2,000,000 Shares NEWCASTLE INVESTMENT CORP. (a Maryland corporation)
Execution
Copy
2,000,000
Shares
(a
Maryland corporation)
8.375%
Series D Cumulative Redeemable
Preferred
Stock
$.01
par
value
March
12,
2007
BEAR,
XXXXXXX & CO. INC.
XXXXXX,
XXXXXXXX & COMPANY, INCORPORATED
c/o
Bear,
Xxxxxxx & Co. Inc.
000
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx
Xxxx,
Xxx Xxxx 00000
as
Representative of the several Underwriters
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
Newcastle
Investment Corp., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), confirms its agreement
with Bear, Xxxxxxx & Co. Inc. (“Bear, Xxxxxxx”) and each
of
the other Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto (collectively, the
“Underwriters,” which term shall include any underwriter substituted as
hereinafter provided in Section 9 hereof), for whom Bear, Xxxxxxx is acting
as
representative (in such capacity, hereinafter referred to as the
“Representative”), with respect to the issue and sale by the Company and the
purchase by the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the
respective numbers set forth in Schedule A of the Company’s 8.375% Series D
Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, $.01 par value (the “Preferred Shares”),
at a purchase price of $24.2125 per Preferred Share and with respect to the
grant by the Company to the Underwriters of the option described in Section
2(b)
hereof to purchase all or any part of an additional 300,000 Preferred Shares
to
cover over-allotments. The aforesaid 2,000,000 Preferred Shares (the “Initial
Shares”), together with all or any part of the 300,000 Preferred Shares subject
to the option described in Section 2(b) hereof (the “Option Shares”), are
collectively hereinafter called the “Shares.”
In
addition, FIG LLC, a limited liability company organized and existing under
the
laws of Delaware and the manager of the Company (formerly known as Fortress
Investment Group LLC) (the “Manager”), confirms its agreements with the
Underwriters.
The
Company understands that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering
of
the Shares as soon as the Underwriters deem advisable after this Agreement
has
been executed and delivered.
The
Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”)
an automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-140840),
including the related prospectus, which registration statement became effective
upon filing under Rule 462(e) of the rules and regulations of the Commission
(the “1933 Act Regulations”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
“1933 Act”). Such registration statement covers the registration of the Shares,
and automatically became effective under the 1933 Act upon filing with the
Commission. Promptly after execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company
will prepare and file with the Commission a prospectus supplement relating
to
the Shares in accordance with the provisions of Rule 430B (“Rule 430B”) of the
1933
Act
Regulations and paragraph (b) of Rule 424 (“Rule 424(b)”) (without reliance on
Rule 424(b)(8)) of the 1933 Act Regulations. Any information included in such
prospectus supplement that was omitted from such registration statement at
the
time it became effective but that is deemed to be part of and included in such
registration statement pursuant to Rule 430B is referred to as “Rule 430B
Information.” Each prospectus used in connection with the offering of the Shares
that omitted Rule 430B Information is herein called a “preliminary prospectus.”
Such registration statement, at each
time
of effectiveness under the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations prior to the
execution of this Agreement,
including the amendments thereto to such time, the exhibits and any schedules
thereto at such time, the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant
to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act at such time and the documents
otherwise deemed to be a part thereof or included or incorporated therein by
the
1933 Act Regulations is herein called the “Registration Statement;” provided,
however,
that
the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include information
contained in the final prospectus supplement relating to the Shares that is
retroactively deemed to be a part of such registration statement (as amended)
as
of the time specified in Rule 430B of the 1933 Act Regulations. The Registration
Statement at the time it originally became effective is herein called the
“Original Registration Statement.” The
prospectus included in the Registration Statement, as supplemented by the final
prospectus
supplement relating to the Shares,
in the
form first furnished or made available to the Underwriters for use in connection
with the offering of the Shares,
including the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item
12 of
Form S-3 under the 1933 Act at the time of the execution of this Agreement
is
herein called the “Prospectus.”
All
references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other
information which is “contained,” “included” or “stated” in the Registration
Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (and all other
references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and include all such
financial statements and schedules and other information which is or is deemed
to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, any preliminary
prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be; and all references in this
Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, any
preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to mean and include
the
filing of any document under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
(the “1934 Act”), which is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, as the
case may be, after the most recent effective date prior to the execution of
this
Agreement, in the case of the Registration Statement, or the respective issue
dates in the case of the Prospectus and any preliminary prospectus. All
references in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, any preliminary
prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendments or supplements to any of the
foregoing, shall be deemed to include any copy thereof filed with the Commission
pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System
(“XXXXX”).
2
SECTION
1. Representations
and Warranties.
(a) Representations
and Warranties by the Company.
The
Company represents and warrants to each of the Underwriters, as of the date
hereof, the Applicable Time (as hereinafter defined), the Closing Time (as
hereinafter defined) and each Date of Delivery, if any (as hereinafter defined)
(in each case, a “Representation Date”), as follows:
(1) (i)
(A)
At the time of filing the Original Registration Statement, (B) at the time
of
the most recent amendment thereto, if any, for the purposes of complying with
Section 10(a)(3) of the 1933 Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective
amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
1934
Act or form of prospectus), (C) at the time the Company or any person acting
on
its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c) of the
1933
Act Regulations) made any offer relating to the Shares in reliance on the
exemption provided by Rule 163 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 163”) and (D)
at the date hereof, the Company was and is a “well-known seasoned issuer” as
defined in Rule 405 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 405”). The Registration
Statement is an “automatic shelf registration statement,” as defined in Rule
405, and the Shares, since their registration on the Registration Statement,
have been and remain eligible for registration by the Company on a Rule 405
“automatic shelf registration statement”. The Company has not received from the
Commission any notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations
objecting to the use of the automatic shelf registration statement
form.
At
the
time of filing the Original Registration Statement, at the earliest time
thereafter that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide
offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations) of
the
Shares and at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible
issuer,” as defined in Rule 405.
(ii) The
Original Registration Statement became effective upon filing under Rule 462(e)
of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 462(e)”) on February 22, 2007, and any
post-effective amendment thereto also became effective upon filing under Rule
462(e). No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement
or any part thereof has been issued under the 1933 Act and no proceedings for
that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the
Company, are contemplated by the Commission or by the state securities authority
of any jurisdiction, and any request on the part of the Commission for
additional information has been complied with.
Any
offer
that is a written communication relating to the Shares made prior to the filing
of the Original Registration Statement by the Company or any person acting
on
its behalf (within the meaning, for this paragraph only, of Rule 163(c) of
the
1933 Act Regulations) has been filed with the Commission in accordance with
the
exemption provided by Rule 163 and otherwise complied with the requirements
of
Rule 163, including without limitation the legending requirement, to qualify
such offer for the exemption from Section 5(c) of the 1933 Act provided by
Rule
163.
3
At
the
respective times the Original Registration Statement and any post-effective
amendments thereto became effective and at each deemed effective date with
respect to the Underwriters pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2) of the 1933 Act
Regulations, the Registration Statement and any amendments and supplements
thereto complied, comply and will comply in all material respects with the
requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations, and did not, do
not
and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state
a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading. Neither the Prospectus nor any amendments or supplements
thereto, at the time the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement was
first used, at the Closing Time and at any Date of Delivery, included, includes
or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or
will
omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein,
in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading.
Any
preliminary prospectus (including the prospectus filed as part of the Original
Registration Statement or any amendment thereto) complied when filed with the
Commission in all material respects with the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act
Regulations and any such preliminary prospectus was, and the Prospectus
delivered or made available to the Underwriters for use in connection with
this
offering will be at the time of such delivery, identical to the electronically
transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to XXXXX, except
to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
As
of the
Applicable Time, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (as defined below) issued
at
or prior to the Applicable Time and the Statutory Prospectus (as defined below),
all considered together (collectively, the “General Disclosure Package”) did not
or will not, as the case may be, include any untrue statement of a material
fact
or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements
therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading.
The
representations and warranties in the preceding three paragraphs shall not
apply
to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement or any
post-effective amendment thereto, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus,
or
any amendments or supplements thereto, or the General Disclosure Package made
in
reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Company in
writing by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representative expressly
for use in the Registration Statement (including the prospectus filed with
the
Original Registration Statement) or any post-effective amendment thereto, any
preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus, or any amendments or supplements
thereto, or the General Disclosure Package.
As
used
in this subsection and elsewhere in this Agreement:
“Applicable
Time” means 8:15 a.m. (Eastern time) on March 13, 2007 or such other time as
agreed by the Company and the Underwriters.
“Issuer
Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined
in Rule 433 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 433”), relating to the Shares
(including any issuer free writing prospectus identified on Schedule B hereto)
that (i) is required to be filed with the Commission by the Company, (ii) is
a
“road show that is a written communication” within the meaning of Rule
433(d)(8)(i), whether or not required to be filed with the Commission or (iii)
is exempt from filing pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i) because it contains a
description of the Shares or of the offering that does not reflect the final
terms, in each case in the form filed or required to be filed with the
Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the
Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g).
4
“Statutory
Prospectus” as of any time means the prospectus relating to the Shares that is
included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to that time and the
preliminary prospectus supplement relating to the Shares, including the
documents incorporated by reference therein and any preliminary or other
prospectus deemed to be a part thereof.
(2) The
documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus, at the time they were or hereafter
are filed with the Commission, complied and will comply in all material respects
with the requirements of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations of the
Commission under the 1934 Act (the “1934 Act Regulations”), and when read
together with the other information in the Prospectus, (a) at the time the
Registration Statement became effective, (b) at the earlier of the time the
Prospectus was first used and the date and time of the first contract of sale
of
Shares in this offering and (c) as of the applicable Representation Date or
during the period specified in Section 3(a)(vi) did not and will not include
an
untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required
to
be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in
the
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading.
(3) Each
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus identified on Schedule B hereto, if any, as
of
its date of first use and at all subsequent times through the completion of
the
public offer and sale of the Shares or until any earlier date that the Company
notified or notifies the Underwriters as described in Section 3(a)(vi), did
not,
does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or
will
conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus, including any document incorporated by reference therein and any
preliminary or other prospectus deemed to be a part thereof that has not been
superseded or modified. The foregoing sentence does not apply to statements
in
or omissions from any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus based upon and in
conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf
of
any Underwriter through the Representative specifically for use
therein.
(4) Ernst
& Young LLP, the accountants who have certified the financial statements
included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General
Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, are independent registered public
accountants as required by the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations and the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).
(5) Subsequent
to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration
Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (excluding any
documents incorporated therein by reference pursuant to the 1934 Act after
the
execution of this Agreement), except as set forth in the Registration Statement,
the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there has been no material
adverse change in the business, properties, operations, condition (financial
or
other) or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken
as a
whole, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of
business and since the date of the latest balance sheet presented or
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure
Package and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries
has
incurred or undertaken any liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent,
which are material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, except
for liabilities or obligations which are reflected in or incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and
the
Prospectus (excluding any documents incorporated therein by reference pursuant
to the 1934 Act after the execution of this Agreement).
5
(6) The
Shares being sold pursuant to this Agreement have, as of each Representation
Date, been duly authorized by the Company and such Shares have been duly
authorized for issuance and sale pursuant to this Agreement and such Shares,
when issued and delivered by the Company pursuant to this Agreement against
payment of the consideration set forth herein, will be validly issued, fully
paid and non assessable and will not be subject to preemptive or other similar
rights; the Shares conform to the provisions of the Articles Supplementary
relating thereto; and the Shares conform in all material respects to all
statements relating thereto contained in the General Disclosure Package and
the
Prospectus.
(7) The
amended and restated management and advisory agreement (the “Management
Agreement”), dated as of June 23, 2003, between the Company and the Manager, has
been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and constitutes
a
valid and binding agreement of the Company enforceable in accordance with its
terms, except to the extent that enforcement thereof may be limited by
bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other laws affecting enforcement
of
creditors’ rights or by general equitable principles.
(8) The
execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement and the consummation
of
the transactions contemplated hereby do not and will not (i) conflict with
or
result in a breach of any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a
default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time, or both, would
constitute a default) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any
lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any
of
its subsidiaries pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan
agreement or other agreement, instrument, franchise, license or permit to which
the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or
any
of its subsidiaries or their respective properties or assets may be bound and
which is material to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries taken
as a
whole or (ii) violate or conflict with any provision of the charter, by-laws,
limited liability company agreement or partnership agreement, as the case may
be, of the Company or any of the subsidiaries listed on Schedule C hereto (the
“Subsidiaries”) or any judgment, decree, order, statute, rule or regulation of
any court or any public, governmental or regulatory agency or body having
jurisdiction over the Company or any of the Subsidiaries or any of their
respective properties or assets. The Company has no other significant
subsidiaries (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X) that
are
not set forth on Schedule C hereto. No consent, approval, authorization, order,
registration, filing, qualification, license or permit of or with any court
or
any public, governmental or regulatory agency or body having jurisdiction over
the Company or any of the Subsidiaries or any of their respective properties
or
assets is required for the execution, delivery and performance of this
Agreement, or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, by
the
Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus,
including the issuance, sale and delivery of the Shares to be issued, sold
and
delivered by the Company pursuant to this Agreement, except the registration
under the 1933 Act of the Shares and such consents, approvals, authorizations,
orders, registrations, filings, qualifications, licenses and permits as may
be
required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase
and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters.
6
(9) The
authorized, issued and outstanding stock of the Company is as set forth in
the
Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus under “Capitalization” or in the latest
balance sheet incorporated by reference therein (except for subsequent
issuances, if any, pursuant to reservations, agreements, employee benefit plans,
dividend reinvestment plans, employee and director stock option plans or the
exercise of convertible securities referred to in the Registration Statement,
the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus), and all of the issued shares
of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and
issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and were not issued in violation
of or
subject to any preemptive or similar rights that entitle or will entitle any
person to acquire any Shares from the Company upon issuance thereof by the
Company, except for such rights as may have been fully satisfied or waived
prior
to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement.
(10) The
Company and each of the Company’s subsidiaries has been duly organized and is
validly existing as a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or
real estate investment trust in good standing under the laws of its respective
jurisdiction of organization. Each of the Company and its subsidiaries is duly
qualified to do business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation,
partnership, limited liability company or real estate investment trust in each
jurisdiction in which the character or location of its properties (owned, leased
or licensed) or the nature or conduct of its business makes such qualification
necessary, except for those failures to be so qualified or in good standing
which will not in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on the condition
(financial or otherwise), results of operations, business or properties of
the
Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole (a “Material Adverse Effect”).
Each of the Company and its subsidiaries has all requisite power and authority,
and all necessary consents, approvals, authorizations, orders, registrations,
qualifications, licenses and permits of and from all public, regulatory or
governmental agencies and bodies (collectively, “Governmental Licenses”), to
own, lease and operate their respective properties and conduct their respective
businesses as are now being conducted and as described in the Registration
Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except where
the
failure to possess any such Governmental Licenses would not in the aggregate
have a Material Adverse Effect; and no such consent, approval, authorization,
order, registration, qualification, license or permit contains a materially
burdensome restriction not adequately disclosed in the Registration Statement,
the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
7
(11) Except
as
described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and
the
Prospectus, there is no legal or governmental proceeding to which the Company
or
any of its subsidiaries is a party, or any property of the Company or any of
its
subsidiaries is the subject which, singularly or in the aggregate, if determined
adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, are reasonably likely
to
have a Material Adverse Effect, and to the best of the Company’s knowledge, no
such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities
or
threatened or contemplated by others.
(12) The
financial statements, including the notes thereto, and supporting schedules
included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General
Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly the financial position
of
the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and
condition and results of operations for the periods specified; except as
otherwise stated in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package
and the Prospectus, said financial statements have been prepared in conformity
with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis
throughout the periods involved; and the financial statements, including the
notes thereto, and supporting schedules included or incorporated by reference
in
the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus
present fairly the information required to be stated therein.
(13) The
pro
forma financial statements, if any, including the notes thereto, included or
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure
Package and the Prospectus have been prepared in accordance with the applicable
requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations with respect to pro
forma financial statements and include all adjustments necessary to present
fairly the pro forma financial position of the Company at the respective dates
indicated and the results of operations for the respective periods specified.
The assumptions used in preparing the pro forma financial statements provide
a
reasonable basis for presenting the significant effects directly attributable
to
the transactions or events described therein, the related pro forma adjustments
give appropriate effect to those assumptions, and the pro forma columns therein
reflect the proper application of those adjustments to the corresponding
historical financial statement amounts. All historical financial statements
and
information and all pro forma financial statements and information required
by
the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations, the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act
Regulations, if any, are included, or incorporated by reference, in the
Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
All
disclosures contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure
Package or the Prospectus, if any, regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as
such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the Commission) comply
with
Regulation G under the 1934 Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K of the 1933 Act
Regulations, to the extent applicable.
8
(14) No
relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among any of the Company
or
any affiliate of the Company, on the one hand, and any director, officer,
stockholder, customer or supplier of the Company or any affiliate of the
Company, on the other hand, which is required by the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act,
the
1933 Act Regulations and the 1934 Act Regulations to be described in the
Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus which
is not so described or is not described as required. There are no outstanding
loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary
course of business) or guarantees of indebtedness by the Company to or for
the
benefit of any of the officers or directors of the Company or any of their
respective family members, except as disclosed or incorporated by reference
in
the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the
Prospectus.
(15) The
Company and its Subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting and other
controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions
are
executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations,
(ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial
statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and
to
maintain accountability for assets, (iii) access to assets is permitted only
in
accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (iv) the
recorded accounting for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable
intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any
differences.
(16) No
holder
of securities of the Company has any rights to the registration of securities
of
the Company because of the filing of the Registration Statement or otherwise
in
connection with the sale of the Shares contemplated in this Agreement.
(17) The
Company is not, and upon consummation of the transactions contemplated in this
Agreement and in the Prospectus will not be, an “investment company” as such
term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(18) (A)
The
Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable fee simple title or
leasehold title, as the case may be, to all real property owned or leased,
as
applicable, by the Company or any subsidiary, and good title to all other
properties owned by them (collectively, the “Properties”), and any improvements
thereon and all other assets that are required for the operation of such
properties in the manner in which they currently are operated, free and clear
of
all liens, encumbrances, claims, security interests and defects, except such
as
are Permitted Encumbrances (as hereinafter defined); (B) all liens, charges,
encumbrances, claims or restrictions on or affecting any of the Properties
and
the assets of any of the Company or its subsidiaries that are required to be
disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or
the
Prospectus are disclosed therein; (C) each of the Properties complies with
all
applicable codes, laws and regulations (including, without limitation, building
and zoning codes, laws and regulations and laws relating to access to the
Properties), except if and to the extent disclosed in the Registration
Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and except for
such
failures to comply that would not in the aggregate have a Material Adverse
Effect; (D) there are in effect for the Properties and the assets of each of
the
Company and its subsidiaries insurance policies covering the risks and in
amounts that are commercially reasonable for the Properties and the types of
assets owned by the Company and its subsidiaries and that are consistent with
the types and amounts of insurance typically maintained by prudent owners of
properties similar to such assets in the markets in which such assets are
located, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received from
any insurance company notice of any material defects or deficiencies affecting
the insurability of any such assets or any notices of cancellation or intent
to
cancel any such policies; and (E) neither the Company nor any of its
subsidiaries has knowledge of any pending or threatened litigation, moratorium,
condemnation proceedings, zoning change, or other similar proceeding or action
that could in any manner affect the size of, use of, improvements on,
construction on, access to or availability of utilities or other necessary
services to the Properties, except such proceedings or actions that would not
have a Material Adverse Effect. 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 the Properties, 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 any of its subsidiaries of the continued possession
of
the leased or subleased premises under any such lease or sublease. “Permitted
Encumbrance” shall mean (a) liens on Properties securing any of the Company or
any of its subsidiaries obligations, (b) other liens which are expressly
described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and
the
Prospectus and (c) customary easements and encumbrances and other exceptions
to
title which do not materially impair the operation, development or use of the
Properties for the purposes intended therefor as contemplated in the
Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
9
(19) Except
as
disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and
the
Prospectus or as would not have a Material Adverse Effect: (A) each Property,
including, without limitation, the Environment (as defined below) associated
with such Property, is free of any Hazardous Substance (as hereinafter defined)
in violation of any Environmental Law (as defined below) applicable to such
Property, except for Hazardous Substances that would not result in a Material
Adverse Effect; (B) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has during
the period of its ownership caused or suffered to occur any Release (as defined
below) of any Hazardous Substance into the Environment on, in, under or from
any
Property in violation of any Environmental Law applicable to such Property,
and
no condition exists on, in, under or, to the knowledge of the Company or any
of
its subsidiaries adjacent to, any Property that could result in the incurrence
of material liabilities or any material violations of any Environmental Law
applicable to such Property, or give rise to the imposition of any Lien (as
hereinafter defined) under any Environmental Law; (C) neither the Company nor
any of its subsidiaries is engaged in any manufacturing at the Properties that
(1) requires the use, handling, transportation, storage, treatment or disposal
of any Hazardous Substance (other than cleaning solvents and similar materials
and other than insecticides and herbicides that are used in the ordinary course
of operating the Properties and in compliance with all applicable Environmental
Laws) or (2) requires permits or is otherwise regulated pursuant to any
Environmental Law; (D) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has
received any notice of a claim under or pursuant to any Environmental Law
applicable to a Property or under common law pertaining to Hazardous Substances
on or originating from any Property; (E) neither the Company nor any of its
subsidiaries has received any notice from any Governmental Authority (as
hereinafter defined) claiming any violation of any Environmental Law that is
uncured or unremediated as of the date hereof; and (F) no Property is included
or, to the knowledge of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, proposed for
inclusion on the National Priorities List issued pursuant to CERCLA (as
hereinafter defined) by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (the
“EPA”) or on the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Information System database maintained by the EPA, and has not
otherwise been identified by the EPA as a potential CERCLA removal, remedial
or
response site or included or, to the knowledge of the Company or any of its
subsidiaries, proposed for inclusion on, any similar list of potentially
contaminated sites pursuant to any other applicable Environmental Law nor has
the Company or any of its subsidiaries received any written notice from the
EPA
or any other Governmental Authority proposing the inclusion of any Property
on
such list; and (G) there are no underground storage tanks located on or in
any
Property which have not been disclosed to the Underwriters.
10
As
used
herein, the term “Hazardous Substance” shall include, without limitation, any
hazardous substance, hazardous waste, toxic or dangerous substance, pollutant,
solid waste or similarly designated materials, including, without limitation,
oil, petroleum or any petroleum derived substance or waste, asbestos or asbestos
containing materials, PCBs, pesticides, explosives, radioactive materials,
dioxins, urea formaldehyde insulation or any constituent of any such substance,
pollutant or waste, including any such substance, pollutant or waste identified
or regulated under any Environmental Law (including, without limitation,
materials listed in the United States Department of Transportation Optional
Hazardous Material Table, 49 C.F.R. § 172.101, as heretofore amended, or in the
EPA’s List of Hazardous Substances and Reportable Quantities, 40 C.F.R. Part
302, as heretofore amended); “Environment” shall mean any surface water,
drinking water, ground water, land surface, subsurface strata, river sediment,
buildings, structures, and ambient workplace and indoor air; “Environmental Law”
shall mean the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability
Act of 1980, as amended (42 U.S.C. § 9601 et seq.) (“CERCLA”), the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, as amended (42 U.S.C. § 6901, et seq.),
the Clean Air Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. § 7401, et seq.), the Clean Water Act,
as amended (33 U.S.C. § 1251, et seq.), the Toxic Substances Control Act, as
amended (15 U.S.C. § 2601, et seq.), the Occupational Safety and Health Act of
1970, as amended (29 U.S.C. § 651, et seq.), the Hazardous Materials
Transportation Act, as amended (49 U.S.C. § 1801, et seq.), and all other
federal, state and local laws, ordinances, regulations, rules, orders, decisions
and permits relating to the protection of the environment or of human health
from environmental effects; “Governmental Authority” shall mean any federal,
state or local governmental office, agency or authority having the duty or
authority to promulgate, implement or enforce any Environmental Law; “Lien”
shall mean, with respect to any Property, any mortgage, deed of trust, pledge,
security interest, lien, encumbrance, penalty, fine, charge, assessment,
judgment or other liability in, on or affecting such Property; and “Release”
shall mean any spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying,
discharging, injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping, emanating or disposing
of
any Hazardous Substance into the Environment, including, without limitation,
the
abandonment or discard of barrels, containers, tanks (including, without
limitation, underground storage tanks) or other receptacles containing or
previously containing any Hazardous Substance or any release, emission,
discharge or similar term, as those terms are defined or used in any
Environmental Law.
11
(20) The
Company and each of its subsidiaries have accurately prepared and timely filed
all federal, state and other tax returns that are required to be filed by it
and
have paid or made provision for the payment of all taxes, assessments,
governmental or other similar charges, including without limitation, all sales
and use taxes and all taxes which such entity is obligated to withhold from
amounts owing to employees, creditors and third parties, with respect to the
periods covered by such tax returns (whether or not such amounts are shown
as
due on any tax return), except, in all cases, for any such amounts that the
Company is contesting in good faith and except in any case in which the failure
to so file or pay would not in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect.
No
deficiency assessment with respect to a proposed adjustment of the Company’s or
any of its subsidiaries’ federal, state, or other taxes is pending or, to the
best of the Company’s knowledge, threatened which could reasonably be expected
in the aggregate to have a Material Adverse Effect. There is no tax lien,
whether imposed by any federal, state, or other taxing authority, outstanding
against the assets, properties or business of the Company or any of its
subsidiaries, other than tax liens for taxes not yet due.
(21) There
are
no contracts or other documents which are required to be described in the
Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or
to
be filed as exhibits thereto which have not been so described and filed as
required.
(22) Neither
the Company nor any of its subsidiaries (i) is in violation of its charter,
by-laws, limited liability company agreement, certificate of limited partnership
or partnership agreement, as the case may be, (ii) is in default under, and
no
event has occurred which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute
such a default, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge
or
encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its
subsidiaries pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement
or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries
is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to
which any of their properties or assets is subject or (iii) is in violation
in
any respect of any statute or any judgment, decree, order, rule or regulation
of
any court or governmental or regulatory agency or body having jurisdiction
over
the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties or assets,
except in the case of (ii) or (iii) above any violation or default that would
not have a Material Adverse Effect.
(23) The
Company and each of its subsidiaries own or possess adequate right to use all
trademarks, service marks, trade names, trademark registrations, service xxxx
registrations, copyrights, licenses, know-how and other intellectual property
(including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary
or
confidential information, systems or procedures) necessary for the conduct
of
their respective businesses as being conducted and as described in the
Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus,
except where the failure to own or possess such right would not in the aggregate
have a Material Adverse Effect, and have no reason to believe that the conduct
of their respective businesses will conflict with, and have not received any
notice of any claim of conflict with, any such right of others which claim,
if
the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or judgment, could in the
aggregate reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
12
(24) No
labor
disturbance by the employees of the Company, the Manager or any of their
respective subsidiaries exists or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, is
imminent which might be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(25) The
Company does not have, and does not anticipate incurring any liabilities under,
the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, or Section
4975
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time (the “Code”).
(26) The
statistical and market-related data included or incorporated by reference in
the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources
which the Company believes to be reliable and accurate.
(27) Commencing
with its taxable year ended December 31, 2002, the Company has been and, upon
the sale of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement, the Company will continue
to
be organized and operated in conformity with, the requirements for qualification
and taxation as a real estate investment trust (a “REIT”) under the Code, and
the Company’s proposed method of operation as described in the General
Disclosure Package and the Prospectus will enable it to continue to meet the
requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code, and no
actions have been taken (or not taken which are required to be taken) which
would cause such qualification to be lost.
(28) The
Company is in compliance with applicable provisions of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx
Act.
(29) The
Company has established and maintains “disclosure controls and procedures” (as
defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the 1934 Act); the Company’s
“disclosure controls and procedures” are reasonably designed to ensure that all
information (both financial and non-financial) required to be disclosed by
the
Company in the reports that it files or submits under the 1934 Act is recorded,
processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the
1934
Act Regulations, and that all such information is accumulated and communicated
to the Company’s management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding
required disclosure and to make the certifications of the Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company required under the 1934
Act
with respect to such reports.
(30) Since
the
date of the filing of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2006, the Company’s auditors and the audit committee of the
Board of Directors of the Company (or persons fulfilling the equivalent
function) have not been advised of (i) any significant deficiencies in the
design or operation of internal controls which could adversely affect the
Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data nor
any material weaknesses in internal controls; (ii) any fraud, whether or not
material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant
role in the Company’s internal controls.
13
(31) Since
the
date of the filing of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2006, there have been no significant changes in internal
controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls,
including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and
material weaknesses.
(32) Neither
the Company nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent,
employee or affiliate of the Company is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions
administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury
Department (“OFAC”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the
proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such
proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity,
for
the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to
any
U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.
(33) The
Company acknowledges and agrees that each Underwriter is acting solely in the
capacity of an arm’s length contractual counterparty to the Company with respect
to the offering of the Shares contemplated hereby (including in connection
with
determining the terms of the offering) and not as a financial advisor or a
fiduciary to, or an agent of, the Company or any other person. Additionally,
no
Underwriter is advising the Company or any other person as to any legal, tax,
investment, accounting or regulatory matters in any jurisdiction. The Company
shall consult with its own advisors concerning such matters and shall be
responsible for making its own independent investigation and appraisal of the
transactions contemplated hereby, and no Underwriter shall have any
responsibility or liability to the Company with respect thereto. Any review
by
an Underwriter of the Company, the transactions contemplated hereby or other
matters relating to such transactions will be performed solely for the benefit
of such Underwriter and shall not be on behalf of the Company.
(b) Representations
and Warranties of the Manager.
The
Manager represents and warrants to each of the Underwriters as of each
Representation Date as follows:
(1) The
information concerning the Manager and its affiliates (other than the Company
and its subsidiaries) included or incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus is true and correct
in all material respects.
(2) The
Manager has been duly organized and is validly existing as a limited liability
company and is in good standing under the laws of Delaware. The Manager is
duly
qualified to do business and is in good standing as a foreign limited liability
company in each jurisdiction in which the character or location of its
properties (owned, leased or licensed) or the nature or conduct of its business
makes such qualification necessary, except for those failures to be so qualified
or in good standing which will not in the aggregate have a Material Adverse
Effect. The Manager has all requisite power and authority, and all necessary
Governmental Licenses, to own, lease and operate its properties and conduct
its
business as it is now being conducted, except where the failure to possess
such
Governmental Licenses will not in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect,
and no such consent, approval, authorization, order, registration,
qualification, license or permit contains a materially burdensome restriction
not adequately disclosed or incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
14
(3) This
Agreement and the Management Agreement have each been duly and validly
authorized, executed and delivered by the Manager. The Management Agreement
constitutes a valid and binding agreement of the Manager, enforceable in
accordance with its terms, except to the extent that enforcement thereof may
be
limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other laws affecting
enforcement of creditors’ rights or by general equitable
principles.
(4) The
Manager is not (i) in violation of its charter or limited liability company
agreement or (ii) in default under, and no event has occurred which, with notice
or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default under, or result
in
the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon, any property
or assets of the Manager or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, any indenture,
mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to
which it is a party or by which it is bound or to which any of its property
or
assets is subject or in violation in any respect of any statute or any judgment,
decree, order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental or regulatory
agency or body having jurisdiction over the Manager or any of its subsidiaries
or any of their properties or assets, except in the case of (ii) above any
default or event that would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
(5) Except
as
described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and
the
Prospectus, there is no legal or governmental proceeding to which the Manager
or
any of its subsidiaries is a party, or of which any property of the Manager
or
any of its subsidiaries is the subject which, singularly or in the aggregate,
if
determined adversely to the Manager or any of its subsidiaries, are reasonably
likely to have a Material Adverse Effect, and to the best of the Manager’s
knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental
authorities or threatened or contemplated by others.
(6) No
filing
with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration,
qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency is
necessary or required for the performance by the Manager of its obligations
hereunder which have not been made or the failure of which to have been made
in
the aggregate would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
(7) The
Manager is not prohibited by the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended,
or
the rules and regulations thereunder, from acting under the Management Agreement
as contemplated by the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package
and the Prospectus.
15
(8) With
respect to each taxable year ended December 31, 2001 and 2002, Newcastle
Investment Holdings Corp. (“NIH”), a corporation which was organized and existed
under the laws of the State of Maryland, operated in conformity with the
requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code. NIH
qualified as a REIT for its taxable years ended December 31, 2001 and
2002.
SECTION
2. Purchase,
Sale and Delivery of the Shares.
(a) Shares. The
commitments of the several Underwriters to purchase the Shares pursuant to
the
terms hereof shall be deemed to have been made on the basis of the
representations, warranties and agreements herein contained and shall be subject
to the terms and conditions herein set forth.
(b) Over-allotment
Option.
In
addition, on the basis of the representations and warranties herein included
and
subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company hereby grants
an option to the Underwriters to purchase up to an additional 300,000 Shares
at
the purchase price set forth on the first page of this Agreement less the amount
of any distribution payable with respect to an Initial Share but not payable
with respect to an Option Share. The option hereby granted will expire 30 days
after the date of this Agreement and may be exercised in whole or in part from
time to time only for the purpose of covering over-allotments which may be
made
in connection with the offering and distribution of the Initial Shares upon
notice by the Underwriters to the Company setting forth the number of Option
Shares as to which the Underwriters are then exercising the option and the
time,
date and place of payment and delivery for such Option Shares. Any such time
and
date of delivery (a “Date of Delivery”) shall be determined by the Underwriters
but shall not be later than three full business days, nor earlier than two
full
business days, after the exercise of said option, nor in any event prior to
Closing Time, unless otherwise agreed upon by the Underwriters and the Company.
If the option is exercised as to all or any portion of the Option Shares, each
of the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, will purchase that
proportion of the total number of Option Shares then being purchased which
the
number of Initial Shares each such Underwriter has severally agreed to purchase
as set forth in Schedule A hereto bears to the total number of Initial Shares,
subject to such adjustments as the Representative in its discretion shall make
to eliminate any sales or purchases of fractional Shares.
(c) Payment.
Payment
of the purchase price for, and delivery of, the Initial Shares shall be made
at
the office of Sidley Austin LLP,
000
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, or at such other place as shall be
agreed upon by the Underwriters and the Company, at 10:00 A.M. (Eastern
time) on the third (fourth, if the pricing occurs after 4:30 P.M. (Eastern
time)
on any given day) business day following the date of this Agreement, or such
other time as shall be agreed upon by the Representative and the Company (such
time and date of payment and delivery being herein called “Closing Time”). In
addition, in the event that the over-allotment option described in (b) above
is
exercised by the Underwriters, payment of the purchase price for and delivery
of
the Option Shares shall be made at the above-mentioned offices of Sidley Austin
LLP,
or at
such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representative and the Company
on each Date of Delivery as specified in the notice from the Representative
to
the Company. Payment shall be made to the Company by wire transfer of
immediately available funds to a bank account designated by the Company, against
delivery to the Underwriters of certificates for the Shares to be purchased
by
them.
16
(d) Registration.
The
certificates for, or other evidence of, the Initial Shares and the Option
Shares, if any, shall be in such denominations and registered in such names
as
the Representative shall request not later than two business
days prior to the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case
may
be. The certificates for, or other evidence of, the Initial Shares and the
Option Shares, if any, shall be made available for inspection not later than
10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) on the business day prior to the Closing Time or
the
relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be, at the office of The Depository
Trust Company or its designated custodian.
SECTION
3. Covenants.
(a) Covenants
of the Company.
The
Company covenants and agrees with each Underwriter as follows:
(i) The
Company will comply with the requirements of Rule 430B. The Company will
promptly transmit copies of the Prospectus, properly completed, and any
supplement thereto to the Commission for filing pursuant to the applicable
paragraph of Rule 424(b) within the time period prescribed therein (without
reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)), and will take such steps as it deems necessary
to
ascertain promptly whether the Prospectus transmitted for filing under Rule
424(b) was received for filing by the Commission and, in the event that it
was
not, it will promptly file such Prospectus. The Company will furnish to the
Underwriters as many copies of the Prospectus as the Underwriters shall
reasonably request. The Company shall pay the required Commission filing fees
relating to the Shares within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1)(i) of the
1933
Act Regulations and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) of
the
1933 Act Regulations.
(ii) The
Company will notify the Underwriters immediately, and if written notice is
requested by the Underwriters, confirm such notice in writing as soon as
reasonably practicable, of (i) the effectiveness of any amendment to the
Registration Statement, (ii) the transmittal to the Commission for filing of
any
supplement or amendment to the Prospectus or any document to be filed pursuant
to the 1934 Act, (iii) the receipt of any comments from the Commission, (iv)
any
request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or
any
amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or for additional information, and
(v)
the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness
of
the Registration Statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that
purpose; and the Company will make every reasonable effort to prevent the
issuance of any stop order and, if any stop order is issued, to obtain the
lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment.
17
(iii) The
Company has given the Underwriters notice of any filings made pursuant to the
1934 Act or 1934 Act Regulations that were made within 48 hours prior to the
Applicable Time; the Company will give the Underwriters notice of its intention
to make any such filing from the Applicable Time to the Closing Time and will
furnish the Underwriters with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount
of time prior to such proposed filing and will not file or use any such document
to which the Underwriters or counsel for the Underwriters shall reasonably
object. At any time when the Prospectus is required to be delivered (or but
for
the exemption in Rule 172 under the 1933 Act would be required to be delivered)
under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act in connection with sales of the Shares,
the
Company will give the Underwriters notice of its intention to file or prepare
any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment, supplement or
any
revision to either any preliminary prospectus (including any prospectus included
in the Registration Statement at the time the Original Registration Statement
was filed or any amendment thereto at the time it became effective) or the
Prospectus, whether pursuant to the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act or otherwise, and
the
Company will furnish the Underwriters with copies of any such amendment or
supplement or other documents proposed to be filed or used a reasonable amount
of time prior to such proposed filing or use, as the case may be, and will
not
file any such amendment or supplement or other documents in a form to which
the
Underwriters or counsel for the Underwriters shall reasonably object. If
requested by the Underwriters, the Company will prepare a final term sheet
(the
“Final Term Sheet”) reflecting the final terms of the Shares and shall file with
the Commission such Final Term Sheet as an “issuer free writing prospectus”
pursuant to Rule 433 prior to the close of business within two business days
after the date hereof; provided that the Company shall furnish the Underwriters
with copies of such Final Term Sheet a reasonable amount of time prior to such
proposed filing and will not use or file any such document to which the
Underwriters or counsel to the Underwriters shall reasonably
object.
(iv) The
Company has furnished or will deliver to each Underwriter as many signed and
conformed copies of the Original Registration Statement and of each amendment
thereto, if any, filed prior to the termination of the initial offering of
the
Shares (including exhibits filed therewith or incorporated by reference therein
and documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein)
as
such Underwriter reasonably requests.
(v) The
Company has furnished to each Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of
each preliminary prospectus as such Underwriter reasonably requested, and the
Company has furnished to each Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of
each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, if any, as such Underwriter reasonably
requested, and the Company hereby consents to the use of such copies of each
preliminary prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, if any, by
the
Underwriters for purposes permitted by the 1933 Act. The Company will furnish
to
each Underwriter, from time to time during the period when the Prospectus is
required to be delivered (or but for the exemption in Rule 172 under the 1933
Act would be required to be delivered) under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act in
connection with sales of the Shares, such number of copies of the Prospectus
(as
amended or supplemented) as such Underwriter may reasonably request for the
purposes contemplated by the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations, the 1934 Act
or
the 1934 Act Regulations.
18
(vi) If
at any
time when the Prospectus is required to be delivered (or but for the exemption
in Rule 172 under the 1933 Act would be required to be delivered) under the
1933
Act or the 1934 Act in connection with sales of the Shares any event shall
occur
or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of
counsel for the Underwriters or counsel for the Company, to amend or supplement
the Prospectus in order that the Prospectus will not include an untrue statement
of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to
make
the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances existing
at the time it is delivered to a purchaser, or if it shall be necessary, in
the
opinion of either such counsel, at any such time to amend or supplement the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus in order to comply with the
requirements of the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, then the Company
will
promptly prepare and, subject to Section 3(a)(iii), file with the Commission
such amendment or supplement, whether by filing documents pursuant to the 1933
Act, the 1934 Act or otherwise, as may be necessary to correct such untrue
statement or omission or to make the Registration Statement and Prospectus
comply with such requirements, and the Company will furnish to the Underwriters
a reasonable number of copies of such amendment or supplement. If at any time
after the date hereof, an event or development occurs as a result of which
the
General Disclosure Package contains an untrue statement of a material fact
or
omits to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements
therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is used,
not
misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Underwriters and will promptly
amend or supplement in a manner reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters,
at
its own expense, the General Disclosure Package to eliminate or correct such
untrue statement or omission. If at any time following the issuance of an Issuer
Free Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development as
a
result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict
with the information contained in the Registration Statement (or any other
registration statement relating to the Shares) or the Statutory Prospectus
or
any preliminary prospectus or included or would include an untrue statement
of a
material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in
order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances
prevailing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly
notify the Underwriters and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own
expense, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such
conflict, untrue statement or omission. The Underwriters’ delivery of any such
amendment or supplement shall not constitute a waiver of any of the conditions
in Section 5 hereof.
(vii) The
Company will endeavor, in cooperation with the Underwriters, to qualify the
Shares, if applicable, for offering and sale under the applicable securities
laws and real estate syndication laws of such states and other jurisdictions
of
the United States as the Underwriters may designate. In each jurisdiction in
which the Shares have been so qualified, the Company will file such statements
and reports as may be required by the laws of such jurisdiction to continue
such
qualification in effect for so long as may be required for the distribution
of
the Shares; provided,
however,
that
the Company shall not be obligated to (A) qualify as a foreign entity in any
jurisdiction where it is not so qualified, (B) file any general consent to
service of process, or (C) take any action that would subject it to income
taxation in any such jurisdiction.
19
(viii) With
respect to each sale of the Shares, the Company will make generally available
to
its security holders as soon as practicable, but not later than 90 days after
the close of the period covered thereby, an earnings statement (in form
complying with the provisions of Rule 158 of the 1933 Act Regulations) covering
a twelve month period beginning not later than the first day of the Company’s
fiscal quarter next following the “effective date” (as defined in such Rule 158)
of the Registration Statement.
(ix) The
Company, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered
(or
but for the exemption in Rule 172 under the 1933 Act would be required to be
delivered) under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act in connection with sales of the
Shares, will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission
pursuant to Section 13, 14 or 15 of the 1934 Act within the time period
prescribed by the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations.
(x) The
Company represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior written consent
of the Underwriters, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, and each
Underwriter agrees that, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the
Company and the other Underwriters, such consent not to be unreasonably
withheld, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Shares
that would constitute an “issuer free writing prospectus”, as defined in Rule
433, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” as defined
in Rule 405, in each case required to be filed with the Commission; provided,
however, that prior to the preparation of the Prospectus or, if applicable,
the
Final Term Sheet in accordance with Section 3(a)(i) or 3(a)(iii), as the case
may be, the Underwriters are authorized to use the information with respect
to
the final terms of the Shares in communications orally conveying information
relating to the offering to investors. Any such free writing prospectus
consented to by the Company and the Underwriters is hereinafter referred to
as a
“Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” The Company represents that it has treated
or agrees that it will treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an
“issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, and has complied and
will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 applicable to any Permitted Free
Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission where required,
legending and record keeping.
(xi) The
Company will use its best efforts to list the Shares on the New York Stock
Exchange.
(xii) The
Company will apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Shares as set forth
under “Use of Proceeds” in the Prospectus.
(xiii) The
Company will use its best efforts to meet the requirements to qualify as a
“real
estate investment trust” under the Code for each of its taxable years for so
long as the Board of Directors of the Company deems it in the best interests
of
the Company’s shareholders to remain so qualified.
20
(b) Covenant
of the Manager.
The
Manager covenants and agrees with each Underwriter and with the Company that,
during any time when the Prospectus is required to be delivered (or but for
the
exemption in Rule 172 under the 1933 Act would be required to be delivered)
under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act in connection with sales of Shares, it shall
notify the Underwriters and the Company of the occurrence of any material events
respecting its activities, affairs or condition, financial or otherwise, if,
but
only if, as a result of any such event it is necessary, in the opinion of
counsel for the Underwriters or counsel for the Company, to (i) amend or
supplement the Prospectus in order to make the Prospectus not misleading in
the
light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a purchaser
(unless the exemption in Rule 172 under the 1933 Act applies), (ii) amend or
supplement the Registration Statement or the Prospectus in order to comply
with
the requirements of the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, (iii) amend or
supplement the General Disclosure Package in order to make the General
Disclosure Package not misleading in the light of the circumstances existing
at
the time it is used or (iv) amend or supplement an Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus to eliminate or correct a conflict with the information contained
in
the Registration Statement or the Statutory Prospectus or any preliminary
prospectus or to make the Issuer Free Writing Prospectus not misleading in
the
light of the circumstances prevailing at the time it is used, the Manager will
forthwith supply such information to the Company as shall be necessary for
the
Company to prepare an amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement,
the
Prospectus, the General Disclosure Package or the Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus, as the case may be, and then the Company will promptly prepare
and,
subject to Section 3(a)(iii), file with the Commission such amendment or
supplement, whether by filing documents pursuant to the 1933 Act, the 1934
Act
or otherwise, as may be necessary to correct such untrue statement or omission
or conflict or to make the Registration Statement and Prospectus comply with
such requirements, as the case may be, and the Company will furnish to the
Underwriters a reasonable number of copies of such amendment or
supplement.
SECTION
4. Payment
of Expenses.
(a) Expenses.
Whether
or not the transactions contemplated in this Agreement are consummated or this
Agreement is terminated, the Company will pay all expenses incident to the
performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including (i) the filing
of
the Original Registration Statement and of each amendment thereto, (ii) the
reproduction and filing of this Agreement, (iii) the preparation, issuance
and
delivery of the Shares to the Underwriters, (iv) the fees and disbursements
of
the Company’s counsel and accountants, (v) the qualification of the Shares under
securities laws and real estate syndication laws in accordance with the
provisions of Section 3(a)(vii), including filing fees and the fees and
disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection therewith and in
connection with the preparation of any Blue Sky Survey (if applicable), (vi)
the
reproduction and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of any Blue Sky Survey
(if applicable), (vii) the delivery to the Underwriters of copies of the
Original Registration Statement and of each amendment thereto, each preliminary
prospectus, the Prospectus, any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus and any
amendments or supplements thereto, (viii) any fees charged by nationally
recognized statistical rating organizations for the rating of the Shares, (ix)
the fees and expenses incurred with respect to the listing of the Shares on
the
New York Stock Exchange, (x) the fees and expenses, if any, incurred with
respect to any filing with the National Association of Securities Dealers,
Inc.
(the “NASD”) (if applicable) and (xi) all travel expenses of the Company’s
officers and employees and any other expense of the Company incurred in
connection with attending or hosting meetings with prospective purchasers of
the
Shares (other than as shall have been specifically approved by the Underwriters
to be paid for by the Underwriters). The Company also will pay or cause to
be
paid: (i) the cost of preparing stock certificates; (ii) the cost and charges
of
any transfer agent or registrar; and (iii) all other costs and expenses incident
to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise
specifically provided for in this Section 4. It is understood, however, that
except as provided in this Section 4 and Section 6 hereof, the Underwriters
will
pay all of their own costs and expenses, including the fees of their counsel,
stock transfer taxes on resale of any of the Shares by them, and any advertising
expenses connected with any offers they may make.
21
(b) Termination
of Agreement.
If this
Agreement is terminated by the Underwriters in accordance with the provisions
of
Section 5, Section 8(a)(i), the first clause of Section 8(a)(iii) or Section
8(a)(vi) hereof, the Company shall reimburse the Underwriters for all of their
out-of-pocket expenses, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of
counsel for the Underwriters, incurred in connection herewith.
SECTION
5. Conditions
of Underwriters’ Obligations.
The
several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase the Shares pursuant to
the
terms hereof are subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties
of the Company and the Manager herein contained as of the date hereof, the
Applicable Time and as of the Closing Time, to the absence from any
certificates, opinions, written statements or letters furnished to the
Underwriters or to Sidley Austin LLP
(“Underwriters’ Counsel”) pursuant to this Section 5 of any misstatement or
omission to the performance by the Company and the Manager of their respective
obligations hereunder, and to each of the following additional terms and
conditions:
(a) At
the
Closing Time, (i) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement shall have been issued under the 1933 Act or proceedings therefor
initiated or threatened by the Commission, (ii) each preliminary prospectus
and
the Prospectus containing the Rule 430B Information shall have been filed with
the Commission in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b)
without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8) (or a post-effective amendment providing
such
information shall have been filed and become effective in accordance with the
requirements of Rule 430B), (iii) any material required to be filed by the
Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) of the 1933 Act Regulations shall have been
filed with the Commission within the applicable time periods prescribed for
such
filings under Rule 433, (iv) the rating assigned by any nationally recognized
statistical rating organization to any preferred stock of the Company, including
the Shares, as of the date hereof shall not have been lowered or withdrawn
since
the date hereof nor shall any such rating organization have publicly announced
that it has placed any such preferred stock of the Company on what is commonly
termed a “watch list” for possible downgrading, (v) there shall not have come to
any Underwriter’s attention any facts that would cause such Underwriter to
believe that (A) the General Disclosure Package, at the Applicable Time, or
(B)
the Prospectus, at the time it was required to be delivered (or but for the
exemption in Rule 172 under the 1933 Act would be required to be delivered)
to
purchasers of the Shares, included an untrue statement of a material fact or
omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements
therein, in light of the circumstances existing at such time, not misleading
and
(vi) the Shares shall be approved for listing on or before the 30th day after
the Closing Time in accordance with Section 3(a)(xi).
(b) At
the
Closing Time the Underwriters shall have received the written opinion of
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Xxxxxxx & Xxxx LLP, counsel for the Company and the
Manager, dated the Closing Time and based upon certificates containing certain
factual representations and covenants of the Company, addressed to the
Underwriters substantially in the form attached hereto as Annex I.
22
(c) At
the
Closing Time the Underwriters shall have received the written opinion of DLA
Piper US LLP, special Maryland counsel to the Company, dated the Closing Time,
addressed to the Underwriters substantially in the form attached hereto as
Annex
II.
(d) All
proceedings taken in connection with the sale of the Shares as contemplated
by
this Agreement shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the Underwriters
and to Underwriters’ Counsel, and the Underwriters shall have received from
Underwriters’ Counsel a favorable opinion, dated as of the Closing Time, with
respect to the issuance and sale of the Shares, the Registration Statement,
the
General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and such other related matters
as
the Underwriters may reasonably require, and the Company shall have furnished
to
Underwriters’ Counsel such documents as they request for the purpose of enabling
them to pass upon such matters. In rendering such opinion, Underwriters’ Counsel
may rely upon the opinion of DLA Piper US LLP as to matters of Maryland law.
(e) At
the
Closing Time the Underwriters shall have received a certificate of the Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, dated the Closing
Time to the effect that (i) the condition set forth in subsection (a) of this
Section 5 has been satisfied, (ii) as of the date hereof and as of the Closing
Time, the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Section
1(a) hereof are accurate, (iii) as of the Closing Time, the obligations of
the
Company to be performed hereunder on or prior thereto have been duly performed
and (iv) subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given
in
the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus
(excluding any documents incorporated by reference pursuant to the 1934 Act
after the execution of this Agreement), the Company and its subsidiaries have
not sustained any material loss or interference with their respective businesses
or properties from fire, flood, hurricane, accident or other calamity, whether
or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or any legal or
governmental proceeding, and there has not been any material adverse change,
or
any development involving a material adverse change, in the business,
properties, operations, condition (financial or otherwise), or results of
operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, except in
each
case as described in or contemplated by the Registration Statement, the General
Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(f) At
the
Closing Time the Underwriters shall have received a certificate of the Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Manager, dated the Closing
Time to the effect that (i) as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Time,
the representations and warranties of the Manager set forth in Section 1(b)
hereof are accurate, (ii) as of the Closing Time, the obligations of the Manager
to be performed hereunder on or prior thereto have been duly performed and
(iii)
subsequent to the date of the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure
Package and the Prospectus (excluding any documents incorporated by reference
pursuant to the 1934 Act after the execution of this Agreement), there has
not
been any material adverse change in the business, properties, operations,
condition (financial or otherwise), or results of operations of the Manager
and
its subsidiaries taken as a whole that could reasonably be expected in the
aggregate to have a Material Adverse Effect.
23
(g) At
the
time that this Agreement is executed and at the Closing Time, the Underwriters
shall have received a comfort letter from Ernst & Young LLP, independent
registered public accountants for the Company, dated, respectively, as of the
date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Time, addressed to the Underwriters
and in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters and Underwriters’
Counsel.
(h) The
Company shall have complied with the provisions of Section 3(a)(v) hereof with
respect to the furnishing of prospectuses.
(i) The
Company shall have furnished the Underwriters and Underwriters’ Counsel with
such other certificates, opinions or other documents as they may have reasonably
requested.
(j) Date
of Delivery Documentation.
In the
event the Underwriters exercise the over-allotment option described in Section
2(b) hereof to purchase all or any portion of the Option Shares, the
representations and warranties of the Company and the Manager contained herein
and the statements in any certificates furnished by the Company or the Manager
hereunder shall be true and correct as of each Date of Delivery (except those
which speak as of a certain date, in which case as of such date), and, at the
relevant Date of Delivery, the Underwriters shall have received:
(i) A
certificate, dated such Date of Delivery, of the Chief Executive Officer and
Chief Financial Officer of the Company, confirming that the certificate
delivered at Closing Time pursuant to Section 5(e) hereof remains true and
correct as of such Date of Delivery.
(ii) A
certificate, dated such Date of Delivery, of the Chief Executive Officer and
Chief Financial Officer of the Manager, confirming that the certificate
delivered at Closing Time pursuant to Section 5(f) hereof remains true and
correct as of such Date of Delivery.
(iii) The
favorable opinion of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Xxxxxxx & Xxxx LLP,
counsel
for the Company and the Manager, in form and substance satisfactory to
Underwriters’ Counsel, dated such Date of Delivery, relating to the Option
Shares and otherwise substantially to the same effect as the opinion required
by
Section 5(b) hereof.
(iv) The
favorable opinion of DLA Piper US LLP, special Maryland counsel to the Company,
in form and substance satisfactory to Underwriters’ Counsel, dated such Date of
Delivery, relating to the Option Shares and otherwise substantially to the
same
effect as the opinion required by Section 5(c) hereof.
(v) The
favorable opinion of Underwriters’ Counsel, dated such Date of Delivery,
relating to the Option Shares and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion
required by Section 5(d) hereof.
(vi) A
letter
from Ernst & Young LLP,
independent public accountants for the Company, in form and substance
satisfactory to the Underwriters and dated such Date of Delivery, substantially
the same in scope and substance as the letter furnished to the Underwriters
pursuant to Section 5(g) hereof.
24
(k) Termination
of this Agreement.
If any
condition specified in this Section 5 shall not have been fulfilled when and
as
required to be fulfilled, this Agreement may be terminated by the Underwriters
by notice to the Company at any time at or prior to the Closing Time, which
notice shall be confirmed in writing by the Underwriters as soon as reasonably
practicable if so requested by the Company, and such termination shall be
without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section
4 and except that Sections 1, 6, 7 and 10 shall survive any such termination
and
remain in full force and effect pursuant to Section 10.
SECTION
6. Indemnification.
(a) Indemnification
of Underwriters.
The
Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates,
as such term is defined in Rule 501(b) under the 1933 Act (each, an
“Affiliate”), its selling agents and each person, if any, who controls any
Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20
of
the 1934 Act as follows:
(i) against
any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred,
arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material
fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto),
including the Rule 430B Information, or the omission or alleged omission
therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
make
the statements therein not misleading or arising out of any untrue statement
or
alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in the General Disclosure
Package, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged
omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements
therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading;
(ii) against
any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred,
to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation,
or
any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced
or
threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement
or
omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission; provided that
(subject to Section 6(d) below) any such settlement is effected with the written
consent of the Company;
(iii) against
any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the fees and
disbursements of counsel chosen by the Representative), reasonably incurred
in
investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any
investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or
threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or
omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission, to the extent that
any such expense is not paid under (i) or (ii) above;
25
provided,
however,
that
this indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage
or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or
alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity
with written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of any
Underwriter through the Representative expressly for use in the Registration
Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430B Information,
or in
the General Disclosure Package, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus
or
any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto).
(b) Indemnification
of Company, Directors and Officers.
Each
Underwriter severally agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its
directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement, and
each
person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of
the
1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act against any and all loss, liability,
claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in subsection
(a)
of this Section 6, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements
or
omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration
Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430B Information,
or in
the General Disclosure Package, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus
or
any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto)
in
reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the
Company by such Underwriter through the Representative expressly for use in
the
Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430B
Information, or in the General Disclosure Package, such preliminary prospectus,
the Prospectus or such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (or any amendment or
supplement thereto).
(c) Actions
against Parties; Notification.
Each
indemnified party shall give notice as promptly as reasonably practicable to
each indemnifying party of any action commenced against it in respect of which
indemnity may be sought hereunder, but failure to so notify an indemnifying
party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability hereunder
to
the extent it is not materially prejudiced as a result thereof and in any event
shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have otherwise than on
account of this indemnity agreement. In the case of parties indemnified pursuant
to Section 6(a) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected
by
the Representative, and, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section
6(b) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Company.
An indemnifying party may participate at its own expense in the defense of
any
such action; provided,
however,
that
counsel to the indemnifying party shall not (except with the consent of the
indemnified party) also be counsel to the indemnified party. In no event shall
the indemnifying parties be liable for fees and expenses of more than one
counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from their own counsel
for
all indemnified parties in connection with any one action or separate but
similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same
general allegations or circumstances. No indemnifying party shall, without
the
prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or
consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any litigation, or any
investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or
threatened, or any claim whatsoever in respect of which indemnification or
contribution could be sought under this Section 6 or Section 7 hereof (whether
or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties thereto), unless
such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release
of
each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such litigation,
investigation, proceeding or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as
to
or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of
any
indemnified party.
26
(d) Settlement
without Consent if Failure to Reimburse.
If at
any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to
reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel, such
indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the
nature contemplated by Section 6(a)(ii) effected without its written consent
if
(i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such
indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall
have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior
to
such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall
not
have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior
to
the date of such settlement.
SECTION
7. Contribution.
If the
indemnification provided for in Section 6 hereof is for any reason unavailable
to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any
losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses referred to therein, then
each
indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount of such losses,
liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by such indemnified party,
as
incurred, (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 Shares pursuant to this Agreement or (ii)
if
the allocation provided by clause (i) 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 of the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the
statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, liabilities, claims,
damages or expenses, 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 in connection with the offering of the Shares pursuant to
this
Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total
net proceeds from the offering of the Shares (before deducting expenses)
received by the Company and the total underwriting discount received by the
Underwriters, in each case as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus bear
to
the aggregate initial public offering price of the Shares as set forth on the
cover of the Prospectus.
The
relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other
hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such
untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged
omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company
or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to
information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or
omission.
The
Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable
if
contribution pursuant to this Section 7 were determined by pro rata allocation
(even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by
any
other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable
considerations referred to above in this Section 7. The aggregate amount of
losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by an indemnified
party and referred to above in this Section 7 shall be deemed to include any
legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in
investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any
investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or
threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue or alleged untrue
statement or omission or alleged omission.
27
Notwithstanding
the provisions of this Section 7, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute
any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Shares
pursuant to this Agreement underwritten by it and distributed to the public
were
offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter
has otherwise been required to pay by reason of any 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 0000 Xxx) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not
guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
For
purposes of this Section 7, each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter
within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934
Act
and each Underwriter’s Affiliates and selling agents shall have the same rights
to contribution as such Underwriter, and each director of the Company, each
officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person,
if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933
Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution
as
the Company. The Underwriters’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to
this Section 7 are several in proportion to the number of Initial Shares set
forth opposite their respective names in Schedule A hereto.
SECTION
8. Termination.
(a) Termination;
General.
The
Underwriters may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the Company, at any
time
at or prior to the Closing Time (i) if there has been, since the time of
execution of this Agreement or since the respective dates as of which
information is given in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus
(excluding any documents incorporated therein by reference pursuant to the
1934
Act after the execution of this Agreement), any material adverse change in
the
condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or
business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one
enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, or (ii)
if there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets
in
the United States or the international financial markets, any outbreak of
hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change
or
development involving a prospective change in national or international
political, financial or economic conditions, in each case the effect of which
is
such as to make it, in the judgment of the Underwriters, impracticable or
inadvisable to market the Shares or to enforce contracts for the sale of the
Shares, or (iii) if trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended
or materially limited by the Commission or the New York Stock Exchange, or
if
trading generally on the New York Stock Exchange has been suspended or
materially limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed,
or
maximum ranges for prices have been required, by said exchange or by such system
or by order of the Commission, the NASD or any other governmental authority
having jurisdiction, or (iv) if a material disruption has occurred in commercial
banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States,
or
(v) if a banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal or New York
authorities, or (vi) if the rating assigned by any nationally recognized
statistical rating organization to any preferred stock of the Company, including
the Shares, as the case may be, as of the date of this Agreement shall have
been
lowered or withdrawn since such date or if any such rating organization shall
have publicly announced that it has placed any such preferred stock of the
Company on what is commonly termed a “watch list” for possible
downgrading.
28
(b) Liabilities.
If this
Agreement is terminated pursuant to this Section 8, such termination shall
be
without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section
4 hereof, and provided further that Sections 1, 6, 7 and 10 shall survive such
termination and remain in full force and effect.
SECTION
9. Default
by One or More of the Underwriters.
(a) If
any
Underwriter or Underwriters shall default in its or their obligation to purchase
the Shares pursuant to this Agreement, and if the Shares with respect to which
such default relates do not (after giving effect to arrangements, if any, made
by the Representative pursuant to subsection (b) below) exceed in the aggregate
10% of the number of the Shares, the Shares to which the default relates shall
be purchased by the non-defaulting Underwriters in proportion to the respective
proportions which the numbers of the Shares set forth opposite their respective
names in Schedule A hereto bear to the aggregate number of Shares set forth
opposite the names of the non-defaulting Underwriters.
(b) In
the
event that such default relates to more than 10% of the Shares, the
Representative may in its discretion arrange for itself or for another party
or
parties (including any non-defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters who so agree)
to purchase such Shares, to which such default relates on the terms contained
herein. In the event that within five calendar days after such a default the
Representative does not arrange for the purchase of the Shares to which such
default relates as provided in this Section 9, this Agreement or, in the case
of
a default with respect to Option Shares, the obligations of the Underwriters
to
purchase and of the Company to sell the Option Shares shall thereupon terminate,
without liability on the part of the Company with respect thereto (except in
each case as provided in Sections 4, 6(a) and 7 hereof) or the Underwriters,
but
nothing in this Agreement shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters
of its or their liability, if any, to the other Underwriters and the Company
for
damages occasioned by its or their default hereunder.
(c) In
the
event that the Shares to which the default relates are to be purchased by the
non-defaulting Underwriters, or are to be purchased by another party or parties
as aforesaid, the Representative or the Company shall have the right to postpone
the Closing Time, as the case may be, for a period, not exceeding five business
days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in
the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus or in any other documents and
arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendment or
supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which, in the opinion
of Underwriters’ Counsel, may thereby be made necessary or advisable. The term
“Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall include any party substituted
under this Section 9 with like effect as if it had originally been a party
to
this Agreement.
29
SECTION
10. Survival
of Representations and Agreements.
All
representations and warranties, covenants and agreements of the Underwriters,
the Company and the Manager contained in this Agreement, including the
agreements contained in Section 4, the indemnity agreements contained in Section
6 and the contribution agreements contained in Section 7, shall remain operative
and in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on
behalf of any Underwriter or any controlling person thereof or by or on behalf
of the Company or the Manager, any of their respective officers, directors,
partners or members or any controlling person thereof, and shall survive
delivery of and payment for the Shares to and by the Underwriters. The
representations contained in Section 1 and the agreements contained in this
Section 10 and Sections 4, 6 and 7 hereof shall survive the termination of
this
Agreement, including termination pursuant to Section 5 or 9 hereof.
SECTION
11. Notices.
All
notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be
deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted by any standard form
of
telecommunication. Notices to the Underwriters shall be directed to Bear,
Xxxxxxx & Co. Inc. at 000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000, with a copy to
Sidley Austin LLP,
000
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, Attention: J. Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx; notices
to the Company or the Manager shall be directed as follows: c/o Fortress
Investment Group, 0000 Xxxxxx xx xxx Xxxxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000,
Attention: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx, Secretary, with a copy to Skadden, Arps, Slate,
Xxxxxxx & Xxxx LLP, 0 Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000-0000,
Attention: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxxx;
provided,
however,
that
any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 6 shall be delivered or sent
by
mail or facsimile transmission to such Underwriter at its address set forth
in
its acceptance facsimile to you, which address will be supplied to any other
party hereto by you upon request. Any such statements, requests, notices or
agreements shall take effect at the time of receipt thereof.
SECTION
12. Parties.
This
Agreement shall inure solely to the benefit of and shall be binding upon the
Underwriters, the Company and the Manager and the controlling persons,
directors, officers, employees and agents referred to in Sections 6 and 7,
and
their respective successors and assigns, and no other person shall have or
be
construed to have any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in
respect of or by virtue of this Agreement or any provision herein contained.
The
term “successors and assigns” shall not include a purchaser, in its capacity as
such, of Shares from any of the Underwriters.
SECTION
13. GOVERNING
LAW AND TIME.
THIS
AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF
THE
STATE OF NEW YORK, BUT WITHOUT REGARD TO PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAW.
SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME.
SECTION
14. Counterparts.
This
Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall
be
deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute
one and the same instrument.
SECTION
15. Effect
of Headings.
The
Article and Section headings herein are for convenience only and shall not
affect the construction hereof.
SECTION
16. Time
is of the Essence.
Time
shall be of the essence of this Agreement. As used herein, the term “business
day” shall mean any day when the Commission’s office in Washington, D.C. is open
for business.
30
If
the
foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please
sign
and return to the Company and the Manager a counterpart hereof, whereupon this
Agreement, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement among
the Underwriters, the Company and the Manager in accordance with its
terms.
Very truly yours, | ||
NEWCASTLE INVESTMENT CORP. | ||
|
|
|
By: | /s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxx | |
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxx |
||
Title: Chief Financial Officer |
FIG
LLC,
solely
with respect to Sections 1(b), 3(b), 5(f) and
5(j)(ii),
10 and 12
|
||
|
|
|
By: | /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx | |
Name: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx |
||
Title: Chief Operating Officer |
The
foregoing Agreement is hereby,
confirmed
and accepted as of the date first above written.
BEAR,
XXXXXXX & CO. INC.
XXXXXX,
XXXXXXXX & COMPANY, INCORPORATED
By: Bear,
Xxxxxxx & Co. Inc.
By: | /s/ Xxxxx Xxxxxx | |||
Name: Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Title: Co-Head,
Investment Banking
|
||||
For itself and as Representative of the several
Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto.
|
31