SECOND LIEN CREDIT AGREEMENT Dated as of September 28, 2012 among MEMC ELECTRONIC MATERIALS, INC., as Borrower, GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA, as Administrative Agent, Sole Lead Arranger and Sole Syndication Agent, GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA and DEUTSCHE BANK...
Exhibit 10.1
Dated as of September 28, 2012
among
MEMC ELECTRONIC MATERIALS, INC.,
as Borrower,
as Borrower,
XXXXXXX XXXXX BANK USA,
as Administrative Agent, Sole Lead Arranger and Sole Syndication Agent,
as Administrative Agent, Sole Lead Arranger and Sole Syndication Agent,
XXXXXXX SACHS BANK USA
and
DEUTSCHE BANK SECURITIES INC.,
as Joint Bookrunnners,
as Joint Bookrunnners,
DEUTSCHE BANK SECURITIES INC.
as Documentation Agent
as Documentation Agent
and
The Lenders Party Hereto
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section | Page | ||
ARTICLE 1 DEFINITIONS AND ACCOUNTING TERMS | |||
Section 1.01 | Defined Terms | 1 | |
Section 1.02 | Other Interpretive Provisions | 1 | |
Section 1.03 | Accounting Terms | 28 | |
Section 1.04 | Rounding | 29 | |
Section 1.05 | Times of Day | 29 | |
ARTICLE II THE COMMITMENTS AND BORROWINGS | |||
Section 2.01 | Loans | 29 | |
Section 2.02 | Borrowings, Conversions and Continuations of Loans | 30 | |
Section 2.03 | [RESERVED] | 31 | |
Section 2.04 | [RESERVED] | 31 | |
Section 2.05 | Prepayments | 31 | |
Section 2.06 | [RESERVED] | 34 | |
Section 2.07 | Repayment of Loans | 34 | |
Section 2.08 | Interest | 34 | |
Section 2.09 | Fees | 35 | |
Section 2.10 | Computation of Interest and Fees; Retroactive Adjustments of Applicable Rate | 35 | |
Section 2.11 | Evidence of Debt | 36 | |
Section 2.12 | Payments Generally; Administrative Agent's Clawback | 36 | |
Section 2.13 | Sharing of Payments by Lenders | 37 | |
ARTICLE III TAXES, YIELD PROTECTION AND ILLEGALITY | |||
Section 3.01 | Taxes | 38 | |
Section 3.02 | Illegality | 43 | |
Section 3.03 | Inability to Determine Rates | 43 | |
Section 3.04 | Increased Costs | 43 | |
Section 3.05 | Compensation for Losses | 45 | |
Section 3.06 | Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders | 46 | |
Section 3.07 | Survival | 46 | |
ARTICLE IV CONDITIONS PRECENT TO CLOSING AND BORROWING | |||
Section 4.01 | Conditions Precedent to the Closing Date | 46 | |
ARTICLE V REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES | |||
Section 5.01 | Existence, Qualification and Power | 51 | |
Section 5.02 | Authorization; No Contravention | 51 | |
Section 5.03 | Governmental Authorization; Other Consents | 51 | |
Section 5.04 | Binding Effect | 52 |
Section | Page | ||
Section 5.05 | Financial Statements; No Material Adverse Effect | 52 | |
Section 5.06 | Litigation | 52 | |
Section 5.07 | No Default | 52 | |
Section 5.08 | Ownership of Property; Liens | 53 | |
Section 5.09 | Environmental Compliance | 53 | |
Section 5.10 | Insurance | 54 | |
Section 5.11 | Taxes | 54 | |
Section 5.12 | ERISA Compliance | 54 | |
Section 5.13 | Subsidiaries; Equity Interests | 55 | |
Section 5.14 | Margin Regulations; Investment Company Act | 55 | |
Section 5.15 | Disclosure | 55 | |
Section 5.16 | Compliance with Laws | 56 | |
Section 5.17 | Taxpayer Identification Number | 56 | |
Section 5.18 | Intellectual Property; LIcenses, Etc. | 56 | |
Section 5.19 | Solvency | 56 | |
Section 5.20 | Security Documents | 56 | |
Section 5.21 | PATRIOT Act | 57 | |
ARTICLE VI AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS | |||
Section 6.01 | Financial Statements | 57 | |
Section 6.02 | Certificates; Other Information | 58 | |
Section 6.03 | Notices | 60 | |
Section 6.04 | Payment of Obligations | 61 | |
Section 6.05 | Preservation of Existence, Etc. | 61 | |
Section 6.06 | Maintenance of Properties | 61 | |
Section 6.07 | Maintenance of Insurance | 61 | |
Section 6.08 | Compliance with Laws | 61 | |
Section 6.09 | Compliance with Environmental Laws | 62 | |
Section 6.10 | Books and Records | 62 | |
Section 6.11 | Inspection Rights | 62 | |
Section 6.12 | Use of Proceeds | 63 | |
Section 6.13 | Additional Subsidiary Guarantors and Grantors | 63 | |
Section 6.14 | Additional Collateral | 65 | |
Section 6.15 | Material Contracts | 66 | |
Section 6.16 | Further Assurances | 66 | |
Section 6.17 | Post-Closing Matters | 66 | |
Section 6.18 | Lenders Meetings | 67 | |
Section 6.19 | Maintenance of Ratings | 67 | |
ARTICLE VII NEGATIVE COVENANTS | |||
Section 7.01 | Liens | 68 | |
Section 7.02 | Investments | 70 | |
Section 7.03 | Indebtedness | 73 |
Section | Page | ||
Section 7.04 | Fundamental Changes | 77 | |
Section 7.05 | Dispositions | 77 | |
Section 7.06 | Restricted Payments | 79 | |
Section 7.07 | Change in Nature of Business | 79 | |
Section 7.08 | Transactions with Affiliates | 79 | |
Section 7.09 | Burdensome Agreements | 80 | |
Section 7.10 | Use of Proceeds | 80 | |
Section 7.11 | Financial Covenants | 80 | |
Section 7.12 | Amendments to Organization Documents | 81 | |
Section 7.13 | Accounting Changes | 81 | |
Section 7.14 | Prepayments of Indebtedness | 81 | |
Section 7.15 | Amendment of Indebtedness | 81 | |
ARTICLE VIII EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES | |||
Section 8.01 | Events of Default | 82 | |
Section 8.02 | Remedies Upon Event of Default | 84 | |
Section 8.03 | Application of Funds | 84 | |
ARTICLE IX AGENTS | |||
Section 9.01 | Appointment and Authority | 85 | |
Section 9.02 | Rights as a Lender | 85 | |
Section 9.03 | Exculpatory Provisions | 85 | |
Section 9.04 | Reliance by Administrative Agent | 86 | |
Section 9.05 | Delegation of Duties | 87 | |
Section 9.06 | Resignation of Administrative Agent | 87 | |
Section 9.07 | Non-Reliance on Agents and Other Lenders | 88 | |
Section 9.08 | No Other Duties, Etc. | 88 | |
Section 9.09 | Administrative Agent May File Proofs of Claim | 88 | |
Section 9.10 | Collateral and Guaranty Matters | 89 | |
Section 9.11 | Withholding Taxes | 90 | |
ARTICLE X MISCELLANEOUS | |||
Section 10.01 | Amendments, Etc. | 90 | |
Section 10.02 | Notices; Effectiveness; Electronic Communication | 92 | |
Section 10.03 | No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies; Enforcement | 94 | |
Section 10.04 | Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver | 94 | |
Section 10.05 | Payments Set Aside | 96 | |
Section 10.06 | Successors and Assigns | 96 | |
Section 10.07 | Treatment of Certain Information; Confidentiality | 100 | |
Section 10.08 | Right of Setoff | 101 | |
Section 10.09 | Interest Rate Limitation | 101 | |
Section 10.10 | Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness | 102 |
Section | Page | ||
Section 10.11 | Survival of Representations and Warranties | 102 | |
Section 10.12 | Severability | 102 | |
Section 10.13 | Replacement of Lenders | 102 | |
Section 10.14 | Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Etc. | 103 | |
Section 10.15 | Waiver of Jury Trial | 104 | |
Section 10.16 | No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility | 105 | |
Section 10.17 | Electronic Execution of Assignments and Certain Other Documents | 105 | |
Section 10.18 | PATRIOT Act | 105 | |
Section 10.19 | Intercreditor Agreement | 106 |
SCHEDULES
1.01(a) Mortgaged Real Property
2.01 Commitments and Applicable Percentages
5.13 Subsidiaries; Other Equity Investments; Equity Interests in the Company
6.17 Specified Deposit Accounts
7.01 Existing Liens
7.02 Existing Investments
7.03 Existing Indebtedness
10.02 Administrative Agent’s Office; Certain Addresses for Notices
EXHIBITS
Form of
A Borrowing Notice
B Note
C Compliance Certificate
D-1 Assignment and Assumption
D-2 Administrative Questionnaire
E Pledge and Security Agreement
F Guaranty Agreement
G Opinion
H Intercreditor Agreement
I Perfection Certificate
This SECOND LIEN CREDIT AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) is entered into as of September 28, 2012, among MEMC ELECTRONIC MATERIALS, INC., a Delaware corporation (the “Borrower”), each lender from time to time party hereto (collectively, the “Lenders” and individually, a “Lender”), XXXXXXX XXXXX BANK USA, as Administrative Agent, Sole Lead Arranger and Sole Syndication Agent, and XXXXXXX SACHS BANK USA and DEUTSCHE BANK SECURITIES INC., as Joint Bookrunners.
RECITALS:
WHEREAS, Lenders have agreed to extend Loans to the Borrower in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $200,000,000, the proceeds of which will be used for incremental liquidity and general corporate purposes of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, including payment of fees and expenses in connection with the closing of the transactions contemplated hereunder;
WHEREAS, the Borrower has agreed to secure all of its Obligations by granting to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, a Second Priority Lien on substantially all of its assets, including a pledge of all the Equity Interests of each of its Domestic Subsidiaries and 66% of the voting Equity Interests of First-Tier Foreign Subsidiaries; and
WHEREAS, the Guarantors have agreed to guarantee the Obligations of the Borrower hereunder and to secure their respective Obligations by granting to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, a Second Priority Lien on substantially all of their respective assets, including a pledge of all the Equity Interests of each of their respective Domestic Subsidiaries and 66% of the voting Equity Interests of each of their respective First-Tier Foreign Subsidiaries.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the agreements, provisions and covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE IDEFINITIONS AND ACCOUNTING TERMS
Section 1.01 Defined Terms. As used in this Agreement and the recitals hereto, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:
“Administrative Agent” means Xxxxxxx Xxxxx in its capacity as administrative agent under any of the Loan Documents, or any successor administrative agent.
“Administrative Agent’s Office” means, the Administrative Agent’s address and, as appropriate, account as set forth on Schedule 10.02, or such other address or account as the Administrative Agent may from time to time notify to the Borrower and the Lenders.
“Administrative Questionnaire” means an administrative questionnaire in substantially the form of Exhibit D-2 or any other form approved by the Administrative Agent.
“Affiliate” means, with respect to any Person, another Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, Controls or is Controlled by or is under common Control with the Person specified.
“Agent” means each of (i) the Administrative Agent, (ii) Syndication Agent, (iii) Documentation Agent, (iv) bookrunner, (v) Arranger and (vi) any other Person appointed under the Loan Documents to serve in an agent or similar capacity.
“Aggregate Commitments” means the Commitments of all the Lenders. The amount of the Aggregate Commitments in effect on the Closing Date is $200,000,000.
“Agreement” means this Second Lien Credit Agreement.
“Applicable Percentage” means, with respect to any Lender at any time, the percentage (carried out to the ninth decimal place) of the Total Outstandings represented by such Lender at such time. The initial Applicable Percentage of each Lender is set forth opposite the name of such Lender on Schedule 2.01 or in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender becomes a party hereto, as applicable.
“Applicable Rate” means a percentage per annum equal to (i) for Eurocurrency Rate Loans, 9.25% and (ii) for Base Rate Loans, 8.25%.
“Approved Bank” has the meaning specified in the definition of Cash Equivalents.
“Approved Fund” means any Fund that is administered or managed by (a) a Lender, (b) an Affiliate of a Lender or (c) an entity or an Affiliate of an entity that administers or manages a Lender.
“Arranger” means Xxxxxxx Sachs in its capacity as sole lead arranger.
“Asset Sale” means a sale, lease or sub‑lease (as lessor or sublessor), sale and leaseback, assignment, conveyance, exclusive license (as licensor or sublicensor), transfer or other Disposition to, or any exchange of property with, any Person (other than the Borrower or any Guarantor), in one transaction or a series of transactions, of all or any part of the Borrower’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ businesses, assets or properties of any kind, whether real, personal, or mixed and whether tangible or intangible, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, leased or licensed, including the Equity Interests of any of the Borrower’s Subsidiaries, other than (x) Dispositions in the form of Restricted Payments permitted under Section 7.06 or Investments permitted under Section 7.02 and (y) sales or other Dispositions of Excluded Assets; provided that any Disposition of Excluded Assets described in clauses (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) and (vii) of the defined term “Excluded Assets” shall not be deemed to be an Asset Sale solely to the extent such Disposition is in the ordinary course of business.
“Assignee Group” means two or more Eligible Assignees that are Affiliates of one another or two or more Approved Funds managed by the same investment advisor.
“Assignment and Assumption” means an assignment and assumption entered into by a Lender and an assignee (with the consent of any party whose consent is required by Section 10.06(b)(iii)), and accepted by the Administrative Agent, in substantially the form of Exhibit D-1 or any other form approved by the Administrative Agent.
“Attributable Indebtedness” means, on any date, in respect of any capital lease of any Person, the capitalized amount thereof that would appear on a balance sheet of such Person prepared as of such date in accordance with GAAP.
“Audited Financial Statements” means the audited consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for the Fiscal Year ended December 31, 2011, and the related consolidated statements of income or operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for such Fiscal Year, including the notes thereto.
“Bank of America” means Bank of America, N.A. and its successors.
“Bankruptcy Code” means Title 11 of the United States Code entitled “Bankruptcy,” as now and hereafter in effect, or any successor statute.
“Base Rate” means for any day a fluctuating rate per annum equal to the highest of (a) the Federal Funds Rate plus 1/2 of 1%, (b) the Prime Rate in effect on such day and (c) the sum of (i) the Eurocurrency Rate that would be payable on such day for a Eurocurrency Rate Loan with a one-month interest period plus (ii) the difference between the Applicable Rate for Eurocurrency Rate Loans and the Applicable Rate for Base Rate Loans; provided, that the Base Rate shall at no time be less than 2.50% per annum. Any change in the Base Rate due to a change in the Prime Rate or the Federal Funds Rate shall be effective on the effective day of such change in the Prime Rate or the Federal Funds Rate, respectively.
“Base Rate Loan” means a Loan that bears interest based on the Base Rate.
“Borrower” has the meaning specified in the introductory paragraph hereto.
“Borrower Materials” has the meaning specified in Section 6.02.
“Borrowing” means the borrowing of the Loans on the Closing Date pursuant to Section 2.01.
“Borrowing Notice” means a notice of (a) the Borrowing, (b) a conversion of Loans from one Type to the other, or (c) a continuation of Eurocurrency Rate Loans, pursuant to Section 2.02(a), which, if in writing, shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A.
“Business Day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks are authorized to close under the Laws of the State of New York, or are in fact closed in, the state where the Administrative Agent’s Office with respect to Obligations is located and if such day relates to any interest rate settings as to a Eurocurrency Rate Loan, any fundings, disbursements, settlements and payments in respect of any such Eurocurrency Rate Loan, to be carried out pursuant to this Agreement in respect of any such Eurocurrency Rate Loan, means
any such day on which dealings in deposits in Dollars are conducted by and between banks in the London interbank eurodollar market.
“Capital Expenditures” means expenditures made in respect of the purchase or other acquisition of any fixed or capital asset, but shall expressly exclude normal replacements and maintenance which are properly charged to current operations.
“Cash” means money, currency or a credit balance in any demand account or Deposit Account.
“Cash Equivalents” means (a) marketable direct obligations issued by, or unconditionally guaranteed by, the United States government or issued by any agency thereof and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, in each case maturing within one year from the date of acquisition; (b) Dollar-denominated certificates of deposit, time deposits, eurodollar time deposits or overnight bank deposits having maturities of six months or less from the date of acquisition and issued either (i) by a Lender or (ii) by a commercial bank both (A) having combined capital and surplus of not less than $500,000,000 and (B) that has a short-term credit rating of at least A-1 by S&P or P-1 by Moody’s (any Person meeting the criteria of this clause (ii) an “Approved Bank”); (c) commercial paper of an issuer rated at least A-by S&P or P‑1 by Moody’s, or carrying an equivalent rating by a nationally recognized rating agency, if both of the two named rating agencies cease publishing ratings of commercial paper issuers generally, and maturing within six months from the date of acquisition; (d) repurchase obligations of any Lender or any Affiliate thereof or of any Approved Bank, having a term of not more than 30 days, with respect to securities issued or fully guaranteed or insured by the United States government; (e) securities with maturities of one year or less from the date of acquisition and issued or fully guaranteed by any state, commonwealth or territory of the United States, by any political subdivision or taxing authority of any such state, commonwealth or territory or by any foreign government, the securities of which state, commonwealth, territory, political subdivision, taxing authority or foreign government (as the case may be) are rated at least A by S&P or A by Moody’s; (f) securities with maturities of six months or less from the date of acquisition and backed by standby letters of credit issued by any Lender or any Approved Bank; (g) shares of money market mutual or similar funds which invest substantially all of their assets in assets satisfying the requirements of clauses (a) through (f) of this definition or money market funds that (i) comply with the criteria set forth in SEC Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, (ii) are rated AAA by S&P and Aaa by Moody’s and (iii) have portfolio assets of at least $3,000,000,000; (h) investments in money market funds access to which is provided as part of “sweep” accounts maintained with a Lender or an Approved Bank; or (i) investments in industrial development revenue bonds which (i) “re-set” interest rates not less frequently than quarterly, (ii) are entitled to the benefit of a remarketing arrangement with an established broker dealer, and (iii) are supported by a direct pay letter of credit covering principal and accrued interest which is issued by a Lender or an Approved Bank.
“Change in Law” means the occurrence, after the date of this Agreement, of any of the following: (a) the adoption or taking effect of any law, rule, regulation or treaty, (b) any change in any law, rule, regulation or treaty or in the administration, interpretation, implementation or
application thereof by any Governmental Authority or (c) the making or issuance of any request, rule, guideline or directive (whether or not having the force of law) by any Governmental Authority; provided that notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, (x) the Xxxx-Xxxxx Xxxx Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and all requests, rules, guidelines or directives thereunder or issued in connection therewith and (y) all requests, rules, guidelines or directives promulgated by the Bank for International Settlements, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (or any successor or similar authority) or the United States or foreign regulatory authorities, in each case pursuant to Basel III, shall in each case be deemed to be a “Change in Law”, regardless of the date enacted, adopted or issued.
“Change of Control” means an event or series of events by which:
(a) any “person” or “group” (as such terms are used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, but excluding any employee benefit plan of such person or its subsidiaries, and any person or entity acting in its capacity as trustee, agent or other fiduciary or administrator of any such plan) becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except that a person or group shall be deemed to have “beneficial ownership” of all securities that such person or group has the right to acquire, whether such right is exercisable immediately or only after the passage of time (such right, an “option right”)), directly or indirectly, of 35% or more of the equity securities of the Borrower entitled to vote for members of the board of directors or equivalent governing body of the Borrower on a fully-diluted basis (and taking into account all such securities that such person or group has the right to acquire pursuant to any option right); or
(b) during any period of 24 consecutive months, a majority of the members of the board of directors or other equivalent governing body of the Borrower cease to be composed of individuals (i) who were members of that board or equivalent governing body on the first day of such period, (ii) whose election or nomination to that board or equivalent governing body was approved by individuals referred to in clause (i) above constituting at the time of such election or nomination at least a majority of that board or equivalent governing body or (iii) whose election or nomination to that board or other equivalent governing body was approved by individuals referred to in clauses (i) and (ii) above constituting at the time of such election or nomination at least a majority of that board or equivalent governing body (excluding, in the case of both clause (ii) and clause (iii), any individual whose initial nomination for, or assumption of office as, a member of that board or equivalent governing body occurs as a result of an actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents for the election or removal of one or more directors by any person or group other than a solicitation for the election of one or more directors by or on behalf of the board of directors); or
(c) any Person or two or more Persons acting in concert shall have acquired by contract or otherwise, or shall have entered into a contract or arrangement that, upon consummation thereof, will result in its or their acquisition of the power to exercise, directly or indirectly, a Controlling influence over the management or policies of the Borrower, or control over the equity securities of the Borrower entitled to vote for members of the board of directors or equivalent governing body of the Borrower on a fully-diluted basis (and taking into account
all such securities that such Person or group has the right to acquire pursuant to any option right) representing 35% or more of the combined voting power of such securities.
“Closing Date” means September 28, 2012
“Closing Fee” has the meaning specified in Section 2.09(a).
“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
“Collateral” means, collectively, all property of the Borrower, any Subsidiary or any other Person in which the Administrative Agent or any Lender is granted a Lien under any Security Document as security for all or any portion of the Obligations or any other obligation arising under any Loan Document.
“Commitment” means, as to each Lender, its obligation to make Loans to the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.01, in an aggregate principal amount at any one time outstanding not to exceed the Dollar amount set forth opposite such Lender’s name on Schedule 2.01 or in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender becomes a party hereto, as applicable, as such amount may be adjusted from time to time in accordance with this Agreement.
“Compliance Certificate” means a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit C.
“Consolidated EBITDA” means, for any period of measurement thereof, for the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, an amount equal to the Consolidated Net Income of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for such period plus, without duplication:
(1) provision for taxes based on income or profits of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for such period, to the extent that such provision for taxes was deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus
(2) the following, for such period, to the extent deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income:
(a) the consolidated interest expense of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for such period, whether paid or accrued, including, without limitation, amortization of debt issuance costs and original issue discount, non-cash interest payments, the interest component of any deferred payment obligations, the interest component of all payments associated with capital lease obligations, imputed interest with respect to Attributable Indebtedness, commissions, discounts and other fees and charges incurred in respect of letter of credit or bankers’ acceptance financings, and net of the effect of all payments made or received pursuant to interest rate Swap Contracts in respect of Indebtedness permitted hereunder; plus
(b) the consolidated interest expense of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries that was capitalized during such period; plus
(c) any interest on Indebtedness of another Person that is guaranteed by the Borrower or its Subsidiaries or secured by a Lien on assets of the Borrower or its Subsidiaries, whether or not such Guarantee or Lien is called upon; plus
(d) the product of (i) all dividends, whether paid or accrued and whether or not in Cash, on any series of preferred stock of such Person or any of its Subsidiaries, other than dividends on Equity Interests payable solely in Equity Interests of the Borrower (other than Disqualified Equity Interests) or to the Borrower or a Subsidiary of the Borrower, times (ii) a fraction, the numerator of which is one and the denominator of which is one minus the then current combined federal, state and local statutory tax rate of such Person, expressed as a decimal, in each case, determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP; plus
(3) any foreign currency translation losses (including losses related to currency remeasurements of Indebtedness) of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for such period, to the extent that such losses were taken into account in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus
(4) the amount of any restructuring charge or expense and unusual or non-recurring charges or expenses, to the extent that such charges or expenses were deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus
(5) depreciation, amortization (including amortization of intangibles but excluding amortization of prepaid cash expenses that were paid in a prior period) and other non-cash charges and expenses (excluding any such non-cash charge or expense to the extent that it represents an accrual of or reserve for cash charges or expenses in any future period or amortization of a prepaid cash charge or expense that was paid in a prior period) of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for such period to the extent that such depreciation, amortization and other non-cash charges or expenses were deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus
(6) the amount of any fees or expenses incurred in connection with the amendment to the First Lien Credit Agreement contemplated by this Agreement; minus
(7) any foreign currency translation gains (including gains related to currency remeasurements of Indebtedness) of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for such period, to the extent that such gains were taken into account in computing such Consolidated Net Income; minus
(8) non-cash items increasing such Consolidated Net Income for such period, other than the accrual of revenue in the ordinary course of business, in each case, all as determined for the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP; and provided that, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Consolidated EBITDA for any period of measurement thereof shall (x) include the appropriate financial items for any Person or business unit that has been acquired by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries for any portion of such period prior to the date of such acquisition, and (y) exclude the appropriate financial items for any Person or business unit that has been Disposed of by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, for the portion of such period prior to the date of Disposition.
“Consolidated Funded Indebtedness” means, as of any date of determination, for the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, the sum of (a) the outstanding principal amount of all obligations, whether current or long-term, for borrowed money (including Obligations hereunder and the First Lien Loans or any Permitted First Lien Refinancing Indebtedness) and all obligations evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes, loan agreements or other similar instruments, (b) all purchase money Indebtedness, (c) all direct obligations arising under letters of credit (including standby and commercial), bankers’ acceptances, bank guaranties, surety bonds and similar instruments, but excluding obligations arising under Performance Letters of Credit other than obligations in respect of drawings thereunder, (d) all obligations in respect of the deferred purchase price of property or services (other than trade accounts payable and other similar accrued expenses in the ordinary course of business), (e) Attributable Indebtedness in respect of capital leases, (f) without duplication, all Guarantees with respect to outstanding Indebtedness of the types specified in clauses (a) through (e) above of Persons other than the Borrower or any Subsidiary, and (g) all Indebtedness of the types referred to in clauses (a) through (f) above of any partnership or joint venture (other than a joint venture that is itself a corporation, limited liability company or other comparable limited liability entity) in which the Borrower or a Subsidiary is a general partner or joint venturer, unless such Indebtedness is expressly made non-recourse to the Borrower or such Subsidiary; provided that Consolidated Funded Indebtedness shall not include (i) Non-Recourse Project Indebtedness of Non-Recourse Subsidiaries and (ii) up to $250,000,000 of Specified Indebtedness of the Loan Parties.
“Consolidated Leverage Ratio” means, as of any date of determination, the ratio of (a) Consolidated Funded Indebtedness as of such date to (b) Consolidated EBITDA for the period of the four fiscal quarters most recently ended on or prior to such date.
“Consolidated Net Income” means, for any period, for the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, the aggregate of the net income (loss) of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for such period, on a consolidated basis, determined in accordance with GAAP and without any reduction in respect of preferred stock dividends; provided that:
(1) all extraordinary gains and losses and all gains and losses realized in connection with any Disposition made pursuant to Section 7.04 or Section 7.05(g) or the Disposition of securities or the early extinguishment of Indebtedness, together with any related provision for taxes on any such gain, will be excluded;
(2) the net income (or loss) of any Person (other than any Subsidiary of the Borrower) in which the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries has a joint or minority interest will be excluded, except to the extent of the amount of dividends or other distributions actually paid in cash to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries during such period;
(3) the net income (or loss) of any Subsidiary will be excluded to the extent that the declaration or payment of dividends or similar distributions by that Subsidiary of that net income is not at the date of determination permitted without any prior governmental approval (that has not been obtained) or, directly or indirectly, by operation of the terms of such Subsidiary’s
charter or any agreement, instrument, judgment, decree, order, statute, rule or governmental regulation applicable to that Subsidiary or its equity holders;
(4) the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principles will be excluded;
(5) non-cash charges and expenses associated with equity-based compensation plans will be excluded; and
(6) non-cash gains and losses attributable to movement in the xxxx-to-market valuation of Swap Contracts permitted under Section 7.03(f) pursuant to Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 133 will be excluded.
For purposes of calculating Consolidated Net Income, (a) all direct sales transactions involving solar energy systems and related assets will be accounted for at the time of sale pursuant to Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 104 and without giving effect to any reserves required under real estate accounting, (b) all sale and leaseback transactions involving solar energy systems and related assets will be accounted for as sales transactions and without giving effect to any reserves required under real estate accounting, in the case of each of clauses (a) and (b), with the result that all deferred revenue and margin from such direct sales and sale and leaseback transactions will be recognized on the date of sale rather than over time; and (c) if any revenue and margin that was recognized on the date of sale rather than over time as a result of the application of clauses (a) or (b) above would not, if such clauses did not apply, be recognized in accordance with GAAP in the applicable future period in which such revenue and margin would otherwise be recognized in accordance with GAAP, then such revenue and margin will be deducted from Consolidated Net Income in such applicable future period.
“Contractual Obligation” means, as to any Person, any provision of any security issued by such Person or of any agreement, instrument or other undertaking to which such Person is a party or by which it or any of its property is bound.
“Control” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of a Person, whether through the ability to exercise voting power, by contract or otherwise. “Controlling” and “Controlled” have meanings correlative thereto.
“Debtor Relief Laws” means the Bankruptcy Code, and all other liquidation, conservatorship, bankruptcy, assignment for the benefit of creditors, moratorium, rearrangement, receivership, insolvency, reorganization, or similar debtor relief Laws of the United States or other applicable jurisdictions from time to time in effect and affecting the rights of creditors generally.
“Declined Proceeds” has the meaning specified in Section 2.05(b)(iv).
“Default” means any event or condition that constitutes an Event of Default or that, with the giving of any notice, the passage of time, or both, would be an Event of Default.
“Default Rate” means (a) when used with respect to Base Rate Loans and all Obligations other than Eurocurrency Rate Loans, an interest rate equal to (i) the Base Rate plus (ii) the Applicable Rate applicable to Base Rate Loans plus (iii) 2% per annum and (b) when used with respect to Eurocurrency Rate Loans, an interest rate equal to (i) the Eurocurrency Rate plus (ii) the Applicable Rate applicable to Eurocurrency Rate Loans plus (iii) 2% per annum.
“Defaulting Lender” means, any Lender that (a) has failed to pay to the Administrative Agent or any other Lender any amount (other than a de minimis amount) required to be paid by it hereunder within three Business Days of the date when due, (b) has notified the Borrower or the Administrative Agent in writing that it does not intend to comply with its funding obligations hereunder, or has made a public statement to that effect (unless such writing or public statement relates to such Lenders’ obligation to fund a Loan hereunder and states that such position is based on such Lender’s determination that a condition precedent to funding (which condition precedent, together with the applicable default, if any, shall be specifically identified in such writing or public statement) cannot be satisfied or (c) has, or has a direct or indirect parent company that has, (i) become the subject of a proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law, or (ii) had appointed for it a receiver, custodian, conservator, trustee, administrator, assignee for the benefit of creditors or similar Person charged with reorganization or liquidation of its business or assets, including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other state or federal regulatory authority acting in such a capacity; provided that a Lender shall not be a Defaulting Lender solely by virtue of the ownership or acquisition of any Equity Interest in that Lender or any direct or indirect parent company thereof by a Governmental Authority so long as such ownership interest does not result in or provide such Lender with immunity from the jurisdiction of courts within the United States or from the enforcement of judgments or writs of attachment on its assets or permit such Lender (or such Governmental Authority) to reject, repudiate, disavow or disaffirm any contracts or agreements made with such Lender. Any determination by the Administrative Agent that a Lender is a Defaulting Lender under any one or more of clauses (a) through (c) above shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error, and such Lender shall be deemed to be a Defaulting Lender upon delivery of written notice of such determination to the Borrower and each Lender. In the event and on the date that each of the Administrative Agent and the Borrower agree that a Defaulting Lender has adequately remedied all matters that caused such Lender to be a Defaulting Lender, such Lender shall no longer be considered a Defaulting Lender
“Deposit Account” means a demand, time, savings, passbook or like account with a bank, savings and loan association, credit union or like organization, other than an account evidenced by a negotiable certificate of deposit.
“Disposition” or “Dispose” means the sale, transfer, license, lease or other disposition (including any sale and leaseback transaction) of any property by any Person, including any sale, assignment, transfer or other disposal, with or without recourse, of any notes or accounts receivable or any rights and claims associated therewith.
“Disqualified Equity Interest” means any Equity Interest that, by its terms (or by the terms of any security into which it is convertible, or for which it is exchangeable, in each case, at
the option of the holder of the Equity Interest), or upon the happening of any event, matures or is mandatorily redeemable, pursuant to a sinking fund obligation or otherwise, or redeemable at the option of the holder of the Equity Interest, in whole or in part, on or prior to the date that is 91 days after the date on which the Senior Unsecured Notes mature. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, any Equity Interest that would constitute a Disqualified Equity Interest solely because the holders of the Equity Interest have the right to require the Borrower to repurchase such Equity Interest upon the occurrence of a Change of Control or an Asset Sale will not constitute a Disqualified Equity Interest if the terms of such Equity Interest provide that the Borrower may not repurchase or redeem any such Equity Interest pursuant to such provisions unless such repurchase or redemption complies with Section 7.06 hereof. The amount of Disqualified Equity Interests deemed to be outstanding at any time for purposes of this Agreement will be the maximum amount that the Borrower and its Subsidiaries may become obligated to pay upon the maturity of, or pursuant to any mandatory redemption provisions of, such Disqualified Equity Interests, exclusive of accrued dividends.
“Documentation Agent” means Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. in its capacity as documentation agent hereunder or any successor documentation agent.
“Dollar” and “$” mean lawful money of the United States.
“Domestic Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary that is organized under the laws of any political subdivision of the United States.
“Eligible Assignee” means any Person that meets the requirements to be an assignee under Section 10.06(b)(iii), (v) and (vi) (subject to such consents, if any, as may be required under Section 10.06(b)(iii)) and is (i) a Lender, an affiliate of any Lender or an Approved Fund (any two or more Approved Funds being treated as a single Eligible Assignee for all purposes hereof), or (ii) a commercial bank, insurance company, investment or mutual fund or other entity that is an “accredited investor” (as defined in Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933) and which extends credit or buys loans in the ordinary course of business; provided, no Defaulting Lender, shall be an Eligible Assignee.
“Environmental Laws” means any and all Federal, state, local, and foreign statutes, laws, regulations, ordinances, rules, judgments, orders, decrees, permits, concessions, grants, franchises, licenses, agreements or governmental restrictions relating to or imposing liability or standards of conduct with respect to pollution, the protection of human health or the environment, the release, emission, discharge, generation, use, storage, transportation or disposal of, or exposure to, pollutants, contaminants or hazardous or toxic materials, substances or wastes.
“Environmental Liability” means any liability, contingent or otherwise (including any liability for damages, costs of environmental remediation, fines, penalties or indemnities), of the Borrower, any other Loan Party or any of their respective Subsidiaries directly or indirectly resulting from or based upon (a) violation of any Environmental Law, (b) the generation, use, handling, transportation, storage, treatment or disposal of any Hazardous Materials, (c) exposure to any Hazardous Materials, (d) the release or threatened release of any Hazardous Materials into
the environment or (e) any contract, agreement or other consensual arrangement pursuant to which liability is assumed or imposed with respect to any of the foregoing.
“Equity Interests” means, with respect to any Person, all of the shares of capital stock of (or other ownership or profit interests in) such Person, all of the warrants, options or other rights for the purchase or acquisition from such Person of shares of capital stock of (or other ownership or profit interests in) such Person, all of the securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of capital stock of (or other ownership or profit interests in) such Person or warrants, rights or options for the purchase or acquisition from such Person of such shares (or such other interests), and all of the other ownership or profit interests in such Person (including partnership, member or trust interests therein), whether voting or nonvoting, and whether or not such shares, warrants, options, rights or other interests are outstanding on any date of determination.
“ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended from time to time, and any successor thereto, in each case together with the regulations thereunder.
“ERISA Affiliate” means any trade or business (whether or not incorporated) under “common control” with the Borrower within the meaning of Section 414(b) or (c) of the Code (or Section 414(m) or (o) of the Code for purposes of provisions relating to Section 412 or 430 of the Code or Section 302 or 303 of ERISA).
“ERISA Event” means (a) a Reportable Event with respect to a Plan; (b) a withdrawal by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from a Plan subject to Section 4063 of ERISA during a plan year in which it was a “substantial employer” (as defined in Section 4001(a)(2) of ERISA) or a cessation of operations that is treated as such a withdrawal under Section 4062(e) of ERISA; (c) a “complete withdrawal” or “partial withdrawal” (as such terms are defined in Part 1 of Subtitle E of Title IV of ERISA) by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from a Multiemployer Plan or notification that a Multiemployer Plan is in “reorganization” (as defined in Section 4241 of ERISA); (d) the filing of a notice of intent to terminate, the treatment of a Plan amendment as a termination under Section 4041 or 4041A of ERISA, or the commencement of proceedings by the PBGC to terminate a Plan or Multiemployer Plan; (e) an event or condition which constitutes grounds under Section 4042 of ERISA for the termination of, or the appointment of a trustee to administer, any Plan or Multiemployer Plan; or (f) the imposition of any liability under Title IV of ERISA, other than for PBGC premiums due but not delinquent under Section 4007 of ERISA, upon the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate.
“Eurocurrency Base Rate” means, for any Interest Period with respect to a Eurocurrency Rate Loan, the rate per annum equal to (i) the British Bankers Association LIBOR Rate (“BBA LIBOR”), as published by Reuters (or other commercially available source providing quotations of BBA LIBOR as designated by the Administrative Agent from time to time) at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, two Business Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period, for deposits in Dollars (for delivery on the first day of such Interest Period) with a term equivalent to such Interest Period, or (ii) if such published rate is not available at such time for any reason, the rate per annum determined by the Administrative Agent to be the rate at which deposits in Dollars for delivery on the first day of such Interest Period in Same Day Funds
in the approximate amount of the Eurocurrency Rate Loan being made, continued or converted by Bank of America and with a term equivalent to such Interest Period would be offered by Bank of America’s London Branch (or other Bank of America branch or Affiliate) to major banks in the London or other offshore interbank market for such currency at their request at approximately 11:00 a.m. (London time) two Business Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period.
“Eurocurrency Rate” means for any Interest Period with respect to a Eurocurrency Rate Loan, a rate per annum determined by the Administrative Agent pursuant to the following formula:
Eurocurrency Rate = | Eurocurrency Base Rate |
1.00 - Eurocurrency Reserve Percentage |
provided, that Eurocurrency Rate shall at no time be less than 1.50% per annum.
“Eurocurrency Rate Loan” means a Loan that bears interest at a rate based on the Eurocurrency Rate. All Eurocurrency Rate Loans shall be denominated in Dollars.
“Eurocurrency Reserve Percentage” means, for any day during any Interest Period, the reserve percentage (expressed as a decimal, carried out to five decimal places) in effect on such day, whether or not applicable to any Lender, under regulations issued from time to time by the FRB for determining the maximum reserve requirement (including any emergency, supplemental or other marginal reserve requirement) with respect to Eurocurrency funding (currently referred to as “Eurocurrency liabilities”). The Eurocurrency Rate for each outstanding Eurocurrency Rate Loan shall be adjusted automatically as of the effective date of any change in the Eurocurrency Reserve Percentage.
“Event of Default” has the meaning specified in Section 8.01.
“Excluded Assets” means (i) products, energy systems, Equity Interests in Solar Installation Subsidiaries, Equity Interests in Non-Recourse Subsidiaries, services or accounts receivable or sales of joint venture enterprises in each case related to the Borrower’s solar energy segment, (ii) damaged, worn-out or obsolete assets (including the abandonment or other Disposition of intellectual property that is, in the reasonable judgment of the Borrower, no longer economically practicable to maintain or useful in the conduct of the business of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole), (iii) inventory, (iv) licenses and sublicenses by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries of software or intellectual property), (v) a transfer of assets between or among the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, (vi) an issuance of Equity Interests by a Subsidiary of the Borrower to the Borrower or to a Subsidiary of the Borrower; (vii) any surrender or waiver of contract rights or settlement, release, recovery on or surrender of contract, tort or other claims in the ordinary course of business; (viii) the granting of Liens not prohibited by Section 7.01 and (ix) Cash or Cash Equivalents.
“Excluded Solar Installation Subsidiaries” means, collectively, Solar Installation Subsidiaries that in the aggregate hold no greater than 5% of the total assets of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the most recent fiscal quarter end for which a consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries has been delivered to the Administrative Agent, all calculated on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP.
“Excluded Taxes” means, with respect to the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any other recipient of any payment to be made by or on account of any obligation of the Borrower hereunder, (a) Taxes imposed on or measured by its overall net income (however denominated), and franchise taxes imposed on it (in lieu of net income Taxes), by the jurisdiction (or any political subdivision thereof) under the Laws of which such recipient is organized or in which its principal office is located or, in the case of any Lender, in which its applicable Lending Office is located, (b) any branch profits Taxes imposed by the United States or any similar tax imposed by any other jurisdiction in which the Borrower is located, (c) any backup withholding Tax that is required by the Code to be withheld from amounts payable to a Lender that has failed to comply with clause (A) of Section 3.01(e)(ii), and (d) in the case of a Foreign Lender (other than an assignee pursuant to a request by the Borrower under Section 10.13), any United States withholding Tax that (i) is imposed on amounts payable to such Foreign Lender pursuant to the Laws in force at the time such Foreign Lender becomes a party hereto or designates a new Lending Office (including FATCA) or (ii) is attributable to such Foreign Lender’s failure or inability (other than as a result of a Change in Law) to comply with clause (B) of Section 3.01(e)(ii), except to the extent that such Foreign Lender (or its assignor, if any) was entitled, at the time of designation of a new Lending Office (or assignment), to receive additional amounts from the Borrower with respect to such withholding tax pursuant to Section 3.01(a)(ii) or (iii).
“FATCA” means Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code as of the date of this Agreement and any regulations or official interpretations thereof.
“Federal Funds Rate” means, for any day, the rate per annum equal to the weighted average of the rates on overnight Federal funds transactions with members of the Federal Reserve System arranged by Federal funds brokers on such day, as published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on the Business Day next succeeding such day; provided that (a) if such day is not a Business Day, the Federal Funds Rate for such day shall be such rate on such transactions on the next preceding Business Day as so published on the next succeeding Business Day, and (b) if no such rate is so published on such next succeeding Business Day, the Federal Funds Rate for such day shall be the average rate (rounded upward, if necessary, to a whole multiple of 1/100 of 1%) charged to Bank of America on such day on such transactions as determined by the Administrative Agent.
“First Lien Agent” means Bank of America, N.A. and its successors as Administrative Agent under the First Lien Credit Agreement.
“First Lien Credit Agreement” means that certain Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of December 23, 2009 and amended and restated as of March 23, 2011 and further amended on September 28, 2011, February 28, 2012, May 8, 2012 and September 28, 2012, by and among the Borrower, Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent, lender,
swing line lender and letter of credit issuer, and the various lenders party thereto from time to time, as amended, supplemented, amended and restated or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and the Intercreditor Agreement.
“First Lien Loan Documents” means the “Loan Documents” as such term is defined in the First Lien Credit Agreement.
“First Lien Loans” means those certain loans made, and letters of credit issued, pursuant to the First Lien Credit Agreement.
“First-Tier Foreign Subsidiary” means a Foreign Subsidiary whose Equity Interests are owned directly, in whole or in part, by the Borrower or a Domestic Subsidiary.
“Fiscal Year” means the fiscal year of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries ending on December 31 of each calendar year.
“Foreign Lender” means any Lender that is organized under the Laws of a jurisdiction other than that in which the Borrower is resident for tax purposes. For purposes of this definition, the United States and each political subdivision thereof shall be deemed to constitute a single jurisdiction.
“Foreign Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary that is not a Domestic Subsidiary.
“FRB” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States.
“Fund” means any Person (other than a natural person) that is (or will be) engaged in making, purchasing, holding or otherwise investing in commercial loans and similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course of its activities.
“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or such other principles as may be approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession in the United States, that are in effect on the date of this Agreement, consistently applied.
“Xxxxxxx Sachs” means Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Bank USA and its successors.
“Governmental Authority” means the government of the United States or any other nation, or of any political subdivision thereof, whether state or local, and any agency, authority, instrumentality, regulatory body, court, central bank or other entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory or administrative powers or functions of or pertaining to government (including any supra-national bodies such as the European Union or the European Central Bank).
“Guarantee” means, as to any Person, (a) any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of such Person guaranteeing or having the economic effect of guaranteeing any Indebtedness or other obligation payable or performable by another Person (the “primary obligor”) in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, and including any obligation of such Person, direct or indirect, (i) to purchase or pay (or advance or supply funds for the purchase or payment of) such Indebtedness or other obligation, (ii) to purchase or lease property, securities or services for the purpose of assuring the obligee in respect of such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment or performance of such Indebtedness or other obligation, (iii) to maintain working capital, equity capital or any other financial statement condition or liquidity or level of income or cash flow of the primary obligor so as to enable the primary obligor to pay such Indebtedness or other obligation, or (iv) entered into for the purpose of assuring in any other manner the obligee in respect of such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment or performance thereof or to protect such obligee against loss in respect thereof (in whole or in part), or (b) any Lien on any assets of such Person securing any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person, whether or not such Indebtedness or other obligation is assumed by such Person (or any right, contingent or otherwise, of any holder of such Indebtedness to obtain any such Lien). The amount of any Guarantee shall be deemed to be an amount equal to the stated or determinable amount of the related primary obligation, or portion thereof, in respect of which such Guarantee is made or, if not stated or determinable, the maximum reasonably anticipated liability in respect thereof as determined by the guaranteeing Person in good faith. The term “Guarantee” as a verb has a corresponding meaning.
“Guarantors” means, collectively, each Person who is or becomes a party to the Guaranty (including by execution of a Guaranty Joinder Agreement pursuant to Section 6.13 or otherwise) as a guarantor.
“Guaranty” means the Guaranty Agreement, substantially in the form of Exhibit F, and including each Guaranty Joinder Agreement entered into in connection therewith, whether pursuant to Section 6.13 or otherwise.
“Guaranty Joinder Agreement” means a joinder to the Guaranty, in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
“Hazardous Materials” means all explosive or radioactive substances or wastes and all hazardous or toxic materials, substances, wastes or other pollutants or contaminants, including petroleum or petroleum distillates, asbestos or asbestos-containing materials, polychlorinated biphenyls, radon gas, infectious or medical wastes and all other substances or wastes of any nature regulated pursuant to any Environmental Law.
“Inactive Subsidiary” means any Domestic Subsidiary (i) whose total assets are less than $20,000 and (ii) which does not conduct any business operations.
“Indebtedness” means, as to any Person at a particular time, without duplication, all of the following, whether or not included as indebtedness or liabilities in accordance with GAAP:
(a) all obligations of such Person for borrowed money and all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes, loan agreements or other similar instruments, including without limitation, the First Lien Loans and any Permitted First Lien Refinancing Indebtedness;
(b) all direct or contingent obligations of such Person arising under letters of credit (including standby and commercial), bankers’ acceptances, bank guaranties, surety bonds and similar instruments;
(c) net obligations of such Person under any Swap Contract;
(d) all obligations of such Person to pay the deferred purchase price of property or services (other than trade accounts payable and other similar accrued expenses in the ordinary course of business and, in each case, not past due for more than 60 days);
(e) indebtedness (excluding prepaid interest thereon) secured by a Lien on property owned or being purchased by such Person (including indebtedness arising under conditional sales or other title retention agreements), whether or not such indebtedness shall have been assumed by such Person or is limited in recourse;
(f) capital leases of such Person;
(g) all obligations of such Person to purchase, redeem, retire, defease or otherwise make any payment in respect of any Equity Interest in such Person or any other Person, valued, in the case of a redeemable preferred interest, at the greater of its voluntary or involuntary liquidation preference plus accrued and unpaid dividends; and
(h) all Guarantees of such Person in respect of any of the foregoing.
For all purposes hereof, the Indebtedness of any Person shall include the Indebtedness of any partnership or joint venture (other than a joint venture that is itself a corporation or limited liability company) in which such Person is a general partner or a joint venturer, unless such Indebtedness is expressly made non-recourse to such Person. The amount of any net obligation under any Swap Contract on any date shall be deemed to be the Swap Termination Value thereof as of such date. The amount of any capital lease as of any date shall be deemed to be the amount of Attributable Indebtedness in respect thereof as of such date.
“Indemnified Taxes” means Taxes other than Excluded Taxes.
“Indemnitee” has the meaning specified in Section 10.04(b).
“Information” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07.
“Intercreditor Agreement” means that certain Intercreditor Agreement dated as of the date hereof by and among the First Lien Agent, the Administrative Agent and the Loan Parties, which shall be in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
“Interest Payment Date” means, (a) as to any Loan other than a Base Rate Loan, the last day of each Interest Period applicable to such Loan and the Maturity Date; provided, however, that if any Interest Period for a Eurocurrency Rate Loan exceeds three months, the respective dates that fall every three months after the beginning of such Interest Period shall also be Interest Payment Dates; and (b) as to any Base Rate Loan, the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December and the Maturity Date.
“Interest Period” means, as to each Eurocurrency Rate Loan, the period commencing on the date such Eurocurrency Rate Loan is disbursed or converted to or continued as a Eurocurrency Rate Loan and ending on the date one, two, three or six months thereafter, as selected by the Borrower in its Borrowing Notice; provided that:
(i) any Interest Period that would otherwise end on a day that is not a Business Day shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless such Business Day falls in another calendar month, in which case such Interest Period shall end on the next preceding Business Day;
(ii) any Interest Period that begins on the last Business Day of a calendar month (or on a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day in the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period) shall end on the last Business Day of the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period; and
(iii) no Interest Period shall extend beyond the Maturity Date.
“Investment” means, as to any Person, any direct or indirect acquisition or investment by such Person, whether by means of (a) the purchase or other acquisition of capital stock or other securities of another Person, (b) a loan, advance or capital contribution to, Guarantee or assumption of debt of, or purchase or other acquisition of any other debt or equity participation or interest in, another Person, including any partnership or joint venture interest in such other Person and any arrangement pursuant to which the investor Guarantees Indebtedness of such other Person, or (c) the purchase or other acquisition (in one transaction or a series of related transactions) of assets of another Person that constitute a business unit. For purposes of covenant compliance, the amount of any Investment shall be the amount actually invested, without adjustment for subsequent increases or decreases in the value of such Investment. The terms “Invest” or “Investing” shall relate to the act of making an Investment.
“IP Rights” has the meaning specified in Section 5.18.
“IRS” means the United States Internal Revenue Service.
“JA Solar Joint Venture” means that certain Person that is a contemplated joint venture to build and operate a solar cell production facility in China by and between the Borrower or a Subsidiary of the Borrower and JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd., in which (and so long as) the Borrower or a Subsidiary owns no more than 50% of the Equity Interests therein and neither the Borrower nor any Subsidiary is obligated, directly or as part of a Guarantee, for any Indebtedness of such Person.
“Kuching Sale Leaseback” means the sale and leaseback of solar wafer manufacturing equipment by MEMC Kuching Sdn Bdh (Malaysia) in connection with the operation of its manufacturing facility in Kuching, Malaysia.
“Laws” means, collectively, all applicable international, foreign, Federal, state and local statutes, treaties, rules, guidelines, regulations, ordinances, codes and administrative or judicial precedents or authorities, including the interpretation or administration thereof by any Governmental Authority charged with the enforcement, interpretation or administration thereof, and all applicable administrative orders, directed duties, requests, licenses, authorizations and permits of, and agreements with, any Governmental Authority, in each case whether or not having the force of law.
“Lender” and “Lenders” have the meanings specified in the introductory paragraph hereto.
“Lending Office” means, as to any Lender, the office or offices of such Lender described as such in such Lender’s Administrative Questionnaire, or such other office or offices as a Lender may from time to time notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent.
“Lien” means any mortgage, pledge, hypothecation, assignment, deposit arrangement, encumbrance, lien (statutory or other), charge, or preference, priority or other security interest or preferential arrangement in the nature of a security interest of any kind or nature whatsoever (including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, any easement, right of way or other encumbrance on title to real property, and any financing lease having substantially the same economic effect as any of the foregoing).
“Liquid Investments” means (a) Cash and Cash Equivalents on the balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, and (b) freely-tradable short-term and long-term Investments of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries which are redeemable for Cash by the holder thereof in not more than three Business Days, but excluding any Investments in equity securities of any Person or in any fund or investment vehicle that invests in equity securities of any Person.
“Liquidity Amount” means, as of any date of measurement thereof, (A) the aggregate amount (measured at the market value thereof on such date in Dollars, using the applicable Spot Rate on such date with respect to any amounts valued in a currency other than Dollars) of all Liquid Investments on such date, but excluding therefrom any Liquid Investment that is restricted from payment to (i) the Administrative Agent or any Person in satisfaction of the Obligations in any manner, (ii) the First Lien Agent or any Person in satisfaction of the First Lien Loan obligations in any manner or (iii) is otherwise not readily available to the Borrower in cash (including any amounts held by a Subsidiary which may not be dividended, loaned or otherwise distributed to the Loan Parties (directly or indirectly) without a prior governmental approval (that has not been obtained) or, directly or indirectly, by operation of the terms of such Subsidiary’s charter or any agreement, instrument, judgment, decree, order, statute, rule or governmental regulation applicable to that Subsidiary or its equity holders) plus (B) the amount by which the Aggregate Commitments (as defined under the First Lien Credit Agreement in effect on the date hereof) exceed the Outstanding Amount (as defined under the First Lien Credit Agreement in
effect on the date hereof) of First Lien Loans and L/C-BA Obligations (as defined under the First Lien Credit Agreement in effect on the date hereof) on such date.
“Loan” means a term loan made or deemed made by a Lender to the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.01. All Loans shall be denominated in Dollars.
“Loan Documents” means this Agreement, each Note, the Guaranty (including each Guaranty Joinder Agreement), the Security Documents, each Borrowing Notice, the Intercreditor Agreement, the Perfection Certificate, and all other instruments and documents heretofore or hereafter executed or delivered to or in favor of any Agent or any Lender in connection with the Loans made and transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
“Loan Parties” means, collectively, the Borrower, each Guarantor and each Person that grants a Lien on Collateral pursuant to any Security Document.
“Margin Stock” has the meaning given to such term in Regulation U issued by the FRB.
“Material Adverse Effect” means any or all of the following: (i) a material adverse change in, or a material adverse effect upon, the business, operations, properties, assets, liabilities or financial condition of, when used with reference to the Borrower and/or any of its Subsidiaries, the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or when used with reference to any other Person, such Person and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, as the case may be; (ii) any material adverse effect on the ability of the Borrower or any other Loan Party to perform its obligations under the Loan Documents to which it is a party; (iii) any material adverse effect on the ability of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, to pay their liabilities and obligations as they mature or become due; or (iv) any material adverse effect on the legality, validity, effectiveness or enforceability, as against any Loan Party, of any of the Loan Documents to which it is a party.
“Material Contract” has the meaning specified in Section 6.15.
“Material Subsidiary” means, as of any date, (a) any Domestic Subsidiary (i) whose total assets, as of that date, are greater than or equal to $250,000, or (ii) whose total revenues for the most recently ended 12-month period are greater than or equal to $250,000, or (iii) that directly or indirectly guarantees or otherwise provides direct credit support for any Indebtedness of any Loan Party, and (b) any Domestic Subsidiary that owns any Equity Interest in a Subsidiary that itself constitutes a Material Subsidiary in accordance with clause (a) above. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall (x) SunE B9 Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, at any time that it is prohibited from being a Guarantor or granting a Lien on its assets to secure the Obligations by the terms of any Contractual Obligation or (y) any Non‑Recourse Subsidiary, unless, in each such case, so designated by the Borrower, constitute a Material Subsidiary.
“Maturity Date” means October 2, 2017.
“Mortgage” means any mortgage, charge, hypothec, deed of trust, deed to secure debt or other agreement which conveys or evidences a Lien in favor of the Administrative Agent, for the
benefit of the Secured Parties, on real property (or any interest in real property) of a Loan Party, including any amendment, modification, restatement, replacement and/or supplement thereto or thereof.
“Mortgaged Properties” means those real properties listed on Schedule 1.01(a) which are designated as Mortgaged Properties and any real property in which a Mortgage is granted pursuant to any Security Document.
“Moody’s” means Xxxxx’x Investors Service, Inc. and any successor thereto.
“Multiemployer Plan” means any employee benefit plan of the type described in Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA, to which the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate makes or is obligated to make contributions, or during the preceding six plan years, has made or been obligated to make contributions.
“Net Asset Sale Proceeds” means, with respect to any Asset Sale, an amount equal to: (i) Cash payments (including any Cash received by way of deferred payment pursuant to, or by monetization of, a note receivable or otherwise, but only as and when so received) received by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries from such Asset Sale, minus (ii) any bona fide direct costs incurred in connection with such Asset Sale, including (a) income or gains taxes payable by the seller as a result of any gain recognized in connection with such Asset Sale, (b) payment of the outstanding principal amount of, premium or penalty, if any, and interest on any Indebtedness (other than the Loans) that is secured by a Lien on the stock or assets in question and that is required to be repaid under the terms thereof as a result of such Asset Sale and (c) a reasonable reserve for any indemnification payments (fixed or contingent) attributable to seller’s indemnities and representations and warranties to purchaser in respect of such Asset Sale undertaken by Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries in connection with such Asset Sale; provided that upon release of any such reserve, the amount released shall be considered Net Asset Sale Proceeds.
“Net Insurance/Condemnation Proceeds” means an amount equal to: (i) any Cash payments or proceeds received by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries (a) under any casualty insurance policy in respect of a covered loss thereunder or (b) as a result of the taking of any assets of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries by any Person pursuant to the power of eminent domain, condemnation or otherwise, or pursuant to a sale of any such assets to a purchaser with such power under threat of such a taking, minus (ii) (a) any actual and reasonable costs incurred by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries in connection with the adjustment or settlement of any claims of the Borrower or such Subsidiary in respect thereof, and (b) any bona fide direct costs incurred in connection with any sale of such assets as referred to in clause (i)(b) of this definition, including income taxes payable as a result of any gain recognized in connection therewith.
“New Subsidiary” has the meaning specified in Section 6.13.
“Non-Consenting Lender” has the meaning specified in Section 10.13.
“Non-Recourse Project Indebtedness” means Indebtedness of a Non-Recourse Subsidiary owed to an unrelated Person that is in the nature of a capital lease or secured loan and with respect to which the creditor has no recourse (including by virtue of a Lien, Guarantee or otherwise) to the Borrower or any Subsidiary other than (a) recourse to the Non-Recourse Subsidiary that is the obligor thereof and any Non-Recourse Subsidiary that is the sole owner of such obligor and (b) recourse to the Borrower or any Subsidiary in respect of Specified Surety Bonds.
“Non-Recourse Subsidiary” means:
(a) any Subsidiary of the Borrower that (i) is the owner of one or more solar installation projects or the lessee or borrower in respect of one or more solar installation projects in a capital lease or loan arrangement with respect thereto, (ii) has no Subsidiaries and owns no material assets other than those assets necessary for the development or operation of the solar installation projects for which it was formed and (iii) has no Indebtedness other than intercompany Indebtedness to the extent permitted hereunder and Non-Recourse Project Indebtedness, and
(b) any Subsidiary that (i) is the direct owner of all of the Equity Interests in one or more Persons, each of which meets the qualifications set forth in clause (a) above, (ii) has no Subsidiaries other than Subsidiaries that would meet the qualifications set forth in (a) above or would constitute Solar Installation Subsidiaries, (iii) owns no material assets other than those assets necessary for the development or operation of the solar installation projects for which it or its Subsidiaries was formed and (iv) has no Indebtedness other than intercompany Indebtedness to the extent permitted hereunder and Non-Recourse Project Indebtedness.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event any Subsidiary satisfies both this definition and the definition of “Solar Installation Subsidiary,” then for purposes of Section 6.13 such entity shall constitute a Solar Installation Subsidiary at any time a Solar Installation Subsidiary would be required to provide a Guaranty thereunder and shall not then constitute a Non-Recourse Subsidiary.
“Note” means a promissory note made by the Borrower in favor of a Lender evidencing Loans made by such Lender to the Borrower, substantially in the form of Exhibit B.
“Notice of Default” means any written notice delivered by the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders of a failure by the Borrower or any other Loan Party to perform or observe any applicable term, covenant or agreement under this Agreement or any other Loan Document, which such notice shall be identified as a “notice of default” and shall reference the clause of Section 8.01 to which it relates.
“Obligations” means all advances to, and debts, liabilities, obligations, covenants and duties of, any Loan Party arising under any Loan Document, including all Loans and accrued interest thereon or otherwise with respect to any Loan, whether direct or indirect (including those acquired by assumption), absolute or contingent, due or to become due, now existing or hereafter arising and including interest and fees that accrue after the commencement by or against any
Loan Party or any Affiliate thereof of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Laws naming such Person as the debtor in such proceeding, regardless of whether such interest and fees are allowed claims in such proceeding.
“Organization Documents” means, (a) with respect to any corporation, the certificate or articles of incorporation and the bylaws (or equivalent or comparable constitutive documents with respect to any non-U.S. jurisdiction); (b) with respect to any limited liability company, the certificate or articles of formation or organization and operating agreement; and (c) with respect to any partnership, joint venture, trust or other form of business entity, the partnership, joint venture or other applicable agreement of formation or organization and any agreement, instrument, filing or notice with respect thereto filed in connection with its formation or organization with the applicable Governmental Authority in the jurisdiction of its formation or organization and, if applicable, any certificate or articles of formation or organization of such entity.
“Other Taxes” means all present or future stamp or documentary taxes or any other excise or property taxes, charges or similar levies arising from any payment made hereunder or under any other Loan Document or from the execution, delivery or enforcement of, or otherwise with respect to, this Agreement or any other Loan Document.
“Outstanding Amount” means, with respect to Loans on any date, the aggregate outstanding principal amount thereof after giving effect to any borrowings and prepayments or repayments of such Loans occurring on such date; provided, at any time prior to the making of the Loans, the Outstanding Amount of any Lender shall be equal to such Lender’s Commitment.
“Overnight Rate” means, for any day, the greater of (i) the Federal Funds Rate and (ii) an overnight rate reasonably determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation.
“Participant” has the meaning specified in Section 10.06(d).
“PATRIOT Act” has the meaning specified in Section 4.01(f).
“Payment in Full” has the meaning specified in the Intercreditor Agreement.
“PBGC” means the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation as defined in Subtitle A of Title IV of ERISA.
“Perfection Certificate” means a certificate in the form of Exhibit I or any other form reasonable approved by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, as the same shall be supplemented from time to time.
“Performance Guaranties” means (a) Performance Letters of Credit that do not constitute letters of credit under the First Lien Credit Agreement and (b) Specified Surety Bonds.
“Performance Guaranty Limit” means $300,000,000.
“Performance Letter of Credit” means any direct obligations arising under letters of credit (including standby and commercial), bankers’ acceptances, bank guaranties, surety bonds and similar instruments that, in any such case, secure the performance of bids, trade contracts, solar incentive reservations, utility queue interconnection positions and leases (in each case not constituting Indebtedness), statutory obligations, surety and appeal bonds, performance bonds and other obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary course of business.
“Permitted First Lien Refinancing Indebtedness” means “Refinancing” as defined in the Intercreditor Agreement as in effect on the date hereof.
“Person” means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, association, company, partnership, Governmental Authority or other entity.
“Plan” means any “employee benefit plan” (as such term is defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA), other than a Multiemployer Plan, that (a) the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate maintains, sponsors, contributes to, has an obligation to contribute to or has made contributions to at anytime during the immediately preceding six years and (b) is subject to Section 412 or 430 of the Code or Section 302 or 303 of ERISA or Title IV of ERISA.
“Platform” has the meaning specified in Section 6.02.
“Pledge and Security Agreement” means the Pledge and Security Agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit E and including each Pledge and Security Agreement Joinder entered into in connection therewith, whether pursuant to Section 6.13 or otherwise.
“Pledge and Security Agreement Joinder” means a joinder to the Pledge and Security Agreement, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
“Pledged Equity Interests” has the meaning specified in the Pledge and Security Agreement.
“Prepayment Notice” has the meaning specified in Section 2.05(b)(iv).
“Prime Rate” means the rate of interest quoted in the print edition of The Wall Street Journal, Money Rates Section as the Prime Rate (currently defined as the base rate on corporate loans posted by at least 75% of the nation’s thirty (30) largest banks), as in effect from time to time. The Prime Rate is a reference rate and does not necessarily represent the lowest or best rate actually charged to any customer. The Administrative Agent or any other Lender may make commercial loans or other loans at rates of interest at, above or below the Prime Rate.
“Public Lender” has the meaning specified in Section 6.02.
“Register” has the meaning specified in Section 10.06(c).
“Rejection Notice” has the meaning specified in Section 2.05(b)(iv).
“Related Parties” means, with respect to any Person, such Person’s Affiliates and the partners, directors, officers, employees, agents, trustees and advisors of such Person and of such Person’s Affiliates.
“Related Treasury Management Arrangements” has the meaning specified in the First Lien Credit Agreement in effect as of the date hereof.
“Reportable Event” means any of the events set forth in Section 4043(c) of ERISA, other than events for which the 30-day notice period has been waived.
“Required Lenders” means, as of any date of determination, Lenders holding in the aggregate more than 50% of the Total Outstandings; provided that the portion of the Total Outstandings held or deemed held by, any Defaulting Lender shall be excluded for purposes of making a determination of Required Lenders.
“Responsible Officer” means the chief executive officer, president, chief financial officer, treasurer, assistant treasurer or controller of a Loan Party. Any document delivered hereunder that is signed by a Responsible Officer of a Loan Party shall be conclusively presumed to have been authorized by all necessary corporate, partnership and/or other action on the part of such Loan Party and such Responsible Officer shall be conclusively presumed to have acted on behalf of such Loan Party.
“Restricted Payment” means any dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property) with respect to any capital stock or other Equity Interest of the Borrower or any Subsidiary, or any payment (whether in cash, securities or other property), including any sinking fund or similar deposit, on account of the purchase, redemption, retirement, acquisition, cancellation or termination of any such capital stock or other Equity Interest, or on account of any return of capital to the Borrower’s stockholders, partners or members (or the equivalent Person thereof).
“S&P” means Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, a division of The XxXxxx-Xxxx Companies, Inc. and any successor thereto.
“Same Day Funds” means, with respect to disbursements and payments, immediately available funds.
“Samsung Joint Venture” means that certain Person that is a joint venture in Asia by and between the Borrower or a Subsidiary of the Borrower and Samsung Fine Chemicals Co. Ltd., in which (and so long as) the Borrower or a Subsidiary owns no more than 50% of the Equity Interests therein and neither the Borrower nor any Subsidiary is obligated, directly or as part of a Guarantee, for any Indebtedness of such Person.
“SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any Governmental Authority succeeding to any of its principal functions.
“Second Priority” means, with respect to any Lien purported to be created in any Collateral pursuant to any Security Document, that such Lien is the only Lien to which such Collateral is subject, other than any Lien securing the First Lien Obligations (under and as defined within the Intercreditor Agreement) and any Lien permitted under Section 7.01.
“Secured Parties” means, collectively, with respect to the Guaranty and the Pledge and Security Agreement, the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and any other Person for whose benefit the Lien thereunder is conferred, as therein provided.
“Security Documents” means, collectively, the Pledge and Security Agreement, the Mortgages, the Intercreditor Agreement and all other agreements (including control agreements), instruments and other documents, whether now existing or hereafter in effect, pursuant to which the Borrower, any Subsidiary or other Person shall grant or convey to the Administrative Agent a Lien in (or perfect such Lien), or any other Person shall acknowledge any such Lien in, property as security for all or any portion of the Obligations or any other obligation under any Loan Document.
“Senior Unsecured Notes” means the senior unsecured notes due 2019 in an aggregate principal amount of $550,000,000 issued by the Borrower on March 10, 2011.
“Solar Installation Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary of the Borrower that (a) has been formed for the purpose of developing, constructing, financing or operating one or more solar installations with respect to one or more solar installation projects and (b) has no Subsidiaries (other than one or more Non-Recourse Subsidiaries or Solar Installation Subsidiaries) and owns no material assets other than those assets necessary for the development, construction or operation of the solar installation projects for which it was formed.
“Solvent” means, with respect to any Person on any date of determination, that on such date (a) the fair value of the property of such Person is greater than the total amount of liabilities, including contingent liabilities, of such Person, (b) the present fair salable value of the assets of such Person is not less than the amount that will be required to pay the probable liability of such Person on its debts as they become absolute and matured, (c) such Person does not intend to, and does not believe that it will, incur debts or liabilities beyond such Person’s ability to pay such debts and liabilities as they mature, (d) such Person is not engaged in business or a transaction, and is not about to engage in business or a transaction, for which such Person’s property would constitute an unreasonably small capital, and (e) such Person is able to pay its debts and liabilities, contingent obligations and other commitments as they mature in the ordinary course of business. The amount of contingent liabilities at any time shall be computed as the amount that, in the light of all the facts and circumstances existing at such time, represents the amount that can reasonably be expected to become an actual or matured liability.
“Specified Deposit Accounts” means those certain deposit accounts set forth on Schedule 6.17.
“Specified Indebtedness” means any unsecured Indebtedness that is expressly subordinated to the prior payment in full in cash of the Obligations on customary subordination
terms (including without limitation, any such Indebtedness that is convertible into or exchangeable for Equity Interests (other than any Disqualified Equity Interest)) of the Borrower, so long as, (i) no such Indebtedness shall be guaranteed by any Subsidiary of a Loan Party other than such Subsidiaries that are Guarantors of the Obligations, (ii) such Indebtedness shall have a maturity date not earlier than a date that is 180 days after the Maturity Date, (iii) such Indebtedness shall be subject to financial and other covenants, if any, that are no more restrictive than the covenants contained in this Agreement and (iv) the terms and conditions of such Indebtedness are otherwise reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
“Specified Surety Bonds” means surety bonds issued for the account of the Borrower or one or more of its Subsidiaries, including, without limitation, one or more Non-Recourse Subsidiaries, in support of warranty claims with respect to solar panels or other related equipment financed by Non-Recourse Project Indebtedness which may be paid by the Borrower or one or more of its Subsidiaries in the event that the manufacturer of such solar panels or other related equipment fails to honor any such warranty claims; provided that the aggregate amount at any time outstanding of all such surety bonds described above, when added to all other Performance Guaranties, does not exceed the Performance Guaranty Limit. The amount of any Specified Surety Bond shall be deemed to be an amount equal to the stated or determinable amount of the related primary obligation, or portion thereof, in respect of which such Specified Surety Bond is made or, if not stated or determinable, the maximum reasonable anticipated liability in respect thereof as determined by the guaranteeing Person in good faith.
“Spot Rate” for a currency means the rate determined by the Administrative Agent to be the rate quoted by the Person acting in such capacity as the spot rate for the purchase by such Person of such currency with another currency through its principal foreign exchange trading office at approximately 11:00 a.m. on the date two Business Days prior to the date as of which the foreign exchange computation is made; provided that the Administrative Agent may obtain such spot rate from another financial institution designated by the Administrative Agent if the Person acting in such capacity does not have as of the date of determination a spot buying rate for any such currency.
“Subsidiary” of a Person means a corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other business entity of which a majority of the shares of securities or other interests having ordinary voting power for the election of directors or other governing body (other than securities or interests having such power only by reason of the happening of a contingency) are at the time beneficially owned, or the management of which is otherwise Controlled, directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, or both, by such Person. Unless otherwise specified, all references herein to a “Subsidiary” or to “Subsidiaries” shall refer to a Subsidiary or Subsidiaries of the Borrower.
“Sun Edison” means Sun Edison LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Borrower.
“Survey” means a current “as built” survey of any Mortgaged Property (and all improvements thereon) that is (a) prepared by a surveyor or engineer licensed to perform surveys in the state where such Mortgaged Property is located, made in accordance with the Minimum
Standard Detail Requirements for ALTA/ACSM Land Title Surveys jointly established and adopted by the American Land Title Association and the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping in 2011 and meeting the accuracy requirements specified therein, dated not earlier than six months prior to the Closing Date, certified to Administrative Agent, showing the “Table A” items reasonably required by Administrative Agent and certified in accordance with such requirements or (b) otherwise reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent.
“Swap Contract” means (a) any and all rate swap transactions, basis swaps, credit derivative transactions, forward rate transactions, commodity swaps, commodity options, forward commodity contracts, equity or equity index swaps or options, bond or bond price or bond index swaps or options or forward bond or forward bond price or forward bond index transactions, interest rate options, forward foreign exchange transactions, cap transactions, floor transactions, collar transactions, currency swap transactions, cross-currency rate swap transactions, currency options, spot contracts, or any other similar transactions or any combination of any of the foregoing (including any options to enter into any of the foregoing), whether or not any such transaction is governed by or subject to any master agreement, and (b) any and all transactions of any kind, and the related confirmations, which are subject to the terms and conditions of, or governed by, any form of master agreement published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc., any International Foreign Exchange Master Agreement, or any other master agreement (any such master agreement, together with any related schedules, a “Master Agreement”), including any such obligations or liabilities under any Master Agreement.
“Swap Termination Value” means, in respect of any one or more Swap Contracts, after taking into account the effect of any legally enforceable netting agreement relating to such Swap Contracts, (a) for any date on or after the date such Swap Contracts have been closed out and termination value(s) determined in accordance therewith, such termination value(s), and (b) for any date prior to the date referenced in clause (a), the amount(s) determined as the xxxx-to-market value(s) for such Swap Contracts, as determined based upon one or more mid-market or other readily available quotations provided by any recognized dealer in such Swap Contracts (which may include a Lender or any Affiliate of a Lender).
“Syndication Agent” means Xxxxxxx Sachs in its capacity as syndication agent or any successor syndication agent.
“Taxes” means all present or future taxes, levies, imposts, duties, deductions, withholdings (including backup withholding), assessments, fees or other charges imposed by any Governmental Authority, including any interest, additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto.
“Threshold Amount” means $20,000,000.
“Total Outstandings” means the aggregate Outstanding Amount of all Loans.
“Treasury Rate” means, as of any date of voluntary or mandatory prepayment of the Loans, the weekly average yield on actually traded United States Treasury securities adjusted to a constant maturity of one year (as compiled and published in the most recent Federal Reserve
Statistical Release H.15 (519) that has become publicly available at least two Business Days prior to such date (or, if such Statistical Release is no longer published, any publicly available source of similar market data)).
“Type” means, with respect to a Loan, its character as a Base Rate Loan or a Eurocurrency Rate Loan.
“UCC” means the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect from time to time in the State of New York or any other state the laws of which are required to be applied in connection with the issue of perfection of security interests.
“Unfunded Pension Liability” means the excess of the current value of a Plan’s “benefit liabilities” under Section 4001(a)(16) of ERISA (based on the assumptions used for purposes of Statement No. 87 of the Financial Accounting Standards Board) for the applicable plan year, over the current value of that Plan’s assets, determined in accordance with the assumptions used for funding such Plan pursuant to Section 412 or 430 of the Code or Section 302 or 303 of ERISA for such plan year.
“United States” and “U.S.” mean the United States of America.
“Yield Maintenance Amount” has the meaning specified in Section 2.05(c).
Section 1.02 Other Interpretive Provisions. With reference to this Agreement and each other Loan Document, unless otherwise specified herein or in such other Loan Document:
(a) The definitions of terms herein shall apply equally to the singular and plural forms of the terms defined. Whenever the context may require, any pronoun shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine and neuter forms. The words “include,” “includes” and “including” shall be deemed to be followed by the phrase “without limitation.” The word “will” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect as the word “shall.” Unless the context requires otherwise, (i) any definition of or reference to any agreement, instrument or other document (including any Organization Document) shall be construed as referring to such agreement, instrument or other document as from time to time amended, supplemented or otherwise modified (subject to any restrictions on such amendments, supplements or modifications set forth herein or in any other Loan Document), (ii) any reference herein to any Person shall be construed to include such Person’s successors and assigns, (iii) the words “herein,” “hereof” and “hereunder,” and words of similar import when used in any Loan Document, shall be construed to refer to such Loan Document in its entirety and not to any particular provision thereof, (iv) all references in a Loan Document to Articles, Sections, Exhibits and Schedules shall be construed to refer to Articles and Sections of, and Exhibits and Schedules to, the Loan Document in which such references appear, (v) any reference to any law shall include all statutory and regulatory provisions consolidating, amending, replacing or interpreting such law and any reference to any law or regulation shall, unless otherwise specified, refer to such law or regulation as amended, modified or supplemented from time to time, and (vi) the words “asset” and “property” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect and
to refer to any and all tangible and intangible assets and properties, including cash, securities, accounts and contract rights.
(b) In the computation of periods of time from a specified date to a later specified date, the word “from” means “from and including”; the words “to” and “until” each mean “to but excluding”; and the word “through” means “to and including.”
(c) Section headings herein and in the other Loan Documents are included for convenience of reference only and shall not affect the interpretation of this Agreement or any other Loan Document.
Section 1.03 Accounting Terms. (a) Generally. All accounting terms not specifically or completely defined herein shall be construed in conformity with, and all financial data (including financial ratios and other financial calculations) required to be submitted pursuant to this Agreement shall be prepared in conformity with, GAAP applied on a consistent basis, in a manner consistent with that used in preparing the Audited Financial Statements, except as otherwise specifically prescribed herein.
(b) Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities. All references herein to consolidated financial statements of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries or to the determination of any amount for the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis or any similar reference shall, in each case, be deemed to include each variable interest entity that the Borrower is required to consolidate pursuant to FASB Interpretation No. 46 Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities: an interpretation of ARB No. 51 (January 2003) as if such variable interest entity were a Subsidiary as defined herein.
Section 1.04 Rounding. Any financial ratios required to be maintained by the Borrower pursuant to this Agreement shall be calculated by dividing the appropriate component by the other component, carrying the result to one place more than the number of places by which such ratio is expressed herein and rounding the result up or down to the nearest number (with a rounding-up if there is no nearest number).
Section 1.05 Times of Day. Unless otherwise specified, all references herein to times of day shall be references to Eastern time (daylight or standard, as applicable).
ARTICLE II
THE COMMITMENTS AND BORROWINGS
Section 2.01 Loans. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, each Lender severally agrees to make, on the Closing Date, a Loan to the Borrower, in an amount equal to the Commitment of such Lender. Such Loans shall be made pursuant to a single drawing on the Closing Date and shall be denominated in Dollars. Any Loans borrowed hereunder and subsequently repaid or prepaid may not be reborrowed. Each Lender’s Commitment shall terminate immediately and without further action on the Closing Date after giving effect to the funding of such Lender’s Loan on such date.
Section 2.02 Borrowings, Conversions and Continuations of Loans. (a) Each Borrowing, each conversion of Loans from one Type to the other, and each continuation of Eurocurrency Rate Loans shall be made upon the Borrower’s delivery to the Administrative Agent of an irrevocable Borrowing Notice, appropriately completed and signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower. Each such notice must be received by the Administrative Agent not later than 1:00 p.m. three Business Days prior to the requested date of the Borrowing of, or the conversion to or continuation of Eurocurrency Rate Loans or of any conversion of Eurocurrency Rate Loans to Base Rate Loans. The Borrowing shall be in a principal amount equal to the Aggregate Commitments. Each conversion to or continuation of Eurocurrency Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $5,000,000 or a whole multiple of $1,000,000 in excess thereof. Each conversion to Base Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $1,000,000 or a whole multiple of $500,000 in excess thereof. Each Borrowing Notice (whether telephonic or written) shall specify (i) whether the Borrower is requesting the Borrowing (which may only be made on the Closing Date), a conversion of Loans from one Type to the other, or a continuation of Eurocurrency Rate Loans, (ii) the requested date of the Borrowing (which may only be the Closing Date), conversion or continuation, as the case may be (which shall be a Business Day), (iii) the principal amount of Loans to be borrowed, converted or continued, (iv) the Type of Loans to be borrowed or to which existing Loans are to be converted and (v) if applicable, the duration of the Interest Period with respect thereto; provided that there shall not be more than one Interest Period in effect as of the Closing Date. If the Borrower fails to specify a Type of Loan in a Borrowing Notice or if the Borrower fails to give a timely notice requesting a conversion or continuation, then the applicable Loans shall be made as, or converted to, Base Rate Loans. Any automatic conversion to Base Rate Loans shall be effective as of the last day of the Interest Period then in effect with respect to the applicable Eurocurrency Rate Loans. If the Borrower requests a conversion to, or continuation of Eurocurrency Rate Loans in any such Borrowing Notice, but fails to specify an Interest Period, it will be deemed to have specified an Interest Period of one month.
(b) Following receipt of a Borrowing Notice, the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each Lender of the amount of its Applicable Percentage of the applicable Loans, and if no timely notice of a conversion or continuation is provided by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent shall notify each Lender of the details of any automatic conversion to Base Rate Loans as described in the preceding subsection. In the case of the Borrowing on the Closing Date, which is the only Borrowing permitted hereunder, each Lender shall make the amount of its Loan available to the Administrative Agent in Same Day Funds at the Administrative Agent’s Office not later than 11:00 a.m. (New York City time) on the Closing Date. Upon satisfaction of the applicable conditions set forth in Section 4.01, the Administrative Agent shall make all funds so received available to the Borrower in like funds as received by the Administrative Agent either by (i) crediting the account of the Borrower on the books of the Administrative Agent with the amount of such funds or (ii) wire transfer of such funds, in accordance with instructions provided to (and reasonably acceptable to) the Administrative Agent by the Borrower.
(c) Except as otherwise provided herein, a Eurocurrency Rate Loan may be continued or converted only on the last day of an Interest Period for such Eurocurrency Rate
Loan. During the existence of a Default, no Loans may be converted to, or continued as, Eurocurrency Rate Loans without the consent of the Required Lenders.
(d) The Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the Borrower and the Lenders of the interest rate applicable to any Interest Period for Eurocurrency Rate Loans upon determination of such interest rate. At any time that Base Rate Loans are outstanding, the Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Lenders of any change in Prime Rate used in determining the Base Rate promptly following the public announcement of such change.
(e) Subject to Section 2.02(a)(v), after giving effect to all Borrowings, all conversions of Loans from one Type to the other, and all continuations of Loans as the same Type, there shall not be more than eight Interest Periods in effect with respect to Loans.
Section 2.03 [RESERVED]
Section 2.04 [RESERVED]
Section 2.05 Prepayments.
(a) Voluntary Prepayments. Subject to the provisions of the First Lien Credit Agreement, the Borrower may, upon notice from the Borrower to the Administrative Agent, at any time or from time to time voluntarily prepay Loans in whole or in part subject to the payment of the call premium set forth in Section 2.05(c), if applicable; provided that (i) such notice must be received by the Administrative Agent not later than (A) 1:00 p.m. three Business Days prior to any date of prepayment of Eurocurrency Rate Loans and (B) 1:00 p.m. one Business Day prior to any date of prepayment of Base Rate Loans; (ii) any prepayment of Eurocurrency Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $5,000,000 or a whole multiple of $1,000,000 in excess thereof; and (iii) any prepayment of Base Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $1,000,000 or a whole multiple of $500,000 in excess thereof or, in each case, if less, the entire principal amount thereof then outstanding. Each such notice shall specify the date and amount of such prepayment and the Type(s) of Loans to be prepaid and, if Eurocurrency Rate Loans are to be prepaid, the Interest Period(s) of such Loans. The Administrative Agent will promptly notify each Lender of its receipt of each such notice, and of the amount of such Lender’s Applicable Percentage of such prepayment. If such notice is given by the Borrower, the Borrower shall make such prepayment and the payment amount specified in such notice shall be due and payable on the date specified therein along with any applicable call premium set forth in Section 2.05(c).
(b) Mandatory Prepayments. Subject to the provisions of the First Lien Credit Agreement, the Borrower shall make prepayments of the Loans hereunder as follows provided that, any Lender may decline any such prepayment (in whole but not in part) in accordance with Section 2.05(b)(iv):
(i) Asset Sales. No later than the first Business Day following the date of receipt by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries of any Net Asset Sale Proceeds, the Borrower shall offer to prepay the Loans in an aggregate amount equal to such Net
Asset Sale Proceeds; provided, (i) so long as no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, and (ii) to the extent that aggregate Net Asset Sale Proceeds from the Closing Date through the applicable date of determination do not exceed $100,000,000, the Borrower shall have the option, directly or through one or more of its Subsidiaries, to use such Net Asset Sale Proceeds for permitted acquisitions, Capital Expenditures or otherwise reinvest such Net Asset Sale Proceeds in other assets that are not classified as current assets, in each case, (x) that are used or useful in the business of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries and (y) that comprise Collateral to the extent such property or asset sold or otherwise Disposed of was Collateral, within one year of receipt of such Net Asset Sale Proceeds (subject to, if the Borrower or the applicable Subsidiary enters into a binding commitment to reinvest such proceeds not later than the end of such one-year period with the good faith expectation that such proceeds will be applied to satisfy such reinvestment commitment within 180 days, an extension for a period of up to an additional 180 days from the end of such one-year period).
(ii) Insurance/Condemnation Proceeds. No later than the first Business Day following the date of receipt by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, or Administrative Agent as loss payee, of any Net Insurance/Condemnation Proceeds, the Borrower shall prepay the Loans in an aggregate amount equal to such Net Insurance/Condemnation Proceeds; provided, (i) so long as no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, and (ii) to the extent that aggregate Net Insurance/Condemnation Proceeds from the Closing Date through the applicable date of determination do not exceed $50,000,000, the Borrower shall have the option, directly or through one or more of its Subsidiaries to invest such Net Insurance/Condemnation Proceeds in other long term assets which investment may include the repair, restoration or replacement of the applicable assets thereof, in each case, (x) that are useful in the business of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries and (y) that comprise Collateral to the extent such property or asset sold or otherwise Disposed of was Collateral, within one year of receipt thereof (subject to, if the Borrower or the applicable Subsidiary enters into a binding commitment to reinvest such proceeds not later than the end of such one-year period with the good faith expectation that such proceeds will be applied to satisfy such reinvestment commitment within 180 days, an extension for a period of up to an additional 180 days from the end of such one-year period).
(iii) Issuance of Debt. On the date of receipt by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries of any Cash proceeds from the incurrence of any Indebtedness of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries (other than with respect to any Indebtedness permitted to be incurred pursuant to Section 7.03), the Borrower shall prepay the Loans in an aggregate amount equal to 100% of such proceeds, net of underwriting discounts and commissions and other reasonable costs and expenses associated therewith, including reasonable legal fees and expenses.
(iv) Prepayment Certificate. The Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent in writing of any mandatory prepayment of Loans required to be made pursuant to clause (i), (ii) or (iii) of this Section 2.05(b) at least five (5) Business
Days (or such shorter time agreed to by the Administrative Agent in its discretion) prior to the date of such prepayment (a “Prepayment Notice”). Each such Prepayment Notice shall contain a certificate of a Responsible Officer (A) demonstrating the calculation of the amount of the applicable net proceeds (or reasonable good faith estimate thereof), (B) either specifying the projected date of such prepayment (which in no event shall be after the date of prepayment required pursuant to Section 2.05(b)(i) through (iii), as applicable) or notice of the Borrower’s intent to exercise its option to reinvest such amounts as provided under Sections 2.05(b)(i) and (ii), as applicable, (C) provide a reasonably detailed calculation of the amount of such prepayment (or reasonable good faith estimate thereof)and (D) shall advise each Lender of its right to decline all (but not less than all) of such prepayment that would otherwise be payable to such Lender. The Administrative Agent will promptly notify each Lender of the contents of such Prepayment Notice and of such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the applicable prepayment. Each Lender may reject all or any portion of its Pro Rata Share of any mandatory prepayment (such declined amounts, the “Declined Proceeds”) of Loans required to be made pursuant to clauses (i), (ii) or (iii) of this Section 2.05(b) by providing written notice (each, a “Rejection Notice”) to the Administrative Agent no later than 5:00 p.m. three (3) Business Days after the date of such Lender’s receipt of notice from the Administrative Agent regarding such prepayment; provided, however, that in no event may a prepayment with the proceeds of Indebtedness incurred in order to refinance the Loans be rejected. Each Rejection Notice from a given Lender shall specify the principal amount of the mandatory repayment of Loans to be rejected by such Lender. Upon receipt of a Rejection Notice by the Administrative Agent, the Administrative Agent shall promptly deliver such Rejection Notice to the Borrower. If a Lender fails to deliver a Rejection Notice to the Administrative Agent within the time frame specified above or such Rejection Notice fails to specify the principal amount of the Loans to be rejected, any such failure will be deemed an acceptance of the total amount of such mandatory prepayment of Loans. Any Declined Proceeds shall be retained by the Borrower for any purpose not prohibited by the Loan Documents. Any proceeds from the applicable mandatory prepayment that are not Declined Proceeds shall be prepaid by the Borrower on the date specified therefor in the applicable Prepayment Notice, which in no event shall be after the date of prepayment required pursuant to Section 2.05(b)(i) through (iii), as applicable. In the event that the Borrower shall subsequently determine that the actual amount received exceeded the amount set forth in such certificate, the Borrower shall promptly deliver a supplemental Prepayment Notice to the Administrative Agent, which, in addition to the requirements of the initial Prepayment Notice with respect to such mandatory prepayment, shall contain a certificate of a Responsible Officer demonstrating the derivation of such excess. The procedures described in this Section 2.05(b)(iv) with respect to the making of such prepayment and the Lenders’ option to reject such prepayment shall be followed with respect to such excess.
(c) Call Protection.
(i) Prepayments prior to March 2014. In the event all or any portion of the Loans (A) are repaid through any voluntary repayments, (B) prepaid, effectively
refinanced, replaced or repriced (including, in each case of the foregoing clauses (A) or (B), in connection with any exercise of the Borrower’s right to replace any Lender in accordance with Section 10.13), (C) are prepaid pursuant to Section 2.05(b)(iii) or (D) become due and payable pursuant to Section 8.01, in each case on or prior to March 31, 2014, such prepayment, repayments, refinancings, replacements or repricings will be made (and the Borrower shall promptly, on or prior to the effective date of such prepayment, repayment, refinancing, replacement or repricing, pay or cause the payment of) a prepayment premium in an amount (the “Yield Maintenance Amount”) equal to the present value of the sum of (I) the Applicable Rate that would have been payable for Eurocurrency Rate Loans plus (II) the greater of (1) the Eurocurrency Rate “floor” (i.e. 1.50%) and (2) the Eurocurrency Rate (assuming an Interest Period of three months in effect on the date on which the applicable notice of repayment or repricing is given), in each case calculated as a rate per annum on the amount of the principal of such Loans repaid or repriced from the date of such repayment or repricing until the first anniversary of the Closing Date plus (III) the prepayment premium on the amount of the principal of such Loans repaid or repriced that would have been payable on such Loans had such repayment or been made after March 31, 2014 but on or prior to March 31, 2015 (in each case, computed on the basis of actual days elapsed over a year of 360 days and using a discount rate equal to the Treasury Rate as of such prepayment date plus 50 basis points); provided, that, in no event shall the Yield Maintenance Amount be less than 3.00% of the aggregate principal amount of the Loans being repaid, prepaid, refinanced, replaced or repriced on such date.
(ii) Prepayments following March 2014. In the event that all or any portion of the Loan is (A) prepaid through voluntary repayments or (B) prepaid through mandatory repayments from the proceeds of debt incurrence, in each case of clauses (A) – (B) above, such repayment, prepayment, refinancing, replacement or repricing will be made at (x) 103.0% of the principal amount so repaid, prepaid, refinanced, replaced or repriced if such repayment, prepayment, refinancing, replacement or repricing occurs after March 31, 2014, but on or prior to March 31, 2015 and (y) 101.0% of the principal amount so repaid, prepaid, refinanced, replaced or repriced if such repayment, prepayment, refinancing, replacement or repricing occurs after March 31, 2015 but on or prior to March 31, 2016. No call premium will be required after March 31, 2016.
(d) Any prepayment of a Loan pursuant to this Section 2.05 shall be accompanied by all accrued interest on the amount prepaid, together with any additional amounts required pursuant to Section 3.05, if applicable. Each such prepayment shall be applied to the Loans of the Lenders in accordance with their respective Applicable Percentages.
Section 2.06 [RESERVED].
Section 2.07 Repayment of Loans. The Borrower shall repay to the Lenders on the Maturity Date the aggregate principal amount of Loans made to the Borrower outstanding on such date.
Section 2.08 Interest. (a) Subject to the provisions of subsection (c) below, (i) each Eurocurrency Rate Loan shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof for each Interest Period at a rate per annum equal to the Eurocurrency Rate for such Interest Period plus the Applicable Rate and (ii) each Base Rate Loan shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof from the applicable borrowing date at a rate per annum equal to the Base Rate plus the Applicable Rate.
(b) (i) If any amount of principal of any Loan is not paid when due (without regard to any applicable grace periods), whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise, such amount shall thereafter bear interest at a fluctuating interest rate per annum at all times equal to the Default Rate to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws.
(ii) If any amount (other than principal of any Loan) payable by the Borrower under any Loan Document is not paid when due (without regard to any applicable grace periods), whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise, then upon the request of the Required Lenders, such amount shall thereafter bear interest at a fluctuating interest rate per annum at all times equal to the Default Rate to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws.
(iii) Upon the request of the Required Lenders, while any Event of Default exists, the Borrower shall pay interest on the principal amount of all outstanding Obligations hereunder at a fluctuating interest rate per annum at all times equal to the Default Rate to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws.
(iv) Accrued and unpaid interest on past due amounts (including interest on past due interest) shall be due and payable upon demand.
(c) Interest on each Loan shall be due and payable in arrears in cash on each Interest Payment Date applicable thereto and at such other times as may be specified herein. Interest hereunder shall be due and payable in accordance with the terms hereof before and after judgment, and before and after the commencement of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law.
Section 2.09 Fees.
(a) Closing Fee. The Borrower shall pay to each Lender on the Closing Date, as fee compensation for the funding of such Lender’s Loans, a fee in an amount equal to 2.00% of the stated principal amount of such Lender’s Loan (the “Closing Fee”), payable to such Lender from the proceeds of its Loan as and when funded on the Closing Date. Such Closing Fee will be in all respects fully earned, due and payable on the Closing Date and non-refundable and non-creditable thereafter.
(b) Other Fees. The Borrower shall pay to the Arranger and each Agent, for their own respective accounts, in Dollars, fees in the amounts and at the times specified in any fee agreements with the Arranger or such Agent. Such fees shall be fully earned when paid and shall not be refundable for any reason whatsoever.
Section 2.10 Computation of Interest and Fees; Retroactive Adjustments of Applicable Rate. All computations of interest for Base Rate Loans shall be made on the basis of a year of 365 or 366 days, as the case may be, and actual days elapsed. All other computations of fees and interest shall be made on the basis of a 360-day year and actual days elapsed (which results in more fees or interest, as applicable, being paid than if computed on the basis of a 365-day year). Interest shall accrue on each Loan for the day on which the Loan is made, and shall not accrue on a Loan, or any portion thereof, for the day on which the Loan or such portion is paid. Each determination by the Administrative Agent of an interest rate or fee hereunder shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes, absent manifest error.
Section 2.11 Evidence of Debt. The Loans made by each Lender shall be evidenced by one or more accounts or records maintained by such Lender and by the Administrative Agent in the ordinary course of business. The accounts or records maintained by the Administrative Agent and each Lender shall be conclusive absent manifest error of the amount of the Loans made by the Lenders to the Borrower and the interest and payments thereon. Any failure to so record or any error in doing so shall not, however, limit or otherwise affect the obligation of the Borrower hereunder to pay any amount owing with respect to the Obligations. In the event of any conflict between the accounts and records maintained by any Lender and the accounts and records of the Administrative Agent in respect of such matters, the accounts and records of the Administrative Agent shall control in the absence of manifest error. Upon the request of any Lender to the Borrower made through the Administrative Agent, the Borrower shall execute and deliver to such Lender (through the Administrative Agent) a Note, which shall evidence such Lender’s Loans to the Borrower in addition to such accounts or records. Each Lender may attach schedules to a Note and endorse thereon the date, Type (if applicable), amount, currency and maturity of its Loans and payments with respect thereto.
Section 2.12 Payments Generally; Administrative Agent’s Clawback. (a) General. All payments to be made by the Borrower shall be made without condition or deduction for any counterclaim, defense, recoupment or setoff. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all payments by the Borrower hereunder shall be made to the Administrative Agent, for the account of the respective Lenders to which such payment is owed, at the applicable Administrative Agent’s Office in Dollars and in Same Day Funds not later than 2:00 p.m. on the date specified herein. The Administrative Agent will promptly distribute to each Lender its Applicable Percentage (or other applicable share as provided herein) of such payment in like funds as received by wire transfer to such Lender’s Lending Office. All payments received by the Administrative Agent after 2:00 p.m. shall in each case be deemed received on the next succeeding Business Day and any applicable interest or fee shall continue to accrue. If any payment to be made by the Borrower shall come due on a day other than a Business Day, payment shall be made on the next following Business Day, and such extension of time shall be reflected in computing interest or fees, as the case may be.
(b) (i) Funding by Lenders; Presumption by Administrative Agent. Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from a Lender prior to the Closing Date that such Lender will not make available to the Administrative Agent such Lender’s share of the Closing Date Borrowing, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender has made such
share available on the Closing Date in accordance with Section 2.02 and may, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to the Borrower a corresponding amount. In such event, if a Lender has not in fact made its share of the applicable the Closing Date Borrowing available to the Administrative Agent, then the applicable Lender and the Borrower severally agree to pay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand such corresponding amount in Same Day Funds with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is made available to the Borrower to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at (A) in the case of a payment to be made by such Lender, the Overnight Rate, plus any administrative, processing or similar fees customarily charged by the Administrative Agent in connection with the foregoing, and (B) in the case of a payment to be made by the Borrower, the interest rate applicable to Base Rate Loans. If the Borrower and such Lender shall pay such interest to the Administrative Agent for the same or an overlapping period, the Administrative Agent shall promptly remit to the Borrower the amount of such interest paid by the Borrower for such period. If such Lender pays its share of the Closing Date Borrowing to the Administrative Agent, then the amount so paid shall constitute such Lender’s Loan included in the Closing Date Borrowing. Any payment by the Borrower shall be without prejudice to any claim the Borrower may have against a Lender that shall have failed to make such payment to the Administrative Agent.
(ii) Payments by the Borrower; Presumptions by Administrative Agent. Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from the Borrower prior to the date on which any payment is due to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Lenders hereunder that the Borrower will not make such payment, the Administrative Agent may assume that the Borrower has made such payment on such date in accordance herewith and may, in reliance upon such assumption, distribute to the Lenders the amount due. In such event, if the Borrower has not in fact made such payment, then each of the Lenders severally agrees to repay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand the amount so distributed to such Lender, in Same Day Funds with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is distributed to it to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at the Overnight Rate.
A notice of the Administrative Agent to any Lender or the Borrower with respect to any amount owing under this subsection (b) shall be conclusive, absent manifest error.
(c) Failure to Satisfy Conditions Precedent. If any Lender makes available to the Administrative Agent funds for any Loan to be made by such Lender to the Borrower as provided in the foregoing provisions of this Article II, and such funds are not made available to the Borrower by the Administrative Agent because the conditions to the Closing Date Borrowing set forth in Article IV are not satisfied or waived in accordance with the terms hereof, the Administrative Agent shall return such funds (in like funds as received from such Lender) to such Lender, without interest.
(d) Obligations of Lenders Several. The obligations of the Lenders hereunder to make Loans and to make payments pursuant to Section 10.04(c) are several and not joint. The failure of any Lender to make any Loan, to fund any such participation or to make any payment
under Section 10.04(c) on any date required hereunder shall not relieve any other Lender of its corresponding obligation to do so on such date, and no Lender shall be responsible for the failure of any other Lender to so make its Loan, or to make its payment under Section 10.04(c).
(e) Funding Source. Nothing herein shall be deemed to obligate any Lender to obtain the funds for any Loan in any particular place or manner or to constitute a representation by any Lender that it has obtained or will obtain the funds for any Loan in any particular place or manner.
Section 2.13 Sharing of Payments by Lenders. If any Lender shall, by exercising any right of setoff or counterclaim or otherwise, obtain payment in respect of any principal of or interest on the Loan made by it, resulting in such Lender’s receiving payment of a proportion of the aggregate amount of the Loans and accrued interest thereon greater than its pro rata share thereof as provided herein, then the Lender receiving such greater proportion shall (a) notify the Administrative Agent of such fact, and (b) purchase (for cash at face value) participations in the Loans of the other Lenders, or make such other adjustments as shall be equitable, so that the benefit of all such payments shall be shared by the Lenders ratably in accordance with the aggregate amount of principal of and accrued interest on their respective Loans and other amounts owing them, provided that:
(i) if any such participations or subparticipations are purchased and all or any portion of the payment giving rise thereto is recovered, such participations or subparticipations shall be rescinded and the purchase price restored to the extent of such recovery, without interest; and
(ii) the provisions of this Section 2.13 shall not be construed to apply to (x) any payment made by the Borrower pursuant to and in accordance with the express terms of this Agreement or (y) any payment obtained by a Lender as consideration for the assignment of or sale of a participation in its Loan to any assignee or participant, other than to the Borrower or any Subsidiary thereof (as to which the provisions of this Section 2.13 shall apply), provided that, notwithstanding anything in this Section 2.13 to the contrary, no assignments of Loans to the Borrower or its Subsidiaries are permitted hereunder.
The Borrower consents to the foregoing and agrees, to the extent it may effectively do so under applicable law, that any Lender acquiring a participation pursuant to the foregoing arrangements may exercise against the Borrower rights of setoff and counterclaim with respect to such participation as fully as if such Lender were a direct creditor of the Borrower in the amount of such participation.
ARTICLE III
TAXES, YIELD PROTECTION AND ILLEGALITY
Section 3.01 Taxes.
(a) Payments Free of Taxes; Obligation to Withhold; Payments on Account of Taxes. (i) Any and all payments by or on account of any obligation of any Loan Party hereunder or under any other Loan Document shall to the extent permitted by applicable Laws be made free and clear of and without reduction or withholding for any Taxes. If, however, applicable Laws require any Loan Party or the Administrative Agent to withhold or deduct any Tax, such Tax shall be withheld or deducted in accordance with such Laws as determined by the Loan Party or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be, upon the basis of the information and documentation to be delivered pursuant to subsection (e) below.
(ii) If a Loan Party or the Administrative Agent shall be required by the Code to withhold or deduct any Taxes, including both United States Federal backup withholding and withholding taxes, from any payment, then (A) the Loan Party or Administrative Agent shall withhold or make such deductions as are determined by the Administrative Agent to be required based upon the information and documentation it has received pursuant to subsection (e) below, (B) the Loan Party or Administrative Agent, as may be relevant, shall timely pay the full amount withheld or deducted to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with the Code, and (C) to the extent that the withholding or deduction is made on account of Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes, the sum payable by the Loan Party shall be increased as necessary so that after any required withholding or the making of all required deductions (including deductions applicable to additional sums payable under this Section 3.01) the Administrative Agent or Lender, as the case may be, receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such withholding or deduction been made.
(iii) If a Loan Party or the Administrative Agent shall be required by any applicable Laws other than the Code to withhold or deduct any Taxes from any payment, then (A) the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, as required by such Laws, shall withhold or make such deductions as are determined by it to be required based upon the information and documentation it has received pursuant to subsection (e) below, (B) the Loan Party or the Administrative Agent, to the extent required by such Laws, shall timely pay the full amount so withheld or deducted by it to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with such Laws, and (C) to the extent that the withholding or deduction is made on account of Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes, the sum payable by the Loan Party shall be increased as necessary so that after any required withholding or the making of all required deductions (including deductions applicable to additional sums payable under this Section 3.01) the Administrative Agent or Lender, as the case may be, receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such withholding or deduction been made.
(b) Payment of Other Taxes by the Borrower. Without limiting the provisions of subsection (a) above, the Borrower shall timely pay any Other Taxes to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable Laws.
(c) Tax Indemnifications. (i) Without limiting the provisions of subsection (a) or (b) above, the Borrower shall, and does hereby, indemnify the Administrative Agent and each
Lender, and shall make payment in respect thereof within 10 days after demand therefor, for the full amount of any Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes (including Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes imposed or asserted on or attributable to amounts payable under this Section 3.01) withheld or deducted by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent or paid by the Administrative Agent or such Lender, as the case may be, and any penalties, interest and reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. The Borrower shall also, and does hereby, indemnify the Administrative Agent, and shall make payment in respect thereof within 10 days after demand therefor, for any amount which a Lender for any reason fails to pay indefeasibly to the Administrative Agent as required by clause (ii) of this subsection. A certificate as to the amount of any such payment or liability delivered to the Borrower by a Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), or by the Administrative Agent on its own behalf or on behalf of a Lender, shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
(ii) Without limiting the provisions of subsection (a) or (b) above, each Lender shall, and does hereby, indemnify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, and shall make payment in respect thereof within 10 days after demand therefor, against any and all Taxes and any and all related losses, claims, liabilities, penalties, interest and expenses (including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for the Borrower or the Administrative Agent) incurred by or asserted against the Borrower or the Administrative Agent by any Governmental Authority as a result of the failure by such Lender to deliver, or as a result of the inaccuracy, inadequacy or deficiency of, any documentation required to be delivered by such Lender to the Borrower or the Administrative Agent pursuant to subsection (e). Each Lender hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent to set off and apply any and all amounts at any time owing to such Lender under this Agreement or any other Loan Document against any amount due to the Administrative Agent under this clause (ii). The agreements in this clause (ii) shall survive the resignation and/or replacement of the Administrative Agent, any assignment of rights by, or the replacement of, a Lender, the termination of the Aggregate Commitments and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all Obligations.
(d) Evidence of Payments. Upon request by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be, after any payment of Taxes by the Borrower or by the Administrative Agent to a Governmental Authority as provided in this Section 3.01, the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent or the Administrative Agent shall deliver to the Borrower, as the case may be, the original or a certified copy of a receipt issued by such Governmental Authority evidencing such payment, a copy of any return required by Laws to report such payment or other evidence of such payment reasonably satisfactory to the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be.
(e) Status of Lenders; Tax Documentation. (184) Each Lender shall deliver to the Borrower and to the Administrative Agent, at the time or times prescribed by applicable Laws or when reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, such properly completed and executed documentation prescribed by applicable Laws or by the taxing authorities of any jurisdiction and such other reasonably requested information as will permit the
Borrower or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be, to determine (A) whether or not payments made by the Borrower hereunder or under any other Loan Document are subject to Taxes, (B) if applicable, the required rate of withholding or deduction, and (C) such Lender’s entitlement to any available exemption from, or reduction of, applicable Taxes in respect of all payments to be made to such Lender by the Borrower pursuant to this Agreement or otherwise to establish such Lender’s status for withholding tax purposes in the applicable jurisdictions. In addition, any Lender, if requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, shall deliver such other documentation prescribed by law or reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will enable the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine whether or not such Lender is subject to backup withholding or information reporting requirements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 3.01(e), the completion, execution and submission of such documentation (other than such documentation set forth in Section 3.01(e)(ii)(A) or 3.01(e)(ii)(B)(I)-(IV) below) shall not be required if in the Lender’s judgment such completion, execution or submission would subject such Lender to any material unreimbursed cost or expense (or, in the case of a Change in Law, any incremental material unreimbursed cost or expense) or would materially prejudice the legal or commercial position of such Lender.
(i) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, if the Borrower is resident for tax purposes in the United States,
(A) any Lender that is a “United States person” within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent executed originals of IRS Form W-9 or such other documentation or information prescribed by applicable Laws or reasonably requested by the Borrower on behalf of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will enable the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be, to determine whether or not such Lender is subject to backup withholding or information reporting requirements; and
(B) each Foreign Lender that is entitled under the Code or any applicable treaty to an exemption from or reduction of withholding tax with respect to payments hereunder or under any other Loan Document shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the expiration of previously delivered forms or the request of the Borrower on behalf of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, but only if such Foreign Lender is legally entitled to do so), whichever of the following is applicable:
(I) executed originals of IRS Form W‑8BEN claiming eligibility for benefits of an income tax treaty to which the United States is a party,
(II) executed originals of IRS Form W‑8ECI,
(III) executed originals of IRS Form W‑8IMY and all required supporting documentation,
(IV) in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of the exemption for portfolio interest under Section 881(c) of the Code, (x) a certificate to the effect that such Foreign Lender is not (A) a “bank” within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code, (B) a “10 percent shareholder” of the Borrower within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(B) of the Code, or (C) a “controlled foreign corporation” described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Code and (y) executed originals of IRS Form W-8BEN, or
(V) executed originals of any other form prescribed by applicable Laws as a basis for claiming exemption from or a reduction in United States Federal withholding tax together with such supplementary documentation as may be prescribed by applicable Laws to permit the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine the withholding or deduction required to be made.
(ii) If a payment made to a Lender under any Loan Document would be subject to U.S. federal withholding Tax imposed by FATCA if such Lender were to fail to comply with the applicable reporting requirements of FATCA (including those contained in Section 1471(b) or 1472(b) of the Code, as applicable), such Lender shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, at the time or times prescribed by law and at such time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, such documentation prescribed by applicable law (including as prescribed by Section 1471(b)(3)(C)(i) of the Code) and such additional documentation reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as may be necessary for the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to comply with its obligations under FATCA, to determine that such Lender has or has not complied with its obligations under FATCA or to determine the amount to deduct and withhold from such payment. Solely for purposes of this Section 3.01(e)(iii), “FATCA” shall include any amendments made to FATCA after the date of this Agreement.
(iii) Each Lender shall promptly (A) notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent of any change in circumstances which would modify or render invalid any claimed exemption or reduction, and (B) take such steps as shall not be materially disadvantageous to it, in the reasonable judgment of such Lender, and as may be reasonably necessary (including the re-designation of its Lending Office) to avoid any requirement of applicable Laws of any jurisdiction that the Borrower or the Administrative Agent make any withholding or deduction for taxes from amounts payable to such Lender.
(iv) The Borrower shall promptly deliver to the Administrative Agent or any Lender, as the Administrative Agent or such Lender shall reasonably request, on or prior to the Closing Date, and in a timely fashion thereafter, such documents and forms
required by any relevant taxing authorities under the Laws of any jurisdiction, duly executed and completed by the Borrower, as are required to be furnished by such Lender or the Administrative Agent under such Laws in connection with any payment by the Administrative Agent or any Lender of Taxes or Other Taxes, or otherwise in connection with the Loan Documents, with respect to such jurisdiction.
(f) Treatment of Certain Refunds. Unless required by applicable Laws, at no time shall the Administrative Agent have any obligation to file for or otherwise pursue on behalf of a Lender, or have any obligation to pay to any Lender, any refund of Taxes withheld or deducted from funds paid for the account of such Lender. If the Administrative Agent or any Lender determines, in its sole discretion, that it has received a refund of any Taxes or Other Taxes as to which it has been indemnified by the Borrower or with respect to which the Borrower has paid additional amounts pursuant to this Section 3.01, it shall pay to the Borrower an amount equal to such refund (but only to the extent of indemnity payments made, or additional amounts paid, by the Borrower under this Section 3.01 with respect to the Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes giving rise to such refund), net of all out-of-pocket expenses and net of any loss or gain realized in the conversion of such funds from or to another currency incurred by the Administrative Agent or such Lender, and without interest (other than any interest paid by the relevant Governmental Authority with respect to such refund), provided that the Borrower, upon the request of the Administrative Agent or such Lender, agrees to repay the amount paid over to the Borrower (plus any penalties, interest or other charges imposed by the relevant Governmental Authority) to the Administrative Agent or such Lender in the event the Administrative Agent or such Lender is required to repay such refund to such Governmental Authority. This subsection shall not be construed to require the Administrative Agent or any Lender to make available its tax returns (or any other information relating to its taxes that it deems confidential) to the Borrower or any other Person.
Section 3.02 Illegality. If on any date any Lender determines that any Law has made it unlawful, or that any Governmental Authority has asserted that it is unlawful, for any Lender or its applicable Lending Office to make, maintain or fund Eurocurrency Rate Loans, or to determine or charge interest rates based upon the Eurocurrency Rate, or any Governmental Authority has imposed material restrictions on the authority of such Lender to purchase or sell, or to take deposits of, Dollars in the applicable interbank market, then, on notice thereof by such Lender to the Borrower through the Administrative Agent, any obligation of such Lender to make or continue Eurocurrency Rate Loans or to convert Base Rate Loans to Eurocurrency Rate Loans, shall be suspended until such Lender notifies the Administrative Agent and the Borrower that the circumstances giving rise to such determination no longer exist. Upon receipt of such notice, the Borrower shall, upon demand from such Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), prepay or, convert all such Eurocurrency Rate Loans of such Lender to Base Rate Loans, either on the last day of the Interest Period therefor, if such Lender may lawfully continue to maintain such Eurocurrency Rate Loans to such day, or immediately, if such Lender may not lawfully continue to maintain such Eurocurrency Rate Loans. Upon any such prepayment or conversion, the Borrower shall also pay accrued interest on the amount so prepaid or converted.
Section 3.03 Inability to Determine Rates. If the Required Lenders determine that for any reason in connection with any request for a Eurocurrency Rate Loan or a conversion to or continuation thereof that (a) deposits are not being offered to banks in the applicable offshore interbank market for Dollars for the applicable amount and Interest Period of such Eurocurrency Rate Loan, (b) adequate and reasonable means do not exist for determining the Eurocurrency Rate for any requested Interest Period with respect to a proposed Eurocurrency Rate Loan, or (c) the Eurocurrency Rate for any requested Interest Period with respect to a proposed Eurocurrency Rate Loan does not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders of funding such Eurocurrency Rate Loan, the Administrative Agent will promptly so notify the Borrower and each Lender. Thereafter, the obligation of the Lenders to make or maintain Eurocurrency Rate Loans shall be suspended until the Administrative Agent (upon the instruction of the Required Lenders) revokes such notice. Upon receipt of such notice, the Borrower may revoke any pending request for the Borrowing if in the form of Eurocurrency Rate Loans or for conversion to or continuation of Eurocurrency Rate Loans or, failing that, will be deemed to have converted such request into a request for the Borrowing in the form of Base Rate Loans or for conversion to Base Rate Loans in the amount specified therein.
Section 3.04 Increased Costs.
(a) Increased Costs Generally. If any Change in Law shall:
(i) impose, modify or deem applicable any reserve, special deposit, compulsory loan, insurance charge or similar requirement against assets of, deposits with or for the account of, or credit extended or participated in by, any Lender (except any reserve requirement reflected in the Eurocurrency Rate);
(ii) subject the Administrative Agent or any Lender to any tax of any kind whatsoever with respect to this Agreement or any Eurocurrency Rate Loan made by it, or change the basis of taxation of payments to the Administrative Agent or such Lender in respect thereof (except for Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes covered by Section 3.01 and the imposition of, or any change in the rate of, any Excluded Tax payable by such Lender);
(iii) [RESERVED];
(iv) impose on any Lender or the London interbank market any other condition, cost or expense affecting this Agreement or Eurocurrency Rate Loans made by such Lender or participation therein; and the result of any of the foregoing shall be to increase the cost to such Lender of making or maintaining any Eurocurrency Rate Loan (or of maintaining its obligation to make any such Loan), or to reduce the amount of any sum received or receivable by the Administrative Agent or such Lender hereunder (whether of principal, interest or any other amount) then, upon request of the Administrative Agent or such Lender, the Borrower will pay to the Administrative Agent or such Lender, as the case may be, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate the Administrative Agent or such Lender, as the case may be, for such additional costs incurred or reduction suffered.
(b) Liquidity and Capital Requirements. If any Lender determines that any Change in Law affecting such Lender or any Lending Office of such Lender or such Lender’s holding company, if any, regarding liquidity or capital requirements has or would have the effect of reducing the rate of return on such Lender’s capital or on the capital of such Lender’s holding company, if any, as a consequence of this Agreement, the Commitments of such Lender or the Loans made by such Lender to a level below that which such Lender or such Lender’s holding company could have achieved but for such Change in Law (taking into consideration such Lender’s policies and the policies of such Lender’s holding company with respect to capital adequacy), then from time to time the Borrower will pay to such Lender, as the case may be, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or such Lender’s holding company for any such reduction suffered.
(c) Certificates for Reimbursement. A certificate of a Lender setting forth the amount or amounts necessary to compensate such Lender or its holding company, as the case may be, as specified in subsection (a) or (b) of this Section and delivered to the Borrower shall be conclusive absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay such Lender the amount shown as due on any such certificate within 10 days after receipt thereof.
(d) Delay in Requests. Failure or delay on the part of any Lender to demand compensation pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section shall not constitute a waiver of such Lender’s right to demand such compensation, provided that no Borrower shall be required to compensate a Lender pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section for any increased costs incurred or reductions suffered more than nine months prior to the date that such Lender, as the case may be, notifies the Borrower of the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions and of such Lender’s intention to claim compensation therefor (except that, if the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions is retroactive, then the nine‑month period referred to above shall be extended to include the period of retroactive effect thereof).
(e) Additional Reserve Requirements. The Borrower shall pay to each Lender, as long as such Lender shall be required to comply with any reserve ratio requirement or analogous requirement of any central banking or financial regulatory authority imposed in respect of the maintenance of the Commitments or the funding of the Eurocurrency Rate Loans, such additional costs (expressed as a percentage per annum and rounded upwards, if necessary, to the nearest five decimal places) equal to the actual costs allocated to such Commitment or Loan by such Lender (as determined by such Lender in good faith, which determination shall be conclusive), which shall be due and payable on each date on which interest is payable on such Loan, provided the Borrower shall have received at least 10 days’ prior notice (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) of such additional costs from such Lender. If a Lender fails to give notice 10 days prior to the relevant Interest Payment Date, such additional costs shall be due and payable 10 days from receipt of such notice.
Section 3.05 Compensation for Losses. Upon demand of any Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) from time to time, the Borrower shall promptly compensate such
Lender for and hold such Lender harmless from any loss, cost or expense incurred by it as a result of:
(a) any continuation, conversion, payment or prepayment of any Loan other than a Base Rate Loan on a day other than the last day of the Interest Period for such Loan (whether voluntary, mandatory, automatic, by reason of acceleration, or otherwise);
(b) any failure by the Borrower (for a reason other than the failure of such Lender to make a Loan) to prepay, borrow, continue or convert any Loan other than a Base Rate Loan on the date or in the amount notified by the Borrower; or
(c) any assignment of a Eurocurrency Rate Loan on a day other than the last day of the Interest Period therefor as a result of a request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 10.13; including any loss of anticipated profits, any foreign exchange losses and any loss or expense arising from the liquidation or reemployment of funds obtained by it to maintain such Loan, from fees payable to terminate the deposits from which such funds were obtained or from the performance of any foreign exchange contract. The Borrower shall also pay any customary administrative fees charged by such Lender in connection with the foregoing.
For purposes of calculating amounts payable by the Borrower to the Lenders under this Section 3.05, each Lender shall be deemed to have funded each Eurocurrency Rate Loan made by it at the Eurocurrency Base Rate used in determining the Eurocurrency Rate for such Loan by a matching deposit or other borrowing in the offshore interbank market for such currency for a comparable amount and for a comparable period, whether or not such Eurocurrency Rate Loan was in fact so funded.
Section 3.06 Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders.
(a) Designation of a Different Lending Office. If any Lender requests compensation under Section 3.04, or the Borrower is required to pay any additional amount to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 3.01, or if any Lender gives a notice pursuant to Section 3.02, then such Lender shall, as applicable, use reasonable efforts to designate a different Lending Office for funding or booking its Loans hereunder or to assign its rights and obligations hereunder to another of its offices, branches or affiliates, if, in the judgment of such Lender, such designation or assignment (i) would eliminate or reduce amounts payable pursuant to Section 3.01 or 3.04, as the case may be, in the future, or eliminate the need for the notice pursuant to Section 3.02, as applicable, and (ii) in each case, would not subject such Lender to any unreimbursed cost or expense and would not otherwise be disadvantageous to such Lender. The Borrower hereby agrees to pay all reasonable costs and expenses incurred by any Lender in connection with any such designation or assignment.
(b) Replacement of Lenders. If any Lender requests compensation under Section 3.04, or if the Borrower is required to pay any additional amount to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 3.01, the Borrower may replace such Lender in accordance with Section 10.13.
Section 3.07 Survival. All of the Borrower’s obligations under this Article III shall survive termination of the Aggregate Commitments, repayment of all Obligations hereunder, and resignation of the Administrative Agent.
ARTICLE IV
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO CLOSING AND BORROWING
Section 4.01 Conditions Precedent to the Closing Date. The effectiveness of this Agreement and the agreement of each Lender to make the Loans requested to be made by it under this Agreement on the Closing Date is subject to the satisfaction, or waiver in accordance with Section 10.01, prior to or concurrently with the making of such Loans on the Closing Date, of the following conditions precedent:
(a) The Administrative Agent’s receipt of the following, each of which shall be originals or telecopies or .pdf format files (followed promptly by originals) unless otherwise specified, each properly executed by a Responsible Officer of the signing Loan Party, each dated the Closing Date (or, in the case of certificates of governmental officials, a recent date before the Closing Date) and each in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders:
(i) executed counterparts of this Agreement, duly executed by each Loan Party;
(ii) executed counterparts of the Guaranty, duly executed by each Guarantor;
(iii) executed counterparts of an amendment to the First Lien Credit Agreement, duly executed by each Loan Party party thereto, sufficient lenders under the First Lien Credit Agreement to give effect to such amendment and the First Lien Agent, providing for, among other things, the permitted incurrence of the Loans hereunder on the terms described herein and the granting of the Liens to secure the Obligations on the terms described in the Security Documents and the Intercreditor Agreement, which amendment shall be in full force and effect and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent;
(iv) executed counterparts of the Intercreditor Agreement, duly executed by each Loan Party and the First Lien Agent;
(b) The Administrative Agent's receipt of the following, each of which shall be originals or telecopies or .pdf format files (followed promptly by originals) unless otherwise specified, each properly executed by a Responsible Officer of the signing Loan Party, each dated the Closing Date (or, in the case of certificates of governmental officials, a recent date before the Closing Date) and each in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent:
(i) executed counterparts of the Pledge and Security Agreement duly executed by each Loan Party, together with:
(A) evidence that the First Lien Agent, as bailee for the Secured Parties, shall have “control” (for purposes of the UCC) in (i) certificates representing the Pledged Equity Interests referred to therein, accompanied by undated stock powers executed in blank in the case of certificated Pledged Equity Interests and (ii) any other possessory collateral pursuant to the Pledge and Security Agreement such that the Secured Parties shall have a perfected Second Priority Lien therein,
(B) a Perfection Certificate duly executed by Responsible Officers of each Loan Party dated the Closing Date and the results of a recent lien search in each of the jurisdictions where the Loan Parties are organized or where assets of the Loan Parties are located, and such search shall reveal no Liens on any of the assets of the Loan Parties except for Liens permitted by Section 7.01 or discharged on or prior to the Closing Date pursuant to documentation reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent,
(C) proper financing statements in form appropriate for filing under the UCC of all jurisdictions that the Administrative Agent may deem necessary or desirable in order to perfect the Liens created under the Pledge and Security Agreement, covering the Collateral described in the Pledge and Security Agreement,
(D) evidence of the completion of all actions required pursuant to the Pledge and Security Agreement with respect to the attachment, perfection, and protection of priority of security interests in the Collateral, including without limitation any actions required with respect to IP Rights, securities, instruments, deposit accounts (subject to Section 6.17(b) of this Agreement) and securities accounts, and including all other actions, recordings and filings of or with respect to the Collateral or the Pledge and Security Agreement that the Administrative Agent may deem necessary or desirable in order to perfect the Liens created thereby, and
(E) evidence that all other action that the Administrative Agent may deem necessary or desirable in order to perfect the Liens created under the Pledge and Security Agreement has been taken;
(ii) subject to Section 6.17, with respect to each of the Mortgaged Properties:
(A) executed counterparts of the Mortgage on such parcel of Mortgaged Property, and evidence that a counterpart of the Mortgage has been either recorded or registered in all places to the extent necessary or, in the reasonable opinion of the Administrative Agent, desirable to effectively create a
legal, valid and enforceable Second Priority perfected mortgage, charge, hypothec, deed of trust or deed to secure debt lien on each Mortgaged Property in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties, securing the Obligations (and with respect to Mortgaged Properties leased by the Borrower, or the applicable Loan Party, as tenant, together with landlord consents, if required pursuant to the lease relating to such leased Mortgaged Property and assurances, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent);
(B) if requested by the Administrative Agent, proper fixture filings under the UCC or notices of security interest under the UCC for filing under the UCC in the appropriate jurisdiction in which the parcel of Mortgaged Property is located, necessary or desirable to perfect the security interests in fixtures purported to be created by the Mortgage in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties;
(C) an opinion of counsel in the state in which such parcel of Mortgaged Property is located and an opinion of counsel in the jurisdiction of formation of the Loan Party entering into the relevant Mortgage, in each case, in form and substance and from counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent;
(D) a “Life-of-Loan” Federal Emergency Management Agency Standard Flood Hazard Determination with respect to Mortgaged Properties located in the United States or equivalent determination in any other jurisdiction with respect to each parcel of Mortgaged Property (together with a notice about special flood hazard area status and flood disaster assistance, duly executed by the Borrower or the applicable Loan Party, and evidence of flood insurance, in the event any such parcel of Mortgaged Property is located in a special flood hazard area);
(E) Surveys with respect to each Mortgaged Property; and
(F) such other information, documentation, and certifications as may be reasonably required by the Administrative Agent;
(iii) Notes executed by the Borrower in favor of each Lender requesting Notes;
(iv) such certificates of resolutions or other action, incumbency certificates and/or other certificates of Responsible Officers of each Loan Party as the Administrative Agent may require evidencing the identity, authority and capacity of each Responsible Officer thereof authorized to act as a Responsible Officer in connection with this Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which such Loan Party is a party;
(v) such documents and certifications as the Administrative Agent may reasonably require to evidence that each Loan Party is duly organized or formed, is validly existing, in good standing and qualified to engage in business in its jurisdiction of formation and (x) in the case of the Borrower, also in California, New York, Oregon, Missouri, New Hampshire and Washington, (y) in the case of MEMC Pasadena, Inc., a Guarantor, also in Louisiana, and (z) in the case of the Sun Edison, a Guarantor, also in California, Oregon, Massachusetts, Colorado, Maryland, Texas and New Jersey;
(vi) a favorable opinion of Xxxxx Xxxx LLP, counsel to the Loan Parties, addressed to the Administrative Agent and each Lender, substantially in the form of Exhibit G hereto;
(vii) a certificate of a Responsible Officer of the Borrower:
(A) either (x) attaching copies of all consents, licenses and approvals required in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by each Loan Party and the validity against each Loan Party of the Loan Documents to which it is a party, and such consents, licenses and approvals shall be in full force and effect, or (y) stating that no such consents, licenses or approvals are so required;
(B) certifying that the conditions specified in Sections 4.01(f) and (g) have been satisfied; and
(C) certifying that (x) there has been no event or circumstance since the date of the Audited Financial Statements that has had or would be reasonably expected to have, either individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect, and (y) there is no claim or proceeding initiated that purports or seeks to adversely affect this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any other material aspect of the transactions contemplated hereby;
(viii) a duly executed solvency certificate of the Chief Financial Officer (or another financial officer satisfactory to the Administrative Agent) of the Borrower in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and each of the Lenders and confirming the representation and warranty set forth in Section 5.19;
(ix) certificates of insurance and/or other evidence, in each case in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, demonstrating compliance with the insurance requirements of this Agreement;
(x) such other assurances, certificates, documents, consents or opinions as the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders reasonably may require;
(c) Any fees required to be paid on or before the Closing Date shall have been paid, including without limitation, the Closing Fee and the other fees payable pursuant to Section 2.09.
(d) The Borrower shall have paid all fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the Administrative Agent (directly to such counsel if requested by the Administrative Agent) to the extent invoiced prior to or on the Closing Date, plus such additional amounts of such fees, charges and disbursements as shall constitute its reasonable estimate of such fees, charges and disbursements incurred or to be incurred by it through the closing proceedings (provided that such estimate shall not thereafter preclude a final settling of accounts between the Borrower and the Administrative Agent), including without limitation, title premiums, survey charges and recording taxes or fees.
(e) At least 10 days prior to the Closing Date (or such shorter period agreed to by the Lenders), the Lenders shall have received all documentation and other information required by bank regulatory authorities under applicable “know-your-customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)) the “PATRIOT Act”).
(f) The representations and warranties of (i) the Borrower contained in Article V and (ii) each Loan Party contained in each other Loan Document or in any document furnished at any time under or in connection herewith or therewith, shall be true and correct in all material respects (or, with respect to any representation or warranty that is itself modified or qualified by materiality or a “Material Adverse Effect” standard, such representation or warranty shall be true and correct in all respects) on and as of the Closing Date.
(g) No Default or Event of Default shall exist, or would result from the Closing Date proposed Borrowing or the application of the proceeds thereof. No default or event of default under the First Lien Credit Agreement shall exist, or would result from the Closing Date proposed Borrowing or the application of the proceeds thereof.
(h) The Administrative Agent shall have received a Borrowing Notice in accordance with Section 2.02. The delivery of the Borrowing Notice by the Borrower to the Lender on or prior to the Closing Date shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty that the conditions specified in Sections 4.01(f) and (g) have been satisfied (or waived in accordance with Section 10.01) on and as of the Closing Date.
(i) Each Lender shall have funded its Commitment under this Agreement on the terms contained herein or otherwise on terms mutually agreed to by the Administrative Agent and such other Lenders.
Without limiting the generality of the provisions of the last paragraph of Section 9.03, for purposes of determining compliance with the conditions specified in this Section 4.01, each Lender that has signed this Agreement shall be deemed to have consented to, approved or accepted or to be satisfied with, each document or other matter required thereunder to be consented to or approved by or acceptable or satisfactory to a Lender unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from such Lender prior to the proposed Closing Date specifying its objection thereto.
ARTICLE V
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
The Borrower represents and warrants to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders that:
Section 5.01 Existence, Qualification and Power. Each Loan Party and each Subsidiary thereof (a) is duly organized or formed, validly existing and, as applicable, in good standing under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, (b) has all requisite power and authority and all requisite governmental licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals to (i) own or lease its assets and carry on its business and (ii) execute, deliver and perform its obligations under the Loan Documents to which it is a party, and (c) is duly qualified and is licensed and, as applicable, in good standing under the Laws of each jurisdiction where its ownership, lease or operation of properties or the conduct of its business requires such qualification or license; except in each case referred to in clause (b)(i) or (c), to the extent that failure to do so would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 5.02 Authorization; No Contravention. The execution, delivery and performance by each Loan Party of each Loan Document to which such Person is party have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other organizational action, and do not and will not (a) contravene the terms of any of such Person’s Organization Documents; (b) conflict with or result in any breach or contravention of, or the creation of any Lien under, or require any payment to be made under (i) any material Contractual Obligation to which such Person is a party or affecting such Person or the properties of such Person or any of its Subsidiaries or (ii) any order, injunction, writ or decree of any Governmental Authority or any arbitral award to which such Person or its property is subject; or (c) violate any Law.
Section 5.03 Governmental Authorization; Other Consents. No approval, consent, exemption, authorization, or other action by, or notice to, or filing with, any Governmental Authority or any other Person is necessary or required in connection with the execution, delivery or performance by, or enforcement against, any Loan Party of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, except (i) the filings referred to in Section 5.20 or otherwise required in order to perfect, record or maintain the security interests granted under the Security Documents and (ii) those that, if not obtained or made, would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 5.04 Binding Effect. This Agreement has been, and each other Loan Document, when delivered hereunder, will have been, duly executed and delivered by each Loan Party that is party thereto. This Agreement constitutes, and each other Loan Document when so delivered will constitute, a legal, valid and binding obligation of such Loan Party, enforceable against each Loan Party that is party thereto in accordance with its terms, except to the extent that the enforceability thereof may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws generally affecting creditors’ rights and by equitable principles (regardless of whether enforcement is sought in equity or at law).
Section 5.05 Financial Statements; No Material Adverse Effect.
(a) The Audited Financial Statements (i) were prepared in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as otherwise expressly noted therein; (ii) fairly present the financial condition of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof and their results of operations for the period covered thereby in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as otherwise expressly noted therein; and (iii) show all material indebtedness and other liabilities, direct or contingent, of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof, including liabilities for taxes, material commitments and Indebtedness.
(b) The most recently delivered unaudited consolidated balance sheets of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, and the related consolidated statements of income or operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the fiscal quarter ended on that date (i) were prepared in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as otherwise expressly noted therein, and (ii) fairly present the financial condition of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof and their results of operations for the period covered thereby, subject, in the case of clauses (i) and (ii), to the absence of footnotes and to normal year‑end audit adjustments.
(c) Since the date of the Audited Financial Statements, there has been no event or circumstance, either individually or in the aggregate, that has had or would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 5.06 Litigation. There are no actions, suits, investigations, proceedings, claims or disputes pending or, to the knowledge of the Borrower, threatened or contemplated, at law, in equity, in arbitration or before any Governmental Authority, by or against the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries or against any of their properties or revenues that (a) purport to affect or pertain to this Agreement or any other Loan Document, or any of the transactions contemplated hereby, or (b) either individually or in the aggregate would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 5.07 No Default. Neither any Loan Party nor any Subsidiary thereof is in default under or with respect to any Contractual Obligation that would, either individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. No Default has occurred and is continuing or would result from the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any other Loan Document. No Default or Event of Default (in each case as defined in the First Lien Credit Agreement) has occurred and is continuing, or would result from the consummation of the transaction contemplated by this Agreement or any other Loan Document.
Section 5.08 Ownership of Property; Liens.
(a) Each of the Borrower and each Subsidiary has good record and indefeasible title in fee simple to, or valid leasehold interests in, all material real property necessary or used in the ordinary conduct of its business, except for such defects in title as would not, individually or in the aggregate, (i) interfere with the ability of the Borrower or any Subsidiary, as applicable, to conduct its business as currently conducted or to utilize such real
property and assets for their intended purposes and or (ii) materially detract from the value of the real property. The property of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries is subject to no Liens, other than Liens permitted by Section 7.01. The real property of the Borrower and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, is in good operating order, condition and repair (ordinary wear and tear excepted).
(b) Each of the Borrower and each Subsidiary has complied with all material obligations under all material leases of real property to which it is a party, and all such material leases are in full force and effect. Each of the Borrower and each Subsidiary enjoys peaceful and undisturbed possession under all such material leases to which it is a party.
(c) As of the Closing Date, the Borrower has not received any written notice of any pending, nor does the Borrower have actual knowledge of any contemplated, condemnation proceeding affecting the Mortgaged Properties or any sale or Disposition thereof in lieu of condemnation.
(d) The Mortgaged Property of the Borrower and the Subsidiaries is zoned in all material respects to permit the uses for which such property is currently being used. The present uses of such Mortgaged Property and the current operations of the Borrower’s and each Subsidiaries’ business are not in material violation in any material respect of any provision of any applicable building codes, subdivision regulations, fire regulations, health regulations or building and zoning by-laws, the violation of which, individually or in the aggregate, would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(e) As of the Closing Date, none of the Borrower or any of the Subsidiaries is obligated under any right of first refusal, option or other contractual right to sell, assign or otherwise Dispose of any Mortgaged Property or any interest therein. No claim has been made and remains outstanding that any of the Borrower’s or any Subsidiary’s use of any of its property does or may violate the rights of any third party that, individually or in the aggregate, has had, or would reasonably be expected to result in, a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 5.09 Environmental Compliance.
(a) The Borrower and its Subsidiaries conduct in the ordinary course of business a review of the effect of any Environmental Laws, Environmental Liabilities and claims alleging potential liability or responsibility for violation of any Environmental Law on their respective businesses, operations and properties, and as a result thereof the Borrower and its Subsidiaries have reasonably concluded that such Environmental Laws, Environmental Liabilities and claims would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(b) Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) the Borrower and its Subsidiaries are in compliance with all Environmental Laws and possess all permits required for its operations pursuant to any Environmental Law, and (ii) neither the Borrower nor its Subsidiaries are (A) conducting or funding any investigation, remediation, remedial action or cleanup of any Hazardous Materials or (B) subject to any pending, or to the knowledge of the Borrower,
threatened actions, suits, investigations, proceedings, claims or disputes alleging that the Borrower or any of the Subsidiaries is in violation of any Environmental Law or has any Environmental Liability.
Section 5.10 Insurance. The properties of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries are insured with financially sound and reputable insurance companies that are not Affiliates of the Borrower, in such amounts, with such deductibles and covering such risks as are customarily carried by companies engaged in similar businesses and owning similar properties in localities where the Borrower or the applicable Subsidiary operates.
Section 5.11 Taxes. The Borrower and its Subsidiaries have filed all Federal, state and other material tax returns and reports required to be filed, and have paid all Federal, state and other material taxes, assessments, fees and other governmental charges levied or imposed upon them or their properties, income or assets otherwise due and payable, except those which are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted and for which adequate reserves have been provided in accordance with GAAP. To the knowledge of the Borrower, there is no proposed tax assessment against the Borrower or any Subsidiary that would, if made, have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither any Loan Party nor any Subsidiary thereof is party to any tax sharing agreement.
Section 5.12 ERISA Compliance.
(a) Each Plan is in compliance in all material respects with the applicable provisions of ERISA, the Code and other Federal or state Laws. Each Plan that is intended to qualify under Section 401(a) of the Code has received a favorable determination letter from the IRS or an application for such a letter is currently being processed by the IRS with respect thereto and, to the best knowledge of the Borrower, nothing has occurred which would prevent, or cause the loss of, such qualification. The Borrower and each ERISA Affiliate have made all required contributions to each Plan subject to Section 412 or 430 of the Code or Section 302 or 303 of ERISA, and no application for a funding waiver or an extension of any amortization period pursuant to Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA has been made with respect to any Plan.
(b) There are no pending or, to the best knowledge of the Borrower, threatened claims, actions or lawsuits, or action by any Governmental Authority, with respect to any Plan that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. There has been no prohibited transaction or violation of the fiduciary responsibility rules with respect to any Plan that has resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(c) (i) No ERISA Event has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur; (ii) no Plan has any Unfunded Pension Liability; (iii) neither the Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate has incurred, or reasonably expects to incur, any liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect to any Plan (other than premiums due and not delinquent under Section 4007 of ERISA); (iv) neither the Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate has incurred, or reasonably expects to incur, any liability (and no event has occurred which, with the giving of notice under Section 4219 of ERISA, would result in such liability) under Section 4201 or 4243 of ERISA with respect to a
Multiemployer Plan; and (v) neither the Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate has engaged in a transaction that could be subject to Section 4069 or 4212(c) of ERISA.
Section 5.13 Subsidiaries; Equity Interests. As of the Closing Date, the Borrower has no Subsidiaries other than those specifically disclosed in Part (a) of Schedule 5.13, and all of the outstanding Equity Interests in such Subsidiaries have been validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable and are owned by a Loan Party (or by such other Subsidiary as indicated on such schedule) in the amounts specified on Part (a) of Schedule 5.13 free and clear of all Liens. The Borrower has no material equity investments in any other corporation or entity other than those specifically disclosed in Part (b) of Schedule 5.13. All of the outstanding Equity Interests in the Borrower have been validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable.
Section 5.14 Margin Regulations; Investment Company Act.
(a) The Borrower is not engaged and will not engage, principally or as one of its important activities, in the business of purchasing or carrying Margin Stock, or extending credit for the purpose of purchasing or carrying Margin Stock. No part of the proceeds of any Loan will be used directly or indirectly to purchase or carry Margin Stock, or to extend credit to others for the purpose of purchasing or carrying any Margin Stock, in violation of any of the provisions of Regulation T, U or X of the FRB. Following the application of the proceeds of any Loan, not more than 25% of the value of the assets (either of the Borrower only or of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis) subject to the provisions of Section 7.01 or Section 7.05 or subject to any restriction contained in any agreement or instrument between the Borrower and any Lender or any Affiliate of any Lender relating to Indebtedness and within the scope of Section 8.01(e) will be Margin Stock.
(b) None of the Borrower, any Person Controlling the Borrower, or any Subsidiary is or is required to be registered as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or a “principal underwriter” of a “registered investment company” (as such terms are defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940).
Section 5.15 Disclosure. No report, financial statement, certificate or other information furnished (whether in writing or orally) by or on behalf of any Loan Party to the Administrative Agent or any Lender in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby and the negotiation of this Agreement or delivered hereunder or under any other Loan Document (in each case, as modified or supplemented by other information so furnished) contains any material misstatement of fact or omits to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that, with respect to projected financial information, the Borrower represents only that such information was prepared in good faith based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable at the time, it being recognized by the Administrative Agent and the Lenders that such financial information as it relates to future events is not to be viewed as fact and that actual results during the period or periods covered by such financial information may differ from the projected results set forth therein by a material amount.
Section 5.16 Compliance with Laws. Each Loan Party and each Subsidiary thereof is in compliance with the requirements of all Laws and all orders, writs, injunctions and decrees applicable to it or to its properties, except in such instances in which (a) such requirement of Law or order, writ, injunction or decree is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted or (b) the failure to comply therewith, either individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 5.17 Taxpayer Identification Number. The true and correct U.S. taxpayer identification number of the Borrower is set forth on Schedule 10.02.
Section 5.18 Intellectual Property; Licenses, Etc. The Borrower and its Subsidiaries own and have retained all rights to, or otherwise possess the right to use, all of the trademarks, service marks, trade names, copyrights, patents, patent rights, Internet domain names, franchises, licenses and other intellectual property rights (collectively, “IP Rights”) that are reasonably necessary for the operation of their respective businesses as currently conducted, without conflict with the rights of any other Person. To the knowledge of the Borrower, no slogan or other advertising device, product, process, method, substance, part or other material now employed, or now contemplated to be employed, by the Borrower or any Subsidiary infringes upon any rights held by any other Person. No claim or litigation regarding any of the foregoing is pending or, to the knowledge of the Borrower, threatened, which, either individually or in the aggregate, would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 5.19 Solvency. Each Loan Party is, individually and together with its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, Solvent.
Section 5.20 Security Documents. Until terminated in accordance with the terms thereof, each of the Security Documents creates, as security for the Obligations purported to be secured thereby, a legal, valid and enforceable security interest in and Lien on all of the Collateral subject thereto from time to time, in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties referred to in the Security Documents, superior to and prior to the rights of all third Persons and subject to no other Liens (other than Liens permitted by Section 7.01). When financing statements are filed in the jurisdictions specified in Section I(A) of the Perfection Certificate, as supplemented from time to time after the date hereof, and (ii) upon the taking of possession or control by the First Lien Agent, pursuant to the Intercreditor Agreement, of such Collateral with respect to which a security interest may be perfected only by possession or control (which possession or control shall be given to the First Lien Agent to the extent possession or control by the Administrative Agent is required by the Security Documents), the Liens created by the Security Documents shall constitute fully perfected Liens on, and security interests in, all right, title and interest of the grantors in such Collateral to the extent perfection can be obtained by filing financing statements or such possession or control, in each case subject to no Liens (other than Liens permitted by Section 7.01). No filings or recordings are required in order to perfect the security interests created under any Security Document except for filings or recordings required in connection with any such Security Document which shall have been made, or for which satisfactory arrangements have been made, upon or prior to the execution and delivery thereof. All recording, stamp, intangible or other similar taxes required to be paid by
any Person under applicable legal requirements or other laws applicable to the property encumbered by the Security Documents in connection with the execution, delivery, recordation, filing, registration, perfection or enforcement thereof have been paid.
Section 5.21 PATRIOT Act. To the extent applicable, each Loan Party and its Subsidiaries are in compliance, in all material respects, with (i) the Trading with the Enemy Act, as amended, and each of the foreign assets control regulations of the United States Treasury Department (31 C.F.R., Subtitle B, Chapter V, as amended) and any other enabling legislation or executive order relating thereto, and (ii) the PATRIOT Act. No part of the proceeds of the Loans will be used, directly or indirectly, for any payments to any governmental official or employee, political party, official of a political party, candidate for political office, or anyone else acting in an official capacity, in order to obtain, retain or direct business or obtain any improper advantage, in violation of the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.
ARTICLE VI
AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS
So long as any Lender shall have any Commitment hereunder or any Loan or other Obligation hereunder shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied, the Borrower shall, and shall (except in the case of the covenants set forth in Sections 6.01, 6.02, and 6.03) cause each Subsidiary to:
Section 6.01 Financial Statements. Deliver to the Administrative Agent:
(a) as soon as available, but in any event within 90 days after the end of each Fiscal Year (commencing with the Fiscal Year ending December 31, 2012), a consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at the end of such Fiscal Year, and the related consolidated statements of income or operations, changes in shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for such Fiscal Year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the previous Fiscal Year, all in reasonable detail and prepared in accordance with GAAP, audited and accompanied by a report and opinion of an independent certified public accountant of nationally recognized standing reasonably acceptable to the Required Lenders, which report and opinion shall be prepared in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and shall not be subject to any “going concern” or like qualification or exception or any qualification or exception as to the scope of such audit;
(b) as soon as available, but in any event within 45 days after the end of each of the first three fiscal quarters of each Fiscal Year (commencing with the fiscal quarter ending June 30, 2012), a consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at the end of such fiscal quarter, the related consolidated statements of income or operations for such fiscal quarter and for the portion of the Fiscal Year then ended, and the related consolidated statements of changes in shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for the portion of the Fiscal Year then ended, in each case setting forth in comparative form, as applicable, the figures for the corresponding fiscal quarter of the previous Fiscal Year and the corresponding portion of the previous Fiscal Year, all in reasonable detail, certified by the chief executive officer, chief financial officer,
treasurer or controller of the Borrower as fairly presenting the financial condition, results of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP, subject only to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes;
(c) as soon as available, but in any event not later than 60 days following the commencement of each Fiscal Year, a consolidated budget as customarily prepared by management for its internal use, setting forth the forecasted balance sheet, income statement, operating cash flows and Capital Expenditures of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for the period covered thereby;
(d) concurrently with the delivery of annual and quarterly financial statements required by clauses (a) and (b) above, a reconciliation demonstrating in reasonable detail the amount of Non-Recourse Project Indebtedness of all Non-Recourse Subsidiaries, all such Non‑Recourse Project Indebtedness to be specifically identified to the applicable Non-Recourse Subsidiary.
As to any information contained in materials furnished pursuant to Section 6.02(d), the Borrower shall not be separately required to furnish such information under clause (a) or (b) above, but the foregoing shall not be in derogation of the obligation of the Borrower to furnish the information and materials described in clauses (a) and (b) above at the times specified therein.
Section 6.02 Certificates; Other Information. Deliver to the Administrative Agent and each Lender, in form and detail satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders:
(a) [reserved];
(b) concurrently with the delivery of the financial statements referred to in Sections 6.01(a) and (b) (commencing with the delivery of the financial statements for the Fiscal Year ending December 31, 2012), a duly completed Compliance Certificate signed by the chief executive officer, president, chief financial officer, treasurer or controller of the Borrower;
(c) promptly after any request by the Administrative Agent or any Lender, copies of any detailed audit reports, management letters or recommendations submitted to the board of directors (or the audit committee of the board of directors) of the Borrower by independent accountants in connection with the accounts or books of the Borrower or any Subsidiary, or any audit of any of them;
(d) promptly after the same are available, copies of each annual report, proxy or financial statement or other report or communication sent to the stockholders of the Borrower, and copies of all annual, regular, periodic and special reports and registration statements which the Borrower may file or be required to file with the SEC under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and not otherwise required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent pursuant hereto;
(e) promptly after the furnishing thereof, copies of any statement or report furnished to any holder of debt securities (including without limitation, the First Lien Agent) of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof pursuant to the terms of any indenture, loan or credit or similar agreement and not otherwise required to be furnished to the Lenders pursuant to Section 6.01 or any other clause of this Section 6.02;
(f) promptly, and in any event within five Business Days after receipt thereof by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof, copies of each notice or other correspondence received from the SEC (or comparable agency in any applicable non-U.S. jurisdiction) concerning any investigation or other material inquiry by such agency regarding financial or other operational results of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof;
(g) concurrently with the delivery of the financial statements referred to in Section 6.01(a) and (b), a list of all Subsidiaries of the Borrower; and
(h) promptly, such additional information regarding the business, financial or corporate affairs of the Borrower or any Subsidiary, or compliance with the terms of the Loan Documents, as the Administrative Agent or any Lender may from time to time reasonably request.
Documents required to be delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b) or Section 6.02(d) (to the extent any such documents are included in materials otherwise filed with the SEC) may be delivered electronically and if so delivered, shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date (i) on which the Borrower posts such documents, or provides a link thereto on the Borrower’s website on the Internet at the website address listed on Schedule 10.02; or (ii) on which such documents are posted on the Borrower’s behalf on an Internet or intranet website, if any, to which each Lender and the Administrative Agent have access (whether a commercial, third-party website or whether sponsored by the Administrative Agent); provided that:
(x) the Borrower shall deliver paper copies of such documents to the Administrative Agent on behalf of any Lender that requests delivery of such paper copies until a written request to cease delivering paper copies is given by the Administrative Agent or such Lender; and
(y) the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent and each Lender (by telecopier or electronic mail) of the posting of any such documents. The Administrative Agent shall have no obligation to request the delivery or to maintain copies of the documents referred to above, and in any event shall have no responsibility to monitor compliance by the Borrower with any such request for delivery, and each Lender shall be solely responsible for requesting delivery to it or maintaining its copies of such documents.
The Borrower hereby acknowledges that (a) the Administrative Agent and/or the Arranger will make available to the Lenders materials and/or information provided by or on behalf of the Borrower hereunder (collectively, “Borrower Materials”) by posting the Borrower Materials on IntraLinks or another similar electronic system (the “Platform”) and (b) certain of the Lenders (each, a “Public Lender”) may have personnel who do not wish to receive material
non-public information with respect to the Borrower or its Affiliates, or the respective securities of any of the foregoing, and who may be engaged in investment and other market-related activities with respect to such Persons’ securities. The Borrower hereby agrees that (w) all Borrower Materials that are to be made available to Public Lenders shall be clearly identified or designated as such, which may include adding the word “PUBLIC” prominently on the first page thereof; (x) by marking or otherwise identifying Borrower Materials “PUBLIC,” the Borrower shall be deemed to have authorized the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers and the Lenders to treat the Borrower Materials as not containing any material non-public information with respect to the Borrower or its securities for purposes of United States Federal and state securities laws (provided, however, that to the extent the Borrower Materials constitute Information, they shall be treated as set forth in Section 10.07); (y) all Borrower Materials marked “PUBLIC” are permitted to be made available through a portion of the Platform designated “Public Side Information”; and (z) the Administrative Agent and the Arranger shall be entitled to treat any Borrower Materials that are not marked “PUBLIC” or otherwise identified or designated as suitable for distribution to Public Lenders as being suitable only for posting on a portion of the Platform not designated “Public Side Information.”
Section 6.03 Notices. Promptly, and in any event within 3 days thereof, notify the Administrative Agent:
(a) when the Borrower or any Subsidiary has any knowledge of the occurrence of any Default;
(b) when a Responsible Officer of the Borrower has knowledge of any matter that has resulted or would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, including (i) breach or non-performance of, or any default under, a material Contractual Obligation of the Borrower or any Subsidiary or the First Lien Credit Agreement; (ii) any material dispute, litigation, investigation, proceeding or suspension between the Borrower or any Subsidiary and any Governmental Authority; (iii) the commencement of, or any material development in, any material litigation or proceeding affecting the Borrower or any Subsidiary, including pursuant to any applicable Environmental Laws or related to any Environmental Liabilities; or (iv) any significant adverse change in the Borrower’s or any Subsidiary’s relationship with, or any significant event or circumstance which is in the Borrower’s reasonable judgment likely to adversely affect the Borrower’s or any Subsidiary’s relationship with, (A) any customer (or related group of customers) representing more than 10% of the Borrower’s consolidated revenues during its most recent Fiscal Year, or (B) any supplier which is material to the operations of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries considered as an entirety;
(c) when a Responsible Officer of the Borrower has knowledge of the occurrence of any ERISA Event;
(d) of material Dispositions of property or incurrence of material Indebtedness; and
(e) of any material change in accounting policies or financial reporting practices by the Borrower or any Subsidiary.
Each notice pursuant to this Section 6.03 shall be accompanied by a statement of a Responsible Officer of the Borrower setting forth details of the occurrence referred to therein and stating what action the Borrower has taken and proposes to take with respect thereto. Each notice pursuant to Section 6.03(a) shall describe with particularity any and all provisions of this Agreement and any other Loan Document that have been breached.
Section 6.04 Payment of Obligations. Pay and discharge as the same shall become due and payable, all its obligations and liabilities, including (a) all tax liabilities, assessments and governmental charges or levies upon it or its properties or assets, unless the same are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted and adequate reserves in accordance with GAAP are being maintained by the Borrower or such Subsidiary; (b) all lawful claims which, if unpaid, would by law become a Lien upon its property, unless the same are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted and adequate reserves in accordance with GAAP are being maintained by the Borrower or such Subsidiary; and (c) all Indebtedness, as and when due and payable, but subject to any subordination provisions contained in any instrument or agreement evidencing such Indebtedness.
Section 6.05 Preservation of Existence, Etc. (a) Preserve, renew and maintain in full force and effect its legal existence and good standing under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its organization except in a transaction permitted by Section 7.04 or 7.05; (b) take all reasonable action to maintain all rights, privileges, permits, licenses and franchises necessary or desirable in the normal conduct of its business, except to the extent that failure to do so would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (c) preserve or renew all of its registered patents, trademarks, trade names and service marks, the non-preservation of which would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 6.06 Maintenance of Properties. (a) Maintain, preserve and protect all of its material properties and equipment necessary in the operation of its business in good working order and condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted; (b) make all necessary repairs thereto and renewals and replacements thereof except where the failure to do so would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (c) use a standard of care no lower than that typical in the industry in the operation and maintenance of its facilities.
Section 6.07 Maintenance of Insurance. Maintain with financially sound and reputable insurance companies that are not Affiliates of the Borrower, insurance with respect to its properties and business against loss or damage of the kinds customarily insured against by Persons engaged in the same or similar business, of such types and in such amounts as are customarily carried under similar circumstances by such other Persons and providing for not less than 10 days’ prior notice to the Administrative Agent of termination, lapse or cancellation of such insurance.
Section 6.08 Compliance with Laws. Comply in all material respects with the requirements of all Laws and all orders, writs, injunctions and decrees applicable to it or to its business or property, except in such instances in which (i) such requirement of Law or order, writ, injunction or decree is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently
conducted; or (ii) the failure to comply therewith would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 6.09 Compliance with Environmental Laws. Without limitation of Section 6.08:
(a) comply with all Environmental Laws applicable to the ownership, lease or use of all real property now or hereafter owned, leased or operated by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, except where the failure to so comply would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and will promptly pay or cause to be paid all costs and expenses incurred in connection with such compliance or related to any Environmental Liabilities, except to the extent that such compliance with Environmental Laws or Environmental Liabilities are being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings and for which adequate reserves have been established to the extent required by GAAP;
(b) keep or cause to be kept all such real property free and clear of any Liens imposed pursuant to such Environmental Laws which are not permitted under Section 7.01;
(c) neither generate, use, treat, store, release nor dispose of, nor permit the generation, use, treatment, storage, release or disposal of, Hazardous Materials on any real property now or hereafter owned, leased or operated by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, nor transport or permit the transportation of Hazardous Materials to or from any such real property other than in compliance with applicable Environmental Laws and in the ordinary course of business in a manner not reasonably expected to result in any Environmental Liabilities, except for such noncompliance as would not have, and which would not be reasonably expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect; and
(d) if required to do so under any applicable order of any Governmental Authority or pursuant to any Environmental Law, undertake any clean up, removal, remedial or other action necessary to remove and clean up any Hazardous Materials from any real property owned, leased or operated by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries in accordance with, in all material respects, the requirements of all applicable Environmental Laws and in accordance with, in all material respects, such orders of all Governmental Authorities, except to the extent that the Borrower or such Subsidiary is contesting such order in good faith and by appropriate proceedings and for which adequate reserves have been established to the extent required by GAAP.
Section 6.10 Books and Records. Maintain proper books of record and account, in which full, true and correct entries in conformity with GAAP consistently applied shall be made of all financial transactions and matters involving the assets and business of the Borrower or such Subsidiary, as the case may be.
Section 6.11 Inspection Rights. Permit representatives and independent contractors of the Administrative Agent and each Lender to visit and inspect any of its properties, to examine its corporate, financial and operating records, and make copies thereof or abstracts therefrom, and to discuss its affairs, finances and accounts with its directors, officers, and independent
public accountants, all at the expense of the Borrower and at such reasonable times during normal business hours and as often as may be reasonably desired, upon reasonable advance notice to the Borrower; provided, however, that when an Event of Default exists the Administrative Agent or any Lender (or any of their respective representatives or independent contractors) may do any of the foregoing at the expense of the Borrower at any time during normal business hours and without advance notice.
Section 6.12 Use of Proceeds. Use the proceeds of any Loan (i) to pay the fees and expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement and (ii) for incremental liquidity and general corporate purposes not in contravention of any Law or of any Loan Document, including working capital, Capital Expenditures, and other lawful corporate purposes.
Section 6.13 Additional Subsidiary Guarantors and Grantors. Except in the event such Person is a Non-Recourse Subsidiary or an Inactive Subsidiary, notify the Administrative Agent at the time that any Person becomes a Domestic Subsidiary or a First-Tier Foreign Subsidiary (the “New Subsidiary”), and within 45 days thereafter (unless such time is extended by up to 90 additional days by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion):
(a) if the New Subsidiary is not an Excluded Solar Installation Subsidiary and is a Domestic Subsidiary that constitutes a Material Subsidiary (subject in any event to the last sentence of the definition of “Material Subsidiary”), cause such New Subsidiary to (i) become a Guarantor by executing and delivering to the Administrative Agent a Guaranty Joinder Agreement (or such other document as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably deem appropriate for the purpose of joining such New Subsidiary to the Guaranty); (ii) become a party to the Pledge and Security Agreement by executing and delivering to the Administrative Agent a Pledge and Security Agreement Joinder (or such other document as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably deem appropriate for the purpose of joining such New Subsidiary to the Pledge and Security Agreement), (iii) execute and deliver Mortgages with respect to real property (as and to the extent required pursuant to Section 6.14(b)), and such other Security Documents as the Administrative Agent may request; and (iv) take such actions necessary or advisable to grant to the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties a perfected first priority security interest in real property (as and to the extent required pursuant to Section 6.14(b)) and the Collateral described in the Pledge and Security Agreement and any other Security Document with respect to such New Subsidiary, including the filing of Mortgages, UCC financing statements, filings related to IP Rights, and such other filings in such jurisdictions as may be required by such Mortgage or the Pledge and Security Agreement or other Security Document or by law or as may be requested by the Administrative Agent;
(b) if any one or more Domestic Subsidiaries that owns any Equity Interest in such New Subsidiary shall at such time constitute a Material Subsidiary by virtue of part (b) of the definition of “Material Subsidiary” (but subject in any event to the last sentence of the definition of “Material Subsidiary”) and is not at such time a Guarantor, cause each such Domestic Subsidiary to (i) become a Guarantor by executing and delivering to the Administrative Agent a Guaranty Joinder Agreement (or such other document as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably deem appropriate for the purpose of joining such
Domestic Subsidiary to the Guaranty); (ii) become a party to the Pledge and Security Agreement by executing and delivering to the Administrative Agent a Pledge and Security Agreement Joinder (or such other document as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably deem appropriate for the purpose of joining such Domestic Subsidiary to the Pledge and Security Agreement); (iii) execute and deliver Mortgages with respect to real property (as and to the extent required pursuant to Section 6.14(b)), and such other Security Documents as the Administrative Agent may request, and (iv) take such actions necessary or advisable to grant to the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties a perfected first priority security interest in real property (as and to the extent required pursuant to Section 6.14(b)), and the Collateral described in the Pledge and Security Agreement and any other Security Document with respect to such Domestic Subsidiary, including the filing of Mortgages, UCC financing statements, filings related to IP Rights, and such other filings in such jurisdictions as may be required by such Mortgage or the Pledge and Security Agreement or other Security Document or by law or as may be requested by the Administrative Agent;
(c) if any Equity Interests of the New Subsidiary are owned by the Borrower or any Guarantor that is at such time a party to the Pledge and Security Agreement, cause the Borrower or such Guarantor to provide supplements, schedules and updates to the Pledge and Security Agreement to cause such Equity Interests to be pledged, or confirm the pledge thereof, in accordance with the terms of the Pledge and Security Agreement, and to deliver such filings, certificates, stock powers and other documents, all as are reasonably necessary or desirable to perfect the Lien of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties in such Equity Interests; and
(d) in connection with the execution and delivery of any documents required by clauses (a) through (c) above, unless specifically covered by a prior delivery or waived by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion, the New Subsidiary and each other applicable Person shall deliver to the Administrative Agent documents of the types referred to in Section 4.01(a)(v), (vi), (vii), (ix), (x), (xi), (xii), (xiii), (xiv) and (xv), including favorable opinions of counsel to such Person (which shall cover, among other things, the legality, validity, binding effect and enforceability of the documentation referred to in clauses (a) through (c) above), all in form, content and scope reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
In addition to the foregoing, and notwithstanding the exception therefor set forth in the first sentence of this Section, if within 91 days after completion of a solar installation any Solar Installation Subsidiary has not entered into a Non-Recourse Project Indebtedness sale-leaseback or loan transaction with respect to such solar installation and become a Non-Recourse Subsidiary, the Borrower shall promptly inform the Administrative Agent of such fact and such Solar Installation Subsidiary shall at such time constitute a New Subsidiary and shall comply with the requirements of this Section for New Subsidiaries within the times provided above, with the time for such compliance beginning on the 91st day after completion of such solar installation. If any such Solar Installation Subsidiary has become a Guarantor in accordance with this Section and later enters into, or informs the Administrative Agent that it intends to enter into, Non-Recourse Project Indebtedness with respect to its solar installation and become a Non-Recourse Subsidiary, then such Subsidiary shall be released from its Guaranty and the Security
Documents, and the pledge of its Equity Interest by its parent shall be released, in each case to the extent the pledge of its Equity Interests or its continuing to be a Guarantor or its grant of a Lien pursuant to the Security Documents would not be permitted by the terms of such Non-Recourse Project Indebtedness, and the Administrative Agent is expressly authorized by the Lenders to take such actions as are necessary to effectuate each such release.
It is the intent of the parties that each Material Subsidiary (other than any Excluded Solar Installation Subsidiary) will be a Guarantor and a Grantor (as defined in the Pledge and Security Agreement), and that each Guarantor shall be a Grantor and shall pledge substantially all of its assets, including without limitation all of its Equity Interests in any Domestic Subsidiary (including any Solar Installation Subsidiary) and, subject to the limitations in the Pledge and Security Agreement, in any First-Tier Foreign Subsidiary, and the foregoing requirements shall be read in accordance with such intent. Notwithstanding anything in this Section 6.13 to the contrary, no Person shall be required to pledge any Equity Interests in any Non-Recourse Subsidiary to the extent any pledge of such Equity Interests to any Person would be prohibited by the terms of any Non-Recourse Project Indebtedness of such Non-Recourse Subsidiary.
Notwithstanding anything in this Section 6.13 to the contrary, any Subsidiary (including any Inactive Subsidiary) that Guarantees any Indebtedness permitted pursuant to Section 7.03(i) or (j) shall also Guarantee the Obligations pursuant to the terms of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents.
Section 6.14 Additional Collateral. (a) With respect to any property acquired after the Closing Date by any Loan Party (other than (1) any property described in paragraph (b) of this Section 6.14 and (2) any property excluded from the obligation to be made subject to a Lien pursuant to the Security Documents) as to which the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, does not have a perfected Second Priority Lien, promptly (i) execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent such amendments to the Pledge and Security Agreement or such other documents as the Administrative Agent reasonably deems necessary or advisable to grant to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, a security interest in such property and (ii) take all actions reasonably necessary or advisable to grant to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, a perfected Second Priority security interest in such property (subject to Liens permitted under Section 7.01), including, but not limited to (y) delivery to the First Lien Agent or the Administrative Agent, as applicable, pursuant to the Intercreditor Agreement any and all certificates representing Equity Interests (to the extent certificated) and intercompany notes (to the extent certificated) that are required to be pledged pursuant to the Pledge and Security Agreement, accompanied by undated stock powers or other appropriate instruments of transfer executed in blank and (z) the filing of filings with respect to IP Rights, UCC financing statements and other filings and in such jurisdictions as may be required by the Pledge and Security Agreement, other Security Documents or by law or as may be requested by the Administrative Agent.
(b) With respect to any fee interest in any real property having a value (together with improvements thereof) of at least $5,000,000 acquired after the Closing Date by any Loan Party (or owned by any Person at the time it becomes a Loan Party), (a) if such Loan
Party acquired such real property with the intention to construct a solar facility thereon, but has not yet commenced such construction within six months of such acquisition (unless a longer period is agreed to by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion), on such six month anniversary of such acquisition or (b) if such Loan Party did not acquire such real property with the intention to construct a solar facility thereon or if such real property is owned by any Person at the time it becomes a Loan Party, within 60 days after the date of acquisition of such real property or the date such Person becomes a Loan Party, unless, in the case of each of clauses (a) and (b) a longer period is granted by Administrative Agent in its sole discretion, (i) execute and deliver a Mortgage, in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties, covering such real property, (ii) deliver to the Administrative Agent all information, documentation and certifications described in Section 4.01(a)(vi) with respect to such real property, and (iii) deliver to the Administrative Agent a certificate of a Responsible Officer of the Borrower, affirming the representations contained in Section 5.08 with respect to such real property, except that all references to the “Closing Date” contained in Section 5.08 shall instead be construed to refer to the date of delivery of such certificate.
Section 6.15 Material Contracts. Perform and observe all the terms and provisions of each contract containing material Contractual Obligations (each a “Material Contract”, which shall include without limitation, the First Lien Credit Agreement and the other First Lien Loan Documents) to be performed or observed by it, maintain each such Material Contract in full force and effect, enforce each such Material Contract in accordance with its terms, and cause each of its Subsidiaries to do so, except, in any case, where the failure to do so, either individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 6.16 Further Assurances. Promptly upon request by the Administrative Agent, or any Lender through the Administrative Agent, (a) correct any material defect or error that may be discovered in any Loan Document or in the execution, acknowledgment, filing or recordation thereof, and (b) do, execute, acknowledge, deliver, record, re-record, file, re-file, register and re-register any and all such further acts, deeds, certificates, assurances and other instruments as the Administrative Agent, or any Lender through the Administrative Agent, may reasonably require from time to time in order to (i) carry out more effectively the purposes of the Loan Documents, (ii) to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law, subject any Loan Party’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ properties, assets, rights or interests to the Liens now or hereafter intended to be covered by any of the Security Documents, (iii) perfect and maintain the validity, effectiveness and priority of any of the Security Documents and any of the Liens intended to be created thereunder and (iv) assure, convey, grant, assign, transfer, preserve, protect and confirm more effectively unto the Secured Parties the rights granted or now or hereafter intended to be granted to the Secured Parties under any Loan Document or under any other instrument executed in connection with any Loan Document to which any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries is or is to be a party, and cause each of its Subsidiaries to do so.
Section 6.17 Post- Closing Matters. (a)(i) Not later than 60 days after the Closing Date (unless a longer period is granted by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion), the Borrower will effect the deliveries contemplated by Section 4.01(a)(ii) hereof in respect of the Mortgaged Properties owned by any Loan Party as of the Closing Date. Each Lender party
hereto agrees to the post- Closing Date deliveries provided for in this Section, and agrees that the effectiveness of the Credit Agreement shall, subject to the satisfaction of the other conditions set forth in Section 4.01(a)(ii), occur on the Closing Date notwithstanding any failure by the Borrower to effect such deliveries in respect of the Mortgaged Properties on or prior to the Closing Date.
(ii) On or prior to October 30, 2012 (or such later date as determined by the Administrative Agent or the First Lien Agent (with notice to the Administrative Agent), in each case in their sole discretion), the Borrower shall either (A) have closed (or caused the closure) of the Specified Deposit Accounts and have remitted 100% of the amounts deposited in, or otherwise credited to, such Specified Deposit Accounts to Deposit Accounts subject to control agreements in favor of the Collateral Agent in accordance with Section 4.2(a) of the Pledge and Security Agreement or (B) executed and delivered to the Collateral Agent control agreements in favor of the Collateral Agent as required under Section 4.2(a) of the Pledge and Security Agreement and which control agreements shall have been executed by the depositary institution maintaining each such Specified Deposit Account. The Borrower shall provide (x) prompt notice (and in no event in the case of the preceding subclause (A) less than one (1) Business Day notice and three (3) Business Day prior notice in the case of the preceding subclause (B)) to the Administrative Agent of the actions taken in accordance with the immediately preceding sentence and (y) reasonably detailed evidence, in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, of the remittance of the amounts to the required Deposit Accounts in accordance with the preceding subclause (A). In the event any Specified Deposit Account becomes subject to a control agreement in favor of any other Person, the Borrower shall promptly (and in no event later than one (1) Business Day) executed and delivered to the Collateral Agent control agreements in favor of the Collateral Agent as required under Section 4.2(a) of the Pledge and Security Agreement and which control agreements shall have been executed by the depositary institution maintaining each such Specified Deposit Account.
(iii) Not later than 10 days after the Closing Date (unless a longer period is granted by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion), the Borrower shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent evidence in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent that the Borrower is in good standing and qualified to engage in business in the State of Missouri.
(b) All conditions precedent and representations and covenants contained in this Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall be deemed modified to the extent necessary to effect the provisions of this Section 6.17 (and to permit the taking of the actions described in this Section 6.17 within the time periods required herein, rather than as elsewhere provided in the Loan Documents.
Section 6.18 Lenders Meetings. The Borrower will, upon the request of Administrative Agent or Required Lenders, participate in a meeting of the Administrative Agent and Lenders once during each Fiscal Year to be held at the Borrower’s corporate offices (or at such other location as may be agreed to by the Borrower and Administrative Agent) at such time as may be agreed to by Borrower and Administrative Agent.
Section 6.19 Maintenance of Ratings. At all times, the Borrower shall make commercially reasonable efforts to maintain (i) a public corporate family rating issued by Xxxxx’x and a public corporate credit rating issued by S&P and (ii) a public credit rating from each of Xxxxx’x and S&P with respect to the Loans.
ARTICLE VII
NEGATIVE COVENANTS
NEGATIVE COVENANTS
So long as any Lender shall have any Commitment hereunder or any Loan or other Obligation hereunder shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied, the Borrower shall not, nor shall it permit any Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly:
Section 7.01 Liens. Create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien upon any of its property, assets or revenues, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, other than the following:
(a) Liens pursuant to any Loan Document;
(b) Liens existing on the date hereof (x) listed on Schedule 7.01 or (y) that do not secure or benefit obligations in excess of $500,000 individually or $10,000,000 in the aggregate, and any renewals or extensions of any of the foregoing, provided that (i) the property covered thereby is not changed, (ii) the amount secured or benefited thereby is not increased except as contemplated by Section 7.03(c), (iii) the direct or any contingent obligor with respect thereto is not changed other than in connection with a transaction permitted by Section 7.04, and (iv) any renewal or extension of the obligations secured or benefited thereby is permitted by Section 7.03(c);
(c) Liens for taxes not yet due and payable or which are being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted, if adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of the applicable Person in accordance with GAAP;
(d) carriers’, warehousemen’s, mechanics’, materialmen’s, repairmen’s or other like Liens arising in the ordinary course of business, which do not in the aggregate materially detract from the value of such property or assets or materially impair the use thereof in the operation of the business of the Borrower or any Subsidiary, and which are (i) not overdue for a period of more than 30 days after the Borrower or any Subsidiary obtained actual knowledge of such Lien or (ii) being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted, if adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of the applicable Person;
(e) Liens (including pledges or deposits) to secure the performance of statutory obligations, insurance, surety or appeal bonds, workers compensation obligations, performance bonds or other obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary course of business, (including Liens to secure letters of credit issued to assure payment of such obligations);
(f) deposits to secure the performance of bids, trade contracts, solar incentive reservations, utility queue interconnection positions and leases (in each case not constituting Indebtedness), statutory obligations, surety and appeal bonds, performance bonds and other obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary course of business;
(g) easements, rights-of-way, restrictions and other similar encumbrances affecting real property which, either individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to (i) have a Material Adverse Effect, (ii) cause a substantial and prolonged interruption or disruption of the business activities of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, considered as an entirety, as currently conducted or (iii) materially detract from the value of any material real property;
(h) Liens securing judgments for the payment of money not constituting an Event of Default under Section 8.01(h);
(i) leases or subleases granted to others not interfering in any material respect with the business of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and any interest or title of a lessor under any lease not in violation of this Agreement;
(j) Liens arising from the rights of lessors under leases (including sale and leaseback transactions and financing statements regarding property subject to lease) not in violation of the requirements of this Agreement, provided that such Liens are only in respect of the property subject to, and secure only, the respective lease (and any other lease with the same or an affiliated lessor);
(k) rights of setoff imposed by Law upon deposit of cash or securities in favor of banks, securities intermediaries, commodities intermediaries, brokers or dealers incurred in the ordinary course of business and accounts maintained with such banks, securities intermediaries, commodities intermediaries, brokers or dealers and the cash or securities in such accounts;
(l) Liens securing Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.03(g) and (j); provided that (i) such Liens do not at any time encumber any property other than the property financed by such Indebtedness and (ii) the Indebtedness secured thereby does not exceed the cost or fair market value, whichever is lower, of the property being acquired on the date of acquisition;
(m) Liens on property of a Person existing at the time such Person is merged into or consolidated with the Borrower or any Subsidiary of the Borrower or becomes a Subsidiary of the Borrower in a transaction permitted hereby; provided that (i) such Liens were not created in contemplation of such merger, consolidation or Investment, (ii) no such Liens extend to any assets other than those of the Person merged into or consolidated with the Borrower or such Subsidiary or acquired by the Borrower or such Subsidiary, (iii) the applicable Indebtedness secured by such Lien is permitted under Section 7.03(h)(i) or (h)(ii), and (iv) the aggregate outstanding principal amount of Indebtedness secured by such Liens does not at any time exceed either (x) in the case of such Indebtedness of all Domestic Subsidiaries,
$32,500,000, or (y) in the case of such Indebtedness of all Foreign Subsidiaries, $37,500,000 less the amount of Indebtedness of Foreign Subsidiaries secured by Liens permitted by clause (n) below;
(n) any Lien securing Indebtedness of a Foreign Subsidiary permitted by Section 7.03(h)(ii) so long as the aggregate outstanding principal amount of such Indebtedness secured by such Liens does not at any time exceed $40,000,000 less the amount of Indebtedness of Foreign Subsidiaries secured by Liens permitted by clause (m) above;
(o) licenses of intellectual property, including patents and trademarks held by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, not securing Indebtedness and not interfering in any material respect with the business of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole;
(p) Liens on insurance policies and proceeds thereof, or other deposits, to secure insurance premium financings;
(q) additional Liens so long as the aggregate amount secured by such Liens is not in excess of $37,500,000; and
(r) Liens on Collateral to secure Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.03(b) and Permitted First Lien Refinancing Indebtedness thereof permitted hereunder and under the Intercreditor Agreement; provided that such Liens are subject to the terms of the Intercreditor Agreement.
Section 7.02 Investments. Make any Investments, except:
(a) Investments held by the Borrower or such Subsidiary in the form of cash or Cash Equivalents;
(b) advances to officers, directors and employees of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in an aggregate amount not to exceed $5,000,000 at any time outstanding, for travel, entertainment, relocation and analogous ordinary business purposes;
(c) any endorsement of a check or other medium of payment for deposit or collection, or any similar transaction in the normal course of business;
(d) (i) Investments by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries outstanding on the date hereof and set forth on Schedule 7.02, (ii) additional Investments by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in Loan Parties, and (iii) additional Investments by Subsidiaries of the Borrower that are not Loan Parties in other Subsidiaries that are not Loan Parties;
(e) Investments consisting of extensions of credit in the nature of accounts receivable or notes receivable arising from the grant of trade credit in the ordinary course of business, and Investments received in satisfaction or partial satisfaction thereof from financially troubled account debtors to the extent reasonably necessary in order to prevent or limit loss;
(f) Guarantees permitted by Section 7.03;
(g) the purchase or other acquisition of all of the Equity Interests in, or all or substantially all of the property of, any Person that, upon the consummation thereof, will be wholly-owned directly by the Borrower or one or more of its wholly-owned Subsidiaries (including as a result of a merger or consolidation); provided that, with respect to each purchase or other acquisition made pursuant to this Section 7.02(g):
(i) any such newly-created or acquired Subsidiary shall comply with the requirements of Section 6.13;
(ii) the lines of business of the Person to be (or the property of which is to be) so purchased or otherwise acquired shall be substantially the same lines of business as one or more of the principal businesses of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in the ordinary course;
(iii) such purchase or other acquisition shall not include or result in any contingent liabilities that could reasonably be expected to be material to the business, financial condition, operations or prospects of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole (as determined in good faith by the board of directors (or the persons performing similar functions) of the Borrower or such Subsidiary if the board of directors is otherwise approving such transaction and, in each other case, by a Responsible Officer);
(iv) such purchase or other acquisition is not actively opposed by the Board of Directors (or similar governing body) of the selling Person or the Person whose Equity Interests are to be acquired, unless all of the Lenders specifically approve or consent to such purchase or other acquisition in writing;
(v) immediately after giving effect to such purchase or other acquisition, the pro forma Consolidated Leverage Ratio, determined on the basis of the financial information most recently delivered to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders pursuant to the terms hereof as though such purchase or other acquisition had been consummated as of the first day of the fiscal period covered thereby, shall not be greater than a ratio 0.50 to 1.00 lower than the Consolidated Leverage Ratio required at such time by Section 7.11(a);
(vi) (A) immediately before and immediately after giving pro forma effect to any such purchase or other acquisition, no Default shall have occurred and be continuing and (B) immediately after giving effect to such purchase or other acquisition, the Borrower and its Subsidiaries shall be in pro forma compliance with all of the then applicable financial covenants set forth in Section 7.11 (in addition to compliance with clause (v) above), such compliance to be determined on the basis of the financial information most recently delivered to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders pursuant to the terms hereof as though such purchase or other acquisition had been consummated as of the first day of the fiscal period covered thereby; and
(vii) at least ten Business Days (or such shorter period as the Administrative Agent may agree) prior to the date on which any such purchase or other
acquisition is to be consummated, the Borrower shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent and each Lender:
(A) unless subpart (B) below applies, a certificate of a Responsible Officer, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders, certifying that all of the requirements set forth in clause (vi) above have been satisfied or will be satisfied on or prior to the consummation of such purchase or other acquisition; and
(B) in the event that the aggregate amount of all cash and noncash consideration (including the fair market value of all Equity Interests issued or transferred to the sellers thereof, all indemnities, earnouts and other contingent payment obligations to, and the aggregate amounts paid or to be paid under noncompete, consulting and other affiliated agreements with, the sellers thereof, all write-downs of property and reserves for liabilities with respect thereto and all assumptions of debt, liabilities and other obligations in connection therewith) for all purchases and other acquisitions (including such purchase or other acquisition) during any Fiscal Year equals or exceeds $100,000,000, (x) a certificate of a Responsible Officer, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders, certifying that all of the requirements set forth in clauses (v) and (vi) above have been satisfied or will be satisfied on or prior to the consummation of such purchase or other acquisition and setting forth in reasonable detail the calculations of the Consolidated Leverage Ratio required by clause (v) above and the pro forma compliance with the then applicable financial covenants set forth in Section 7.11 required by clause (vi) above, and (y) audited (or, if the same are unavailable, unaudited) financial statements for the acquired businesses for the most recent Fiscal Year;
(h) Investments by the Borrower or any other Loan Party in any Foreign Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party (including for this purpose Investments in one or more Domestic Subsidiaries that are not Loan Parties that are then further Invested by such Domestic Subsidiaries in a Foreign Subsidiary), provided that (i) any such Investment shall be made solely for the purpose of such Foreign Subsidiary making Capital Expenditures in the ordinary course of its business, and (ii) in determining the amount of any Investment to be made pursuant to this clause (h) the Borrower has used commercially reasonable efforts to fund such Capital Expenditures by the applicable Foreign Subsidiary with cash held by a Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party prior to utilizing this clause (h), so long as such funding could not reasonably be expected to have an adverse impact on the business or operations (including any tax impact) of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, individually or collectively;
(i) Investments acquired by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries (i) in exchange for any other Investment held by the Borrower or any such Subsidiary in connection with or as a result of a bankruptcy, workout, reorganization or recapitalization of the issuer of such other Investment, or (ii) as a result of a foreclosure by the Borrower or any of its
Subsidiaries with respect to any secured Investment or other transfer of title with respect to any secured Investment in default;
(j) Investments in Subsidiaries constituting Dispositions permitted by Section 7.05(a)(ii) in connection with plant closures that, as of the Closing Date, have been previously announced publicly in SEC filings by the Borrower;
(k) Investments in an aggregate amount of up to $16,666,000 pursuant to that certain Framework Agreement dated as of May 21, 2010 among Sun Edison, FREI Sun Holdings (Cayman) Ltd., FREI Sun Holdings (U.S.) LLC, SunEdison Reserve International, L.P. and SunEdison Reserve U.S., L.P.;
(l) Investments in an aggregate amount at any time outstanding not to exceed $200,000,000 in the Samsung Joint Venture, but only so long as no Indebtedness of the Samsung Joint Venture is recourse in any way to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries;
(m) Investments in an aggregate amount at any time outstanding not to exceed $50,000,000 in the JA Solar Joint Venture, but only so long as no Indebtedness of the JA Solar Joint Venture is recourse in any way to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries;
(n) Investments in Solar Installation Subsidiaries and Non-Recourse Subsidiaries made after the Closing Date, having an aggregate fair market value (measured on the date each such Investment was made or the date on which such Non-Recourse Subsidiary became a Non-Recourse Subsidiary, as applicable, and without giving effect to subsequent changes in value), when taken together with all other Investments made pursuant to this clause (n) that are at the time outstanding, not to exceed 15.0% of the consolidated total assets of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the most recent fiscal quarter end for which a consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries has been delivered to the Administrative Agent, all calculated on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP; it being understood that the amount of any particular Investment in any particular Non-Recourse Subsidiary will be reduced by the amount that Loan Parties have received from such Non‑Recourse Subsidiary in respect of such Investment in cash, whether as a cash return from the sale or lease of their interest in such Non-Recourse Subsidiary or by way of a dividend or other distribution from such Non-Recourse Subsidiary in respect of that Investment; and
(o) other Investments not exceeding $150,000,000 in the aggregate outstanding at any time.
Section 7.03 Indebtedness. Create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Indebtedness, except:
(a) Indebtedness under the Loan Documents;
(b) (i) Indebtedness of the Borrower under the First Lien Credit Agreement in a principal amount not to exceed $400,000,000 (which maximum amount shall exclude (A) obligations under Swap Contracts, provided that (1) such obligations are (or were) entered into
by such Person in the ordinary course of business for the purpose of directly managing or mitigating risks associated with liabilities, commitments, investments, assets, or property held or reasonably anticipated by such Person, or changes in the value of securities issued by such Person, and not for purposes of speculation or taking a “market view” and (2) such Swap Contract does not contain any provision exonerating the non-defaulting party from its obligation to make payments on outstanding transactions to the defaulting party and (B) obligations under Related Treasury Management Arrangements incurred in the ordinary course of business), (ii) any Permitted First Lien Refinancing Indebtedness not to exceed the maximum amount permitted under the immediately preceding clause (i); provided that (A) the amount of such Indebtedness is not increased at the time of such refinancing, refunding, renewal or extension except by an amount equal to a reasonable premium or other reasonable amount paid, and fees and expenses reasonably incurred, in connection with such refinancing, (B) the direct or any contingent obligor (including any Guarantees by any Subsidiaries) with respect thereto is not changed other than in connection with a transaction permitted by Section 7.04 between and among Subsidiaries none of which are Guarantors, or all of which are Guarantors, prior to such transaction, and (C) the terms relating to any such Indebtedness refinancing, refunding, renewing or extending such Indebtedness, and of any agreement entered into and of any instrument issued in connection therewith, are in compliance with the requirements of the Intercreditor Agreement. No First Lien Loans shall be guaranteed by any Subsidiary of a Loan Party other than such Subsidiaries that are Guarantors of the Obligations, and (iii) Guarantees of the other Loan Parties in respect of such Indebtedness incurred under the immediately preceding clause (i);
(c) Indebtedness outstanding on the date hereof and listed on Schedule 7.03 and any refinancings, refundings, renewals or extensions thereof; provided that (i) the amount of such Indebtedness is not increased at the time of such refinancing, refunding, renewal or extension except by an amount equal to a reasonable premium or other reasonable amount paid, and fees and expenses reasonably incurred, in connection with such refinancing and by an amount equal to any existing commitments unutilized thereunder, (ii) the direct or any contingent obligor (including any Guarantees by any Subsidiaries) with respect thereto is not changed other than in connection with a transaction permitted by Section 7.04 between and among Subsidiaries none of which are Guarantors, or all of which are Guarantors, prior to such transaction, and (iii) the terms relating to principal amount, amortization, maturity, collateral (if any) and subordination (if any), and other material terms taken as a whole, of any such refinancing, refunding, renewing or extending Indebtedness, and of any agreement entered into and of any instrument issued in connection therewith, are no less favorable in any material respect to the Loan Parties or the Lenders than the terms of any agreement or instrument governing the Indebtedness being refinanced, refunded, renewed or extended and the interest rate applicable to any such refinancing, refunding, renewing or extending Indebtedness does not exceed the then applicable market interest rate;
(d) Guarantees of the Borrower or any Subsidiary in respect of Indebtedness otherwise permitted hereunder of the Borrower or any Subsidiary, provided that (i) the aggregate outstanding amount of Indebtedness (other than Specified Surety Bonds) of a Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party that is Guaranteed by the Borrower or any other Loan Party shall not exceed $20,000,000 at any time and (ii) this clause (d) shall not permit any Guarantee by the Borrower
or any Subsidiary of any Indebtedness permitted by Section 7.03(c), 7.03(i) or 7.03(m), which such Indebtedness (and the Guarantees thereof) shall be governed solely by Section 7.03(c), 7.03(i) or 7.03(m), as applicable;
(e) Indebtedness of a Subsidiary of the Borrower owed to the Borrower or a Subsidiary of the Borrower, which Indebtedness shall (i) not exceed $10,000,000 in the aggregate at any time outstanding in the case of Indebtedness owed by a Loan Party to a Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party, (ii) be on terms (including subordination terms) reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent and (iii) be otherwise permitted under the provisions of Section 7.02;
(f) obligations (contingent or otherwise) of the Borrower or any Subsidiary existing or arising under any Swap Contract, provided that (i) such obligations are (or were) entered into by such Person in the ordinary course of business for the purpose of directly managing or mitigating risks associated with liabilities, commitments, investments, assets, or property held or reasonably anticipated by such Person, or changes in the value of securities issued by such Person, and not for purposes of speculation or taking a “market view”; and (ii) such Swap Contract does not contain any provision exonerating the non-defaulting party from its obligation to make payments on outstanding transactions to the defaulting party;
(g) so long as no Default or Event of Default exists or would result from the incurrence, creation or existence thereof, Indebtedness in respect of (i) Non-Recourse Project Indebtedness of a Non-Recourse Subsidiary so long as the aggregate outstanding amount thereof at any time does not exceed the value of the assets being leased or otherwise financed by the applicable Non-Recourse Subsidiary, and (ii) capital leases and purchase money obligations for fixed or capital assets within the limitations set forth in Section 7.01(l) in an aggregate amount (for all Indebtedness described in this subclause (ii)) at any one time outstanding not to exceed $75,000,000;
(h) Indebtedness not otherwise permitted by the foregoing clauses or clause (i) below incurred by any Subsidiary, including Indebtedness of any Person that becomes a Subsidiary of the Borrower after the date hereof in accordance with the terms of Section 7.02(g) (so long as such Indebtedness is existing at the time such Person becomes a Subsidiary of the Borrower and was not incurred solely in contemplation of such Person’s becoming a Subsidiary of the Borrower), in an aggregate principal amount at any time outstanding not to exceed:
(i) with respect to all Domestic Subsidiaries, $32,500,000;
(ii) with respect to all Foreign Subsidiaries, the sum of (x) $32,500,000 plus (y) an additional $32,500,000 incurred or outstanding solely with respect to trade letters of credit, bankers’ acceptances, bank guaranties and similar instruments in the ordinary course of business;
(iii) with respect to all Subsidiaries, an additional $32,500,000 of unsecured Indebtedness (in addition to the limits set forth in subclauses (h)(i) and (h)(ii) above) of any Person that becomes a Subsidiary of the Borrower after the date hereof in
accordance with the terms of Section 7.02(g) (so long as such Indebtedness is existing at the time such Person becomes a Subsidiary of the Borrower and was not incurred solely in contemplation of such Person’s becoming a Subsidiary of the Borrower);
(i) unsecured Indebtedness, so long as (A) immediately before and immediately after giving pro forma effect to any such Indebtedness, no Default shall have occurred and be continuing, (B) immediately after giving pro forma effect to any such Indebtedness, the pro forma Consolidated Leverage Ratio, determined on the basis of the financial information most recently delivered to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders pursuant to the terms hereof as though such Indebtedness had been incurred as of the first day of the fiscal period covered thereby and remained outstanding, shall be less than or equal to 2.50 to 1.00, (C) no such Indebtedness shall be guaranteed by any Subsidiary of a Loan Party other than such Subsidiaries that are Guarantors of the Obligations, (D) such Indebtedness shall have a maturity date not earlier than a date that is 180 days after the Maturity Date, (E) such Indebtedness shall be subject to financial and other covenants, if any, that are no more restrictive than the covenants contained in this Agreement, and (F) the terms and conditions of such Indebtedness are otherwise reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent; provided that the pro forma Consolidated Leverage Ratio test specified in clause (B) above shall not apply to Specified Indebtedness in an aggregate principal amount of up to $250,000,000 and in lieu thereof, the Borrower shall be required to be in pro forma compliance with (x) the Consolidated Leverage Ratio test specified in Section 7.11(a), and (y) the Liquidity Amount test specified in Section 7.11(b) for the applicable Consolidated EBITDA amount, in each case determined on the basis of the financial information most recently delivered to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b);
(j) so long as no Default or Event of Default exists or would result from the incurrence, creation or existence thereof, (i) Indebtedness in respect of capital leases, in connection with a power purchase agreement with Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, to a Subsidiary of Sun Edison for fixed or capital assets within the limitations set forth in Section 7.01(l) in an aggregate amount at any one time outstanding not to exceed $37,000,000, and any refinancings, refundings, renewals or extensions thereof and (ii) Guarantees by the Borrower in respect of such Indebtedness; provided that (A) the Indebtedness permitted by this clause (j) shall be governed solely by this clause, notwithstanding the applicability of other clauses to the Indebtedness permitted hereby and (B) with respect to any refinancings, refundings, renewals or extensions (1) the amount of such Indebtedness is not increased at the time of such refinancing, refunding, renewal or extension except by an amount equal to a reasonable premium or other reasonable amount paid, and fees and expenses reasonably incurred, in connection with such refinancing and by an amount equal to any existing commitments unutilized thereunder, (2) the direct obligor is not a Loan Party and (3) the terms relating to principal amount, amortization, maturity, and collateral (if any), and other material terms taken as a whole, of any such refinancing, refunding, renewing or extended Indebtedness, and of any agreement entered into and of any instrument issued in connection therewith, are no less favorable in any material respect to the Loan Parties or the Lenders than the terms of any agreement or instrument governing the Indebtedness being refinanced, refunded, renewed or extended and the interest rate applicable to any such
refinancing, refunding, renewing or extending Indebtedness does not exceed the then applicable market interest rate;
(k) Indebtedness in the form of unsecured Performance Letters of Credit in an aggregate amount at any time outstanding, when added to all other Performance Guaranties, not to exceed the Performance Guaranty Limit;
(l) Guarantees and other Indebtedness in respect of Specified Surety Bonds;
(m) unsecured Indebtedness under the Senior Unsecured Notes and Guarantees thereof by the Guarantors, in aggregate principal amount not to exceed $550,000,000, and any refinancings, refundings, renewals or extensions thereof; provided that (i) the amount of such Indebtedness is not increased at the time of such refinancing, refunding, renewal or extension except by an amount equal to a reasonable premium or other reasonable amount paid, and fees and expenses reasonably incurred, in connection with such refinancing, (ii) the direct or any contingent obligor (including any Guarantees by any Subsidiaries) with respect thereto is not changed other than in connection with a transaction permitted by Section 7.04 between and among Subsidiaries none of which are Guarantors, or all of which are Guarantors, prior to such transaction, and (iii) the terms relating to principal amount, amortization, maturity, and other material terms taken as a whole, of any such Indebtedness refinancing, refunding, renewing or extending the Senior Unsecured Notes, and of any agreement entered into and of any instrument issued in connection therewith, are no less favorable in any material respect to the Loan Parties or the Lenders than the terms of any agreement or instrument governing the Senior Unsecured Notes, such refinancing, refunding, renewing or extending Indebtedness shall be unsecured, and the interest rate applicable to any such refinancing, refunding, renewing or extending Indebtedness does not exceed the then applicable market interest rate. No Senior Unsecured Notes shall be guaranteed by any Subsidiary of a Loan Party other than such Subsidiaries that are Guarantors of the Obligations;
(n) other Indebtedness in an amount not to exceed $75,000,000 at any one time outstanding and
(o) Indebtedness under the First Lien Credit Agreement in the form of obligations under Swap Contracts, provided that (1) such obligations are (or were) entered into by such Person in the ordinary course of business for the purpose of directly managing or mitigating risks associated with liabilities, commitments, investments, assets, or property held or reasonably anticipated by such Person, or changes in the value of securities issued by such Person, and not for purposes of speculation or taking a “market view” and (2) such Swap Contract does not contain any provision exonerating the non-defaulting party from its obligation to make payments on outstanding transactions to the defaulting party and (B) obligations under Related Treasury Management Arrangements incurred in the ordinary course of business.
Section 7.04 Fundamental Changes. Merge, dissolve, liquidate, consolidate with or into another Person, or Dispose of (whether in one transaction or in a series of transactions) all or substantially all of its assets (whether now owned or hereafter acquired) to or in favor of any Person, except that, so long as no Default exists or would result therefrom:
(a) any Subsidiary may merge with (i) the Borrower, provided that the Borrower shall be the continuing or surviving Person, or (ii) any one or more other Subsidiaries, provided that when any Subsidiary that is a Guarantor is merging with a Subsidiary that is not a Guarantor, the continuing or surviving Person shall either be the Guarantor or such Person shall be a Material Subsidiary and such Person (and, if applicable, its Domestic Subsidiaries) shall have complied with the provisions of Section 6.13 (without regard to the time limits otherwise set forth therein) prior to or at the time of consummation of such transaction;
(b) any Subsidiary may Dispose of all or substantially all of its assets (upon voluntary liquidation or otherwise) to the Borrower or to another Subsidiary; provided that if the transferor in such a transaction is a Subsidiary that is a Guarantor, then either (i) such Disposition must constitute an Investment permitted by Section 7.02(d) or (ii) the transferee must be the Borrower, another Subsidiary that is a Guarantor, or a Material Subsidiary and such Person (and, if applicable, its Domestic Subsidiaries) shall have complied with the provisions of Section 6.13 (without regard to the time limits otherwise set forth therein) prior to or at the time of consummation of such Disposition; and
(c) the Borrower and its Subsidiaries may enter into such mergers, consolidations, amalgamations and similar transactions as are reasonably necessary to consummate a purchase or other acquisition permitted by, and made in accordance with the terms of, Section 7.02(g); provided that if in any such transaction a Guarantor will be merged with or into any other Person, such Person shall be a Material Subsidiary and such Person (and, if applicable, its Domestic Subsidiaries) shall have complied with the provisions of Section 6.13 (without regard to the time limits otherwise set forth therein) prior to or at the time of consummation of such transaction.
Section 7.05 Dispositions. Make any Disposition or enter into any agreement to make any Disposition, except:
(a) Dispositions of assets or other property described under clause (ii) of the defined term Excluded Assets, including, without limitation, (i) surplus, obsolete or worn out property, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, in the ordinary course of business, and (ii) machinery and equipment from the Borrower or a Subsidiary to the Borrower or a Subsidiary in the ordinary course of business in connection with the management of the manufacturing facilities and operations of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries;
(b) Dispositions of Excluded Assets (other than any Excluded Asset described under clauses (ii) or (v) of such defined term); provided that Dispositions under clauses (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) and (vii) of the defined term “Excluded Assets” are in the ordinary course of business;
(c) Dispositions of equipment or real property to the extent that (i) such property is exchanged for credit against the purchase price of similar replacement property or (ii) the proceeds of such Disposition are reasonably promptly applied to the purchase price of such replacement property;
(d) Dispositions of property by any Subsidiary to the Borrower or by the Borrower or any Subsidiary to a wholly‑owned Subsidiary; provided that if the transferor of such property is a Guarantor, either (i) such Disposition must constitute an Investment permitted by Section 7.02(d) or (ii) the transferee must be the Borrower, another Subsidiary that is a Guarantor, or a Material Subsidiary and such Person (and, if applicable, its Domestic Subsidiaries) shall have complied with the provisions of Section 6.13 (without regard to the time limits otherwise set forth therein) prior to or at the time of consummation of such Disposition;
(e) Dispositions permitted by Section 7.04;
(f) Dispositions by Non-Recourse Subsidiaries of (i) property pursuant to sale-leaseback transactions constituting Non-Recourse Project Indebtedness, (ii) their interests in solar projects, and (iii) residual revenue streams related to solar projects;
(g) Dispositions of (i) any property, land or building (including any related receivables or other intangible assets) of the Borrower or any Subsidiary to any Person which is not a Subsidiary of the Borrower, or (ii) the entire capital stock (or other Equity Interests) and Indebtedness of any Subsidiary owned by the Borrower or any other Subsidiary to any Person which is not a Subsidiary of the Borrower (including by merger or consolidation with a Person which is not a Subsidiary of the Borrower); provided that: (A) the consideration for such Disposition represents fair market value for such Disposition; (B) in the case of any such Disposition involving consideration in excess of $50,000,000, at least five Business Days prior to the date of completion of such Disposition the Borrower shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent an officer’s certificate executed on behalf of the Borrower by a Responsible Officer, which certificate shall contain (1) a description of the proposed Disposition, the date such Disposition is scheduled to be consummated, the estimated purchase price or other consideration for such Disposition, (2) a certification that no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, or would result from consummation of such Disposition, (3) (if requested by the Administrative Agent) a certified copy of the draft or definitive documentation pertaining thereto and (4) a reasonably detailed calculation demonstrating compliance with subclause (C) below and that immediately after giving effect to such Disposition, the Borrower and its Subsidiaries shall be in pro forma compliance with all of the covenants set forth in Section 7.11, such compliance to be determined on the basis of the financial information most recently delivered to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b) as though such Disposition had been consummated as of the first day of the fiscal period covered thereby; and (C) the aggregate amount of all assets Disposed of pursuant to this Section 7.05(g) during any Fiscal Year shall not have contributed more than 10% of Consolidated EBITDA of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for the most recently ended Fiscal Year; and
(h) Dispositions in Fiscal Year 2011 in respect of the Kuching Sale Leaseback in an aggregate amount not to exceed $50,000,000;
provided that any Disposition pursuant to this Section 7.05 shall be for fair market value (as determined by the Borrower in its reasonable judgment).
Section 7.06 Restricted Payments. Declare or make, directly or indirectly, any Restricted Payment, or incur any obligation (contingent or otherwise) to do so, except that (other than in the case of subsection (a) below), so long as no Default shall have occurred and be continuing at the time of any action described below or would result therefrom:
(a) each Subsidiary may make Restricted Payments to the Borrower, the Guarantors and any other Person, including another Subsidiary, that owns an Equity Interest in such Subsidiary, ratably according to their respective holdings of the type of Equity Interest in respect of which such Restricted Payment is being made;
(b) the Borrower and each Subsidiary may declare and make dividend payments or other distributions payable solely in the common stock or other common Equity Interests of such Person;
(c) the Borrower and each Subsidiary may purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire Equity Interests issued by it with the proceeds received from the substantially concurrent issue of new shares of its common stock or other common Equity Interests;
(d) the Borrower may make Restricted Payments pursuant to and in accordance with its stock option, stock purchase and other benefit plans of general application to management, directors or other employees of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, as adopted or implemented in the ordinary course of the Borrower’s business; and
(e) so long as no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Borrower may make other Restricted Payments in an aggregate amount not to exceed $37,500,000 since the date of this Agreement.
Section 7.07 Change in Nature of Business. Engage in any material line of business substantially different from those lines of business conducted by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on the date hereof or any business substantially related or incidental thereto.
Section 7.08 Transactions with Affiliates. Enter into any transaction of any kind with any Affiliate of the Borrower, whether or not in the ordinary course of business, other than on fair and reasonable terms substantially as favorable to the Borrower or such Subsidiary as would be obtainable by the Borrower or such Subsidiary at the time in a comparable arm’s length transaction with a Person other than an Affiliate, provided that the foregoing restriction shall not apply to transactions between or among the Borrower and any Guarantor or between and among any Guarantors.
Section 7.09 Burdensome Agreements. Enter into, incur or permit to exist or become effective any Contractual Obligation that:
(a) limits the ability (i) of any Subsidiary to make Restricted Payments to the Borrower or any Subsidiary Guarantor, to make or repay intercompany loans or advances, or to otherwise transfer property to the Borrower or any Subsidiary Guarantor, (ii) of any Subsidiary to Guarantee the Indebtedness of the Borrower or (iii) of the Borrower or any Subsidiary to
create, incur, assume or suffer to exist Liens on property of such Person (other than a negative pledge incurred or provided in favor of any holder of Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.03(g) solely to the extent any such negative pledge relates to the property financed by or the subject of such Indebtedness); provided that the foregoing shall not prohibit any such limitation or restriction contained in (A) customary provisions restricting subletting or assignment of any lease governing a leasehold interest, (B) customary provisions restricting assignment of any licensing agreement entered into in the ordinary course of business, (C) any agreement or instrument governing any Indebtedness of any Foreign Subsidiary of the Borrower permitted pursuant to Section 7.03, and customary restrictions contained in “comfort” letters and guarantees of any such Indebtedness, so long as any such restriction affects only such Foreign Subsidiary and does not in any manner affect the Borrower or any Domestic Subsidiary, (D) any Contractual Obligation of a Subsidiary of Sun Edison that is not a Guarantor so long as (I) any restriction on Liens or Guarantees does not extend to any entity or assets other than the Subsidiary that is a party to such Contractual Obligation and its assets and (II) any restriction or limitation on dividends, or the making or repayment of intercompany loans, shall only apply to such Subsidiary and its Subsidiaries and shall be taken into account in measuring the Liquidity Amount at any time or (E) agreements governing Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.03(b) (but only to the extent that the limitations on any Loan Party included in such agreements comply with the terms of the Intercreditor Agreement); or
(b) requires the grant of a Lien to secure an obligation of such Person if a Lien is granted to secure another obligation of such Person, except to the extent of obligations that, individually or in the aggregate, are not material to the Borrower or any Subsidiary.
Section 7.10 Use of Proceeds. Use the proceeds of any Loan whether immediately, incidentally or ultimately, to purchase or carry Margin Stock or to extend credit to others for the purpose of purchasing or carrying Margin Stock or to refund indebtedness originally incurred for such purpose.
Section 7.11 Financial Covenants.
(a) Consolidated Leverage Ratio. (i) Permit the Consolidated Leverage Ratio as of the last day of the fiscal quarter ending on September 30, 2012 to be greater than 3.50 to 1.00.
(ii) Permit the Consolidated Leverage Ratio as of the last day of any other fiscal quarter to be greater than 3.00 to 1.00.
(b) Liquidity Amount. (i) Permit the Liquidity Amount, as of the end of the fiscal quarter of the Borrower ending September 30, 2012 to be less than $300,000,000.
(ii) Permit the Liquidity Amount, as of the end of any fiscal quarter of the Borrower ending on or after December 31, 2012, to be less than the amount indicated below opposite the applicable Consolidated EBITDA for the twelve‑month period ending on the last day of such fiscal quarter:
Consolidated EBITDA | Minimum Liquidity Amount |
less than $400 million | $400,000,000 |
greater than or equal to $400 million and less than $600 million | $300,000,000 |
greater than or equal to $600 million and less than $850 million | $200,000,000 |
greater than or equal to $850 million | No minimum Liquidity Amount |
Section 7.12 Amendments to Organization Documents. Amend, modify or waive any of its rights under any of its Organization Documents, to the extent that such amendment, modification or waiver would be materially adverse to the interests of the Lenders.
Section 7.13 Accounting Changes. Make any change in (a) accounting policies or reporting practices, except as required by GAAP, or (b) Fiscal Year.
Section 7.14 Prepayments of Indebtedness. Prepay, redeem, purchase, defease or otherwise satisfy prior to the scheduled maturity thereof in any manner any unsecured Indebtedness incurred pursuant to Section 7.03(i) or (m) (other than as permitted pursuant to Section 7.03(m)).
Section 7.15 Amendment of Indebtedness. Amend, modify or change in any manner materially adverse to the interests of the Lenders or in any manner contrary to the terms of the Intercreditor Agreement any term or condition of any First Lien Loans, any term or condition of any Indebtedness set forth in Schedule 7.03, or any term or condition of any Senior Unsecured Notes except for any refinancing, refunding, renewal or extension thereof permitted by Section 7.03(c), or, with respect to Senior Unsecured Notes, Section 7.03(m) or with respect to the First Lien Loans, Section 7.03(b).
ARTICLE VIII
EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES
Section 8.01 Events of Default. Any of the following shall constitute an Event of Default:
(a) Non-Payment. The Borrower or any other Loan Party fails to pay (i) when and as required to be paid herein, any amount of principal of any Loan or (ii) within three Business Days after the same becomes due, any interest on any Loan, any fee due hereunder, or any other amount payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document; or
(b) Specific Covenants. Any event constituting an “Event of Default” under any other Loan Document occurs or the Borrower fails to perform or observe any term, covenant or agreement either (i) contained in any of Section 6.05, 6.11, 6.12, 6.13 or Article VII, or
(ii) contained in any of Sections 6.01, 6.02, 6.03, or 6.09(d) and such failure continues for 15 days after the earlier of (x) knowledge thereof by any Responsible Officer or (y) receipt by the Borrower of a Notice of Default with respect thereto; or
(c) Other Defaults. Any Loan Party fails to perform or observe any other covenant or agreement (not specified in subsection (a) or (b) above) contained in any Loan Document on its part to be performed or observed and such failure continues for 30 days after the earlier of (x) knowledge thereof by any Responsible Officer or (y) receipt by the Borrower of a Notice of Default with respect thereto; or
(d) Representations and Warranties. Any representation, warranty, certification or statement of fact made or deemed made by or on behalf of the Borrower or any other Loan Party herein, in any other Loan Document, or in any document delivered in connection herewith or therewith shall be incorrect or misleading in any material respect (or, with respect to any representation or warranty that is itself modified or qualified by materiality or a “Material Adverse Effect” standard, in any respect) when made or deemed made; or
(e) Cross-Default. (i) Other than with respect to Non-Recourse Project Indebtedness, so long as no claim with respect thereto is made against any Subsidiary other than the Non‑Recourse Subsidiary primarily liable therefor, the Borrower or any Subsidiary (A) fails to make any payment when due (whether by scheduled maturity, required prepayment, acceleration, demand, or otherwise) in respect of any Indebtedness (including Indebtedness under any First Lien Loan Documents or Permitted First Lien Refinancing Indebtedness) or Guarantee (other than Indebtedness hereunder and Indebtedness under Swap Contracts) having an aggregate principal amount (including undrawn committed or available amounts and including amounts owing to all creditors under any combined or syndicated credit arrangement) of more than $35,000,000 or with respect to Indebtedness under any First Lien Loan Documents or Permitted First Lien Refinancing Indebtedness, any amount, or (B) fails to observe or perform any other agreement or condition relating to any such Indebtedness or Guarantee described in clause (A) above or contained in any instrument or agreement evidencing, securing or relating thereto, or any other event occurs, the effect of which default or other event is to cause, or to permit the holder or holders of such Indebtedness or the beneficiary or beneficiaries of such Guarantee (or a trustee or agent on behalf of such holder or holders or beneficiary or beneficiaries) to cause, with the giving of notice if required, such Indebtedness to be demanded or to become due or to be repurchased, prepaid, defeased or redeemed (automatically or otherwise), or an offer to repurchase, prepay, defease or redeem such Indebtedness to be made, prior to its stated maturity, or such Guarantee to become payable or cash collateral in respect thereof to be demanded, provided that any default under the First Lien Credit Agreement shall not constitute an Event of Default under this clause (e)(i)(B) unless either (1) such default is not cured or waived within 90 days after the occurrence of such default or (2) the First Lien Agent or requisite holders of First Lien Loans or any Permitted First Lien Refinancing Indebtedness cause the First Lien Loans or any Permitted First Lien Refinancing Indebtedness to be accelerated, demanded or to become due or to be repurchased, prepaid, defeased or redeemed (automatically or otherwise) prior to the stated maturity thereof; or (ii) there occurs under any Swap Contract an Early Termination Date (as defined in such Swap Contract) resulting from (A) any event of
default under such Swap Contract as to which the Borrower or any Subsidiary is the Defaulting Party (as defined in such Swap Contract) or (B) any Termination Event (as so defined) under such Swap Contract as to which the Borrower or any Subsidiary is an Affected Party (as so defined) and, in either event, the Swap Termination Value owed by the Borrower or such Subsidiary as a result thereof is greater than the $35,000,000; or
(f) Insolvency Proceedings, Etc. Any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries institutes or consents to the institution of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law, or makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors; or applies for or consents to the appointment of any receiver, trustee, custodian, conservator, liquidator, rehabilitator or similar officer for it or for all or any material part of its property; or any receiver, trustee, custodian, conservator, liquidator, rehabilitator or similar officer is appointed without the application or consent of such Person and the appointment continues undischarged or unstayed for 60 calendar days; or any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law relating to any such Person or to all or any material part of its property is instituted without the consent of such Person and continues undismissed or unstayed for 60 calendar days, or an order for relief is entered in any such proceeding; or
(g) Inability to Pay Debts; Attachment. (i) The Borrower or any Subsidiary becomes unable or admits in writing its inability or fails generally to pay its debts as they become due, or (ii) any writ or warrant of attachment or execution or similar process is issued or levied against all or any material part of the property of any such Person and is not released, vacated or fully bonded within 30 days after its issue or levy; or
(h) Judgments. There is entered against the Borrower or any Subsidiary (i) one or more final judgments or orders for the payment of money in an aggregate amount (as to all such judgments or orders) exceeding the Threshold Amount (to the extent not covered by independent third-party insurance as to which the insurer does not dispute coverage), or (ii) any one or more non-monetary final judgments that have, or could reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect and, in either case, (A) enforcement proceedings are commenced by any creditor upon such judgment or order, or (B) there is a period of 30 consecutive days during which a stay of enforcement of such judgment, by reason of a pending appeal or otherwise, is not in effect; or
(i) ERISA. (i) An ERISA Event occurs with respect to a Plan or Multiemployer Plan which has resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in liability of the Borrower under Title IV of ERISA to such Plan, such Multiemployer Plan or the PBGC in an aggregate amount in excess of the Threshold Amount, or (ii) the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate fails to pay when due, after the expiration of any applicable grace period, any installment payment with respect to its withdrawal liability under Section 4201 of ERISA under a Multiemployer Plan in an aggregate amount in excess of the Threshold Amount; or
(j) Invalidity of Loan Documents. Any Loan Document, at any time after its execution and delivery and for any reason other than as expressly permitted hereunder or thereunder or satisfaction in full of all the Obligations, ceases to be in full force and effect in any material respect; or any Loan Party or any other Person contests in any manner the validity or enforceability of any Loan Document; or any Loan Party denies that it has any or further liability
or obligation under any Loan Document, or purports to revoke, terminate or rescind any Loan Document; or
(k) Liens. Any Lien purported to be created under any Security Document shall cease to be, or shall be asserted by any Loan Party not to be, a valid and perfected Lien on any material portion of the Collateral with the priority required by the applicable Security Document, except as a result of the sale or other Disposition of the applicable Collateral in a transaction permitted under the Loan Documents; or
(l) Change of Control. There occurs any Change of Control.
Section 8.02 Remedies Upon Event of Default. If any Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Administrative Agent shall, at the request of, or may, with the consent of, the Required Lenders, take any or all of the following actions: declare the unpaid principal amount of all outstanding Loans, all interest accrued and unpaid thereon, and all other amounts owing or payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document to be immediately due and payable, without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby expressly waived by the Borrower; provided, however, that upon the occurrence of an actual or deemed entry of an order for relief with respect to the Borrower under the Bankruptcy Code or an Event of Default occurs under Section 8.01(f) or 8.01(g), the unpaid principal amount of all outstanding Loans and all interest and other amounts as aforesaid shall automatically become due and payable, in each case without further act of the Administrative Agent or any Lender.
Section 8.03 Application of Funds. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Intercreditor Agreement, after the exercise of remedies provided for in Section 8.02 (or after the Loans have automatically become immediately due and payable as set forth in the proviso to Section 8.02), any amounts received on account of the Obligations shall be applied by the Administrative Agent in the following order:
First, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting fees, indemnities, expenses and other amounts (including fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the Administrative Agent and amounts payable under Article III) payable to the Administrative Agent in its capacity as such;
Second, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting fees, indemnities and other amounts (other than principal and interest) payable to the Lenders (including fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the respective Lenders and amounts payable under Article III), ratably among them in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Second payable to them;
Third, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting accrued and unpaid interest on the Loans, ratably among the Lenders in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Third payable to them;
Fourth, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting unpaid principal of the Loans; and
Last, the balance, if any, after all of the Obligations have been indefeasibly paid in full, to the Borrower or as otherwise required by Law.
ARTICLE IX
AGENTS
Section 9.01 Appointment and Authority. Each of the Lenders hereby irrevocably appoints Xxxxxxx Xxxxx to act on its behalf as the Administrative Agent hereunder and under the other Loan Documents and authorizes the Administrative Agent to take such actions on its behalf and to exercise such powers as are delegated to the Administrative Agent by the terms hereof or thereof, together with such actions and powers as are reasonably incidental thereto. Each of the Lenders hereby irrevocably appoints Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. to act on its behalf as Documentation Agent hereunder and authorizes the Documentation Agent to take such actions on its behalf and to exercise such powers as are delegated to the Documentation Agent by the terms hereof, together with such actions and powers as are reasonably incidental thereto. The provisions of this Article are solely for the benefit of the Agents and the Lenders, and neither the Borrower nor any other Loan Party shall have any rights as a third party beneficiary of any of such provisions. In performing its functions and duties hereunder, each Agent shall act solely as an agent of Lenders and does not assume and shall not be deemed to have assumed any obligation towards or relationship of agency or trust with or for the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries.
Section 9.02 Rights as a Lender. The Person serving as an Agent hereunder shall have the same rights and powers in its capacity as a Lender as any other Lender and may exercise the same as though it were not an Agent and the term “Lender” or “Lenders” shall, unless otherwise expressly indicated or unless the context otherwise requires, include the Person serving as an Agent hereunder in its individual capacity. Such Person and its Affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to, act as the financial advisor or in any other advisory capacity for and generally engage in any kind of business with the Borrower or any Subsidiary or other Affiliate thereof as if such Person were not an Agent hereunder and without any duty to account therefor to the Lenders.
Section 9.03 Exculpatory Provisions. No Agent shall have any duties or obligations except those expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each Agent:
(a) shall not be subject to any fiduciary or other implied duties, regardless of whether a Default has occurred and is continuing;
(b) shall not have any duty to take any discretionary action or exercise any discretionary powers, except discretionary rights and powers expressly contemplated hereby or by the other Loan Documents that the Agent is required to exercise as directed in writing by the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be expressly provided for herein or in the other Loan Documents), provided that no Agent shall be required to take any action that, in its opinion or the opinion of its counsel, may expose the Agent to liability
or that is contrary to any Loan Document or applicable law, including for the avoidance of doubt refraining from any action that, in its opinion or the opinion of its counsel, may be in violation of the automatic stay under any Debtor Relief Law or that may effect a forfeiture, modification or termination of property of a Defaulting Lender in violation of any Debtor Relief Law; and
(c) shall not, except as expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents, have any duty to disclose, and shall not be liable for the failure to disclose, any information relating to the Borrower or any of its Affiliates that is communicated to or obtained by the Person serving as the Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates in any capacity.
The Administrative Agent shall not be liable for any action taken or not taken by it (i) with the consent or at the request of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary, or as the Administrative Agent shall believe in good faith shall be necessary, under the circumstances as provided in Sections 10.01 and 8.02) or (ii) in the absence of its own gross negligence or willful misconduct. The Administrative Agent shall be deemed not to have knowledge of any Default unless and until notice describing such Default is given to the Administrative Agent by the Borrower or a Lender.
No Agent shall be responsible for or have any duty to ascertain or inquire into (i) any statement, warranty or representation made in or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (ii) the contents of any certificate, report or other document delivered hereunder or thereunder or in connection herewith or therewith, (iii) the performance or observance of any of the covenants, agreements or other terms or conditions set forth herein or therein or the occurrence of any Default, (iv) the validity, enforceability, effectiveness or genuineness of this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any other agreement, instrument or document or (v) the satisfaction of any condition set forth in Article IV or elsewhere herein, other than to confirm receipt of items expressly required to be delivered to such Agent.
Section 9.04 Reliance by Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent shall be entitled to rely upon, and shall not incur any liability for relying upon, any notice, request, certificate, consent, statement, instrument, document or other writing (including any electronic message, Internet or intranet website posting or other distribution) believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed, sent or otherwise authenticated by the proper Person. The Administrative Agent also may rely upon any statement made to it orally or by telephone and believed by it to have been made by the proper Person, and shall not incur any liability for relying thereon. In determining compliance with any condition hereunder to the making of a Loan, that by its terms must be fulfilled to the satisfaction of a Lender, the Administrative Agent may presume that such condition is satisfactory to such Lender unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice to the contrary from such Lender prior to the making of such Loan. The Administrative Agent may consult with legal counsel (who may be counsel for the Borrower), independent accountants and other experts selected by it, and shall not be liable for any action taken or not taken by it in accordance with the advice of any such counsel, accountants or experts.
Section 9.05 Delegation of Duties. The Administrative Agent may perform any and all of its duties and exercise its rights and powers hereunder or under any other Loan Document by
or through any one or more sub‑agents appointed by the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent and any such sub‑agent may perform any and all of its duties and exercise its rights and powers by or through their respective Related Parties. The exculpatory provisions of this Article shall apply to any such sub‑agent and to the Related Parties of the Administrative Agent and any such sub‑agent, and shall apply to their respective activities in connection with the syndication of the credit facilities provided for herein as well as activities as Administrative Agent.
Section 9.06 Resignation of Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent may at any time give notice of its resignation to the Lenders and the Borrower. Upon receipt of any such notice of resignation, the Required Lenders shall have the right, in consultation with the Borrower, to appoint a successor, which shall be a bank with an office in the United States, or an Affiliate of any such bank with an office in the United States. If no such successor shall have been so appointed by the Required Lenders and shall have accepted such appointment within 30 days after the retiring Administrative Agent gives notice of its resignation, then the retiring Administrative Agent may on behalf of the Lenders, appoint a successor Administrative Agent meeting the qualifications set forth above; provided that if the Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Lenders that no qualifying Person has accepted such appointment, then such resignation shall nonetheless become effective in accordance with such notice and (1) the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder and under the other Loan Documents (except that in the case of any collateral security held by the Administrative Agent on behalf of the Lenders under any of the Loan Documents, the retiring Administrative Agent shall continue to hold such collateral security until such time as a successor Administrative Agent is appointed) and (2) all payments, communications and determinations provided to be made by, to or through the Administrative Agent shall instead be made by or to each Lender directly, until such time as the Required Lenders appoint a successor Administrative Agent as provided for above in this Section. Upon the acceptance of a successor’s appointment as Administrative Agent hereunder, such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring (or retired) Administrative Agent, and the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged from all of its duties and obligations hereunder or under the other Loan Documents (if not already discharged therefrom as provided above in this Section). The fees payable by the Borrower to a successor Administrative Agent shall be the same as those payable to its predecessor unless otherwise agreed between the Borrower and such successor. After the retiring Administrative Agent’s resignation hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, the provisions of this Article and Section 10.04 shall continue in effect for the benefit of such retiring Administrative Agent, its sub‑agents and their respective Related Parties in respect of any actions taken or omitted to be taken by any of them while the retiring Administrative Agent was acting as Administrative Agent.
Section 9.07 Non-Reliance on Agents and Other Lenders. Each Lender acknowledges that it has, independently and without reliance upon any Agent or any other Lender or any of their Related Parties and based on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own credit analysis and decision to enter into this Agreement. Each Lender also acknowledges that it will, independently and without reliance upon any Agent
or any other Lender or any of their Related Parties and based on such documents and information as it shall from time to time deem appropriate, continue to make its own decisions in taking or not taking action under or based upon this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any related agreement or any document furnished hereunder or thereunder.
Section 9.08 No Other Duties, Etc. Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, no bookrunner, arranger, syndication agent or documentation agent shall have any powers, duties or responsibilities under this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents, except in its capacity, as applicable, as the Administrative Agent or a Lender hereunder.
Section 9.09 Administrative Agent May File Proofs of Claim. In case of the pendency of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law or any other judicial proceeding relative to any Loan Party, the Administrative Agent (irrespective of whether the principal of any Loan shall then be due and payable as herein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Administrative Agent shall have made any demand on the Borrower) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise.
(a) to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of the principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Loans and all other Obligations that are owing and unpaid and to file such other documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Lenders and the Administrative Agent (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Lenders and the Administrative Agent and their respective agents and counsel and all other amounts due the Lenders and the Administrative Agent under Sections 2.09 and 10.04) allowed in such judicial proceeding; and
(b) to collect and receive any monies or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same; and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Lender to make such payments to the Administrative Agent and, in the event that the Administrative Agent shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Lenders, to pay to the Administrative Agent any amount due for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Administrative Agent and its agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Administrative Agent under Sections 2.09 and 10.04.
Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to authorize the Administrative Agent to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Lender any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Obligations or the rights of any Lender to authorize the Administrative Agent to vote in respect of the claim of any Lender in any such proceeding.
Anything contained in any of the Loan Documents to the contrary notwithstanding, but subject in all respects to the terms and conditions of the Intercreditor Agreement, the Borrower, Administrative Agent and each Secured Party hereby agree that (i) no Secured Party shall have any right individually to realize upon any of the Collateral or to enforce the Guaranty, it being understood and agreed that all powers, rights and remedies hereunder and under any of the Loan Documents may be exercised solely by Administrative Agent, as applicable, for the benefit of the
Secured Parties in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof and all powers, rights and remedies under the Security Documents may be exercised solely by Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties in accordance with the terms thereof, and (ii) in the event of a foreclosure or similar enforcement action by Administrative Agent on any of the Collateral pursuant to a public or private sale or other disposition (including, without limitation, pursuant to Section 363(k), Section 1129(b)(2)(a)(ii) or otherwise of the Bankruptcy Code), Administrative Agent (or any Lender, except with respect to a “credit bid” pursuant to Section 363(k), Section 1129(b)(2)(a)(ii) or otherwise of the Bankruptcy Code) may be the purchaser or licensor of any or all of such Collateral at any such sale or other disposition and Administrative Agent, as agent for and representative of Secured Parties (but not any Lender or Lenders in its or their respective individual capacities) shall be entitled, upon instructions from Required Lenders, for the purpose of bidding and making settlement or payment of the purchase price for all or any portion of the Collateral sold at any such sale or disposition, to use and apply any of the Obligations as a credit on account of the purchase price for any Collateral payable by Administrative Agent at such sale or other disposition.
Section 9.10 Collateral and Guaranty Matters. The Lenders irrevocably authorize the Administrative Agent, at its option and in its discretion,
(a) to release any Lien on any property granted to or held by the Administrative Agent under any Loan Document (i) upon termination of the Aggregate Commitments and payment in full of all Obligations (other than contingent indemnification obligations and other obligations not then payable which expressly survive termination), (ii) that is sold or to be sold as part of or in connection with any Disposition permitted hereunder, (iii) in connection with a release made as a result of a Subsidiary becoming a Non-Recourse Subsidiary in a transaction described in Section 6.13, (iv) subject to Section 10.01, if approved, authorized or ratified in writing by the Required Lenders or (v) in accordance with the Intercreditor Agreement;
(b) to subordinate any Lien on any property granted to or held by the Administrative Agent under any Loan Document to the holder of any Lien on such property that is permitted by Section 7.01(l);
(c) to release any Guarantor from its obligations under the Guaranty if such Person either (i) ceases to be a Subsidiary as a result of a transaction permitted hereunder, or (ii) becomes a Non-Recourse Subsidiary in a transaction described in Section 6.13; and
(d) (i) to enter into or amend the Intercreditor Agreement with the First Lien Agent or other representatives of the holders of Indebtedness that is permitted to be secured by a Lien on the Collateral ranking senior to the Lien securing the Obligations that are permitted by Section 7.03 and (ii) to rely exclusively on a certificate of a Responsible Officer of the Borrower seeking to permit such Lien as to whether any such other Liens are permitted. Any amendment to the Intercreditor Agreement entered into by the Administrative Agent shall be binding on the Secured Parties.
Upon request by the Administrative Agent at any time, the Required Lenders (or such greater number of Lenders as may be required under Section 10.01) will confirm in writing the Administrative Agent’s authority to release or subordinate its interest in particular types or items of property, or to release any Guarantor from its obligations under the Guaranty pursuant to this Section 9.10.
No Lender or Affiliate of a Lender that obtains the benefits of Section 8.03, any Guaranty or any Collateral by virtue of the provisions hereof or of any Guaranty or any Security Document shall have any right to notice of any action or to consent to, direct or object to any action hereunder or under any other Loan Document or otherwise in respect of the Collateral (including the release or impairment of any Collateral) other than in its capacity as a Lender and, in such case, only to the extent expressly provided in the Loan Documents.
Section 9.11 Withholding Taxes. To the extent required by any applicable law, the Administrative Agent may withhold from any payment to any Lender an amount equivalent to any withholding tax applicable to such payment. If the IRS or any other Governmental Authority asserts a claim that the Administrative Agent did not properly withhold tax from amounts paid to or for the account of any Lender for any other reason, or the Administrative Agent has paid over to the IRS applicable withholding tax relating to a payment to a Lender but no deduction has been made from such payment, such Lender shall indemnify the Administrative Agent fully for all amounts paid, directly or indirectly, by the Administrative Agent as tax or otherwise, including any penalties or interest and together with any all expenses incurred, unless such amounts have been indemnified by any Loan Party or the relevant Lender.
ARTICLE X
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 10.01 Amendments, Etc. No amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, and no consent to any departure by the Borrower or any other Loan Party therefrom, shall be effective unless in writing signed by the Required Lenders and the Borrower or the applicable Loan Party, as the case may be, and acknowledged by the Administrative Agent, and each such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the specific purpose for which given; provided, however, that no such amendment, waiver or consent shall:
(a) waive any condition set forth in Section 4.01(a) without the written consent of each Lender;
(b) extend or increase the Commitment of any Lender or reinstate any Commitment terminated pursuant to Section 2.01 without the written consent of such Lender;
(c) postpone any date fixed by this Agreement or any other Loan Document for any payment (excluding mandatory prepayments, if any) of principal, interest, fees or other amounts due to the Lenders (or any of them) or any scheduled or mandatory reduction of the
Aggregate Commitments hereunder or under any other Loan Document without the written consent of each Lender directly affected thereby;
(d) reduce the principal of, or the rate of interest specified herein on, any Loan, or (subject to clause (ii) of the second proviso to this Section 10.01) any fees or other amounts payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document without the written consent of each Lender directly affected thereby; provided, however, that only the consent of the Required Lenders shall be necessary (i) to amend the definition of “Default Rate” or to waive any obligation of the Borrower to pay interest at the Default Rate or (ii) to amend any financial covenant hereunder (or any defined term used therein) even if the effect of such amendment would be to reduce the rate of interest on any Loan or to reduce any fee payable hereunder;
(e) change Section 8.03 in a manner that would alter the pro rata sharing of payments required thereby without the written consent of each Lender;
(f) change any provision of this Section or the definition of “Required Lenders” or any other provision hereof specifying the number or percentage of Lenders required to amend, waive or otherwise modify any rights hereunder or make any determination or grant any consent hereunder without the written consent of each Lender; or
(g) release all or substantially all of the value of the Guaranty or all or substantially all of the Collateral without the written consent of each Lender, except to the extent the release of any Guarantee by any Guarantor pursuant to the Guaranty or the release of Collateral is permitted pursuant to Section 9.10 (in which case such release may be made by the Administrative Agent acting alone);
and, provided further, that no amendment, waiver or consent shall, unless in writing and signed by the Administrative Agent in addition to the Lenders required above, affect the rights or duties of the Administrative Agent under this Agreement or any other Loan Document. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, no Defaulting Lender shall have any right to approve or disapprove any amendment, waiver or consent hereunder, except that (i) the Commitment of such Lender may not be increased or extended without the consent of such Lender, (ii) the outstanding principal amount of Loans and other Obligations owing to such Lender may not be reduced, other than as a result of payment thereof, without the consent of such Lender, and (iii) the rate of interest specified herein applicable to any Loans of such Lender may not be reduced without the consent of such Lender except in connection with a reduction of such rate of interest applicable to all Lenders made in accordance with clause (d) of the first proviso above (with respect to which such Defaulting Lender shall not be entitled to vote).
If any Lender does not consent to a proposed amendment, waiver, consent or release with respect to any Loan Document that requires the consent of such Lender and that has been approved by the Required Lenders, the Borrower may replace such non-consenting Lender in accordance with Section 10.13; provided that such amendment, waiver, consent or release can be effected as a result of the assignment contemplated by such Section (together with all other such assignments required by the Borrower to be made pursuant to this paragraph).
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 10.01, guarantees, collateral security documents and related documents executed by Loan Parties in connection with this Agreement may be in a form reasonably determined by the Administrative Agent and may be, together with this Agreement, amended, supplemented and waived with the consent of the Administrative Agent at the request of the Borrower without the need to obtain the consent of any other Lender if such amendment, supplement or waiver is delivered in order (i) to comply with local Law or advice of local counsel or (ii) to cause such guarantee, collateral security document or other document to be consistent with this Agreement and the other Loan Documents including, without limitation, to amend the Security Documents to permit refinancing indebtedness that is permitted hereunder to have a Lien on the Collateral ranking senior to the Liens created by the Security Documents to become secured thereby and/or subject to the terms of the Intercreditor Agreement as “First Lien Obligations” thereunder and to permit refinancing indebtedness that are permitted hereunder to have a Lien on the Collateral ranking pari passu with or junior to the Liens created by the Security Documents to be subject to the terms of the Intercreditor Agreement as junior lien obligations thereunder.
Section 10.02 Notices; Effectiveness; Electronic Communication.
(a) Notices Generally. Except in the case of notices and other communications expressly permitted to be given by telephone (and except as provided in subsection (b) below), all notices and other communications provided for herein shall be in writing and shall be delivered by hand or overnight courier service, mailed by certified or registered mail or sent by telecopier as follows, and all notices and other communications expressly permitted hereunder to be given by telephone shall be made to the applicable telephone number, as follows:
(i) if to the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, to the address, telecopier number, electronic mail address or telephone number specified for such Person on Schedule 10.02; and
(ii) if to any other Lender, to the address, telecopier number, electronic mail address or telephone number specified in its Administrative Questionnaire.
Notices and other communications sent by hand or overnight courier service, or mailed by certified or registered mail, shall be deemed to have been given when received; notices and other communications sent by telecopier shall be deemed to have been given when sent (except that, if not given during normal business hours for the recipient, shall be deemed to have been given at the opening of business on the next Business Day for the recipient). Notices and other communications delivered through electronic communications to the extent provided in subsection (b) below, shall be effective as provided in such subsection (b).
(b) Electronic Communications. Notices and other communications to the Lenders hereunder may be delivered or furnished by electronic communication (including e-mail and Internet or intranet websites) pursuant to procedures approved by the Administrative Agent, provided that the foregoing shall not apply to notices to any Lender pursuant to Article II if such
Lender, as applicable, has notified the Administrative Agent that it is incapable of receiving notices under such Article by electronic communication. The Administrative Agent or the Borrower may, in its discretion, agree to accept notices and other communications to it hereunder by electronic communications pursuant to procedures approved by it, provided that approval of such procedures may be limited to particular notices or communications.
Unless the Administrative Agent otherwise prescribes, (i) notices and other communications sent to an e-mail address shall be deemed received upon the sender’s receipt of an acknowledgement from the intended recipient (such as by the “return receipt requested” function, as available, return e-mail or other written acknowledgement), provided that if such notice or other communication is not sent during the normal business hours of the recipient, such notice or communication shall be deemed to have been sent at the opening of business on the next Business Day for the recipient, and (ii) notices or communications posted to an Internet or intranet website shall be deemed received upon the deemed receipt by the intended recipient at its e-mail address as described in the foregoing clause (i) of notification that such notice or communication is available and identifying the website address therefor.
(c) The Platform. THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” THE AGENT PARTIES (AS DEFINED BELOW) DO NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE BORROWER MATERIALS OR THE ADEQUACY OF THE PLATFORM, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM LIABILITY FOR ERRORS IN OR OMISSIONS FROM THE BORROWER MATERIALS. NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON‑INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS OR FREEDOM FROM VIRUSES OR OTHER CODE DEFECTS, IS MADE BY ANY AGENT PARTY IN CONNECTION WITH THE BORROWER MATERIALS OR THE PLATFORM. In no event shall the Administrative Agent or any of its Related Parties (collectively, the “Agent Parties”) have any liability to the Borrower, any Lender or any other Person for losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses of any kind (whether in tort, contract or otherwise) arising out of the Borrower’s or the Administrative Agent’s transmission of Borrower Materials through the Internet, except to the extent that such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by a final and nonappealable judgment to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Agent Party; provided, however, that in no event shall any Agent Party have any liability to the Borrower, any Lender or any other Person for indirect, special, incidental, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages).
(d) Change of Address, Etc. The Borrower and the Administrative Agent may change its address, telecopier or telephone number for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the other parties hereto. Each other Lender may change its address, telecopier or telephone number for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent. In addition, each Lender agrees to notify the Administrative Agent from time to time to ensure that the Administrative Agent has on record (i) an effective address, contact name, telephone number, telecopier number and electronic mail address to which notices and other communications may be sent and (ii) accurate wire
instructions for such Lender. Furthermore, each Public Lender agrees to cause at least one individual at or on behalf of such Public Lender to at all times have selected the “Private Side Information” or similar designation on the content declaration screen of the Platform in order to enable such Public Lender or its delegate, in accordance with such Public Lender’s compliance procedures and applicable Law, including United States Federal and state securities Laws, to make reference to Borrower Materials that are not made available through the “Public Side Information” portion of the Platform and that may contain material non-public information with respect to the Borrower or its securities for purposes of United States Federal or state securities laws.
(e) Reliance by Administrative Agent and Lenders. The Administrative Agent and the Lenders shall be entitled to rely and act upon any notices (including telephonic Borrowing Notices) purportedly given by or on behalf of the Borrower even if (i) such notices were not made in a manner specified herein, were incomplete or were not preceded or followed by any other form of notice specified herein, or (ii) the terms thereof, as understood by the recipient, varied from any confirmation thereof. The Borrower shall indemnify the Administrative Agent, each Lender and the Related Parties of each of them from all losses, costs, expenses and liabilities resulting from the reliance by such Person on each notice purportedly given by or on behalf of the Borrower. All telephonic notices to and other telephonic communications with the Administrative Agent may be recorded by the Administrative Agent, and each of the parties hereto hereby consents to such recording.
Section 10.03 No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies; Enforcement. No failure by any Lender or the Administrative Agent to exercise, and no delay by any such Person in exercising, any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof; nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, remedy, power or privilege. The rights, remedies, powers and privileges herein provided are cumulative and not exclusive of any rights, remedies, powers and privileges provided by law.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein or in any other Loan Document, the authority to enforce rights and remedies hereunder and under the other Loan Documents against the Loan Parties or any of them shall be vested exclusively in, and all actions and proceedings at law in connection with such enforcement shall be instituted and maintained exclusively by, the Administrative Agent in accordance with Section 8.02 for the benefit of all the Lenders and the other Secured Parties; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not prohibit (a) the Administrative Agent from exercising on its own behalf the rights and remedies that inure to its benefit (solely in its capacity as Administrative Agent) hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, (b) any Lender from exercising setoff rights in accordance with Section 10.08 (subject to the terms of Section 2.13), or (c) any Lender or other Secured Party from filing proofs of claim or appearing and filing pleadings on its own behalf during the pendency of a proceeding relative to any Loan Party under any Debtor Relief Law; and provided, further, that if at any time there is no Person acting as Administrative Agent hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, then (i) the Required Lenders shall have the rights otherwise ascribed to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 8.02 and (ii) in addition to the matters set forth
in clauses (b) and (c) of the preceding proviso and subject to Section 2.13, any Lender may, with the consent of the Required Lenders, enforce any rights and remedies available to it and as authorized by the Required Lenders.
Section 10.04 Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver.
(a) Costs and Expenses. The Borrower shall pay (i) all reasonable out of pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent and its Affiliates (including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of counsel for the Administrative Agent), in connection with the syndication of the credit facilities provided for herein, the preparation, negotiation, execution, delivery and administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents or any amendments, modifications or waivers of the provisions hereof or thereof (whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be consummated) and (ii) all out of pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent or any Lender (including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for the Administrative Agent or any Lender), in connection with the enforcement or protection of its rights (A) in connection with this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, including its rights under this Section, or (B) in connection with the Loans made hereunder, including all such out of pocket expenses incurred during any workout, restructuring or negotiations in respect of such Loans.
(b) Indemnification by the Borrower. The Borrower shall indemnify each Agent (and any sub-agent thereof) and each Lender, and each Related Party of any of the foregoing Persons (each such Person being called an “Indemnitee”) against, and hold each Indemnitee harmless from, any and all losses (other than anticipated profits), claims, damages, liabilities and related expenses (including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for any Indemnitee), incurred by any Indemnitee or asserted against any Indemnitee by any third party or by the Borrower or any other Loan Party arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of (i) the execution or delivery of this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby or thereby, the performance by the parties hereto of their respective obligations hereunder or thereunder, the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, or, in the case of the Administrative Agent (and any sub-agent thereof) and its Related Parties only, the administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents (including in respect of any matters addressed in Section 3.01), (ii) any Loan or the use or proposed use of the proceeds therefrom, (iii) any actual or alleged presence or release of Hazardous Materials on or from any property owned or operated by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, or any Environmental Liability related in any way to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, or (iv) any actual or prospective claim, litigation, investigation or proceeding relating to any of the foregoing, whether based on contract, tort or any other theory, whether brought by a third party or by the Borrower or any other Loan Party, and regardless of whether any Indemnitee is a party thereto; provided that such indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnitee, be available to the extent that such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or related expenses (x) are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and nonappealable judgment to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee or (y) result from a claim brought by the Borrower or any other Loan Party against an Indemnitee for breach in bad faith of such Indemnitee’s obligations hereunder or under any other Loan Document, if the
Borrower or such other Loan Party has obtained a final and nonappealable judgment in its favor on such claim as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction.
(c) Reimbursement by Lenders. To the extent that the Borrower for any reason fails to indefeasibly pay any amount required under subsection (a) or (b) of this Section to be paid by it to any Agent (or any sub‑agent thereof) or any Related Party of any of the foregoing, each Lender severally agrees to pay to such Agent (or any such sub-agent) or such Related Party, as the case may be, such Lender’s Applicable Percentage (determined as of the time that the applicable unreimbursed expense or indemnity payment is sought) of such unpaid amount, provided that the unreimbursed expense or indemnified loss, claim, damage, liability or related expense, as the case may be, was incurred by or asserted against such Agent (or any such sub-agent) in its capacity as such, or against any Related Party of any of the foregoing acting for such Agent (or any such sub‑agent) in connection with such capacity. The obligations of the Lenders under this subsection (c) are subject to the provisions of Section 2.12(d).
(d) Waiver of Consequential Damages, Etc. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, neither the Borrower nor any other Loan Party shall assert, and hereby waives, any claim against any Indemnitee, on any theory of liability, for special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages) arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of, this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby, the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, any Loan or the use of the proceeds thereof. No Indemnitee referred to in subsection (b) above shall be liable for any damages arising from the use by unintended recipients of any information or other materials distributed to such unintended recipients by such Indemnitee through telecommunications, electronic or other information transmission systems in connection with this Agreement or the other Loan Documents or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby other than for direct or actual damages resulting from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee as determined by a final and nonappealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction.
(e) Payments. All amounts due under this Section shall be payable not later than ten Business Days after demand therefor.
(f) Survival. The agreements in this Section shall survive the resignation of the Administrative Agent, the replacement of any Lender, the termination of the Aggregate Commitments and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all Obligations.
Section 10.05 Payments Set Aside. To the extent that any payment by or on behalf of the Borrower is made to the Administrative Agent or any Lender, or the Administrative Agent or any Lender exercises its right of setoff, and such payment or the proceeds of such setoff or any part thereof is subsequently invalidated, declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside or required (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by the Administrative Agent or such Lender in its discretion) to be repaid to a trustee, receiver or any other party, in connection with any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law or otherwise, then (a) to the extent of such recovery, the obligation or part thereof originally intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued in full force and effect as if such payment had not been made or such setoff had not occurred, and (b) each Lender severally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent upon demand
its applicable share (without duplication) of any amount so recovered from or repaid by the Administrative Agent, plus interest thereon from the date of such demand to the date such payment is made at a rate per annum equal to the applicable Overnight Rate from time to time in effect, in the applicable currency of such recovery or payment. The obligations of the Lenders under clause (b) of the preceding sentence shall survive the payment in full of the Obligations and the termination of this Agreement.
Section 10.06 Successors and Assigns.
(a) Successors and Assigns Generally. The provisions of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby and thereby, except that neither the Borrower nor any other Loan Party may assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder or thereunder without the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent and each Lender and no Lender may assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder except (i) to an assignee in accordance with the provisions of subsection (b) of this Section, (ii) by way of participation in accordance with the provisions of subsection (d) of this Section, or (iii) by way of pledge or assignment of a security interest subject to the restrictions of subsection (f) of this Section (and any other attempted assignment or transfer by any party hereto shall be null and void). Nothing in this Agreement, expressed or implied, shall be construed to confer upon any Person (other than the parties hereto, their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby, Participants to the extent provided in subsection (d) of this Section and, to the extent expressly contemplated hereby, the Related Parties of each of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Agreement.
(b) Assignments by Lenders. Any Lender may at any time assign to one or more Eligible Assignees all or a portion of its rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitment and the Loans at the time owing to it); provided that any such assignment shall be subject to the following conditions:
(i) Minimum Amounts.
(A) in the case of an assignment of the entire remaining amount of the assigning Lender’s Loans at the time owing to it or in the case of an assignment to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund, no minimum amount need be assigned; and
(B) in any case not described in subsection (b)(i)(A) of this Section, the principal outstanding balance of the Loans of the assigning Lender subject to each such assignment, determined as of the date the Assignment and Assumption with respect to such assignment is delivered to the Administrative Agent or, if “Trade Date” is specified in the Assignment and Assumption, as of the Trade Date, shall not be less than $1,000,000 unless each of the Administrative Agent and, so long as no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Borrower otherwise consents (each such consent not to be
unreasonably withheld or delayed); provided, however, that concurrent assignments to members of an Assignee Group and concurrent assignments from members of an Assignee Group to a single Eligible Assignee (or to an Eligible Assignee and members of its Assignee Group) will be treated as a single assignment for purposes of determining whether such minimum amount has been met.
(ii) Proportionate Amounts. Each partial assignment shall be made as an assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning Lender's rights and obligations under this Agreement with respect to the Loans or the Commitment assigned.
(iii) Required Consents. No consent shall be required for any assignment except to the extent required by subsection (b)(i)(B) of this Section and, in addition:
(A) the consent of the Borrower (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) shall be required unless (1) an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing at the time of such assignment or (2) such assignment is to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund; provided that the Borrower shall be deemed to have consented to any such assignment unless it shall object thereto by written notice to the Administrative Agent within 5 Business Days after having received notice thereof; and
(B) the consent of the Administrative Agent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) shall be required if such assignment is to a Person that is not a Lender, an Affiliate of such Lender or an Approved Fund.
(iv) Assignment and Assumption. The parties to each assignment shall execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent an Assignment and Assumption, together with a processing and recordation fee in the amount of $3,500; provided, however, that the Administrative Agent may, in its sole discretion, elect to waive such processing and recordation fee in the case of any assignment. The assignee, if it is not a Lender, shall deliver to the Administrative Agent an Administrative Questionnaire. Reasonably promptly after receipt thereof, the Administrative Agent shall provide to the Borrower a copy of each Assignment and Assumption that is not required to be executed by the Borrower.
(v) No Assignment to the Borrower. No such assignment shall be made to the Borrower or any of the Borrower’s Affiliates or Subsidiaries.
(vi) No Assignment to Natural Persons. No such assignment shall be made to a natural person.
Subject to acceptance and recording thereof by the Administrative Agent pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section, from and after the effective date specified in each Assignment and
Assumption, the assignee thereunder shall be a party to this Agreement and, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, have the rights and obligations of a Lender under this Agreement, and the assigning Lender thereunder shall, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, be released from its obligations under this Agreement (and, in the case of an Assignment and Assumption covering all of the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement, such Lender shall cease to be a party hereto) but shall continue to be entitled to the benefits of Sections 3.01, 3.04, 3.05, and 10.04 with respect to facts and circumstances occurring prior to the effective date of such assignment. Upon request, the Borrower (at its expense) shall execute and deliver a Note to the assignee Lender. Any assignment or transfer by a Lender of rights or obligations under this Agreement that does not comply with this subsection shall be treated for purposes of this Agreement as a sale by such Lender of a participation in such rights and obligations in accordance with subsection (d) of this Section.
(c) Register. The Administrative Agent, acting solely for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of the Borrower, shall maintain at the Administrative Agent’s Office a copy of each Assignment and Assumption delivered to it and a register for the recordation of the names and addresses of the Lenders, and the Commitments of, and principal amounts of the Loans owing to, each Lender pursuant to the terms hereof from time to time (the “Register”). The entries in the Register shall be conclusive, absent manifest error, and the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders may treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Register pursuant to the terms hereof as a Lender hereunder for all purposes of this Agreement, notwithstanding notice to the contrary. The Register shall be available for inspection by the Borrower and any Lender, at any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice.
(d) Participations. Any Lender may at any time, without the consent of, or notice to, the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, sell participations to any Person (other than a natural person or the Borrower or any of the Borrower’s Affiliates or Subsidiaries) (each, a “Participant”) in all or a portion of such Lender’s rights and/or obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitment and/or Loans owing to it); provided that (i) such Lender’s obligations under this Agreement shall remain unchanged, (ii) such Lender shall remain solely responsible to the other parties hereto for the performance of such obligations and (iii) the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders shall continue to deal solely and directly with such Lender in connection with such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement.
Any agreement or instrument pursuant to which a Lender sells such a participation shall provide that such Lender shall retain the sole right to enforce this Agreement and to approve any amendment, modification or waiver of any provision of this Agreement; provided that such agreement or instrument may provide that such Lender will not, without the consent of the Participant, agree to any amendment, waiver or other modification described in the first proviso to Section 10.01 that affects such Participant. Subject to subsection (e) of this Section, the Borrower agrees that each Participant shall be entitled to the benefits of Sections 3.01, 3.04 and 3.05 to the same extent as if it were a Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to subsection (b) of this Section. To the extent permitted by law, each Participant also
shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 10.08 as though it were a Lender, provided such Participant agrees to be subject to Section 2.13 as though it were a Lender. Each Lender that sells a participation shall, acting solely for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of the Borrower for tax purposes, maintain a register on which it enters the name and address of each Participant and the principal amounts (and stated interest) of each Participant’s interest in the Loans or other obligations under this Agreement (the “Participant Register”); provided that no Lender shall have any obligation to disclose all or any portion of the Participant Register to any Person (including the identity of any Participant or any information relating to a Participant’s interest in any Loan or its other obligations under any Loan Document) except to the extent that such disclosure is necessary to establish that such Loan or other obligation is in registered form under Section 5f.103-1(c) of the United States Treasury Regulations. The entries in the Participant Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and such Lender shall treat each person whose name is recorded in the Participant Register as the owner of such participation for all purposes of this Agreement notwithstanding any notice to the contrary.
(e) Limitations upon Participant Rights. A Participant shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Section 3.01 or 3.04 than the applicable Lender would have been entitled to receive with respect to the participation sold to such Participant, unless the sale of the participation to such Participant is made with the Borrower’s prior written consent. A Participant that would be a Foreign Lender if it were a Lender shall not be entitled to the benefits of Section 3.01 unless the Borrower is notified of the participation sold to such Participant and such Participant agrees, for the benefit of the Borrower, to comply with Section 3.01(e) as though it were a Lender.
(f) Certain Pledges. Any Lender may at any time pledge or assign a security interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement (including under its Note(s), if any) to secure obligations of such Lender, including any pledge or assignment to secure obligations to a Federal Reserve Bank; provided that no such pledge or assignment shall release such Lender from any of its obligations hereunder or substitute any such pledgee or assignee for such Lender as a party hereto.
Section 10.07 Treatment of Certain Information; Confidentiality. Each of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders agree to maintain the confidentiality of the Information (as defined below), except that Information may be disclosed (a) to its Affiliates and to its and its Affiliates’ respective partners, directors, officers, employees, agents, trustees, advisors and representatives (it being understood that the Persons to whom such disclosure is made will be informed of the confidential nature of such Information and instructed to keep such Information confidential), (b) to the extent requested by any regulatory authority purporting to have jurisdiction over it (including any self-regulatory authority, such as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners), (c) to the extent required by applicable laws or regulations or by any subpoena or similar legal process, (d) to any other party hereto, (e) in connection with the exercise of any remedies hereunder or under any other Loan Document or any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or the enforcement of rights hereunder or thereunder, (f) subject to an agreement containing provisions substantially the same as those of this Section, to (i) any assignee of or Participant in, or any prospective assignee of or
Participant in, any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement or (ii) any actual or prospective counterparty (or its advisors) to any swap or derivative transaction relating to the Borrower and its obligations, (g) with the consent of the Borrower, (h) to the extent such Information (x) becomes publicly available other than as a result of a breach of this Section or (y) becomes available to the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any of their respective Affiliates on a nonconfidential basis from a source other than the Borrower or (i) in connection with disclosure on a confidential basis to the CUSIP Service Bureau or any similar agency in connection with the issuance and monitoring of CUSIP numbers with respect to the Loans. In addition, each Agent and each Lender may disclose the existence of this Agreement and the information about this Agreement to market data collectors, similar services providers to the lending industry, and service providers to the Agents and the Lenders in connection with the administration and management of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents.
For purposes of this Section, “Information” means all information received from the Borrower or any Subsidiary relating to the Borrower or any Subsidiary or any of their respective businesses, other than any such information that is available to the Administrative Agent or any Lender on a nonconfidential basis prior to disclosure by the Borrower or any Subsidiary, provided that, in the case of information received from the Borrower or any Subsidiary after the date hereof, such information is clearly identified at the time of delivery as confidential. Any Person required to maintain the confidentiality of Information as provided in this Section shall be considered to have complied with its obligation to do so if such Person has exercised the same degree of care to maintain the confidentiality of such Information as such Person would accord to its own confidential information.
Each of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders acknowledges that (a) the Information may include material non-public information concerning the Borrower or a Subsidiary, as the case may be, (b) it has developed compliance procedures regarding the use of material non-public information and (c) it will handle such material non-public information in accordance with applicable Law, including United States Federal and state securities Laws.
Section 10.08 Right of Setoff. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, each Lender and each of their respective Affiliates is hereby authorized at any time and from time to time, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, to set off and apply any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final, in whatever currency) at any time held and other obligations (in whatever currency) at any time owing by such Lender or any such Affiliate to or for the credit or the account of the Borrower against any and all of the obligations of the Borrower now or hereafter existing under this Agreement or any other Loan Document to such Lender, irrespective of whether or not such Lender shall have made any demand under this Agreement or any other Loan Document and although such obligations of the Borrower may be contingent or unmatured or are owed to a branch or office of such Lender different from the branch or office holding such deposit or obligated on such indebtedness. The rights of each Lender and its respective Affiliates under this Section are in addition to other rights and remedies (including other rights of setoff) that such Lender or its respective Affiliates may have. Each Lender agrees to notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent promptly
after any such setoff and application, provided that the failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity of such setoff and application.
Section 10.09 Interest Rate Limitation. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any Loan Document, the interest paid or agreed to be paid under the Loan Documents shall not exceed the maximum rate of non‑usurious interest permitted by applicable Law (the “Maximum Rate”). If the Administrative Agent or any Lender shall receive interest in an amount that exceeds the Maximum Rate, the excess interest shall be applied to the principal of the Loans or, if it exceeds such unpaid principal, refunded to the Borrower. In determining whether the interest contracted for, charged, or received by the Administrative Agent or a Lender exceeds the Maximum Rate, such Person may, to the extent permitted by applicable Law, (a) characterize any payment that is not principal as an expense, fee, or premium rather than interest, (b) exclude voluntary prepayments and the effects thereof, and (c) amortize, prorate, allocate, and spread in equal or unequal parts the total amount of interest throughout the contemplated term of the Obligations hereunder.
Section 10.10 Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto in different counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract. This Agreement and the other Loan Documents constitute the entire contract among the parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersede any and all previous agreements and understandings, oral or written, relating to the subject matter hereof. Subject to satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 4.01, this Agreement shall become effective when it shall have been executed by the Administrative Agent and when the Administrative Agent shall have received counterparts hereof that, when taken together, bear the signatures of each of the other parties hereto. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of this Agreement by telecopy or other electronic imaging means shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement.
Section 10.11 Survival of Representations and Warranties. All representations and warranties made hereunder and in any other Loan Document or other document delivered pursuant hereto or thereto or in connection herewith or therewith shall survive the execution and delivery hereof and thereof.
Such representations and warranties have been or will be relied upon by the Administrative Agent and each Lender, regardless of any investigation made by the Administrative Agent or any Lender or on their behalf and notwithstanding that the Administrative Agent or any Lender may have had notice or knowledge of any Default at the time of any Borrowing, and shall continue in full force and effect as long as any Loan or any other Obligation hereunder shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied.
Section 10.12 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement or the other Loan Documents is held to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable, (a) the legality, validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall not be affected or impaired thereby and (b) the parties shall endeavor in good faith negotiations to replace the illegal, invalid or unenforceable provisions with valid provisions the economic
effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the illegal, invalid or unenforceable provisions. The invalidity of a provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction.
Section 10.13 Replacement of Lenders. If (i) any Lender requests compensation under Section 3.04, or the Borrower is required to pay any additional amount to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 3.01, and, in each case, such Lender has declined or is unable to designate a different lending office in accordance with Section 3.06(a), (ii) any Lender (a “Non-Consenting Lender”) does not consent to a proposed amendment, waiver, consent or release with respect to any Loan Document that has been approved by the Required Lenders as provided in Section 10.01 but requires the consent of such Lender, or (iii) any Lender is a Defaulting Lender, then the Borrower may, at its sole expense and effort, upon notice to such Lender and the Administrative Agent, require such Lender to assign and delegate, without recourse (in accordance with and subject to the restrictions contained in, and consents required by, Section 10.06), all of its interests, rights and obligations under this Agreement and the related Loan Documents to an assignee that shall assume such obligations (which assignee may be another Lender, if a Lender accepts such assignment), provided that:
(a) the Borrower shall have paid to the Administrative Agent the assignment fee specified in Section 10.06(b);
(b) such Lender shall have received payment of an amount equal to the outstanding principal of its Loans, accrued interest thereon, accrued fees and all other amounts payable to it hereunder and under the other Loan Documents (including (i) any amounts payable pursuant to Section 2.05(c) or otherwise as if it were a prepayment and (ii) any amounts under Section 3.05) from the assignee (to the extent of such outstanding principal and accrued interest) or the Borrower (in the case of all other amounts);
(c) in the case of any such assignment resulting from a claim for compensation under Section 3.04 or payments required to be made pursuant to Section 3.01, such assignment will result in a reduction in such compensation or payments thereafter;
(d) such assignment does not conflict with applicable Laws; and
(e) in the case of any such assignment resulting from a Non-Consenting Lender’s failure to consent to a proposed amendment, waiver, consent or release with respect to any Loan Document, the proposed replacement Lender consents to the proposed amendment, waiver, consent or release; provided that the failure by such Non-Consenting Lender to execute and deliver an Assignment and Assumption shall not impair the validity of the removal of such Non-Consenting Lender and the mandatory assignment of such Non-Consenting Lender’s Commitments and outstanding Loans pursuant to this Section 10.13 shall nevertheless be effective without the execution by such Non-Consenting Lender of an Assignment and Assumption.
A Lender shall not be required to make any such assignment or delegation if, prior thereto, as a result of a waiver by such Lender or otherwise, the circumstances entitling the Borrower to require such assignment and delegation cease to apply.
Section 10.14 Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Etc.
(a) GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
(b) SUBMISSION TO JURISDICTION. EACH OF THE BORROWER AND EACH LOAN PARTY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY SUBMITS, FOR ITSELF AND ITS PROPERTY, TO THE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF THE COURTS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK SITTING IN NEW YORK COUNTY AND OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT OF THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, AND ANY APPELLATE COURT FROM ANY THEREOF (OTHER THAN WITH RESPECT TO ACTIONS BY ANY AGENT IN RESPECT OF RIGHTS UNDER ANY SECURITY DOCUMENT GOVERNED BY LAWS OTHER THAN THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK OR WITH RESPECT TO ANY COLLATERAL SUBJECT THERETO), IN ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT, OR FOR RECOGNITION OR ENFORCEMENT OF ANY JUDGMENT, AND EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY AGREES THAT ALL CLAIMS IN RESPECT OF ANY SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING MAY BE HEARD AND DETERMINED IN SUCH NEW YORK STATE COURT OR, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN SUCH FEDERAL COURT. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO AGREES THAT A FINAL JUDGMENT IN ANY SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING SHALL BE CONCLUSIVE AND MAY BE ENFORCED IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS BY SUIT ON THE JUDGMENT OR IN ANY OTHER MANNER PROVIDED BY LAW. NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, NOTHING IN THIS AGREEMENT OR IN ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT SHALL AFFECT ANY RIGHT THAT THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, ANY LENDER MAY OTHERWISE HAVE TO BRING ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT AGAINST THE BORROWER OR ITS PROPERTIES IN THE COURTS OF ANY JURISDICTION.
(c) WAIVER OF VENUE. EACH OF THE BORROWER AND EACH LOAN PARTY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY OBJECTION THAT IT MAY NOW OR HEREAFTER HAVE TO THE LAYING OF VENUE OF ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT IN ANY COURT REFERRED TO IN PARAGRAPH (b) OF THIS SECTION. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE DEFENSE OF AN INCONVENIENT FORUM TO THE MAINTENANCE OF SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING IN ANY SUCH COURT.
(d) SERVICE OF PROCESS. EACH PARTY HERETO IRREVOCABLY CONSENTS TO SERVICE OF PROCESS IN THE MANNER PROVIDED FOR NOTICES IN SECTION 10.02. NOTHING IN THIS AGREEMENT WILL AFFECT THE RIGHT OF ANY PARTY HERETO TO SERVE PROCESS IN ANY OTHER MANNER PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.
Section 10.15 Waiver of Jury Trial. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY). EACH PARTY HERETO (a) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PERSON HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PERSON WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (b) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.
Section 10.16 No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility. In connection with all aspects of each transaction contemplated hereby (including in connection with any amendment, waiver or other modification hereof or of any other Loan Document), the Borrower acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges its Affiliates’ understanding, that: (i) (A) the arranging and other services regarding this Agreement provided by the Administrative Agent, the Arranger and the Lenders are arm’s-length commercial transactions between the Borrower and its Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Administrative Agent and the Arranger, on the other hand, (B) the Borrower has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it has deemed appropriate, and (C) the Borrower is capable of evaluating, and understands and accepts, the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the other Loan Documents; (ii) (A) each of the Administrative Agent, the Arranger and the Lenders is and has been acting solely as a principal and, except as expressly agreed in writing by the relevant parties, has not been, is not, and will not be acting as an advisor, agent or fiduciary for the Borrower or any of its Affiliates, or any other Person and (B) neither the Administrative Agent nor the Arranger has any obligation to the Borrower or any of its Affiliates with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby except those obligations expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents; and (iii) the Administrative Agent, the Arranger and the Lenders and their respective Affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Borrower and its Affiliates, and neither the Administrative Agent nor the Arranger has any obligation to disclose any of such interests to the Borrower or its Affiliates. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Borrower hereby waives and releases any claims that it or its Affiliates may have against the Administrative Agent and/or the Arranger with respect to any breach or alleged breach of agency or fiduciary duty in connection with any aspect of any transaction contemplated hereby.
Section 10.17 Electronic Execution of Assignments and Certain Other Documents. The words “execution,” “signed,” “signature,” and words of like import in any Assignment and Assumption or in any amendment or other modification hereof (including waivers and consents) shall be deemed to include electronic signatures or the keeping of records in electronic form, each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or enforceability as a manually executed signature or the use of a paper-based recordkeeping system, as the case may be, to the extent and as provided for in any applicable law, including the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act, or any other similar state laws based on the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act.
Section 10.18 PATRIOT Act. Each Lender that is subject to the PATRIOT Act and the Administrative Agent (for itself and not on behalf of any Lender) hereby notifies the Borrower that pursuant to the requirements of the PATRIOT Act, it is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each Loan Party, which information includes the name and address of each Loan Party and other information that will allow such Lender or the Administrative Agent, as applicable, to identify each Loan Party in accordance with the PATRIOT Act. Each Loan Party shall, promptly following a request by the Administrative Agent or any Lender, provide all documentation and other information that the Administrative Agent or such Lender requests in order to comply with its ongoing obligations under applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the PATRIOT Act.
Section 10.19 Intercreditor Agreement. Each Lender hereunder (a) acknowledges that it has received a copy of the Intercreditor Agreement, (b) consents to the subordination of Liens provided for in the Intercreditor Agreement, (c) agrees that it will be bound by and will take no actions contrary to the provisions of the Intercreditor Agreement and (d) authorizes and instructs the Administrative Agent to enter into the Intercreditor Agreement as Administrative Agent and on behalf of such Lender. The foregoing provisions are intended as an inducement to the lenders under the First Lien Loan Documents to permit the incurrence of Indebtedness under this Agreement and the granting of Liens on the Collateral to secure the Obligations such lenders are intended third party beneficiaries of such provisions. In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between the provisions of the Intercreditor Agreement and this Agreement, the provisions of the Intercreditor Agreement shall control.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first above written.
MEMC ELECTRONIC MATERIALS, INC.,
as the Borrower
as the Borrower
By: /s/ Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx
Name: Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx
Title: | Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer |
XXXXXXX XXXXX BANK USA., as
Administrative Agent
Administrative Agent
By: /s/ Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Name: Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Title: Authorized Signatory
Name: Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Title: Authorized Signatory
XXXXXXX SACHS BANK USA., as
Lender
Lender
By: /s/ Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Name: Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Title: Authorized Signatory
Name: Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Title: Authorized Signatory