EXHIBIT 1.1
$250,000,000
FIDELITY NATIONAL FINANCIAL, INC.
5.25% SENIOR NOTES DUE MARCH 15, 2013
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
March 6, 2003
XXXXXX BROTHERS INC.
BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC
BEAR, XXXXXXX & CO. INC.
c/x Xxxxxx Brothers Inc.
000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx Xxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Fidelity National Financial, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
"Company"), proposes to issue and sell $250,000,000 aggregate principal amount
of its 5.25% Senior Notes due March 15, 2013 (the "Notes") to you (the
"Underwriters"). The Notes will be issued pursuant to an Indenture dated as of
August 20, 2001 (the "Indenture") between the Company and The Bank of New York,
as Trustee (the "Trustee"). This agreement (this "Agreement") is to confirm the
agreement concerning the purchase of the Notes from the Company by the
Underwriters.
1. Representations and Warranties. The Company represents and
warrants to, and agrees with, each Underwriter that:
(a) The registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-57904)
with respect to the Notes (i) has been prepared by the Company in conformity
with the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities
Act"), and the rules and regulations (the "Rules and Regulations") of the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") thereunder, (ii) has been
filed with the Commission under the Securities Act, (iii) has become effective
under the Securities Act and is not proposed to be amended and (iv) is not
subject to any stop order under the Securities Act suspending the effectiveness
of such registration statement or any Rule 462(b) registration statement
relating thereto, and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or
are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated by the
Commission. If any post-effective amendment to such registration statement has
been filed with the Commission prior to the execution and delivery of this
Agreement, the most recent such amendment has been declared effective by the
Commission. Copies of such registration statement as amended to date have been
delivered by the Company to you.
For purposes of this Agreement, "Effective Time" means the most
recent date and the time as of which such registration statement, or the most
recent post-effective amendment thereto, if any, was declared effective by the
Commission; "Effective Date" means the date of the Effective Time; "Preliminary
Prospectus" means the prospectus included in such registration statement, or
amendments thereof, before such registration statement became effective under
the Securities Act and any prospectus filed with the Commission by the Company
that omitted information required by Rule 430A or 434 of the Rules and
Regulations or other information to be included upon pricing in a form of
prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Rules and
Regulations ("Rule 424(b)"), that was used after such effectiveness and prior to
the execution and delivery of this Agreement; "Registration Statement" means
such registration statement, as amended at the Effective Time, including any
documents incorporated by reference therein and, if the Effective Date is on or
before the date of this Agreement, all information contained in the final
prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) in accordance with
Section 4(a) hereof and deemed to be a part thereof as of the Effective Time
pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 430A of the Rules and Regulations;
"Prospectus" means the form of prospectus relating to the Notes (including the
prospectus supplement), as first used to confirm sales of the Notes; and
"described in the Prospectus" or "disclosed in the Prospectus" means described
or disclosed, as applicable, in the Prospectus or any document incorporated by
reference therein.
If it is contemplated, at the time this Agreement is executed,
that a registration statement will be filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the
Securities Act before the offering of the Notes may commence, the term
"Registration Statement" as used in this Agreement includes such registration
statement, as the same may be amended from time to time. Reference made herein
to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and
include any documents incorporated by reference therein as of the date of such
Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, as the case may be, and any reference to
any amendment or supplement to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus
shall be deemed to refer to and include any documents filed under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), after the date of such
Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, as the case may be, and incorporated by
reference in such Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus. For purposes of this
Section l, all references to the Registration Statement, any post-effective
amendments thereto and the Prospectus shall be deemed to include, without
limitation, any electronically transmitted copies thereof, including, without
limitation, any copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data
Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system ("XXXXX"). The Commission has not
issued any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus
or the Prospectus.
(b) If the Effective Date is on or before the date of this
Agreement, (i) the Registration Statement conforms, and the Prospectus and any
further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus will when they become effective or are first used to confirm sales of
the Notes, as the case may be, conform to the requirements of the Securities Act
and the Rules and Regulations, (ii) the Registration
- 2 -
Statement and any amendment thereto does not and will not, as of the applicable
Effective Date, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state
any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading and (iii) the Prospectus and any amendment or
supplement thereto will not, as of the first date of its use to confirm sales of
the Notes, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the
statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made,
not misleading.
If the Effective Date is after the date of this Agreement, (i)
the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any further amendments or
supplements thereto will, when they become effective or are first used to
confirm sales of the Notes, as the case may be, conform to the requirements of
the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations, (ii) the Registration
Statement and any amendment thereto will not, as of the applicable Effective
Date, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading and (iii) the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement
thereto will not, as of the date on which the Prospectus and any amendment or
supplement thereto is first used to confirm sales of the Notes, contain any
untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required
to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company makes no representation or warranty
as to information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus in reliance upon, and in conformity with, written information
furnished to the Company by you expressly for inclusion therein. There is no
contract or document required to be described in the Registration Statement or
the Prospectus or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or to
a document incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement which is
not described or filed as required.
(c) KPMG LLP, whose report is included or incorporated by
reference in the Prospectus, are independent certified public accountants with
respect to the Company and its Subsidiaries (as defined in Section 13 hereof),
as required by the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations. The financial
statements (including the related notes and supporting schedules) included or
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary
Prospectus and the Prospectus present fairly in all material respects the
financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the entities
purported to be shown thereby at the dates and for the periods indicated and
have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles
applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods indicated and conform in
all material respects with the Rules and Regulations, except as otherwise noted
therein; and the supporting schedules included or incorporated by reference in
the Registration Statement present fairly in all materials respects the
information required to be stated therein.
(d) Each of the Company and each of its Significant Subsidiaries
(as defined in Exhibit A hereto) has been duly organized or formed and is
validly existing in
- 3 -
good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization or
formation, with full power and authority to own, lease and operate its
properties and conduct its business and, in the case of the Company, to enter
into and perform its obligations under this Agreement and the Indenture; and
each of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries holds all licenses and is duly
registered and qualified to do business and is in good standing in each
jurisdiction in which the character of the business conducted by it or the
location of the properties owned, leased or operated by it makes such licensure,
registration or qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so
licensed, registered or qualified would not, individually or in the aggregate,
have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or other), results of
operations, business or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a
whole.
(e) All of the outstanding shares of capital stock of each
Significant Subsidiary of the Company that is a corporation have been duly
authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable. Except as
disclosed in the Prospectus, all of the outstanding shares of capital stock,
partnership interests or other ownership interests of each Significant
Subsidiary of the Company are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free
and clear of any material claim, lien, encumbrance, security interest,
restriction upon voting or transfer, preemptive rights or any other claim of any
third party, except such as are described in the Prospectus.
(f) Except as described in or contemplated by the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus, there has not been any material adverse change in,
or adverse development which, individually or in the aggregate, materially
affects or may materially affect, the condition (financial or other), results of
operations, business or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a
whole from the respective dates as of which information is given in the
Prospectus.
(g) Neither (i) the execution or delivery hereof by the Company,
(ii) the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, (iii) the
execution and delivery of the Indenture and the Notes by the Company nor (iv)
compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of this Agreement, the
Indenture and the Notes, will result in a breach or violation of, or constitute
a default under, the certificate of incorporation, by-laws, partnership
agreement or other governing documents of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries, or any material agreement, indenture or other instrument to which
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them is
bound, or to which any of their properties is subject, nor will any such action
or the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder violate any
material law, rule, administrative regulation or decree of any court, or any
governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company, its
Subsidiaries or any of their respective properties, or result in the creation or
imposition of any lien, charge, claim or encumbrance upon any property or asset
of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. Except for permits, consents,
approvals and similar authorizations required under the securities or "Blue Sky"
laws of certain jurisdictions, and except for such permits, consents, approvals
and authorizations which have been obtained or the failure to obtain
- 4 -
would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on
the condition (financial or other), results of operations, business or prospects
of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole or affect the ability of
the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement, no permit, consent,
approval, authorization or order of any court, governmental agency or body or
financial institution is required in connection with the consummation of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(h) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and
delivered by the Company and constitutes the valid and binding agreement of the
Company, and is enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms,
except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization or similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights
generally and by general equitable principles (regardless of whether such
enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).
(i) Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries (i) is in
violation of its certificate of incorporation or by-laws or other governing
documents, (ii) is in default, and no event has occurred which, with notice or
lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance
or observance of any term, covenant or condition contained in any agreement,
indenture or other instrument to which it is a party or by which it is bound or
to which any of its properties is subject, except for any such defaults that
would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on
the condition (financial or other), results of operations, business or prospects
of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, or (iii) is in violation
of any law, ordinance, governmental rule, regulation or court decree to which it
or its property may be subject, except for any such violations that would not,
individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the
condition (financial or other), results of operations, business or prospects of
the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole.
(j) The Indenture has been duly and validly authorized, executed
and delivered by the Company and is a valid and binding agreement of the
Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as
the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization or similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights
generally and by general equitable principles (regardless of whether such
enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law). The Indenture
(i) has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended
(the "Trust Indenture Act"), (ii) complies as to form with the requirements of
the Trust Indenture Act and (iii) conforms to the description thereof in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(k) The Notes have been duly and validly authorized by the
Company for issuance and sale to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement
and, when executed by the Company and authenticated by the Trustee in accordance
with the Indenture and delivered to the Underwriters against payment therefor in
accordance with the terms hereof, will have been validly issued and delivered,
free of any preemptive or similar
- 5 -
rights to subscribe to or purchase the same arising by operation of law or under
the charter or by-laws of the Company or otherwise, and will constitute valid
and binding obligations of the Company entitled to the benefits of the Indenture
and enforceable in accordance with their terms, except as enforcement thereof
may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other similar laws
relating to or affecting the enforcement of creditors' rights generally and by
general equitable principles (regardless of whether such enforceability is
considered in a proceeding in equity or at law), and the Notes conform, or will
conform, to the description thereof in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus.
Neither the filing of the Registration Statement nor the
offering or sale of the Notes as contemplated by this Agreement gives rise to
any rights, other than those which have been duly waived or satisfied, for or
relating to the registration of any securities of the Company. The
capitalization of the Company as of the date of the most recent balance sheet
included in the Prospectus is as set forth in the Prospectus. The Company has
all requisite corporate power and authority to issue, sell and deliver the Notes
in accordance with and upon the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement
and in the Registration Statement and Prospectus. All corporate action required
to be taken by the Company for the authorization, issuance, sale and delivery of
the Notes to be sold by the Company hereunder has been validly and sufficiently
taken.
(l) Each contract, agreement or arrangement to which the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them may be
bound, or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries is subject, which is material to the condition (financial or
other), results of operations, business or prospects of the Company and its
Subsidiaries taken as a whole, has been duly and validly authorized, executed
and delivered by the Company or its Subsidiary, as applicable; none of such
contracts, agreements or arrangements has been assigned by the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries to any non-affiliated party other than in the ordinary course
of business, and the Company knows of no present condition or fact which would
prevent compliance by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any other party
thereto with the terms of any such contract, agreement or arrangement in
accordance with its terms in all material respects, except for any such failures
to comply that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material
adverse effect on the condition (financial or other), results of operations,
business or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole;
neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has any present intention to
exercise any right that it may have to cancel any such contract, agreement or
arrangement or otherwise to terminate its rights and obligations thereunder, and
none of them has any knowledge that any other party to any such contract,
agreement or arrangement has any intention not to render full performance in all
material respects as contemplated by the terms thereof, except for any such
cancellations, terminations or failures to perform that would not, individually
or in the aggregate, result in a material adverse effect on the condition
(financial or other), results of operations, business or prospects of the
Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole.
- 6 -
(m) There is no litigation or governmental proceeding to which
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or to which any property of
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is subject or which is pending or, to the
knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries that could reasonably be expected to, individually or in the
aggregate, result in a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or
other), results of operations, business or prospects of the Company and its
Subsidiaries taken as a whole or which is required to be disclosed in the
Prospectus and is not disclosed.
(n) The documents incorporated by reference into each
Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, at the time they were or are filed
with the Commission, conform or will conform, as the case may be, with the
requirements of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations and the
Exchange Act and the rules and regulations adopted by the Commission thereunder,
and did not or will not, as the case may be, include an untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the
statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were or are
made, not misleading.
(o) The Company has not taken and shall not take, directly or
indirectly, any action designed to cause or result in, or which has constituted
or which might reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or
manipulation of the price of the Notes to facilitate the sale or resale of the
Notes.
(p) The Notes will be pari passu with all existing and future
unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness of the Company.
(q) The conditions for the Company's use of Form S-3 for filing
the Registration Statement, as set out in the general instructions to such form,
have been satisfied.
(r) Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, all reinsurance
treaties, reinsurance contracts and reinsurance agreements to which the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries is a party are in full force and effect, and none of
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is in violation of, or in default in the
performance, observance or fulfillment of, any obligation, agreement, covenant
or condition contained therein, except where the failure to be in full force and
effect and except where any such violation or default would not, singly or in
the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or
other), results of operations, business or prospects of the Company and its
Subsidiaries taken as a whole; none of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
has received any notice from any of the other parties to such treaties,
contracts or agreements which are material to its business that such other party
intends not to perform in any material respect such treaty, contract or
agreement; and the Company and its Subsidiaries have no reason to believe that
any of the parties to such treaties, contracts or agreements will be unable to
perform such treaty, contract, agreement or arrangement, except where such
non-performance would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse
effect on the
- 7 -
condition (financial or other), results of operations, business or prospects of
the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole.
(s) Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, none of the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries have made any material changes in their insurance
reserving practices during the last two years.
(t) Each of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries (i) holds
such permits, licenses, consents, exemptions, franchises, authorizations and
other approvals from insurance departments and other governmental or regulatory
authorities (each, an "Authorization") (including, without limitation, insurance
licenses from the insurance regulatory agencies of the various states or other
jurisdictions where it conducts business (the "Insurance Licenses")), and has
made all filings with and notices to, all governmental or regulatory authorities
and self-regulatory organizations and all courts and other tribunals, as are
necessary to own, lease, license and operate its respective properties and to
conduct its business, except where the failure to have any such Authorizations
or Insurance Licenses or to make any such filing or notice would not, singly or
in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or
other), results of operations, business or prospects of the Company and its
Subsidiaries taken as a whole, and (ii) to the knowledge of the Company, has
fulfilled and performed all material obligations necessary to maintain such
Authorizations and Insurance Licenses.
Each such Authorization and Insurance License is valid and in
full force and effect, and each of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries is
in compliance with all the terms and conditions thereof and with the rules and
regulations of the authorities and governing bodies having jurisdiction with
respect thereto, except where the failure so to comply or where the invalidity
of such Insurance Licenses or the failure of such Insurance Licenses to be in
full force and effect would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a material
adverse effect on the condition (financial or other), results of operations,
business or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole; and
no event has occurred (including, without limitation, the receipt of any notice
from any authority or governing body) which allows or, after notice or lapse of
time or both, would allow, revocation, suspension or termination of any such
Authorization or Insurance License or results or, after notice or lapse of time
or both, would result in any other impairment of the rights of the holder of any
such Authorization or Insurance License, except where the revocation,
suspension, termination or impairment would not, singly or in the aggregate,
have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or other), results of
operations, business or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a
whole; such Authorizations and Insurance Licenses contain no restrictions that
are burdensome to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, except where such
failure to be valid and in full force and effect or to be in compliance, the
occurrence of any such event or the presence of any such restriction would not,
singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the condition
(financial or other), results of operations, business or prospects of the
Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole; and no insurance regulatory
agency or
- 8 -
body has issued any order or decree impairing, restricting or prohibiting the
payment of dividends by any of the Subsidiaries to its parent.
(u) Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is an
"investment company" within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940,
as amended (the "1940 Act"), or is subject to regulation as an "investment
company" under the 1940 Act.
(v) The Company has unsecured non-convertible debt with a term
of at least four years rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating
organization in one of its four highest generic rating categories. At the time
the Registration Statement was filed and at the Effective Time, the Company met
the eligibility requirements under the Securities Act for the use of Form S-3,
and the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity of the
Company held by non-affiliates of the Company was at least $150 million.
(w) The Company and its Subsidiaries own or possess, or can
acquire on reasonable terms, adequate patents, patent rights, licenses,
inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented
and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or
procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names or other intellectual
property (collectively, "Intellectual Property") necessary to carry on the
business now operated by them, and neither the Company nor any of its
Subsidiaries has received any notice or is otherwise aware of any infringement
of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any Intellectual
Property or of any facts or circumstances which would render any Intellectual
Property invalid or inadequate to protect the interest of the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries therein, and which infringement or conflict (if the subject of
any unfavorable decision, ruling or finding) or invalidity or inadequacy, singly
or in the aggregate, would result in a material adverse effect on the condition
(financial or other), results of operations, business or prospects of the
Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole.
(x) The Company and its Subsidiaries have good and marketable
title in fee simple to all material real property owned by the Company and its
Subsidiaries and good and marketable title to all other properties owned by
them, in each case, free and clear of all mortgages, pledges, liens, security
interests, claims, defects, restrictions or encumbrances of any kind, except (i)
as otherwise stated in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or (ii)
those which do not, singly or in the aggregate, materially affect the value of
all such properties in the aggregate and do not interfere with the use made and
proposed to be made of such property by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
considered as one enterprise. All of the leases and subleases material to the
business of the Company and its Subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, and
under which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries holds properties described in
the Prospectus, are in full force and effect, and neither the Company nor any of
its Subsidiaries has received any notice of any material claim of any sort that
has been asserted by anyone adverse to the rights of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries under any of the leases or subleases mentioned above, or affecting
or questioning the rights of the Company or such
- 9 -
Subsidiary of the continued possession of the leased or subleased premises under
any such lease or sublease.
(y) Except as otherwise stated in the Registration Statement and
the Prospectus, and except as would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a
material adverse effect on the condition (financial or other), results of
operations, business or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a
whole, (i) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in violation of
any federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance,
code, policy or rule of common law, or any judicial or administrative
interpretation thereof, including any judicial or administrative order, consent,
decree or judgment, relating to pollution or protection of human health, the
environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water,
groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without
limitation, laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened release
of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous
substances, petroleum or petroleum products (collectively, "Hazardous
Materials") or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment,
storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively,
"Environmental Laws"), (ii) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries
fails to possess any permit, authorization or approval required under any
applicable Environmental Laws or to be in compliance with their requirements,
(iii) there are no pending or, to the Company's knowledge, threatened
administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters,
claims, liens, notices of noncompliance or violation, investigations or
proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries and (iv) there are no events or circumstances (including costs and
potential liabilities to third parties) that might reasonably be expected to
form the basis of an order for clean-up or remediation, or an action, suit or
proceeding by any private party or governmental body or agency, against or
affecting the Company or any of its Subsidiaries relating to Hazardous Materials
or any Environmental Laws.
2. Purchase of the Notes by the Underwriters. Subject to the
terms and conditions and upon the basis of the representations and warranties
herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the Underwriters, and
each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the
Company, at a price equal to 98.597% of the principal amount thereof, plus
accrued interest, if any, from March 11, 2003, the principal amount of the Notes
set forth opposite such Underwriter's name in Schedule I hereto. The
Underwriters propose to offer the Notes to the public as set forth in the
Prospectus.
3. Delivery of and Payment for Notes. Delivery of the Notes
shall be made at such place or places as mutually may be agreed upon by the
Company and the Underwriters, at 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on March 11,
2003 or on such later date not more than three Business Days after the foregoing
date as shall be determined by you and the Company (the "Closing Date").
Delivery of the Notes shall be made to you by or on behalf of the Company
against payment of the purchase price therefor by wire
- 10 -
transfer of immediately available funds. Delivery of the Notes shall be made
through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company unless you shall
otherwise instruct. Time shall be of the essence, and delivery of the Notes at
the time and place specified in this Agreement is a further condition to the
obligations of each Underwriter.
4. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees
with each Underwriter that:
(a) If the Effective Date is on or before the date of this
Agreement, the Company shall comply with the provisions of and make all
requisite filings with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) not later than the
Commission's close of business on the second Business Day following the
execution and delivery of this Agreement or, if applicable, such earlier time as
may be required by Rule 430A(a)(3) of the Rules and Regulations. The Company
shall advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when,
if the Effective Date is on or before the date of this Agreement, any amendment
to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any
supplement to the Prospectus or any amended Prospectus has been filed. The
Company shall notify you promptly of any request by the Commission for any
amendment of or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or
for additional information; the Company shall prepare and file with the
Commission, promptly upon your request, any amendments or supplements to the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus which, in your opinion, may be
necessary or advisable in connection with the distribution of the Notes; and the
Company shall not file any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement
or the Prospectus or file any document under the Exchange Act before the
termination of the offering of the Notes by the Underwriters if such document
would be deemed to be incorporated by reference into the Prospectus, which
filing is not consented to by you after reasonable notice thereof, such consent
not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed.
The Company shall advise you promptly of the issuance by the
Commission or any State or other regulatory body of any stop order or other
order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, suspending or
preventing the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or suspending
the qualification of the Notes for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of
the institution of any proceedings for any such purpose; and the Company shall
use its best efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or other such
order and, should a stop order or other such order be issued, to obtain as soon
as possible the lifting thereof.
(b) The Company shall furnish to each of you and to counsel for
the Underwriters such number of conformed copies of the Registration Statement,
as originally filed, and each amendment thereto (excluding exhibits other than
this Agreement), the Prospectus and all amendments and supplements to any of
such documents (including any document filed under the Exchange Act and deemed
to be incorporated by reference in the Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus), in
each case as soon as available and in such quantities as you may from time to
time reasonably request.
- 11 -
(c) Within the time during which the Prospectus relating to the
Notes is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, the Company shall
comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Securities Act, as now and
hereafter amended, and by the Rules and Regulations, as from time to time in
force, so far as is necessary to permit the continuance of sales of or dealings
in the Notes as contemplated by the provisions hereof and by the Prospectus. If
during such period any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus as then
amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or
omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the
light of the circumstances then existing, not misleading, or if during such
period it is necessary to amend the Registration Statement or supplement the
Prospectus or file any document to comply with the Securities Act, the Company
shall promptly notify you and shall, subject to Section 4(a) above, amend the
Registration Statement or supplement the Prospectus or file any document (at the
expense of the Company) so as to correct such statement or omission or to effect
such compliance.
(d) As soon as practicable, the Company shall make generally
available to its security holders (and shall deliver to you) an earnings
statement satisfying the requirements of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and
Rule 158 of the Rules and Regulations.
(e) Whether or not this Agreement becomes effective or is
terminated or the sale of the Notes to the Underwriters is consummated, the
Company shall pay or cause to be paid (i) all fees and expenses (including,
without limitation, all registration and filing fees and fees and expenses of
the Company's accountants but excluding fees and expenses of counsel for the
Underwriters) incurred in connection with the preparation, printing, filing,
delivery and shipping of the Registration Statement (including the financial
statements therein and all amendments and exhibits thereto), each Preliminary
Prospectus, the Prospectus, the Indenture, the Statement of Eligibility and
Qualification of the Trustee on Form T-1 filed with the Commission (the "Form
T-1") and any amendments or supplements of the foregoing and any documents
incorporated by reference into any of the foregoing and the copying, delivery
and shipping of this Agreement, (ii) all fees and expenses incurred in
connection with the preparation and delivery to the Underwriters of the Notes
(including the cost of printing the Notes), (iii) all filing fees and fees and
disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters incurred in connection with the
qualification of the Notes under state securities or Blue Sky laws, (iv) any
fees required to be paid to rating agencies incurred in connection with the
rating of the Notes, (v) the fees, costs and charges of the Trustee, including
the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Trustee, and (vi) all other costs
and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder for which
provision is not otherwise made in this Section.
Except as provided in this Section, Section 6 and Section 8
hereof, the Underwriters shall pay all of their own costs and expenses,
including the fees of their counsel and any advertising expenses incurred in
connection with any offers they may make. If the sale of the Notes provided for
herein is not consummated by reason of any
- 12 -
failure, refusal or inability on the part of the Company to perform any
agreement on its part to be performed or because any other condition of the
Underwriters' obligations hereunder is not fulfilled or if the Underwriters
shall decline to purchase the Notes for any reason permitted under this
Agreement (other than by reason of a default by any of the Underwriters pursuant
to Section 7 or if the Underwriters terminate this Agreement under clause (iv),
(v) or (vi) of Section 8 of this Agreement), the Company shall reimburse the
several Underwriters for all reasonable out-of-pocket disbursements (including
fees and disbursements of counsel) incurred by the Underwriters in connection
with any investigation or preparation made by them in respect of the marketing
of the Notes or in contemplation of the performance by them of their obligations
hereunder.
(f) During the period of one year from the Closing Date, the
Company shall furnish to the Underwriters copies of all reports or other
communications furnished to stockholders, all reports or financial statements
furnished to or filed with the Commission and all reports and other
communications furnished to the Noteholders.
(g) Until termination of the offering of the Notes, the Company
shall timely file all documents and amendments to previously filed documents
required to be filed by it pursuant to Section 12, 13, 14 or 15(d) of the
Exchange Act.
(h) The Company shall apply the net proceeds from the sale of
the Notes as set forth in the Prospectus.
(i) Until 60 days following the Closing Date, the Company shall
not, without the prior written consent of Xxxxxx Brothers Inc., directly or
indirectly, issue, sell, offer to sell, grant any option for the sale of or
otherwise dispose of, any debt securities in the same market as the Notes.
5. Conditions of Underwriters' Obligations. The obligations of
the Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy, as of the date hereof
and the Closing Date (as if made at the Closing Date), of the representations
and warranties of the Company contained herein, to the performance by the
Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions:
(a) The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission in
a timely fashion in accordance with Section 4(a) hereof, the Registration
Statement and all post-effective amendments to the Registration Statement shall
have become effective, all filings required by Rule 424 and Rule 430A of the
Rules and Regulations shall have been made, and no such filings shall have been
made without the consent of the Underwriters; no stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement
thereto or suspending the qualification of the Notes for offering or sale in any
jurisdiction shall have been issued; no proceedings for the issuance of any such
order shall have been initiated or threatened; and any request of the Commission
for additional information (to be included in the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus or otherwise) shall have been disclosed to you and complied with to
your satisfaction.
- 13 -
(b) No Underwriter shall have been advised by the Company or
shall have discovered and disclosed to the Company that the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto contains an
untrue statement of fact which in your opinion, or in the opinion of counsel to
the Underwriters, is material, or omits to state a fact which, in your opinion,
or in the opinion of counsel to the Underwriters, is material and is required to
be stated therein or is necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.
(c) On the Closing Date, you shall have received from Xxxxxxxx &
Xxxxxxxx LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, such opinion or opinions with
respect to the validity of the Notes and other related matters as you may
reasonably request, and such counsel shall have received such documents and
information as they reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.
(d) On the Closing Date there shall have been furnished to you
the opinion (addressed to the Underwriters) of Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxxx & Xxxxx,
a Professional Corporation, counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date and
in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters, to the effect
that:
(i) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly
existing and in good standing as a corporation under the laws of the
jurisdiction of its incorporation, with full corporate power and
authority to own, lease and operate its properties and conduct its
business as described in the Prospectus. To the knowledge of such
counsel, the Company is duly qualified to do business and is in good
standing in each jurisdiction in which the character of the business
conducted by it or the location of the properties owned, leased or
operated by it makes such qualification necessary (except where the
failure to so qualify would not, individually or in the aggregate, have
a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or other), results
of operations, business or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries
taken as a whole).
(ii) Neither the filing of the Registration Statement nor the
offering or sale of the Notes as contemplated by this Agreement gives
rise to any rights under any contracts, agreements or understandings
known to such counsel, other than those which have been waived or
satisfied, for or relating to the registration of any securities of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries. The Company has all requisite
corporate power and authority to issue, sell and deliver the Notes in
accordance with and upon the terms and conditions set forth in this
Agreement and in the Registration Statement and Prospectus.
(iii) The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and
delivered by the Company and is a valid and binding agreement of the
Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms,
except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy,
insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws relating to or
affecting creditors' rights generally and by general
- 14 -
equitable principles (regardless of whether such enforceability is
considered in a proceeding in equity or at law); and the Indenture has
been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act and the rules and
regulations thereunder.
(iv) The Notes have been duly authorized and executed by the
Company for issuance and sale to the Underwriters pursuant to this
Agreement and, assuming due authentication of the Notes by the Trustee,
upon delivery to the Underwriters against payment therefor in accordance
with the terms of this Agreement, will have been validly issued and
delivered, will be entitled to the benefits of the Indenture and will
constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable
against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as
enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws or judicial decisions
relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and by general
equitable principles (regardless of whether such enforceability is
considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).
(v) Neither the execution or delivery of this Agreement nor
consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby will result in a
breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, the certificate
of incorporation or by-laws of the Company, nor will the performance by
the Company of its obligations hereunder violate any California or
federal law, rule, administrative regulation of a type typically
applicable to similar transactions or (to the knowledge of such counsel)
decree (except that such counsel need not express an opinion as to
federal or state securities or Blue Sky laws with respect to this
subparagraph) of any court or any governmental agency or body having
jurisdiction over the Company, its Subsidiaries or their respective
properties. Except for permits, consents, approvals and similar
authorizations required under the securities or Blue Sky laws of certain
jurisdictions and except for such permits, consents, approvals and
authorizations which have been obtained, no permit, consent, approval,
authorization or order of any court, governmental agency or body or
financial institution is required of the Company for the valid
authorization, issuance, sale and delivery of the Notes.
(vi) The Company has all necessary corporate power and authority
to execute and deliver this Agreement and the Indenture and perform its
obligations hereunder and thereunder. This Agreement has been duly
authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(vii) The Registration Statement and all post-effective
amendments thereto have become effective under the Securities Act, and,
to the knowledge of such counsel, no stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no
proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending before
or threatened by the Commission. To the knowledge of such counsel, no
order of the Commission directed to any document
- 15 -
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement has been issued,
and no challenge by appropriate proceedings has been made to the
accuracy or adequacy of any document incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement.
(viii) The Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any
further amendments or supplements thereto made by the Company, as of
their respective effective or issue dates, complied as to form in all
material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act
and the Rules and Regulations and the Trust Indenture Act and the rules
and regulations thereunder (except that no opinion need be expressed as
to the financial statements or notes thereto or other financial and
statistical data contained therein or omitted therefrom).
(ix) The Indenture and the Notes conform in all material
respects as to legal matters to the respective statements concerning
them contained in the Registration Statement and Prospectus. There are
no legal proceedings pending or threatened against the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries to which such counsel has given substantive attention
or in which such counsel has been engaged to represent the Company or
any of its Subsidiaries that are required to be disclosed in the
Prospectus and are not disclosed.
(x) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in
the Prospectus as amended or supplemented.
(xi) The statements set forth in the Prospectus under the
caption "Description of the Notes," insofar as they purport to
constitute a summary of the terms of the Notes are correct in all
material respects.
Such opinion shall also contain a statement that in connection
with such counsel's participation in the preparation of the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus, such counsel has not independently verified the
accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained therein (except
as otherwise set forth in paragraph (xi) above), and the limitations inherent in
the examination made by such counsel and the knowledge available to such counsel
are such that such counsel is unable to assume, and does not assume, any
responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements
contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. However, on the
basis of such counsel's examination and participation in conferences with
certain officers of the Company, its independent public accountants and
representatives of the Underwriters in connection with the preparation of the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus, nothing has come to such counsel's
attention that would lead it to believe that (i) the Registration Statement, at
the Effective Time, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted
to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading, or (ii) the Prospectus, on March 6, 2003, or
on the date of such opinion, included or includes an untrue statement of a
material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to
make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading.
- 16 -
However, such counsel need express no belief as to the financial statements and
supporting schedules or other financial data contained or incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus.
(e) On the Closing Date there shall have been furnished to you
the opinion (addressed to the Underwriters) of the General Counsel of the
Company, dated the Closing Date and in form and substance reasonably
satisfactory to the Underwriters, to the effect that:
(i) Each of the Company's Significant Subsidiaries has been duly
incorporated or formed as a corporation or partnership, as applicable,
and is validly existing as a corporation, a general partnership or a
limited partnership under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation
or formation (and each of the Significant Subsidiaries that is a
corporation or a limited partnership is in good standing under the laws
of its jurisdiction of incorporation or formation), with full corporate
or partnership (as applicable) power and authority to own, lease and
operate its properties and conduct its business as described in the
Prospectus.
(ii) To the knowledge of such counsel, except as disclosed in
the Prospectus, all of the outstanding shares of capital stock,
partnership interests (or such percentage of the partnership interest as
is set forth in the respective partnership agreements) or other
ownership interests of each Significant Subsidiary are owned directly or
indirectly by the Company, free and clear of any perfected security
interest.
(iii) Neither the execution or delivery of this Agreement nor
consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby will result in a
breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, the certificate
of incorporation, by-laws, partnership agreement or other governing
documents of the Significant Subsidiaries or any agreement, indenture or
other instrument filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or
any document incorporated by reference therein.
(iv) Each document incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement as filed under the Exchange Act complied when so filed as to
form in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the
Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder
(except that no opinion need be expressed as to the financial statements
or notes thereto and other financial and statistical data contained
therein).
(v) The descriptions in the Registration Statement and
Prospectus of statutes, regulations, legal or governmental proceedings,
to the extent they constitute matters of law and summaries of legal
matters are accurate in all material respects. To the knowledge of such
counsel, there are no contracts or documents required to be described in
the Registration Statement or Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits
thereto which are not described or filed as required.
- 17 -
(f) There shall have been furnished to you a certificate, dated
the Closing Date and addressed to you, signed by the Chairman of the Board or
the President or any Senior Vice President and by the Chief Financial Officer of
the Company to the effect that: (i) the representations and warranties of the
Company contained in this Agreement are true and correct, as if made at and as
of the Closing Date, and the Company has complied with all the agreements and
satisfied all the conditions on its part to be complied with or satisfied at or
prior to the Closing Date; (ii) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of
the Registration Statement has been issued, and no proceeding for that purpose
has been initiated or, to the best of their knowledge, threatened; (iii) all
filings required by Rule 424(b) and Rule 430A of the Rules and Regulations have
been made; (iv) the signers of said certificate have carefully examined the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus, and any amendments or supplements
thereto (including any documents filed under the Exchange Act and deemed to be
incorporated by reference into the Prospectus), and do not include any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; (v)
since the Effective Date there has occurred no event required to be set forth in
an amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which
has not been so set forth and there has been no document required to be filed
under the Exchange Act and the Rules and Regulations that upon such filing would
be deemed to be incorporated by reference into the Prospectus that has not been
so filed and (vi) no event contemplated by subsection (g) of this Section 5 has
occurred.
(g) Since the dates as of which information is given in the
Registration Statement (exclusive of any amendment thereto) and in the
Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto filed subsequent to the date
hereof), neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries shall have sustained
any loss by fire, flood, accident or other calamity, or shall have become a
party to or the subject of any litigation, which is materially adverse to the
Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, nor shall there have been a
material adverse change in the condition (financial or otherwise), results of
operations, business or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a
whole, regardless of whether arising in the ordinary course of business, which
loss, litigation or change, in your judgement, shall render it impractical or
inadvisable to proceed with the payment for and delivery of the Notes.
(h) On the date hereof and the Closing Date you shall have
received letters from KPMG LLP, dated respectively the date hereof and the
Closing Date and addressed to you, confirming that they are independent
certified public accountants within the meaning of the Securities Act and the
applicable published Rules and Regulations, and stating, as of the date of such
letter (or, with respect to matters involving changes or developments since the
respective dates as of which specified financial information is given or
incorporated in the Prospectus as of a date not more than five days prior to the
date of such letter, provided that such date shall be after the date of the
Prospectus), the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the
financial information and other matters covered by its letter delivered to you
concurrently with the
- 18 -
execution of this Agreement, and, with respect to the letter delivered on the
Closing Date, confirming the conclusions and findings set forth in such prior
letter.
(i) You shall have been furnished by the Company such additional
documents and certificates as you or counsel for the Underwriters may reasonably
request.
(j) At the time of the Closing, the Company's senior debt shall
have a rating of at least Baa3 by Xxxxx'x Investors Services, Inc. and BBB- by
Standard & Poor's Rating Services. Since the date hereof, there shall not have
occurred any downgrading with respect to any debt securities of the Company or
any of its Subsidiaries by any "nationally recognized statistical rating
organization" as that term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule
436(g)(2) under the Securities Act or any public announcement that any such
organization has under surveillance or review its rating of any such debt
securities (other than an announcement with positive implications of a possible
upgrading, and no implication of a possible downgrading of such rating).
All such opinions, certificates, letters and documents shall be
in compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are satisfactory in form
and substance to you and to counsel for the Underwriters. The Company shall
furnish to you conformed copies of such opinions, certificates, letters and
other documents in such number as you shall reasonably request. If any of the
conditions specified in this Section 5 shall not have been fulfilled when and as
required by this Agreement, this Agreement and all obligations of the
Underwriters hereunder may be canceled at, or at any time prior to, the Closing
Date, by you. Any such cancellation shall be without liability of the
Underwriters to the Company. Notice of such cancellation shall be given to the
Company in writing, or by telegraph or telephone and confirmed in writing.
6. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) The Company shall indemnify and hold harmless each
Underwriter from and against any loss, claim, damage or liability (or any action
in respect thereof), joint or several, to which such Underwriter may become
subject, under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such loss, claim,
damage or liability (or action in respect thereof) arises out of or is based
upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement made by the Company in
Section 1 hereof, (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a
material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary
Prospectus, the Prospectus or the Registration Statement or Prospectus as
amended or supplemented, or (iii) the omission or alleged omission to state in
the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or the
Registration Statement or Prospectus as amended or supplemented a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading; and shall reimburse each Underwriter promptly after receipt of
invoices from such Underwriter for any legal or other expenses as reasonably
incurred by such Underwriter in connection with investigating, preparing to
defend or defending against or appearing as a third-party witness in connection
with any
- 19 -
such loss, claim, damage, liability or action, notwithstanding the possibility
that payments for such expenses might later be held to be improper, in which
case such payments shall be promptly refunded; provided, however, that the
Company shall not be liable under this paragraph 6(a) in any such case to the
extent, but only to the extent, that any such loss, claim, damage, liability or
action arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement or omission or alleged omission made in reliance upon and in
conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Underwriters
expressly for use in the preparation of the Registration Statement, any
Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or the Registration Statement or
Prospectus as amended or supplemented.
(b) Each Underwriter severally, but not jointly, shall indemnify
and hold harmless the Company against any loss, claim, damage or liability (or
any action in respect thereof) to which the Company may become subject, under
the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such loss, claim, damage or
liability (or action in respect thereof) arises out of or is based upon (i) any
untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the
Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or the
Registration Statement or Prospectus as amended or supplemented, or (ii) the
omission or alleged omission to state in the Registration Statement, any
Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or the Registration Statement or
Prospectus as amended or supplemented a material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; and shall
reimburse the Company promptly after receipt of invoices from the Company for
any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection
with investigating, preparing to defend or defending against or appearing as a
third-party witness in connection with any such loss, claim, damage, liability
or action notwithstanding the possibility that payments for such expenses might
later be held to be improper, in which case such payments shall be promptly
refunded; provided, however, that such indemnification or reimbursement shall be
available in each such case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such
untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was
made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to
the Company by such Underwriter expressly for use therein.
(c) Promptly after receipt by any indemnified party under
subsection (a) or (b) above of notice of any claim or the commencement of any
action, the indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made
against the indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying
party in writing of the claim or the commencement of that action; provided,
however, that the failure to so notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve
it from any liability which it may have under this Section 6 except to the
extent it has been prejudiced in any material respect by such failure or from
any liability which it may have to an indemnified party otherwise than under
this Section 6. If any such claim or action shall be brought against any
indemnified party, and it shall notify the indemnifying party thereof, the
indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent
that it wishes, jointly with any other
- 20 -
similarly notified indemnifying party, to assume the defense thereof with
counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party.
After notice from the indemnifying party to the indemnified
party of its election to assume the defense of such claim or action, the
indemnifying party shall not be liable to the indemnified party under subsection
(a) or (b) above for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by the
indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable
costs of investigation; except that the Underwriters shall have the right to
employ counsel to represent the Underwriters who may be subject to liability
arising out of any claim in respect of which indemnity may be sought by the
Underwriters against the Company under such subsection if (i) the employment
thereof has been specifically authorized by the Company in writing, (ii) the
Underwriters shall have been advised by counsel that there may be one or more
legal defenses available to the Underwriters which are different from or
additional to those available to the Company, and in the reasonable judgment of
such counsel it is advisable for the Underwriters to employ separate counsel or
(iii) the Company has failed to assume the defense of such action and employ
counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters, in which event the fees and
expenses of such separate counsel shall be paid by the Company.
No indemnifying party shall (i) without the prior written
consent of the indemnified parties (which consent shall not be unreasonably
withheld), settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with
respect to any pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in
respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder
(whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties to such
claim or action) unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an
unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out
of such claim, action, suit or proceeding, or (ii) be liable for any settlement
of any such action effected without its written consent (which consent shall not
be unreasonably withheld), but if settled with the consent of the indemnifying
party or if there be a final judgment of the plaintiff in any such action, the
indemnifying party agrees to indemnify and hold harmless any indemnified party
from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment.
(d) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 6 is
unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under
subsection (a) or (b) above, then each indemnifying party shall, in lieu of
indemnifying such indemnified party, contribute to the amount paid or payable by
such indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities
referred to in subsection (a) or (b) above (i) in such proportion as is
appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one
hand and the Underwriters on the other hand from the offering of the Notes or
(ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by
applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the
relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of
the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand in connection
with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses,
- 21 -
claims, damages or liabilities, or actions in respect thereof, as well as any
other relevant equitable considerations.
The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand
and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be deemed to be in the same
proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Notes (before
deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total underwriting
discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set
forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus. Relative fault shall be
determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged
untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state
a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the
Underwriters and the parties' relative intent, knowledge, access to information
and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission. The
Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if
contributions pursuant to this subsection (d) were to be determined by pro rata
allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such
purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take into account
the equitable considerations referred to in the first sentence of this
subsection (d).
The amount paid by an indemnified party as a result of the
losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred
to in the first sentence of this subsection (d) shall be deemed to include any
legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in
connection with investigating, preparing to defend or defending against any
action or claim which is the subject of this subsection (d). Notwithstanding the
provisions of this subsection (d), no Underwriter shall be required to
contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which
the Notes underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the
public exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise
been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or
omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation
(within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to
contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent
misrepresentation. The Underwriters' obligations in this subsection (d) to
contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting
obligations and not joint. Each party entitled to contribution agrees that upon
the service of a summons or other initial legal process upon it in any action
instituted against it in respect to which contribution may be sought, it shall
promptly give written notice of such service to the party or parties from whom
contribution may be sought, but the omission so to notify such party or parties
of any such service shall not relieve the party from whom contribution may be
sought for any obligation it may have hereunder or otherwise (except as
specifically provided in subsection (c) above).
(e) The obligations of the Company under this Section 6 shall be
in addition to any liability that the Company may otherwise have, and shall
extend, upon the same terms and conditions set forth in this Section 6, to the
respective officers and directors of the Underwriters and each person, if any,
who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act; and the
obligations of the Underwriters under
- 22 -
this Section 6 shall be in addition to any liability that the respective
Underwriters may otherwise have, and shall extend, upon the same terms and
conditions, to each director of the Company (including any person who, with his
or her consent, is named in the Registration Statement as about to become a
director of the Company), to each officer of the Company who has signed the
Registration Statement and to each person, if any, who controls the Company
within the meaning of the Securities Act.
7. Substitution of Underwriters. If any Underwriter defaults in
its obligation to purchase the principal amount of the Notes which it has agreed
to purchase under this Agreement, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be
obligated to purchase (in the respective proportions which the principal amount
of the Notes set forth opposite the name of each non-defaulting Underwriter in
Schedule I hereto bears to the total principal amount of the Notes less the
principal amount of the Notes the defaulting Underwriter agreed to purchase set
forth in Schedule I hereto) the principal amount of the Notes which the
defaulting Underwriter agreed but failed to purchase; except that the
non-defaulting Underwriters shall not be obligated to purchase any of the Notes
if the total principal amount of the Notes which the defaulting Underwriter or
Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase exceeds 9.09% of the total principal
amount of the Notes, and no non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated to
purchase more than 110% of the principal amount of the Notes set forth opposite
its name in Schedule I hereto. If the foregoing maximums are exceeded, the
non-defaulting Underwriters, and any other underwriters satisfactory to you who
so agree, shall have the right, but shall not be obligated, to purchase (in such
proportions as may be agreed upon among them) all of the Notes. If the
non-defaulting Underwriters or the other underwriters satisfactory to the
Underwriters do not elect to purchase the Notes that the defaulting Underwriter
or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase within 36 hours after such
default, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any
non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except for the expense agreements of
the Company contained in Section 4(e) hereof and the indemnity and contribution
agreements of the Company and the Underwriters contained in Section 6 hereof.
Nothing contained herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter
of any liability it may have for damages caused by its default. If the
non-defaulting Underwriters or the other underwriters satisfactory to you are
obligated or agree to purchase the Notes of a defaulting Underwriter, either you
or the Company may postpone the Closing Date for up to seven full Business Days
in order to effect any changes that may be necessary in the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus or in any other document or agreement, and to file
promptly any amendments or any supplements to the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus which in your opinion may thereby be made necessary. As used in this
Agreement, the term "Underwriter" includes any person substituted for an
Underwriter pursuant to this Section 7.
8. Termination. Until the Closing Date, this Agreement may be
terminated by you by giving notice as hereinafter provided to the Company if (i)
the Company shall have failed, refused or been unable, at or prior to the
Closing Date, to
- 23 -
perform any agreement on its part to be performed hereunder, (ii) any other
condition of the Underwriters' obligation hereunder is not fulfilled, (iii)
trading in the Common Stock of the Company shall have been suspended by the
Commission or the NYSE, (iv) trading in securities generally on the NYSE shall
have been suspended or minimum prices shall have been established on such
exchange by the Commission or such exchange or other regulatory body or
governmental authority having jurisdiction or there shall have been a material
disruption in the settlement of securities generally which, in the judgment of
Xxxxxx Brothers Inc., make it inadvisable or impractical to proceed with the
offering or delivery of the Notes, or a banking moratorium is declared by either
federal or New York state authorities, (v) the United States becomes engaged in
hostilities or there is an escalation of hostilities involving the United
States, including, without limitation, an act of terrorism, or there is a
declaration of a national emergency or war by the United States which, in the
judgment of Xxxxxx Brothers Inc., make it inadvisable or impracticable to
proceed with the offering or delivery of the Notes or (vi) there shall have been
such a material adverse change in general economic, political or financial
conditions, or the effect of international conditions on the financial markets
in the United States shall be such, as to, in the judgment of Xxxxxx Brothers
Inc., make it inadvisable or impracticable to proceed with the offering or
delivery of the Notes. Any termination of this Agreement pursuant to this
Section 8 shall be without liability on the part of the Company or any
Underwriter, except as otherwise provided in Sections 4(e) and 6 hereof.
Any notice referred to above may be given at the address
specified in Section 10 hereof in writing or by telegraph or telephone, and if
by telegraph or telephone, shall be immediately confirmed in writing.
9. Survival of Certain Provisions. The agreements contained in
Section 6 hereof and the representations, warranties and agreements of the
Company contained in Sections 1 and 4 hereof shall survive the delivery of the
Notes to the Underwriters hereunder and shall remain in full force and effect,
regardless of any termination or cancellation of this Agreement or any
investigation made by or on behalf of any indemnified party.
10. Notices. Except as otherwise provided in the Agreement, (a)
whenever notice is required by the provisions of this Agreement to be given to
the Company, such notice shall be in writing or by telegraph addressed to the
Company at 00000 Xxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000,
Attention: General Counsel; (b) whenever notice is required by the provisions of
this Agreement to be given to the several Underwriters, such notice shall be in
writing or by telegraph addressed to you in care of Xxxxxx Brothers Inc., 000
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx Xxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, Attention: Debt Capital
Markets, Financial Institutions Group, with a copy to the General Counsel.
11. Information Furnished by Underwriters. The Underwriters
severally confirm that the information appearing in the list of names of, and
principal amount of Notes to be purchased by, each of the Underwriters, under
the caption
- 24 -
"Underwriting" in any Preliminary Prospectus and in the Prospectus, the
concession and reallowance figures appearing in the second paragraph under such
caption, the second sentence of the fourth paragraph under such caption, the
statements concerning stabilization activities appearing in the fifth, sixth,
and seventh paragraphs under such caption, and the statements concerning
internet distribution in the penultimate paragraph under such caption,
constitute the only written information furnished by or on behalf of any
Underwriter referred to in paragraph (b) of Section 1 hereof and in paragraphs
(a) and (b) of Section 6 hereof.
12. Parties. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be
binding upon the several Underwriters, the Company and their respective
successors. This Agreement and the terms and provisions hereof are for the sole
benefit of only those persons, except that (a) the representations, warranties,
indemnities and agreements of the Company contained in this Agreement shall also
be deemed to be for the benefit of the person or persons, if any, who control
any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act and (b)
the indemnity agreement of the Underwriters contained in Section 6 hereof shall
be deemed to be for the benefit of directors of the Company, officers of the
Company who signed the Registration Statement and any person controlling the
Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act. Nothing in this
Agreement shall be construed to give any person, other than the persons referred
to in this paragraph, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in
respect of this Agreement or any provision contained herein.
13. Definition of "Business Day" and "Subsidiary." For purposes
of this Agreement, (a) "Business Day" means any day on which the New York Stock
Exchange, Inc. is open for trading, other than any day on which commercial banks
are authorized or required to be closed in New York City, and (b) "Subsidiary"
has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 of the Rules and Regulations and includes
both partnerships and corporations.
14. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without regard to
the conflicts of laws provisions thereof.
15. Headings. The headings herein are inserted for convenience
of reference only and are not intended to be part of, or to affect the meaning
or interpretation of, this Agreement.
16. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in one or more
counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original and all of which
together shall constitute one and the same agreement.
[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]
- 25 -
Please confirm, by signing and returning to us two counterparts
of this Agreement, that you are acting on behalf of yourselves and the several
Underwriters and that the foregoing correctly sets forth the Agreement between
the Company and the several Underwriters.
Very truly yours,
FIDELITY NATIONAL FINANCIAL, INC.
By /s/ XXXXX X. XXXXXX
-------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx
Title:
Confirmed and accepted as of the date first above mentioned
XXXXXX BROTHERS INC.
BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC
BEAR, XXXXXXX & CO. INC.
By XXXXXX BROTHERS INC.
AS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNDERWRITERS
--------------------------------------
By /s/ XXXXXX XXXXXXXX
--------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxx
Title: Sr. Vice President
S-1
SCHEDULE I
Underwriting Agreement dated March 6, 2003
Principal Amount of
Underwriter Notes to be Purchased
----------- ---------------------
XXXXXX BROTHERS INC............................................ $125,000,000
BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC................................. 62,500,000
BEAR, XXXXXXX & CO. INC........................................ 62,500,000
------------
TOTAL.......................................................... $250,000,000
============
EXHIBIT A
Underwriting Agreement dated March 6, 2003
As used in the Underwriting Agreement, the "Significant Subsidiaries" of the
Company are as follows:
1. Fidelity National Title Insurance Co.
2. Fidelity National Title Insurance Co. of New York
3. Chicago Title and Trust Company
4. Ticor Title Insurance Company
5. Chicago Title Insurance Company
6. Security Union Title Insurance Company
7. Alamo Title Insurance Company
