individually or in the
aggregate, have not had and would not reasonably be expected to have a material
adverse effect on the Transferred Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
SECTION
4.02. Corporate Power and Authority. White Mountains
and each of its Subsidiaries that is or will be a party to the Transaction
Agreements has all requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and
deliver the Transaction Agreements and to consummate the transactions
contemplated hereby and thereby. The execution, delivery and
performance of this Agreement and the Tax Matters Agreement by each of White
Mountains and the Company and the consummation by each of White Mountains and
the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, and the
execution, delivery and performance of the other Transaction Agreements by White
Mountains and each of its Subsidiaries that is, or, as of the Closing, will be,
a party thereto and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby,
have been, or, with respect to the other Transaction Agreements and the
transactions contemplated thereby, will, as of the Closing, be duly authorized
by all necessary action or proceeding on the part of each such
Person. Each of this Agreement and the Tax Matters Agreement has been
duly executed and delivered by each of White Mountains and the Company and
constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation of each of White Mountains
and the Company, enforceable against such Person in accordance with its terms
(except as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization, moratorium or similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights
generally, or by principles governing the availability of equitable
remedies). The other Transaction Agreements will, as of the Closing,
be duly executed and delivered by White Mountains and each of its Subsidiaries
that is or is specified to be a party thereto and will, as of the Closing,
constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of White Mountains and each
such Subsidiary, enforceable against each such Person in accordance with their
respective terms (except as enforceability may be limited by applicable
bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar Laws affecting
creditors’ rights generally, or by principles governing the availability of
equitable remedies).
12
SECTION
4.03. Non-Contravention. The execution and delivery of
the Transaction Agreements by White Mountains and the Company do not, and White
Mountains’ and its Subsidiaries’ performance hereunder and thereunder and the
consummation of the Transactions will not (a) violate any provision of the
articles of incorporation or bylaws, or similar governing documents, of White
Mountains or any Transferred Subsidiary, (b) materially violate or
constitute a material breach of or default under (with or without notice or
lapse of time, or both), or permit termination, modification or acceleration
under, (i) any material contract to which any Transferred Subsidiary is
bound or (ii) any material contract to which White Mountains is bound that,
if so violated or breached, would prevent or materially delay the consummation
of the Transactions, (c) materially violate any material Law of any
Governmental Authority applicable to White Mountains or any Transferred
Subsidiary, (d) result in the cancellation, modification, revocation or
suspension of any material license or other approval of any Governmental
Authority granted to any Transferred Subsidiary, or (e) result in the
imposition or creation of any material Lien upon or with respect to any of the
material properties or assets of any Transferred Subsidiary, other than Liens
arising under this Agreement or any other Transaction Agreement, under
securities Laws of general applicability or Liens created by Berkshire Hathaway
or any of its Affiliates.
SECTION
4.04. Consents. The execution and delivery by White
Mountains and the Company of the Transaction Agreements, White Mountains’ and
the Company’s performance hereunder and thereunder, and the consummation of the
Transactions do not require any material consent or approval of any Governmental
Authority, or trigger any material consent or approval rights under any material
contract to which any Transferred Subsidiary is a party, other than the filing
of appropriate documents with and approval of the Commissioner of Insurance of
the State of California, the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority and the Insurance
Commissioner of the State of Delaware.
13
SECTION
4.05. Capitalization of the Company; Ownership of Company Shares; Company
Subsidiaries.
(a) As
of the Closing Date, the authorized share capital of the Company will consist
solely of 100 common shares, par value U.S. $0.01 per share, of which 100 shares
will be issued and outstanding (the “Company
Shares”). As of the Closing Date, White Mountains will be the
record and beneficial owner of and will have good and valid title to all the
Company Shares, free and clear of all Liens, other than Liens arising under this
Agreement or any other Transaction Agreement, under securities Laws of general
applicability or Liens created by Berkshire Hathaway or any of its Affiliates,
and all of the Company Shares will have been duly authorized and validly issued,
fully paid and non-assessable, and will not be subject to or issued in violation
of any preemptive rights or have been issued in violation of the securities Laws
of the United States. Immediately after the Closing, General
Reinsurance will have good and valid title to all of the Company Shares, free
and clear of all Liens, other than Liens arising under this Agreement or any
other Transaction Agreement, under securities Laws of general applicability or
Liens created by Berkshire Hathaway or any of its Affiliates.
(b) Except
for the Company Shares, immediately after the Closing, there will be no
outstanding (i) shares of capital stock or voting securities of, or other
ownership interests in, the Company, (ii) securities of any Person
convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of capital stock or
other voting securities of, or ownership interests in, the Company or
(iii) options or other rights to acquire from any Person, or other
obligations of the Company to issue or to make any payments based on, any
capital stock or other voting securities of, or other ownership interests in, or
any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, any capital
stock or other voting securities of the Company. Immediately after
the Closing, there will be no outstanding bonds, debentures, notes or other
indebtedness of the Company, including any outstanding bonds, debentures, notes
or other indebtedness that have the right to vote (or that are or, after the
passage of time, may be convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for
securities having the right to vote) on any matters on which stockholders of the
Company may vote.
(c) The
Company will have, immediately prior to the Reorganization, no
Subsidiaries. Following the Reorganization, on and as of the Closing
Date, (i) the Company’s Subsidiaries will consist solely of CCIC, IAG and
the IAG Subsidiaries, (ii) CCIC and each IAG Subsidiary will have no
Subsidiaries and (iii) IAG’s Subsidiaries will consist solely of the IAG
Subsidiaries.
SECTION
4.06. Capitalization of CCIC and IAG; Ownership of CCIC Shares, IAG
Shares and IAG Subsidiary Shares.
(a) As
of the Closing Date, the authorized capital stock of CCIC will consist of 10,000
common shares, par value U.S. $300.00 per share, of which 10,000 shares will be
issued and outstanding (the “CCIC
Shares”). As of the Closing Date, all of the CCIC Shares will
have been duly authorized and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, and
will not be subject to or issued in violation of any preemptive rights or have
been issued in violation of the securities Laws of the United
States. As of the Closing Date, other than the CCIC Shares owned by
the Company, neither White Mountains nor any of its Subsidiaries will own,
directly or indirectly, any CCIC Shares (or any direct or indirect interest in
any CCIC Shares). Immediately after the Closing, the Company will be
the record and beneficial owner of and will have good and valid title to all of
the CCIC Shares, in each case, free and clear of all Liens, other than Liens
arising under this Agreement or any other Transaction Agreement, under
securities Laws of general applicability or Liens created by Berkshire Hathaway
or any of its Affiliates.
14
(b) Except
for the CCIC Shares, immediately after the Closing, there will be no outstanding
(i) shares of capital stock or voting securities of, or other ownership
interests in, CCIC, (ii) securities of any Person convertible into or
exercisable or exchangeable for shares of capital stock or other voting
securities of, or ownership interests in, CCIC or (iii) options or other
rights to acquire from any Person, or other obligations of CCIC to issue or to
make any payments based on, any capital stock or other voting securities of, or
other ownership interests in, or any securities convertible into or exercisable
or exchangeable for, any capital stock or other voting securities of
CCIC. Immediately after the Closing, there will be no outstanding
bonds, debentures, notes or other indebtedness of CCIC that have the right to
vote (or that are or, after the passage of time, may be convertible into or
exercisable or exchangeable for securities having the right to vote) on any
matters on which stockholders of CCIC may vote.
(c) As
of the Closing Date, the authorized capital stock of IAG will consist of
1,000 common shares, par value U.S. $1.00 per share, of which
1,000 shares will be issued and outstanding (the “IAG
Shares”). As of the Closing Date, all of the IAG Shares will
have been duly authorized and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, and
will not be subject to or issued in violation of any preemptive rights or have
been issued in violation of the securities Laws of the United
States. As of the Closing Date, other than the IAG Shares owned by
the Company, neither White Mountains nor any of its Subsidiaries will own,
directly or indirectly, any IAG Shares (or any direct or indirect interest in
any IAG Shares). Immediately after the Closing, the Company will be
the record and beneficial owner of and will have good and valid title to all of
the IAG Shares, in each case, free and clear of all Liens, other than Liens
arising under this Agreement or any other Transaction Agreement, under
securities Laws of general applicability or Liens created by Berkshire Hathaway
or any of its Affiliates.
(d) Except
for the IAG Shares, immediately after the Closing, there will be no outstanding
(i) shares of capital stock or voting securities of, or other ownership
interests in, IAG, (ii) securities of any Person convertible into or
exercisable or exchangeable for shares of capital stock or other voting
securities of, or ownership interests in, IAG or (iii) options or other
rights to acquire from any Person, or other obligations of IAG to issue or to
make any payments based on, any capital stock or other voting securities of, or
other ownership interests in, or any securities convertible into or exercisable
or exchangeable for, any capital stock or other voting securities of
IAG. Immediately after the Closing, there will be no outstanding
bonds, debentures, notes or other indebtedness of IAG that have the right to
vote (or that are or, after the passage of time, may be convertible into or
exercisable or exchangeable for securities having the right to vote) on any
matters on which stockholders of IAG may vote.
15
(e) As
of the Closing Date, all of the IAG Subsidiary Shares will have been duly
authorized and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, and will not be
subject to or issued in violation of any preemptive rights or have been issued
in violation of the securities Laws of the United States or the country of the
Subsidiary’s organization. As of the Closing Date, other than the IAG
Subsidiary Shares owned by IAG, neither White Mountains nor any of its
Subsidiaries will own, directly or indirectly, any IAG Subsidiary Shares (or any
direct or indirect interest in any IAG Subsidiary
Shares). Immediately after the Closing, IAG will be the record and
beneficial owner of and will have good and valid title to all of the IAG
Subsidiary Shares, in each case, free and clear of all Liens, other than Liens
arising under this Agreement or any other Transaction Agreement, under
securities Laws of general applicability or Liens created by Berkshire Hathaway
or any of its Affiliates.
(f) Except
for the IAG Subsidiary Shares, immediately after the Closing, there will be no
outstanding (i) shares of capital stock or voting securities of, or other
ownership interests in, the IAG Subsidiaries, (ii) securities of any Person
convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of capital stock or
other voting securities of, or ownership interests in, the IAG Subsidiaries or
(iii) options or other rights to acquire from any Person, or other
obligations of the IAG Subsidiaries to issue or make any payments based on, any
capital stock or other voting securities of, or other ownership interests in, or
any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, any capital
stock or other voting securities of, the IAG
Subsidiaries. Immediately after the Closing, there will be no
outstanding bonds, debentures, notes or other indebtedness of the IAG
Subsidiaries that have the right to vote (or that are or, after the passage of
time, may be convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for securities
having the right to vote) on any matters on which stockholders or members of the
IAG Subsidiaries may vote.
SECTION
4.07. Financial Statements; Statutory Statements.
(a) Attached
as Section 4.07(a) of the White Mountains Disclosure Schedule are true and
complete copies of the unaudited condensed balance sheets of CCIC as of
December 31, 2005, 2006 and 2007 (the “CCIC Balance Sheet”)
and the related unaudited condensed statements of income and comprehensive
income of CCIC for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2005, 2006
and 2007 (together with the CCIC Balance Sheet, the “CCIC Financial
Statements”). The CCIC Financial Statements have been prepared
from the accounting books and records of CCIC in accordance with GAAP and fairly
present in all material respects the financial condition and results of
operations of CCIC as of the dates and for the periods indicated, except that
the CCIC Financial Statements lack footnote disclosure and other presentation
items required by GAAP.
(b) Attached
as Section 4.07(b) of the White Mountains Disclosure Schedule are true and
complete copies of (i) the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets
of IAG as of December 31, 2005, 2006 and 2007 (the “IAG Balance Sheet”)
and the related unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income and
comprehensive income of IAG for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2005,
2006 and 2007 and (ii) the unaudited condensed consolidated
balance sheets of each of the Subsidiaries of IAG as of December 31, 2005,
2006 and 2007 (together with the IAG Balance Sheet, the “IAG and Sub Balance
Sheet”) and the related unaudited condensed consolidated statements of
income and comprehensive income of each of the Subsidiaries of IAG for the
fiscal years ended December 31, 2005, 2006 and 2007 (the unaudited
financial statements in clauses (i) and (ii) above, collectively, the
“IAG Financial
Statements”). The IAG Financial Statements have been prepared
from the accounting books and records of IAG and the Subsidiaries of IAG in
accordance with GAAP and fairly present in all material respects the financial
condition and results of operations of IAG and its Subsidiaries as of the dates
and for the periods indicated, except that the IAG Financial Statements lack
footnote disclosure and other presentation items required by GAAP.
16
(c) (i) Attached
as Section 4.07(c) of the White Mountains Disclosure Schedule are true and
complete copies (in each case, together with the exhibits, schedules and notes
thereto) of: (i) the audited balance sheets of each of CCIC and ACIC as of
December 31, 2005 and 2006 (the “Annual Statutory
Statements”) and the related audited statements of operations and
statements of cash flows for the years then ended, together with the notes
thereto, and (ii) the balance sheets of each of CCIC and ACIC as of
September 30, 2007 and the related statements of operations and statements
of cash flows for the period then ended (the “Quarterly Statutory
Statements” and, together with the Annual Statutory Statements, the
“Statutory
Statements”), in each case as filed with the Governmental Authority
charged with supervision of insurance companies of such Transferred Subsidiary’s
jurisdiction of domicile (the “Insurance
Regulator”). The Statutory Statements (A) were prepared
in accordance with statutory accounting practices and procedures prescribed or
permitted by the applicable Insurance Regulator applied on a consistent basis
during the periods presented (“SAP”),
(B) fairly present in all material respects the statutory financial
condition of the applicable Transferred Subsidiary at their respective dates and
the results of operations and cash flows of such Transferred Subsidiary for the
period then ended (subject, in the case of the Quarterly Statutory Statements,
to normal recurring year-end adjustments, the omission of footnotes and other
presentation items required by SAP), (C) comply in all material respects
with all applicable Laws when filed, and no material deficiency has been
asserted with respect to any Statutory Statement by the applicable Insurance
Regulator, and (D) were filed with or submitted to the applicable Insurance
Regulator, in each
case, in a timely manner on forms prescribed or permitted by each such Insurance
Regulator. No material deficiency exists that has not otherwise been
cured or satisfied with respect to any of the Annual Statutory Statements or
Quarterly Statutory Statements. Since the year ended December 31,
2002, the as filed statutory balance sheets of each of CCIC and ACIC as of
December 31, 2007 and the related statutory statements of operations and
statutory statements of cash flows for the year then ended have been audited by
Deloitte & Touche LLP (in the case of CCIC for the years ended December 31,
2002 and December 31, 2003) and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (in all other cases),
and White Mountains has delivered or made available to the Berkshire Parties
true and complete copies of all financial examination reports of insurance
departments issued with respect to CCIC and ACIC for years ending on or after
December 31, 2002.
SECTION
4.08. Absence of Certain Changes or Events. From
December 31, 2007 to the date of this Agreement, the Transferred
Subsidiaries have conducted their respective businesses in the Ordinary Course
of Business. From December 31, 2007 to the date of this
Agreement, White Mountains and its Subsidiaries have taken no action with
respect to any Transferred Subsidiary of the type prohibited by
Section 6.01(b).
17
SECTION
4.09. Collateral. Attached as Section 4.09 of the
White Mountains Disclosure Schedule is a true and correct copy of the bank
statement for the assets deposited as collateral pursuant to the agreement dated
December 30, 1997 between ACIC and Global Reinsurance Company, f/k/a
Xxxxxxx Global International Reinsurance Company, Ltd. (“Xxxxxxx”). For
the avoidance of doubt, this Section 4.09 does not address or make any
representations, express or implied, concerning (a) any contractual
relationship between White Mountains and its Affiliates, on the one hand, and
Xxxxxxx and its Affiliates, on the other hand, or (b) any actual or
potential disputes relating thereto or arising thereunder.
SECTION
4.10. Undisclosed Liabilities. Except for (i) the
Liabilities that are reflected, or for which reserves were established, on the
balance sheets included in the CCIC Financial Statements or the IAG Financial
Statements, (ii) the Liabilities that are reflected, or for which reserves
were established, on the balance sheets included in the Statutory Statements,
(iii) the Liabilities set forth in the White Mountains Disclosure Schedule,
(iv) Liabilities incurred in the Ordinary Course of Business since
December 31, 2007 and (v) the Liabilities arising under the
Transaction Agreements, none of the Transferred Subsidiaries has any material
Liabilities required by GAAP or SAP to be reflected in a balance sheet or
disclosed in the notes thereto.
SECTION
4.11. Material Contracts. Except for contracts that
have expired in accordance with their terms or terminated for any reason other
than a default by a Transferred Subsidiary that is party thereto, each material
contract to which any Transferred Subsidiary is a party is in full force and
effect in all material respects, and, except for disputes occurring in the
Ordinary Course of Business relating to insurance coverages under insurance
contracts of Transferred Subsidiaries, each Transferred Subsidiary party to such
material contract is not in material breach thereof or material default
thereunder.
SECTION
4.12. Litigation. Except for disputes occurring in the
Ordinary Course of Business relating to insurance coverages under insurance
contracts of Transferred Subsidiaries, there are no material Legal Proceedings,
at law or in equity, pending against or, to the knowledge of White Mountains,
threatened against any of the Transferred Subsidiaries, and there are no orders,
judgments, writs, injunctions or decrees of any Governmental Authority against
any of the Transferred Subsidiaries.
SECTION
4.13. Compliance
with Laws. Each of the Transferred Subsidiaries is, and at
all times since December 31, 2006 has been, in compliance in all material
respects with all material applicable Laws. White Mountains and each
of the Transferred Subsidiaries is qualified and, in the case of the Transferred
Subsidiaries only, possesses all approvals from the applicable Governmental
Authorities, to do business in each jurisdiction in which either the ownership
or use of its property or assets or the conduct of its business requires such
qualification or approval, except for such failures to be so qualified or
possess approvals that, individually or in the aggregate, have not had and would
not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Transferred
Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
18
SECTION
4.14. Employee
Benefits.
(a) Section 4.14
of the White Mountains Disclosure Schedule sets forth a list of each Transferred
Subsidiary Benefit Plan.
(b) Each
such Transferred Subsidiary Benefit Plan (and each related trust, insurance
contract or fund, if any) has been maintained, funded and administered in
accordance with the terms of such Transferred Subsidiary Benefit Plan and
complies in form and in operation in all material respects with the applicable
requirements of ERISA, the Code and all applicable Laws.
(c) None
of the Transferred Subsidiaries will incur any Controlled Group Liability on or
following the Closing as a result of being treated as a single employer with
White Mountains or any of its other Subsidiaries or Affiliates for purposes of
Section 414 of the Code.
(d) As
of the Closing Date, no Employee shall be prospectively entitled to any
compensation or benefits pursuant to (i) any Employee Benefit Plan of White
Mountains or any of its Subsidiaries or (ii) any other written or unwritten
agreement, arrangement or promise of White Mountains or any of its Subsidiaries,
other than (A) as required by applicable Law, (B) for any payments or
benefits pursuant to any Transferred Subsidiary Benefit Plan or (C) for any
other payments or benefits for which White Mountains or its Subsidiaries (other
than the Transferred Subsidiaries) shall be solely liable.
SECTION
4.15. No Guarantee Regarding Reserves. No
representation or warranty contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to
constitute a guarantee of the adequacy of any reserve stated on any financial or
statutory statement of any Transferred Subsidiary, including any reserve for
losses, loss adjustment expenses, unearned premiums, uncollectible reinsurance
and reinsurance recoverable assets.
SECTION
4.16. Due Diligence Materials. To the knowledge of
White Mountains, (i) the information provided by White Mountains to the
Berkshire Parties in connection with the Transactions did not include any untrue
statement of a material fact, and (ii) any forecasts or estimates used by
the management of White Mountains or its Affiliates in such information were
prepared in good faith based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable at the
time. This Section 4.16 does not address the scope or
completeness of the Berkshire Parties’ due diligence or diligence requests in
connection with the Transactions.
SECTION
4.17. Company
Assets, Liabilities and Business.
(a) Immediately
prior to the Reorganization, the Company had no assets, other than the capital
contribution with which it was incorporated, and no Liabilities. As
of the Reorganization Date and the Closing (and after giving effect to each),
(i) the assets of the Company (on an unconsolidated basis) will consist
solely of the CCIC Shares, the IAG Shares and the Cash Amount and assets arising
under or in connection with this Agreement or any other Transaction Agreement to
which the Company is or will be a party as contemplated hereby, and
(ii) the Company will have no Liabilities other than Liabilities arising
under or in connection with this Agreement or any other Transaction Agreement to
which the Company is or will be a party as contemplated hereby.
19
(b) The
Company has not and, as of the Closing, will not have engaged in any business
activities, other than matters relating to its formation and the
Transactions.
SECTION
4.18. Tax Opinion. As of the date of this Agreement,
White Mountains has, based upon the Tax Representation Letters, received its Tax
Opinion.
SECTION
4.19. No
Additional Representations.
(a) Each
of White Mountains and the Company acknowledges that, except as set forth in
Article V and the Tax Representation Letter of the Berkshire Parties, none
of the Berkshire Parties, their respective Representatives or any other person
has made any representation or warranty, express or implied, with respect to the
Berkshire Parties or the General Reinsurance WM Units or with respect to any
information furnished or made available to White Mountains and the Company and
their respective Representatives in connection with the transactions
contemplated hereby. Each of White Mountains and the Company further
acknowledges that, upon the occurrence of the Closing, White Mountains shall
acquire the General Reinsurance WM Units at such Closing without any
representation or warranty pursuant to the Transaction Agreements, except as
otherwise expressly represented or warranted in Article V and the Tax
Representation Letter of the Berkshire Parties.
(b) White
Mountains is a sophisticated investor and has such knowledge and experience in
financial and business matters as to be capable of evaluating the merits of the
Transactions.
ARTICLE
V
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES OF
THE
BERKSHIRE PARTIES
The
Berkshire Parties, jointly and severally, represent and warrant to White
Mountains, except as otherwise specifically disclosed to White Mountains in the
disclosure schedule attached to this Agreement (the “Berkshire Disclosure
Schedule”), as of the date of this Agreement (or, if made as of a
specified date, as of such specified date), as follows:
SECTION
5.01. Organization. Each Berkshire Party has been duly
incorporated and is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its
jurisdiction of incorporation and has all requisite corporate power and
authority to own, lease and operate its properties and assets and to carry on
its business as conducted on the date of this Agreement. Each
Berkshire Party is qualified or licensed to do business in each jurisdiction in
which either the ownership or use of its property or assets or the conduct of
its business requires such qualification or license, except for such failures to
be so qualified or licensed that, individually or in the aggregate, have not had
and would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the
ability of the Berkshire Parties to consummate the Transactions.
20
SECTION
5.02. Corporate Power and Authority. Each Berkshire
Party has all requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and deliver
the Transaction Agreements and to consummate the transactions contemplated
hereby and thereby. The execution, delivery and performance of this
Agreement and the Tax Matters Agreement by each Berkshire Party and the
consummation by each Berkshire Party of the transactions contemplated hereby and
thereby, and the execution, delivery and performance of the other Transaction
Agreements by each Berkshire Party and the consummation of the transactions
contemplated thereby, have been, or, with respect to the other Transaction
Agreements and the transactions contemplated thereby, will, as of the Closing,
be duly authorized by all necessary action or proceeding on the part of each
such Person. Each of this Agreement and the Tax Matters Agreement has
been duly executed and delivered by each Berkshire Party and constitutes the
legal, valid and binding obligation of each Berkshire Party, enforceable against
such Person in accordance with its terms (except as enforceability may be
limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or
similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, or by principles governing
the availability of equitable remedies). The other Transaction
Agreements will, as of the Closing, be duly executed and delivered by each
Berkshire Party and will, as of the Closing, constitute the legal, valid and
binding obligations of each Berkshire Party, enforceable against each such
Person in accordance with their respective terms (except as enforceability may
be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or
similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, or by principles governing
the availability of equitable remedies).
SECTION
5.03. General Reinsurance WM Units. General Reinsurance
owns beneficially and of record all of the General Reinsurance WM Units, free
and clear of all Liens, other than Liens arising under this Agreement or any
other Transaction Agreement, under securities Laws of general applicability or
Liens created by White Mountains or any of its Affiliates. As of the
Closing Date, General Reinsurance will have good and valid title to all of the
General Reinsurance WM Units, free and clear of all Liens, other than Liens
arising under this Agreement or any other Transaction Agreement, under
securities Laws of general applicability or Liens created by White Mountains or
any of its Affiliates. Immediately after the Closing, White Mountains
will have good and valid title to all of the General Reinsurance WM Units, free
and clear of all Liens, other than Liens arising under this Agreement or any
other Transaction Agreement, under securities Laws of general applicability or
Liens created by White Mountains or any of its Affiliates.
SECTION
5.04. Tax Opinion. As of the date of this Agreement,
Berkshire Hathaway has, based upon the Tax Representation Letters, received its
Tax Opinion.
21
SECTION
5.05. Tax Basis. General Reinsurance’s aggregate basis
for U.S. federal income Tax purposes in the 1,724,200 common shares of White
Mountains owned by General Reinsurance is, rounded to the nearest dollar, U.S.
$214 per share.
SECTION
5.06. No
Additional Representations.
(a) Each
Berkshire Party acknowledges that, except as set forth in Article IV of
this Agreement, Article VII of the Tax Matters Agreement and the Tax
Representation Letter of White Mountains, none of White Mountains, the Company,
their respective Representatives or any other person has made any representation
or warranty, express or implied, with respect to White Mountains or any of its
Subsidiaries or with respect to any information furnished or made available to
the Berkshire Parties and their respective Representatives in connection with
the transactions contemplated hereby. Each Berkshire Party further
acknowledges that, upon the occurrence of the Closing, General Reinsurance shall
acquire the Company Shares and the Transferred Subsidiaries transferred at such
Closing without any representation or warranty pursuant to the Transaction
Agreements, except as otherwise expressly represented or warranted in Article IV
of this Agreement, Article VII of the Tax Matters Agreement and the Tax
Representation Letter of White Mountains.
(b) Each
Berkshire Party is a sophisticated investor and has such knowledge and
experience in financial and business matters as to be capable of evaluating the
merits of the Transactions. Each Berkshire Party is aware that White
Mountains and its Subsidiaries may be in possession of non-public information
about White Mountains and its Subsidiaries, their respective businesses,
prospects, results of operations and financial condition (the “White Mountains
Information”). Each Berkshire Party understands that a
reasonable investor could consider the White Mountains Information to be
material to an investment decision with respect to the Transactions, including
the sale of the General Reinsurance WM Units. Each Berkshire Party
has freely determined to exchange the General Reinsurance WM Units pursuant to
the terms of this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements for reasons
based on the information it currently possesses, which it deems sufficient,
notwithstanding its lack of access to the White Mountains Information, to inform
its decision to enter into the Transactions.
ARTICLE
VI
COVENANTS
AND AGREEMENTS
SECTION
6.01. Conduct of
Business of the Company and its Subsidiaries.
(a) Except
(i) for the Reorganization, (ii) for the matters set forth in
Section 6.01(a) of the White Mountains Disclosure Schedule, (iii) as
otherwise expressly required or permitted by the terms of this Agreement or any
other Transaction Agreements or (iv) to the extent that Berkshire Hathaway
shall have otherwise given its consent or approval (which consent or approval
shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed), during the period commencing on
the date of this Agreement until the Closing Date, White Mountains shall cause
the Transferred Subsidiaries to conduct their respective businesses in the
usual, regular and ordinary course in substantially the same manner as conducted
as of the date of this Agreement (“Ordinary Course of
Business”) and to use their respective commercially reasonable efforts to
preserve intact the current business organization and operations of the
Transferred Subsidiaries.
22
(b) In
addition to and without limiting the generality of the immediately preceding
sentence, from the date of this Agreement until the Closing Date, except as
required or specifically contemplated by this Agreement or any other Transaction
Agreement or consented to or approved in advance by Berkshire Hathaway, White
Mountains and its Subsidiaries will not, and will not permit the Transferred
Subsidiaries to, do any of the following with respect to the Transferred
Subsidiaries:
(i) declare, set aside, pay or make any dividend or other
distribution or payment (whether in cash, property, securities or otherwise) to
White Mountains or any of its Affiliates, other than the Transferred
Subsidiaries;
(ii) make any investments of cash or cash equivalents, other than in
the Ordinary Course of Business;
(iii) incur any material capital expenditures, other than in the
Ordinary Course of Business;
(iv) incur, assume, guarantee, prepay or otherwise become liable for
any indebtedness for borrowed money (directly, contingently or otherwise), other
than in the Ordinary Course of Business;
(v) purchase or sell any material assets, other than in the Ordinary
Course of Business;
(vi) enter into, modify, amend, terminate or waive in any material way any
rights under any material contracts, other than in the Ordinary Course of
Business;
(vii) hire
any individual who, if hired, would be an Employee, other than any such
individual who is hired in order to replace an Employee whose employment with
the Transferred Subsidiaries terminates on or following the date of this
Agreement;
(viii) enter
into any employment, consulting, special retirement, change of control,
separation, severance or retention agreement with any employee, other than any
such agreement for which White Mountains or its Subsidiaries (other than the
Transferred Subsidiaries) shall be solely liable and which shall not result in
any obligation of, or commitment by, the Berkshire Parties or their
Affiliates;
(ix)
increase the compensation or benefits payable or provided to any employee, other
than (A) any such increases in the Ordinary Course of Business and
(B) any such increases for which White Mountains or its Subsidiaries or
Affiliates (other than the Transferred Subsidiaries) shall be solely liable and,
in the case of the preceding clause (B), which shall not result in any
obligation of, or commitment by, the Berkshire Parties or their
Affiliates;
23
(x) except as required by applicable Law, enter into, adopt or amend
any Transferred Subsidiary Benefit Plan;
(xi) make any change in any method or practice of accounting for
financial reporting, except as required by applicable Law, GAAP or SAP as in
effect from time to time;
(xii) enter
into any transaction with any Affiliate of White Mountains, other than the
Transferred Subsidiaries, other than in the Ordinary Course of
Business;
(xiii) settle
any material Legal Proceedings, other than claims-related Legal Proceedings
settled in the Ordinary Course of Business;
(xiv)
amend any articles of incorporation, bylaws or similar governing documents;
or
(xv) commit
or agree to take any of the foregoing actions.
With
respect to this Section 6.01, the parties understand and acknowledge that
investment decisions that are consistent with the generally applicable
investment policies of White Mountains (including changes to such policies)
shall be deemed to be in the Ordinary Course of Business.
(c) White
Mountains agrees that for a period of one year following the Closing, neither
White Mountains nor any of its Affiliates shall solicit for employment or hire
any Employee; provided, that
general solicitation, including through newspaper or online advertisements not
directed at Employees, shall not be deemed to violate the prohibition on
solicitation contained in this Section 6.01(c); provided further, that the
restrictions set forth in this Section 6.01(c) shall not apply to any
Employee whose employment is terminated involuntarily by the Berkshire Parties
or any of their respective Affiliates upon or following the
Closing.
SECTION
6.02. Access and Information. Prior to the Closing,
except to the extent prohibited by applicable Law, White Mountains will permit
(and will cause the Transferred Subsidiaries to permit) the Representatives of
the Berkshire Parties to have reasonable access during normal business hours and
upon reasonable notice to all premises, properties, personnel, books, records,
contracts, commitments, reports of examination and documents of or pertaining to
the Transferred Subsidiaries as may be necessary to permit the Berkshire Parties
to, at their sole expense, take, or cause to be taken, such actions as the
Berkshire Parties reasonably deem necessary to consummate the Transactions in
accordance with the Transaction Agreements, and White Mountains shall (and shall
cause the Transferred Subsidiaries to) reasonably cooperate in such regard;
provided, however, that such
access does not unreasonably disrupt the normal operations of White Mountains or
the Transferred Subsidiaries.
24
SECTION
6.03. Efforts to Consummate; Further Assurances; Certain
Covenants. At any time and from time to time after the date of
this Agreement, the parties agree to cooperate with each other, to execute and
deliver such other documents and instruments of transfer or assignment, and to
do all such further acts and things as may be reasonably necessary or desirable
to carry out the transactions contemplated hereunder or under any other
Transaction Agreement. Each such party shall, on or prior to the
Closing Date, use its reasonable best efforts to fulfill or obtain the
fulfillment of the conditions precedent to the consummation of the Transactions
as soon as reasonably practicable following the date of this Agreement,
including the execution and delivery of any documents, certificates, instruments
or other papers that are reasonably required for the consummation of the
Transactions, it being understood that, except as otherwise provided in the Tax
Matters Agreement, “reasonable best efforts” includes refraining from entering
into or consummating any transaction that would cause a condition to the Closing
not be satisfied or prevent the consummation of the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing,
each of White Mountains, the Company and the Berkshire Parties agrees to make
all appropriate filings as such party may be required to make with the
Commissioner of Insurance of the State of California, the Cayman Islands
Monetary Authority, the Insurance Commissioner of the State of Delaware and such
other filings as such party may be required to make under the insurance and
other applicable Laws of the insurance department of any jurisdiction in which
such filings are required pursuant to applicable Law. In addition,
prior to the Closing, except to the extent prohibited by applicable Law, each
party hereto shall (a) promptly notify the other parties hereto of any
written communication to such party from any Governmental Authority regarding
the Transactions and permit such other parties to review in advance any proposed
written communication to any such Governmental Authority, and (b) not
participate in any meetings or substantive discussions with any Governmental
Authority regarding the Transactions without offering the other parties hereto a
meaningful opportunity to participate in such meetings or
discussions. Except as otherwise provided in the Tax Matters
Agreement (including Sections 8.03 and 9.03 therein), nothing in this Agreement
shall require Berkshire Hathaway, General Reinsurance, or any of their
Affiliates to, or require any such party to agree to, (i) sell, divest,
hold separate, transfer to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or otherwise
dispose of their assets or businesses in a specified manner or (ii) conduct
their businesses in a specified manner, in each case whether as a condition to
obtaining approval from a Governmental Authority or any other Person or for any
other reason.
SECTION
6.04. Confidentiality.
(a) Subject
to Section 6.04(c), each of White Mountains, on the one hand, and Berkshire
Hathaway, on the other hand, on behalf of themselves and their respective
Affiliates, agrees to hold, and to cause their respective directors, officers,
employees, counsel and other advisors and representatives (“Representatives”) to
hold, in strict confidence, any and all information (“Information”)
concerning the Transferred Subsidiaries or other parties hereto or the terms and
conditions of the Transaction Agreements that is either in its possession
(including Information in its possession prior to the date of this Agreement) or
furnished by such other parties or their respective Representatives at any time
pursuant to this Agreement or any other Transaction Agreement, and shall not use
any such Information other than for such purposes as shall be expressly
permitted hereunder or thereunder; provided, that, the Berkshire
Parties and their Affiliates shall, in their sole and absolute discretion, be
free to disclose or use any Information concerning the Transferred Subsidiaries
following the Closing Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this
Section 6.04 shall not apply to any information in the possession of a
party hereto, and such information shall not constitute “Information”, to the
extent that such information (i) becomes generally known to the public
(other than as a result of a disclosure by such party or any of its
Representatives in violation of this Section 6.04), (ii) becomes
available to such party on a non-confidential basis from a Person other than
another party hereto or its Representatives who is not, to the knowledge of such
party, bound by a confidentiality obligation with respect to such information,
(iii) was already in such party’s possession at the time such information
was disclosed to such party by the other parties hereto or their Representatives
or (iv) was independently generated by such party without use of any
Information of the other parties hereto.
25
(b) Each
receiving party hereto agrees not to release or disclose, or permit to be
released or disclosed, any such Information to any other Person, other than its
Representatives who need to know such Information (who shall be advised of their
obligations hereunder with respect to such Information), except in compliance
with Section 6.04(c); provided, that, the Berkshire
Parties and their Affiliates shall, in their sole and absolute discretion, be
free to disclose or use any Information concerning the Transferred Subsidiaries
following the Closing Date.
(c) In
the event that any receiving party hereto either determines on the advice of its
counsel that it is required to disclose any Information pursuant to applicable
Law (including the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission and insurance regulatory Law) or receives any demand under
lawful process or from any Governmental Authority to disclose or provide
Information of any disclosing party hereto that is subject to the
confidentiality provisions hereof, such receiving party shall notify the
disclosing party prior to disclosing or providing such Information and, unless
the disclosure is made and required (as advised by counsel) on Schedule 13G
or any amendment thereto, shall cooperate at the expense of the
disclosing party in seeking any reasonable protective arrangements
requested by such disclosing party. Subject to the foregoing, the
receiving party may thereafter disclose or provide Information to the extent
required by such applicable Law (including the rules and regulations of the
United States Securities and Exchange Commission and insurance regulatory Law),
as so advised by counsel, or by lawful process of such Governmental
Authority.
SECTION
6.05. Transaction Agreements. Each party hereto agrees
to execute concurrently with the Closing each unexecuted Transaction Agreement
to which it is to be a party in accordance herewith.
SECTION
6.06. Post-Closing Benefits. Effective as of the
Closing, the Berkshire Parties shall establish or otherwise have in effect (or
shall cause one of their respective Subsidiaries to establish or otherwise have
in effect) a defined contribution plan that includes a qualified cash or
deferred arrangement within the meaning of Section 401(k) of the Code (the
“Berkshire 401(k)
Plan”) that will provide benefits to Employees participating in one or
more defined contribution plans of White Mountains or its Affiliates that
include a cash or deferred arrangement within the meaning of Section 401(k)
of the Code (as applicable, the “White Mountains 401(k)
Plan”). Each Employee participating in the White Mountains
401(k) Plan as of the Closing shall become a participant in the Berkshire 401(k)
Plan as of the Closing. The accounts of Employees under the White
Mountains 401(k) Plan shall be distributable according to the terms of the White
Mountains 401(k) Plan. The Berkshire Parties shall cause the
Berkshire 401(k) Plan to accept “direct rollovers” (within the meaning of
Section 401(a)(31) of the Code) of distributions from the White Mountains
401(k) Plan to Employees (but not including direct rollovers of outstanding
loans and any promissory notes or other documents evidencing such loans) if such
rollovers are elected in accordance with the terms of the White Mountains 401(k)
Plan and applicable Law by such Employees, subject to each of White Mountains’
and the Berkshire Parties’ reasonable satisfaction that the White Mountains
401(k) Plan or the Berkshire 401(k) Plan, as applicable, is in compliance with
all applicable Laws, and that such plan continues to satisfy the requirements
for a qualified plan under Section 401(a) of the Code, and that the trust
that forms a part of such plan is exempt from tax under Section 501(a) of
the Code. White Mountains and the Berkshire Parties shall cooperate
with each other (and shall cause the trustees of the White Mountains 401(k) Plan
and the Berkshire 401(k) Plan to cooperate with each other) with respect to the
rollover of the distributions to the Berkshire 401(k) Plan. Upon
completion of a direct rollover of an Employee’s account balances, as described
in this Section 6.06, the Berkshire 401(k) Plan shall be solely responsible
for the account balances transferred in such rollover. In the event
any Employee does not elect to effect such rollover, White Mountains shall
permit such Employee to retain such Employee’s account balances in the White
Mountains 401(k) Plan.
26
SECTION
6.07. Standstill Agreement. During the period
commencing on the date of this Agreement and ending on the second anniversary of
the Closing Date, Berkshire Hathaway shall not, and shall not permit its
Affiliates to, acquire, agree to acquire or make any proposal to acquire, by
purchase or otherwise, ownership of (a) any shares of common stock of White
Mountains, (b) any securities convertible into, or exercisable or
exchangeable for, the shares of common stock of White Mountains (“Convertible WM
Security”) or (c) any other security, including any cash settled
option or other derivative security, that transfers some or all of the economic
risks and/or benefits of ownership of common stock of White Mountains to
Berkshire Hathaway or any of its Affiliates, unless, immediately after any
acquisitions described in clause (a), (b) or (c) of this sentence (or
after giving effect to any such proposed acquisitions), the aggregate number
(without duplication) of (i) shares of common stock of White Mountains
owned by Berkshire Hathaway and its Affiliates, (ii) shares of common stock
of White Mountains issuable in respect of Convertible WM Securities owned by
Berkshire Hathaway and its Affiliates and (iii) shares of common stock of
White Mountains the economic ownership of which is transferred by a derivative
security or otherwise to Berkshire Hathaway and its Affiliates, would not exceed
4.9% of the total issued and outstanding shares of common stock of White
Mountains at such time, and Berkshire Hathaway and its Affiliates hold all
direct and indirect interests in common stock of White Mountains for passive
investment purposes and under circumstances that would permit such ownership to
be reported on Schedule 13G under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, if Berkshire Hathaway and its Affiliates beneficially owned over 5% of
the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of White
Mountains.
27
SECTION
6.08. Assignment of Certain Contracts. White Mountains
shall, and shall cause its Affiliates to, use commercially reasonable efforts to
obtain, effective as of the Closing, all necessary consents to the assignment
and transfer to General Reinsurance or its designated Affiliates of the
contracts listed on Section 6.08 of the White Mountains Disclosure
Schedule, and Berkshire Hathaway shall, and shall cause its Affiliates to, use
commercially reasonable efforts to assist and cooperate in connection
therewith. Upon obtaining the necessary consents, White Mountains,
General Reinsurance and their relevant respective Affiliates shall use
commercially reasonable efforts to execute an assignment and assumption
agreement to effect the transfer, the form of which agreement shall be
reasonably acceptable to White Mountains and General
Reinsurance. Nothing in this Section 6.08 shall require White
Mountains, General Reinsurance or any of their respective Affiliates to pay
money or make any concessions in connection with obtaining such
consents.
SECTION
6.09. Alternative Transactions. White Mountains and the
Company agree that prior to the Closing Date, neither White Mountains nor any of
its Subsidiaries shall, and they shall cause their Representatives not to,
directly or indirectly, (a) enter into any negotiations, discussions or
agreements with any third parties, other than the Berkshire Parties and their
Representatives, with respect to any transaction involving the sale, pledge,
transfer or other disposition of any equity interest in, or any substantial
portion of the assets of, any Transferred Subsidiary, or (b) solicit,
accept, approve or otherwise facilitate any proposals or offers from any third
parties, other than the Berkshire Parties and their Representatives, with
respect to any such transaction. This Section 6.09 shall not in
any way apply to or restrict any transaction relating to (i) White
Mountains or any securities of White Mountains or (ii) any Subsidiary of
White Mountains (other than a Transferred Subsidiary) or any securities of such
Subsidiary, so long as such transaction does not prevent, delay or interfere
with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement.
SECTION
6.10. Notification of Certain
Matters. (a) Prior to the Closing Date, each of
Berkshire Hathaway and White Mountains shall promptly notify the other of the
existence of any fact or the occurrence or non-occurrence of any event of which
it has knowledge that causes or is reasonably likely to cause:
(i) any of such party’s representations or warranties set forth in
Article IV, Article V or the Tax Matters Agreement, as applicable, to be untrue
or incorrect;
(ii) any
of such party’s representations in its Tax Representation Letter to be untrue or
incorrect;
28
(iii) any
of such party’s representations in the request for the IRS Ruling to be untrue
or incorrect; or
(iv) any
of such party’s or its Affiliates’ covenants, conditions or agreements hereunder
or under the Tax Matters Agreement to fail to be satisfied in any material
respect;
provided, in each
case, that no such obligation to notify shall exist with respect to any such
knowledge of facts or events that is obtained by a party pursuant to this
Section 6.10. No such notification shall be deemed to cure any
breach of any representation or warranty made in this Agreement, the Tax Matters
Agreement or the Tax Representation Letters, or to update the Disclosure
Schedule, or to constitute a waiver (whether express or implied) of any
covenant, condition or agreement set forth in this Agreement or the Tax Matters
Agreement.
(b) At
the Closing, unless a Non-Qualification Event has occurred (in which case this
Section 6.10(b) shall not apply), Berkshire Hathaway and White Mountains shall
each deliver to the other a certificate, dated the Closing Date and signed on
behalf of the party delivering such certificate by an authorized officer of such
party, confirming that the representations of such party in the Tax
Representation Letter of such party and in the request for the IRS Ruling were
true and correct as of the date originally made and are true and correct as of
the Closing Date as though made as of the Closing Date (except to the extent
expressly made as of a specified date, in which case as of such specified date),
except as otherwise disclosed in the certificate.
SECTION
6.11. Certain
Financial Information. Prior to the Closing Date, White
Mountains shall also, as soon as reasonably practicable following the
availability thereof, provide the Berkshire Parties with (i) the as filed
statutory balance sheets of each of CCIC and ACIC as of December 31, 2007
and the related statutory statements of operations and statutory statements of
cash flows for the year then ended, together with the notes thereto and
(ii) any quarterly financial statements, including statutory financial
statements, prepared in final form with respect to any of the Transferred
Subsidiaries for periods beginning on or after January 1, 2008.
SECTION
6.12. Post-Closing Cooperation. (a) White
Mountains and the Berkshire Parties shall use commercially reasonable efforts to
cooperate with each other, and shall cause their respective Representatives to
cooperate with each other, for a period of one year after the Closing to ensure
the orderly transition of the Company and its Subsidiaries from White Mountains
to the Berkshire Parties and to minimize any disruption to the Company and its
Subsidiaries and the other respective businesses of White Mountains, the
Berkshire Parties and their respective Affiliates that might result from the
transactions contemplated hereby. After the Closing, upon reasonable
notice, White Mountains and the Berkshire Parties shall use commercially
reasonable efforts to furnish or cause to be furnished to each other and their
respective Representatives access, during normal business hours, to such books,
records, contracts, documents or other information, or assistance, relating to
the Company and its Subsidiaries (to the extent within the control of such
party) as is reasonably necessary for financial reporting, accounting matters or
dispute resolution matters.
29
(b) Each
party shall reimburse the other for reasonable, out-of-pocket costs and expenses
incurred in assisting the other party pursuant to this
Section 6.12. No party shall be required by this
Section 6.12 to take any action that would unreasonably interfere with the
conduct of its business or unreasonably disrupt its normal
operations.
ARTICLE
VII
TAX
MATTERS
SECTION
7.01. Tax Matters. Notwithstanding anything to the
contrary in this Agreement, except as expressly provided in Sections 4.18, 5.04,
6.03, 6.10, 7.02, Article VIII and Article IX, the Tax Matters Agreement and the
Credit Support Agreement, the parties’ sole and exclusive representations,
warranties, agreements or other obligations (including indemnities) with respect
to Tax matters, including the Tax consequences of the Transactions, shall be as
set forth in the Tax Matters Agreement, and in the event of any conflict or
inconsistency between any provision of this Agreement (other than Sections 4.18,
5.04, 6.03, 6.10, 7.02, Article VIII, Article IX and the Credit Support
Agreement) and any provision of the Tax Matters Agreement, the applicable
provision of the Tax Matters Agreement shall govern.
SECTION
7.02. Credit Support for Certain Tax Liabilities. The
parties hereto agree and acknowledge that it is an essential element of this
Agreement for the Berkshire Parties, and the Berkshire Parties are entering into
this Agreement in reliance on the fact that, under certain circumstances (as
generally set forth on Exhibit C attached hereto), White Mountains shall be
required to provide credit support in support of its obligation to indemnify and
hold Berkshire Hathaway, General Reinsurance, the Company and their Affiliates
harmless from General Reinsurance Transaction Taxes allocated to White Mountains
by the Tax Matters Agreement. The parties hereto further agree and
acknowledge that the terms and conditions of such credit support are generally
set forth on Exhibit C attached hereto and, as soon as reasonably practicable
following the date of this Agreement, White Mountains and the Berkshire Parties
shall in good faith negotiate and execute a separate agreement (such agreement,
together with any other agreement or agreements executed in connection
therewith, the “Credit
Support Agreement”) that shall incorporate the terms and conditions set
forth on Exhibit C attached hereto in more definitive
detail. Following the execution of the Credit Support Agreement, if
the provisions of this Section 7.02 in any way conflict or are inconsistent with
the provisions of the Credit Support Agreement, the applicable provisions of the
Credit Support Agreement shall govern.
30
ARTICLE
VIII
CONDITIONS
TO CLOSING
SECTION
8.01. Mutual Conditions. The respective obligations of
each party hereto to consummate the Exchange will be subject to the satisfaction
at or prior to the Closing of each of the following conditions, any of which may
be waived (to the extent such condition may be waived by such party) in
writing:
(a) No
Injunction. No Law, and no injunction or other order issued by
any court or other Governmental Authority of competent jurisdiction or other
legal or regulatory prohibition shall be in effect, in each case that would
prevent the consummation of the Transactions.
(b) Regulatory
Approval. The Transactions shall have received all required
approvals of each of (i) the Commissioner of Insurance of the State of
California, (ii) the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority and (iii) the
Insurance Commissioner of the State of Delaware and any other material mandatory
approvals of other Governmental Authorities shall have been obtained and any
mandatory waiting periods required by Laws observed, in each case subject to no
conditions that would have a material adverse effect on the ability of White
Mountains, the Company or the Berkshire Parties to consummate the Transactions
on the Closing Date.
(c) IRS
Ruling. White Mountains and Berkshire Hathaway shall have
received a private letter ruling from the IRS to the effect that, subject to
customary caveats, the Exchange will result in the Intended Tax-Free Treatment
(the “IRS
Ruling”), and none of White Mountains, Berkshire Hathaway or any of their
respective Affiliates shall have been notified by the IRS that the IRS Ruling
has been withdrawn, invalidated or modified in an adverse manner.
SECTION
8.02. Conditions to the Berkshire Parties’
Obligations. The obligations of the Berkshire Parties to
consummate the Exchange are subject to the satisfaction or waiver of each of the
following further conditions:
(a) (i) The
representations and warranties of White Mountains set forth in
Sections 4.03, 4.07, 4.10, 4.11, 4.12, 4.13, 4.15, 4.16, 4.17 and 4.18
shall be true and correct (without regard to any materiality or material adverse
effect qualifications therein) as of the date of this Agreement (except to the
extent expressly made as of a specified date, in which case as of such specified
date), and (ii) the representations and warranties of White Mountains set
forth in Sections 4.01, 4.02, 4.04, 4.05, 4.06, 4.08, 4.09, 4.14
and 4.19, and Article VII of the Tax Matters Agreement, shall be true and
correct (without regard to any materiality or material adverse effect
qualifications therein) as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing
Date as though made as of the Closing Date (except to the extent expressly made
as of a specified date, in which case as of such specified date), except for
breaches of representations and warranties referenced in clauses (i)
and (ii) that, considered together, would not be material as measured in
relation to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the other
Transaction Agreements, taken as a whole. The Berkshire Parties shall
have received a certificate, dated the Closing Date, signed on behalf of White
Mountains by an authorized officer of White Mountains confirming the
foregoing.
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(b) Each
of White Mountains and the Company shall have performed in all material respects
each obligation and agreement to be performed by it pursuant to the Transaction
Agreements at or prior to the Closing and shall have complied in all material
respects with each covenant required by the Transaction Agreements to be
performed or complied with by it at or prior to the Closing, and the Berkshire
Parties shall have received a certificate, dated the Closing Date, signed on
behalf of White Mountains and the Company by an authorized officer of White
Mountains to such effect.
(c) Prior
to or at the Closing, White Mountains shall have delivered to Berkshire Hathaway
the items to be delivered pursuant to Section 2.03.
(d) The
Reorganization shall have been completed.
SECTION
8.03. Conditions to White Mountains’ Obligations. The
obligations of White Mountains and the Company to consummate the Exchange shall
be subject to the satisfaction or waiver at or prior to the Closing of each of
the following conditions:
(a) (i) The
representations and warranties of the Berkshire Parties set forth in
Section 5.04 shall be true and correct (without regard to any materiality
or material adverse effect qualifications therein) as of the date of this
Agreement (except to the extent expressly made as of a specified date, in which
case as of such specified date), and (ii) the representations and
warranties of the Berkshire Parties set forth in Sections 5.01, 5.02, 5.03
and 5.06 shall be true and correct (without regard to any materiality or
material adverse effect qualifications therein) as of the date of this Agreement
and as of the Closing Date as though made as of the Closing Date (except to the
extent expressly made as of a specified date, in which case as of such specified
date), except for breaches of representations and warranties referenced in
clauses (i) and (ii) that, considered together, would not be material
as measured in relation to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and
the other Transaction Agreements, taken as a whole. White Mountains
shall have received a certificate, dated the Closing Date, signed on behalf of
Berkshire Hathaway by an authorized officer of Berkshire Hathaway confirming the
foregoing.
(b) Each
Berkshire Party shall have performed in all material respects each obligation
and agreement to be performed by it pursuant to the Transaction Agreements at or
prior to the Closing, and shall have complied in all material respects with each
covenant required by the Transaction Agreements to be performed or complied with
by it at or prior to the Closing, and White Mountains shall have received a
certificate, dated the Closing Date, signed on behalf of Berkshire Hathaway by
an authorized officer of Berkshire Hathaway to such effect.
(c) Prior
to or at the Closing, the Berkshire Parties shall have delivered to White
Mountains the items to be delivered pursuant to Section 2.04.
32
SECTION
8.04. Frustration of Closing Conditions. No party may
rely on the failure of any condition set forth in this Article VIII to be
satisfied if such failure was caused by such party’s failure to act in good
faith or to use its reasonable best efforts to cause the Closing to occur as
required by Section 6.03.
ARTICLE
IX
TERMINATION;
OPTION TO REQUIRE CONSUMMATION; REMEDIES
SECTION
9.01. Termination. This Agreement may be terminated at
any time prior to the consummation of the Closing under the following
circumstances:
(a) by
mutual written consent of White Mountains and Berkshire Hathaway;
(b) by
either White Mountains or Berkshire Hathaway at the close of the tenth Business
Day following delivery of a Termination Notice to the other if the Closing shall
not have been consummated on or before December 31, 2008 (the “Termination Date”);
provided that
the right to terminate this Agreement under this Section 9.01(b) shall not
be available to a party if such party has committed an Actionable
Breach;
(c) by
Berkshire Hathaway at the close of the tenth Business Day following delivery of
a Termination Notice to White Mountains if any of the conditions to the Closing
set forth in Section 8.01 or 8.02 shall have become incapable of
fulfillment by the Termination Date and shall not have been waived in writing by
Berkshire Hathaway; provided that the
right to terminate this Agreement under this Section 9.01(c) shall not be
available to Berkshire Hathaway if Berkshire Hathaway has committed an
Actionable Breach;
(d) by
White Mountains at the close of the tenth Business Day following delivery of a
Termination Notice to Berkshire Hathaway if any of the conditions to the Closing
set forth in Section 8.01 or 8.03 shall have become incapable of
fulfillment by the Termination Date and shall not have been waived in writing by
White Mountains; provided that the
right to terminate this Agreement under this Section 9.01(d) shall not be
available to White Mountains if White Mountains has committed an Actionable
Breach;
(e) by
either White Mountains or Berkshire Hathaway at the close of the tenth Business
Day following delivery of a Termination Notice to the other if there shall be in
effect a final, non-appealable order of a court or government administrative
agency of competent jurisdiction permanently prohibiting the consummation of the
Transactions;
(f) by
either White Mountains or Berkshire Hathaway at the close of the tenth Business
Day following delivery of a Termination Notice to the other if the Maximum Cash
Amount is less than U.S. $583,989,600, unless a Non-Qualification Event has
occurred (in which case this Section 9.01(f) shall not apply); provided that the
right to terminate this Agreement under this Section 9.01(f) shall not be
available to a party if such party has committed an Actionable
Breach;
33
(g) by
Berkshire Hathaway if there has been a Material Increase in Tax Risk and
Berkshire Hathaway shall have delivered to White Mountains the Berkshire Tax
Risk Certificate and the Xxxxxx Tax Risk Letter; provided, that the
right to terminate this Agreement under this Section 9.01(g) shall not
become effective until the close of the twentieth Business Day following the
later of (i) the date of delivery by Berkshire Hathaway of the Berkshire
Tax Risk Certificate and the Xxxxxx Tax Risk Letter pursuant to this
Section 9.01(g), and (ii) in the event, within ten Business Days of
White Mountains’ receipt of the Berkshire Tax Risk Certificate and the Xxxxxx
Tax Risk Letter, White Mountains challenges whether there has been a Material
Increase in Tax Risk, the earlier of (A) the date of notice of the
withdrawal of such challenge by White Mountains and (B) the effective date
of a final, non-appealable order of a court of competent jurisdiction
determining that there has been a Material Increase in Tax Risk; provided further that the
right to terminate this Agreement under this Section 9.01(g) shall not be
available to Berkshire Hathaway if Berkshire Hathaway has committed an
Actionable Breach; or
(h) by
White Mountains if there has been a Material Increase in Tax Risk and White
Mountains shall have delivered to Berkshire Hathaway the White Mountains Tax
Risk Certificate and the Cravath Tax Risk Letter; provided, that the
right to terminate this Agreement under this Section 9.01(h) shall not
become effective until the close of the twentieth Business Day following the
later of (i) the date of delivery by White Mountains of the White Mountains
Tax Risk Certificate and the Cravath Tax Risk Letter pursuant to this
Section 9.01(h), and (ii) in the event, within ten Business Days of
Berkshire Hathaway’s receipt of the White Mountains Tax Risk Certificate and the
Cravath Tax Risk Letter, Berkshire Hathaway challenges whether there has been a
Material Increase in Tax Risk, the earlier of (A) the date of notice of the
withdrawal of such challenge by Berkshire Hathaway and (B) the effective
date of a final, non-appealable order of a court of competent jurisdiction
determining that there has been a Material Increase in Tax Risk; provided further that the
right to terminate this Agreement under this Section 9.01(h) shall not be
available to White Mountains if White Mountains has committed an Actionable
Breach.
SECTION
9.02. Options to Require Consummation. Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary in the Transaction Agreements and at any time after the
date of this Agreement until the time specified in the final sentence of this
Section 9.02:
(a) if
Berkshire Hathaway delivers irrevocable notice requiring the consummation of the
Transactions to White Mountains pursuant to this Section 9.02(a), then each
of the parties shall be required to consummate the Transactions, subject to the
satisfaction or waiver of the conditions to Closing set forth in Article VIII
(other than Section 8.01(c), which shall be deemed waived by all parties hereto)
and (ii) Section 2.01(b)(i) or 2.01(b)(iv), as applicable, shall apply;
and
(b) if
White Mountains delivers irrevocable notice requiring the consummation of the
Transactions to Berkshire Hathaway pursuant to this Section 9.02(b), then
(i) each of the parties shall be required to consummate the Transactions,
subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions to Closing set forth in
Article VIII (other than Section 8.01(c), which shall be deemed waived by all
parties hereto) and (ii) Section 2.01(b)(ii) shall apply.
34
The right
to deliver the irrevocable notice requiring consummation of the Transactions
pursuant to this Section 9.02 shall expire upon the earlier of (x)
the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 9.01 and
(y) the Closing; provided that if any
party asserts an Actionable Breach against another party, the allegedly
breaching party shall have the right to deliver the irrevocable notice requiring
consummation of the Transactions pursuant to this Section 9.02, and thus
through the consummation of the Transactions cut off the right of the party
asserting an Actionable Breach to pursue remedies pursuant to Section 9.04,
for a period ending the later of (i) 10 Business Days after
termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 9.01 and
(ii) 20 Business Days after the allegedly breaching party is first
notified by the party asserting an Actionable Breach that it is making such an
assertion, and this Agreement and the Tax Matters Agreement shall be deemed as
and from delivery of such notice to no longer be terminated (except that Section
9.01(b) shall no longer apply).
SECTION
9.03. Effect of Termination. Subject to
Section 9.04, in the event of the termination of this Agreement pursuant to
Section 9.01, this Agreement, except for the provisions of
Sections 6.04, 9.02, 9.04, 11.01, 11.04, 11.05, 11.07, 11.08, 11.09,
11.15 and this Section 9.03, shall become void and have no effect, without
any liability on the part of any party hereto or its directors, officers or
stockholders.
SECTION
9.04. Right to Pursue Remedies; Exclusive
Remedies. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this
Section 9.04, no party shall have the right to pursue remedies under this
Agreement, the Tax Matters Agreement or the Tax Representation
Letters.
(b) If
White Mountains shall have committed an Actionable Breach, then
(i) Berkshire Hathaway shall have the right to pursue all available
remedies with respect to such Actionable Breach and (ii) such right shall
survive the Closing or any termination of this Agreement pursuant to
Section 9.01 unimpaired.
(c) If
Berkshire Hathaway shall have committed an Actionable Breach, then
(i) White Mountains shall have the right to pursue all available remedies
with respect to such Actionable Breach and (ii) such right shall survive
the Closing or any termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 9.01
unimpaired.
(d) Following
the Closing, except as provided in Section 9.04(b) or (c) or in the
case of (i) matters for which the remedy of specific performance,
injunctive relief or other non-monetary equitable remedies are available or
(ii) matters that are explicitly covered in the Tax Matters Agreement, the
sole and exclusive remedy of the parties with respect to any and all claims
arising from any breach of this Agreement or any of the other matters addressed
in Article X shall be pursuant to the indemnification provisions set forth
in Article X.
35
(e) Following
the Closing, except as provided in Section 9.04(b) or (c) or in the case of
matters for which the remedy of specific performance, injunctive relief or other
non-monetary equitable remedies are available, the sole and exclusive remedy of
the Parties with respect to any and all claims arising from any breach of the
Tax Matters Agreement or any of the other matters addressed in Article II of the
Tax Matters Agreement shall be pursuant to the indemnification provisions set
forth in Article II of the Tax Matters Agreement.
ARTICLE
X
INDEMNIFICATION
SECTION
10.01. Survival. The
performance of covenants and agreements contained in this Agreement (other than
covenants and agreements to be performed after the Closing) shall expire on the
Closing Date. The representations and warranties contained in
(a) Sections 4.04, 4.09, 4.14 and the second sentence of
Section 4.08 shall survive the Closing and continue in full force and
effect for the twelve (12) month period immediately following the Closing Date
(the “Survival End
Date”). The representations and warranties contained in
Sections 4.01, 4.02, 4.05, 4.06, 4.19, 5.01, 5.02, 5.03 and 5.06 shall
survive in perpetuity with respect only to the matters addressed
therein. For purposes of this Article X, the representations and
warranties contained in Sections 4.01, 4.02, 4.04, 4.05, 4.06, 4.09, 4.14,
4.19 and the second sentence of Section 4.08 shall be referred to,
collectively, as the “White Mountains Specified
Representations”, and the representations and warranties contained in
Sections 5.01, 5.02, 5.03 and 5.06 shall be referred to, collectively, as the
“Berkshire Specified
Representations”. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if notice of
a claim has been given in accordance with Section 10.02(c) prior to
(a) with respect to a representation or warranty, the expiration of such
representation or warranty, (b) with respect to a covenant or agreement to
be performed on or prior to the Closing, the Survival End Date or (c) with
respect to a covenant or agreement to be performed after the Closing, the
one-year anniversary of the date on which such covenant or agreement is to be
performed, then such representation, warranty, covenant or agreement shall
survive as to such claim, until such claim has been finally
resolved.
SECTION
10.02. General Indemnification. (a) By White
Mountains. From and after the Closing, White Mountains shall
indemnify, save and hold harmless the Berkshire Parties and their Affiliates,
successors and permitted assigns and each of the foregoing’s respective
directors, officers, employees and agents (collectively, the “Berkshire Indemnified
Parties”) from and against any and all Damages suffered or incurred by
any such party to the extent arising out of or resulting from, without
duplication: (i) the breach of any White Mountains Specified
Representations without giving any effect to any materiality or material adverse
effect qualifications therein, or (ii) the breach of any covenant or
agreement of this Agreement to be performed by White Mountains or the breach of
any covenant or agreement of this Agreement to be performed by any Transferred
Subsidiary on or prior to the Closing (other than a breach of Section 6.10
that relates to a representation or a warranty that does not survive the
Closing); provided that, White
Mountains shall not have any obligation hereunder with respect to any breach set
forth in (i) or (ii) above unless the Berkshire Indemnified Parties
have made a claim for indemnification pursuant to Section 10.02(c)
(x) with respect to a breach of a White Mountains Specified Representation,
prior to the expiration of such representation or warranty as set forth in
Section 10.01, (y) with respect to a breach of a covenant or agreement
to be performed on or prior to the Closing, prior to the Survival End Date, and
(z) with respect to a breach of a covenant or agreement to be performed
after the Closing, during the twelve (12) month period immediately
following the date on which such covenant or agreement is to be
performed.
36
(b) By the Berkshire
Parties. From and after the Closing, the Berkshire Parties
shall jointly indemnify, save and hold harmless White Mountains and its
Affiliates, successors and permitted assigns and each of the foregoing’s
respective directors, officers, employees and agents (collectively, the “White Mountains Indemnified
Parties”) from and against any and all Damages suffered or incurred by
any such party to the extent arising out of or resulting from, without
duplication: (i) the breach of any Berkshire Specified Representations
without giving any effect to any materiality or material adverse effect
qualifications therein, or (ii) the breach of any covenant or agreement of
this Agreement by the Berkshire Parties or the breach of any covenant or
agreement of this Agreement to be performed by any Transferred Subsidiary after
the Closing (other than a breach of Section 6.10 that relates to a
representation or a warranty that does not survive the Closing); provided that,
neither Berkshire Party shall have any obligation hereunder with respect to any
breach set forth in (i) or (ii) above unless the White Mountains
Indemnified Parties have made a claim for indemnification pursuant to
Section 10.02(c) (x) with respect to a breach of a Berkshire Specified
Representation, prior to the expiration of such representation or warranty as
set forth in Section 10.01, (y) with respect to a breach of a covenant
or agreement to be performed at or prior to the Closing, prior to the Survival
End Date, and (z) with respect to a breach of a covenant or agreement to be
performed after the Closing, during the twelve (12) month period
immediately following the date on which such covenant or agreement is to be
performed.
(c) Procedure. Any
party seeking indemnification under this Section 10.02 (an “Indemnified Party”)
shall give the party from whom indemnification is being sought (an “Indemnifying Party”)
notice of any matter which such Indemnified Party has determined has given or
could give rise to a right of indemnification under this Agreement as soon as
practicable after the party entitled to indemnification becomes aware of any
fact, condition or event which may give rise to Damages for which
indemnification may be sought under this Section 10.02. The
liability of an Indemnifying Party under this Section 10.02 with respect to
Damages arising from claims of any third party which are subject to the
indemnification provided for in this Section 10.02 (“Third Party Claims”)
shall be governed by and contingent upon the following additional terms and
conditions: if an Indemnified Party shall receive notice of any Third Party
Claim, the Indemnified Party shall give the Indemnifying Party notice of such
Third Party Claim within twenty (20) days of the receipt by the Indemnified
Party of such notice; provided, however, that the
failure to provide such notice shall not release the Indemnifying Party from any
of its obligations under this Section 10.02, except to the extent the
Indemnifying Party is materially prejudiced by such failure. The
Indemnifying Party shall not be liable for any expenses incurred by the
Indemnified Party during the period in which the Indemnified Party failed to
give such notice. Thereafter, the Indemnified Party shall deliver to
the Indemnifying Party, promptly following the Indemnified Party’s receipt
thereof, copies of all notices and documents (including court papers) received
by the Indemnified Party relating to the Third Party Claim. The
Indemnifying Party shall be entitled to
37
assume
and control the defense of such Third Party Claim at its expense and through
counsel of its choice if it gives notice of its intention to do so to the
Indemnified Party within thirty (30) days of the receipt of such notice
from the Indemnified Party; provided, however, that if
there exists a material conflict of interest (other than one that is of a
monetary nature) that would make it inappropriate for the same counsel to
represent both the Indemnified Party and the Indemnifying Party, then the
Indemnified Party shall be entitled to retain its own counsel, at the expense of
the Indemnifying Party; provided further that the
Indemnifying Party shall not be obligated to pay the reasonable fees and
expenses of more than one separate counsel for all Indemnified Parties, taken
together (except to the extent that local counsel are necessary or advisable for
the conduct of such Proceeding, in which case the Indemnifying Party shall also
pay the reasonable fees and expenses of any such local counsel). If
the Indemnifying Party shall not assume the defense of any Third Party Claim or
litigation resulting therefrom, the Indemnified Party may defend against such
claim or litigation in such manner as it may deem appropriate; provided, however, that it
shall act reasonably and in good faith and shall not admit any liability with
respect to, or settle, compromise or discharge, such Third Party Claim without
the Indemnifying Party’s prior written consent, which consent shall not be
unreasonably withheld. In the event the Indemnifying Party exercises
the right to undertake any such defense against any such Third Party Claim as
provided above, the Indemnified Party shall cooperate with the Indemnifying
Party in such defense and make available to the Indemnifying Party all
witnesses, pertinent records, materials and information in the Indemnified
Party’s possession or under the Indemnified Party’s control relating thereto as
is reasonably required by the Indemnifying Party. Similarly, in the
event the Indemnified Party is, directly or indirectly, conducting the defense
against any such Third Party Claim, the Indemnifying Party shall cooperate with
the Indemnified Party in such defense and make available to the Indemnified
Party all such witnesses, records, materials and information in the Indemnifying
Party’s possession or under the Indemnifying Party’s control relating thereto as
is reasonably required by the Indemnified Party. The Indemnifying
Party shall not, without the written consent of the Indemnified Party,
(i) settle or compromise any Third Party Claim or consent to the entry of
any judgment which does not include an unconditional written release by the
claimant or plaintiff of the Indemnified Party from all liability in respect of
such Third Party Claim or (ii) settle or compromise any Third Party Claim
if the settlement imposes equitable remedies or material obligations on the
Indemnified Party other than financial obligations for which such Indemnified
Party will be indemnified hereunder. No Third Party Claim which is
being defended in good faith by the Indemnifying Party in accordance with the
terms of this Agreement shall be settled or compromised by the Indemnified Party
without the written consent of the Indemnifying Party.
(d) Definition of
Damages. The term “Damages” means any
actual costs, losses, Taxes, liabilities, obligations, damages, deficiencies,
claims, demands and expenses (whether or not arising out of a Third Party
Claim), including reasonable attorneys’ fees, and all amounts paid in
investigation, defense or settlement of any of the
foregoing. Notwithstanding any provision herein, Damages shall not
include any special, indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive damages,
unless such damages are paid in connection with a Third Party
Claim.
38
(e) Payment
for indemnification obligations arising under this Section 10.02 shall be
subject to the limitations set forth in Section 10.03.
SECTION
10.03. Limits on Indemnification. Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement:
(a) no
amount shall be payable by White Mountains pursuant to Section 10.02(a)(i)
until the aggregate amount of all claims for Damages that are indemnifiable
pursuant to Section 10.02(a)(i) exceeds U.S. $4,000,000, and then only for
the amount by which such Damages exceed such threshold amount; provided that, the
above minimum threshold amount shall not apply to Damages resulting from or
arising out of the breach of the representations and warranties of White
Mountains contained in Sections 4.01, 4.02, 4.05, 4.06 and 4.19, which breaches
shall be indemnified against in their entirety (and shall not count for purposes
of determining whether Damages have exceeded the minimum threshold amount set
forth above);
(b) no
amount shall be payable by the Berkshire Parties pursuant to
Section 10.02(b)(i) until the aggregate amount of all claims for Damages
that are indemnifiable pursuant to Section 10.02(b)(i) exceeds U.S.
$4,000,000, and then only for the amount by which such Damages exceed such
threshold amount; provided that, the
above minimum threshold amount shall not apply to Damages resulting from or
arising out of the breach of the representations and warranties of the Berkshire
Parties contained in Sections 5.01, 5.02, 5.03 and 5.06, which breaches shall be
indemnified against in their entirety (and shall not count for purposes of
determining whether Damages have exceeded the minimum threshold amount set forth
above);
(c) the
maximum aggregate amount of Damages for which indemnity may be recovered by the
Berkshire Indemnified Parties pursuant to Section 10.02(a)(i) shall be an
amount equal to U.S. $85,000,000; provided that, the
above maximum cap amount shall not apply to Damages resulting from or arising
out of the breach of the representations and warranties of White Mountains
contained in Sections 4.01, 4.02, 4.05, 4.06 and 4.19, which breaches shall be
indemnified against in their entirety (and shall not count for purposes of
determining whether Damages have exceeded the maximum aggregate amount set forth
above); and
(d) the
maximum aggregate amount of Damages for which indemnity may be recovered by the
White Mountains Indemnified Parties pursuant to Section 10.02(b)(i) shall
be an amount equal to U.S. $85,000,000; provided that, the
above maximum cap amount shall not apply to Damages resulting from or arising
out of the breach of the representations and warranties of the Berkshire Parties
contained in Sections 5.01, 5.02, 5.03 and 5.06, which breaches shall be
indemnified against in their entirety (and shall not count for purposes of
determining whether Damages have exceeded the maximum aggregate amount set forth
above).
39
ARTICLE
XI
MISCELLANEOUS
SECTION
11.01. Notices. All notices, requests and other
communications to any party hereunder shall be in writing (including facsimile
transmission) and shall be given:
If to any
of the Berkshire Parties, to:
Berkshire
Hathaway Inc.
0000
Xxxxxx Xxxxx
Xxxxx,
Xxxxxxxx 00000
Attention: Chief
Financial Officer
Facsimile: (000) 000-0000
with a
copy to:
Xxxxxx,
Xxxxxx & Xxxxx LLP
000 Xxxxx
Xxxxx Xxxxxx, 00xx Xxxxx
Xxx
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000
Attention: Xxxxxx
X. Xxxxxx
Facsimile: (000) 000-0000
If to
White Mountains or the Company, to:
White
Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd.
00 Xxxxx
Xxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx,
Xxx Xxxxxxxxx 00000
Attention: Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx, General Counsel
Facsimile: (000) 000-0000
with a
copy to:
Cravath,
Swaine & Xxxxx LLP
Worldwide
Plaza
000
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx,
Xxx Xxxx 00000
Attention: Xxxxxx
X. Xxxxxxx
Facsimile: (000) 000-0000
or to
such other address or facsimile number as such party may hereafter specify for
the purpose by notice to the other parties hereto. All notices and
other communications given to a party in accordance with the provisions of this
Agreement shall be deemed to have been given (i) when delivered by hand or
transmitted by telecopy (answer back received), if received prior to 5:00 P.M.
on a Business Day, otherwise on the next Business Day, or (ii) one Business
Day after the same are sent by a reliable overnight courier service, with
acknowledgment of receipt requested.
40
SECTION
11.02. No Third-Party Beneficiaries. Other than as
provided in Section 11.06, this Agreement is not intended to confer any
rights or remedies upon any Person other than the parties hereto.
SECTION
11.03. Enforcement. The parties hereto agree that prior
to the Closing, money damages or other remedies at law would not be sufficient
or adequate remedy for any breach or violation of, or default under, this
Agreement by them and that in addition to all other remedies available to them
prior to the Closing, each of them shall, prior to the Closing, be entitled to
the fullest extent permitted by Law to an injunction restraining such breach,
violation or default and to other equitable relief, including specific
performance, without bond or other security being required.
SECTION
11.04. Amendments; Waivers.
(a) Any
provision of this Agreement may be amended or waived if, but only if, such
amendment or waiver is in writing and is signed, in the case of an amendment, by
each party to this Agreement, or in the case of a waiver, by the party against
whom the waiver is to be effective. For the avoidance of doubt, any
provision of any Exhibit to this Agreement may be amended if, but only if, such
amendment is in writing and is signed by each party to this
Agreement.
(b) No
failure or delay by any party in exercising any right, power or privilege
hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof nor shall any single or partial
exercise thereof preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise
of any other right, power or privilege. Except as otherwise provided
herein, the rights and remedies herein provided shall be cumulative and not
exclusive of any rights or remedies provided by applicable Law.
(c) Any
consent provided under this Agreement must be in writing, signed by the party
against whom enforcement of such consent is sought.
SECTION
11.05. Expenses. Regardless of whether the Transactions
are consummated, except as otherwise expressly provided herein, each of the
parties hereto shall pay its own expenses incident to this Agreement, the other
Transaction Agreements and the consummation of the Transactions (including legal
fees and filing fees).
SECTION
11.06. Successors and Assigns. The provisions of this
Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto
and their respective successors and permitted assigns. None of the
parties hereto shall be permitted to assign its rights or obligations under this
Agreement to any Person without the prior written consent of the other parties
hereto.
SECTION
11.07. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed
by, and construed in accordance with, the Laws of the State of New York
applicable to agreements made and to be performed entirely within such State,
without regard to the conflicts of law principles of such State.
41
SECTION
11.08. Jurisdiction. Any suit, action or proceeding
seeking to enforce any provision of, or based on any matter arising out of or in
connection with, this Agreement or the Transactions will be brought exclusively
in the state courts of the State of New York located in New York,
New York, or in the U.S. federal courts located in the State of
New York. Each of the parties hereby consents to personal
jurisdiction in any such action, suit or proceeding brought in any such court
(and of the appropriate appellate courts therefrom) and irrevocably waives, to
the fullest extent permitted by Law, any objection that it may now or hereafter
have to the laying of the venue of any such suit, action or proceeding in any
such court or that any such suit, action or proceeding brought in any such court
has been brought in an inconvenient forum. Process in any such suit,
action or proceeding may be served on any party anywhere in the world, whether
within or without the jurisdiction of any such court. Without
limiting the foregoing, each party agrees that service of process on such party
as provided in Section 11.01 shall be deemed effective service of process
on such party.
SECTION
11.09. WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO
HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING
ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS.
SECTION
11.10. Counterparts; Effectiveness. This Agreement may
be executed in two or more counterparts, all of which shall be considered the
same agreement. Signature pages from separate identical counterparts
may be combined with the same effect as if the parties signing such signature
page had signed the same counterpart. This Agreement shall become
effective when each party hereto shall have received counterparts hereof signed
by all of the other parties hereto.
SECTION
11.11. Interpretation. When a reference is made in this
Agreement to Exhibits, Schedules, Articles or Sections, such reference shall be
to an Exhibit, Schedule, Article or Section to this Agreement unless
otherwise indicated. The words “include,” “includes,” “included” and
“including,” when used herein, shall be deemed in each case to be followed by
the words “without limitation.” The words “close of business” shall
be deemed to mean 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on the date
specified. The words “hereof,” “herein,” “hereby” and “hereunder” and
words of similar import, when used in this Agreement, shall refer to this
Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this
Agreement. The term “or” is not exclusive and means “and/or” unless
the context in which such phrase is used shall dictate otherwise. The
word “extent” in the phrase “to the extent” shall mean the degree to which a
subject or other such thing extends, and such phrase shall not mean simply “if”
unless the context in which such phrase is used shall dictate
otherwise. The definitions contained in this Agreement are applicable
to the singular as well as the plural forms of such terms, and to the masculine
as well as to the feminine and neuter genders of such terms. The
table of contents and Article and Section 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 context may
require, any pronoun shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine and
neuter forms. Any reference in this Agreement to a Person shall be
deemed to be a reference to such Person and any successor (by merger,
consolidation, transfer or otherwise) to all or substantially all its
assets.
42
SECTION
11.12. Captions. The captions herein are included for
convenience of reference only and shall be ignored in the construction or
interpretation hereof.
SECTION
11.13. Disclosure Schedules. When a reference is made
in this Agreement to a party’s Disclosure Schedule, such reference shall be to
the Disclosure Schedule delivered or deemed delivered herewith on the date of
this Agreement by the appropriate party, and not to any supplement to, or change
or modification of, such Disclosure Schedule. The information set
forth in one section of a Disclosure Schedule will be deemed to be included in
all other relevant sections of such Disclosure Schedule to the extent that the
relevancy of such information to such other sections of the Disclosure Schedule
is readily apparent from the information so disclosed.
SECTION
11.14. Entire Agreement. This Agreement (including the
Schedules and Exhibits attached hereto or delivered in connection herewith) and
the other Transaction Agreements constitute the entire agreement among the
parties hereto with respect to the matters covered hereby and thereby, and all
written or oral agreements, representations, warranties or covenants previously
existing between the parties with respect to such subject matter are cancelled
and are not part of this Agreement or the other Transaction
Agreements.
SECTION
11.15. Publicity; Public Announcements. White Mountains
and Berkshire Hathaway will reasonably cooperate with each other in connection
with the issuance of mutually acceptable press releases to be issued on or
promptly after the date of execution hereof announcing the execution of this
Agreement. Each of White Mountains and Berkshire Hathaway agrees not
to, and to cause each of their respective Affiliates not to, issue, or cause or
permit to be issued, any press release or other public statement regarding this
Agreement or the Transactions without the prior written consent of the other,
except, if, in the reasonable judgment of the party seeking to disclose, such
release or statement is required by applicable Law (including the rules and
regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission) or by any
securities exchange or association on which such Person’s securities are listed
or traded (including pursuant to any listing agreement), in which case the party
required to make the release or announcement shall allow the other party
reasonable time to comment on such release or announcement (so as to confirm the
accuracy of any statements therein regarding such other party, among other
things) and thereafter the party required to make the release or announcement is
permitted to make such release or announcement.
SECTION
11.16. Severability. If any term, provision, covenant
or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or
other authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the
terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Agreement shall remain in
full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated,
so long as the economic or legal substance of the Transactions is not affected
in any manner materially adverse to any party. Upon such
determination, the parties shall negotiate in good faith to modify this
Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as
possible in an acceptable manner in order that the Transactions be consummated
as originally contemplated to the fullest extent possible.
43
SECTION
11.17. No Strict
Construction. Each party hereto acknowledges that this
Agreement has been prepared jointly by the parties hereto and shall not be
strictly construed against any party hereto.
[THIS
SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]
44
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly
executed by their respective authorized officers as of the day and year first
above written.
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC., | |||
|
By:
|
/s/ Xxxx X. Hamburg | |
Name: Xxxx X. Hamburg | |||
Title: Chief Financial Officer | |||
GENERAL REINSURANCE CORPORATION, | |||
|
By:
|
/s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx, Xx. | |
Name: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx, Xx. | |||
Title: Chief Financial Officer | |||
WHITE MOUNTAINS INSURANCE GROUP, LTD., | |||
|
By:
|
/s/ Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx | |
Name: Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx | |||
Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | |||
RAILSPLITTER HOLDINGS CORPORATION, | |||
|
By:
|
/s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxxxx | |
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxxxx | |||
Title: Authorized Signatory | |||
45