INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) entered into as of January ___, 2010 (the
“Effective
Date”), by and between STILLWATER CAPITAL PARTNERS,
INC., a corporation organized under the laws of the State of New York
(the “Investment
Manager”), having a place of business at 00 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, 00xx Xxxxx,
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000; GEROVA FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
(formerly, Asia Special
Situation Acquisition Corp.), a Cayman Islands company (the “Company”) having its
registered office at c/o M&C Corporate Services Limited, P.O. Box 309GT,
Xxxxxx House, South Church Street, Xxxxxx Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands;
and the other parties signatory hereto (collectively, with the Investment
Manager and the Company, the “Parties.”
WHEREAS, Stillwater Asset Backed Holdings LP
(formerly, Stillwater
Asset Backed Fund, LP),
an indirect subsidiary of the Company, and a party signatory
hereto, is the surviving entity in a merger transaction, and owns all of the
assets subject to all of the liabilities (which shall also include participating
interests owned by individual investors) of Stillwater Asset Backed Fund,
LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Stillwater AB Fund Delaware
I.”); and Stillwater
Asset Backed Fund II, LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Stillwater AB Fund Delaware
II” and together with Stillwater AB Fund Delaware I, the “Stillwater Delaware Lending
Funds”); and
WHEREAS, Stillwater Asset Backed Holdings,
Ltd., one of the indirect subsidiaries of the Company and who is party
signatory hereto, has purchased certain assets from, among other parties, Stillwater Asset Backed Offshore
Fund, Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company (“Stillwater ABOF
Cayman”); Stillwater
Asset Backed Fund SPV, a Cayman Islands exempted company (“Stillwater ABF SPV”);
Stillwater Asset Backed Fund II
Onshore SPV, a Cayman Islands exempted company (“Stillwater ABF II SPV
and together with Stillwater ABOF Cayman and Stillwater ABF SPV, the “Stillwater Cayman Lending
Funds”);
WHEREAS, Stillwater MN Holdings LP
(formerly, Stillwater Market Neutral Fund, LP), an indirect subsidiary
of the Company, and a
party signatory hereto, is the surviving entity in a merger transaction, and
owns all of the assets subject to all of the liabilities of Stillwater Market Neutral Fund
LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Stillwater MNF I -
Delaware”); and Stillwater Market Neutral Fund II LP
, a Delaware limited partnership (“Stillwater MNF
II-Delaware”) and Stillwater Matrix Fund LP, a
Delaware limited partnership (“Stillwater Maxtrix
Delaware”, and with Stillwater MNF I-Delaware and Stillwater MNFII -
Delaware, the “Stillwater Delaware Fund of
Funds”);
WHEREAS, Stillwater MN Holdings
Ltd., one of the indirect subsidiaries of the Company and who is party
signatory hereto, has purchased certain assets from Stillwater Market Neutral Fund
Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company (“Stillwater Cayman Fund of
Funds”);
WHEREAS, a subsidiary of the
Company has acquired, through a merger transaction, all of the assets subject to
all of the liabilities (which shall also include participating interests owned
by individual investors) of Stillwater Real Estate Partners,
LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Stillwater Real Estate
Partners”), and a party signatory hereto, and
WHEREAS, the Company has
acquired, through a merger transaction, all of the assets subject to all of the
liabilities of Stillwater WBP
Venture Partners I, LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Stillwater WPB I”), a
party signatory hereto, and Stillwater WPB Venture Partners II,
LP, a Delaware limited liability company (“Stillwater WPB II”
and together with Stillwater WPB I and Stillwater Real Estate Partners, LP,
collectively, the “Stillwater Delaware Real
Estate Funds”); and
WHEREAS, as a result of the
above-referenced asset purchases and mergers and pursuant to the terms and
conditions set forth in the various agreements and plans of merger and asset
purchase agreements with the Investment Manager and its Affiliates (the “Stillwater Purchase
Agreements”), the Company now has title and dominion over all of the
assets and properties (collectively, the “Stillwater Assets”)
owned or used by each of the Stillwater Cayman Lending Funds, Stillwater
Delaware Lending Funds, Stillwater Real Estate Funds, Stillwater Cayman Fund of
Funds and Stillwater Delaware Fund of Funds (collectively, the “Stillwater Funds”)
and all liabilities associated with such Stillwater Funds;
WHEREAS, the Investment
Manager wishes to manage and invest the Stillwater Assets under the direction
and supervision of the Board of Directors of the Company all in accordance with
the terms and conditions set forth herein; and
WHEREAS, the Investment
Manager and the Company desire to establish the duties and responsibilities of
the Investment Manager and the compensation to be paid to the Investment Manager
in connection with the management of the Stillwater Funds and Stillwater Assets
of the Company, all subject to and in accordance with the terms and conditions
contained herein.
NOW, THEREFORE, in
consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein and for
other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are
hereby acknowledged, the parties hereby agree as follows:
1. Definitions. Unless
otherwise expressly defined in this Agreement, when used herein, all capitalized
terms shall have the same meaning as such terms are defined in the Stillwater
Purchase Agreements.
2. Appointment;
Term and Termination.
(a)
Appointment. The
Company hereby retains the Investment Manager to provide investment management
services with respect to the Investment Account Assets (as that term is defined
in Section 3(a)
below), all in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions of this
Agreement. Subject at all times to the terms and conditions of this
Agreement, the Company appoints the Investment Manager as the agent and
attorney-in-fact to invest and reinvest the Investment Account Assets in
accordance with the terms hereof (the “Appointment”). The
Appointment of the Investment Manager is subject at all times to the provisions
of this Agreement, including the provisions of Section 2(c) and
Section 2(d) below.
(b)
Performance of
Duties. The Investment Manager hereby accepts such Appointment
and agrees to use its best efforts and all of the investment skills and
abilities of its shareholders, officers, directors and employees, throughout the
Term of this Agreement (as hereinafter defined) to provide such investment
management services to the Surviving Entities or Buyers of the Stillwater Funds,
all as provided for in this Agreement. The Investment Manager and its
stockholders, officers, directors, employees and agents shall discharge their
duties and exercise their powers hereunder solely in the interest of the Company
(except to the extent that any conflicts of interest are disclosed and consented
to by the Company) and with the care, skill, prudence and diligence that, under
the circumstances then prevailing, a prudent person acting in a like capacity
and familiar with such matter would use.
(c) Term. Subject
at all times to earlier termination as provided herein, the Appointment of the
Investment Manager under this Agreement shall be for a period that shall
commence on the Effective Date and shall terminate on March 31, 2013, unless
this Agreement is subject to automatic renewal and extension as provided in
Section 16, below. Such period, and any renewal thereof, is
hereinafter referred to as the “Term” of this
Agreement.
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(d)
Partial
Termination. In the event that at the end one of the three (3)
fiscal years ending December 31, 2010, December 31, 2011 or December 31, 2012,
the Net Asset Value of any one or more of the Surviving Entities or Buyers of
any one or more former Stillwater Fund or Stillwater Funds that were included as
Constituent Entities or Stillwater Parties in each of the Stillwater Purchase
Agreements (each the “Acquisition Agreement
Fund(s)”) and for which Merger Consideration or Consideration was paid by
the Company, shall be less than
sixty-two and one-half percent (62.5%) of the aggregate Appraised NAV (as
defined below) of such Acquisition Agreement Fund(s) that were merged with or
whose assets were acquired by the relevant Surviving Entity or Buyer as at the
end of the fiscal year immediately preceding the fiscal year in question, then
and in such event, the Company may, upon ninety (90) days prior written notice
to the Investment Manager terminate its Appointment as Investment Manager of the
Surviving Entity or Buyer of such former Acquisition Agreement Fund(s), and the
Investment Manager shall no longer be entitled to receive the fees contemplated
by Section 8 below with respect to any such Surviving Entity or Buyer. For the
avoidance of doubt, the Net Asset Value change for purposes of this Section 2(d)
shall be measured on a group by group basis based on the performance of the
relevant group of Stillwater Funds merged with or acquired by the relevant
Surviving Entity or Buyer, as the case may be, as described in the recitals
above.
(e) Termination. This
Agreement may be terminated by the Company (or modified as provided below) at
any time prior to the expiration of its Term for any of the reasons set forth
below.
(i) In
the event that:
(A) the
full-time employment of either Xxxx Xxxxxx or Xxxxxxx Xxxx with the Investment
Manager shall terminate for any reason, including such Person’s resignation,
death or disability (to be defined as the inability to provide continuous
services to the Investment Manager for six months or more), the Company shall
have the right (but not the obligation) to appoint another Person satisfactory
to the Company to serve on the board of directors of the Investment Manager and
to assume the duties of either Doueck or Xxxx, as applicable; or
(B) the
full-time employment of both Xxxx
Xxxxxx or Xxxxxxx Xxxx with the Investment Manager shall terminate (as set forth
in clause (A) above), the Company shall have the right (but not the obligation)
to immediately, and without further notice, terminate this Agreement in its
entirety.
(ii) In
the event that any of the Investment Manager or its Affiliates
shall:
(A) be
the subject of a consent decree or injunction by the Securities and Exchange
Commission that imposes sanctions on the Investment Manager, which in the
reasonable judgment of the Company could result in the Investment Manager’s
inability to perform its obligations under this Agreement on behalf of any of
the Included Entities; or
(B) breach
any material term or condition of this Agreement which breach shall not be cured
by the Investment Manager or its Affiliates within thirty (30) days following of
written notice of such breach by the Company (specifying therein the nature of
such breach), or
(C) commit
any act of omission or commission constituting gross negligence, willful
malfeasance or breach of its or their fiduciary duty of due care and loyalty to
the Included Entities, the Investment Account Assets or the
Company;
(D) be
convicted or indicted for any felony, or
(E) breach
any of the covenants set forth in Section 9(c) of this Agreement, then, upon the
occurrence of any of the foregoing events (a “For Cause Termination Event”), in
addition to any other remedy available to it or its Subsidiaries at law or in
equity, the Company may, upon ten (10) Business Days notice, terminate this
Agreement and the Appointment of the Investment Manger hereunder;
or
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(F) any
accrued and unpaid management fees or incentive fees payable to the
Investment Manager (collectively, the “Accrued Stillwater Fund
Fees”) by the Included Entities (as defined below) shall survive any full
or partial termination hereunder. The Accrued Stillwater Fund Fees as
of the Effective Date are set forth in Exhibit C annexed hereto.
3. Investment
Account Assets; Allocation of Net Proceeds.
(a) As
used in this Agreement, the term “Investment Account
Assets” shall mean and include
(i) the
Stillwater Assets held by the Surviving Entities or Buyers of the Acquisition
Agreement Funds as the same shall exist on the Effective Date, together with all
additions thereto or substitutions thereof as the result of the reinvestment of
any Net Proceeds thereof in accordance with Section 3(c)(iii) below, and less
any withdrawals of Stillwater Assets by any one or more of the Surviving
Entities or Buyers pursuant to Sections 3(c)(i) and 3(c)(ii) below;
and
(ii) any
other cash, assets or investments that the Company, in the exercise of its sole
and absolute discretion, may elect to place under the supervision of the
Investment Manager from time to time during the Term of this
Agreement.
The
Investment Account Assets shall include all assets owned or held by the Included
Entities (as defined below) (except any such entities within the scope of clause
(a)(ii) of this Section 3(a) which the Company has elected to have managed by
the Investment Manager (the “Optional
Funds”)). Such Included Entities (other than the Optional
Funds) shall not hold or own any other assets which are not managed by the
Investment Manager pursuant to the terms of this Agreement. No withdrawal of
Investment Account Assets by the Included Entities (other than the Optional
Funds) shall be permitted except pursuant to clauses (i) and (ii) of Section
3(c) below.
(b) As
used herein, the term “Net Proceeds” shall
mean:
(i) the
amount received in cash by any one or more Surviving Entity or Buyer of an
Acquisition Agreement Fund or other direct or indirect Subsidiary of the Company
holding cash or investments that the Company has elected, in the exercise of its
sole discretion, to place under the supervision of the Investment Manager
(collectively, with all of the Surviving Entities or Buyers of the Acquisition
Agreement Funds, the “Included Entities”)
from either (A) the sale or liquidation of investments or the repayment of loans
of, or in connection with the ownership of, any or all of such Investment
Account Assets, or (B) capital contributed to any one or more of such Included
Entities by or through the Company, as contemplated by Section 10 of this
Agreement, or otherwise:
less
(ii) all
costs, expenses, commissions and fees (including the Management Fee) payable to
the Investment Manager or any third party in connection with any one or more
sale or liquidation of such Investment Account Assets or the raising of capital
by the Company that is contributed to such Included Entities, as contemplated by
Section 10 of this Agreement or otherwise.
(c) All
Net Proceeds received or to be received by any one or more of the Included
Entities, shall be applied as follows:
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(i) the
first eight percent (8%) of such Net Proceeds shall be distributed to the
Company or to any one or more of its Subsidiaries, as directed by the Board of
Directors of the Company, to be used as the Board of Directors of the Company
shall determine in the exercise of its sole discretion;
(ii) the
next forty-eight percent (48%) of such Net Proceeds shall be distributed, as
follows:
(A) forty-one
and two-thirds percent (41-2/3%) of such 48% of Net Proceeds shall be allocated
and distributed to the Investment Manager until such time as all accrued and
unpaid Accrued Stillwater Fund Fees shall have been paid in full;
and
(B) fifty-eight
and one-third percent (58-1/3%) balance of such 48% of Net Proceeds shall be
allocated and distributed to the Company or any existing or newly created
Subsidiary of the Company to be used to purchase other assets, make acquisitions
of assets or businesses and for working capital, all as shall be determined by
the Board of Directors of the Company, in the exercise of its sole discretion;
and
(iii) subject
at all times to the provisions of Section 3(g) below, the remaining balance of
such Net Proceeds shall be reinvested as shall be determined by the Investment
Manager and subject to the Investment Guidelines and the reasonable approval of
the Investment Committee.
(d) For
the avoidance of doubt, if there are $10,000,000 of Net Proceeds available for
distribution:
(i) the
first $800,000 shall be distributed to the Company as per Section 3(c)(i)
above;
(ii) the
next $4,800,000 shall be distributed (i) $2,000,000 to the Investment Manager to
reduce Accrued Stillwater Funds Incentive Fees, (ii) $2,800,000 to the Company
to be used for the purposes set forth in clause (B) of Section 3(c)(ii)
above, and
(iii) the
balance shall be distributed in accordance with Section 3(c)(iii)
above.
(e) At
such time as all Accrued Stillwater Incentive Fees shall have been paid in full,
Net Proceeds shall be allocated and distributed, as follows:
(i) the
first eight percent (8%) of such Net Proceeds shall be distributed to the
Company or to any one or more of its Subsidiaries, as directed by the Board of
Directors of the Company, to be used as the Board of Directors of the Company
shall determine in the exercise of its sole discretion;
(ii) the
next twenty percent (20%) of such Net Proceeds shall be allocated and
distributed to the Company or any existing or newly created Subsidiary of the
Company to be used to purchase other assets, make acquisitions of assets or
business and for working capital, all as shall be determined by the Board of
Directors of the Company, in the exercise of its sole discretion;
and
(iii) subject
at all times to the provisions of Section 3(g) below, the remaining seventy-two
percent (72%) of such Net Proceeds shall be reinvested as shall be determined by
the Investment Manager and subject to the Investment Guidelines and the
reasonable approval of the Investment Committee.
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(f) In
the event and to the extent that the Investment Manager or Investment Committee
recommends that Net Proceeds should not be distributed as provided in this
Section 3, but rather should be deployed to maintain or secure the value of
existing
assets or investments of the Included Entities (as opposed to additional or
follow-on assets or investments), if and to the extent that,
notwithstanding such recommendation, the Company elects to take the distribution
of its allocable portion of such Net Proceeds, then and in such event, any
measurable losses incurred by the Included Entities resulting therefrom shall
not be included in either (i) reducing the Incentive Fee payable pursuant to
Section 8(b) of
this Agreement, or (ii) determining the Cumulative IRR referred to in Section 16 of this
Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing contained herein or
elsewhere in this Agreement shall preclude the Company from demanding and
receiving its proportionate share of all Net Proceeds available for distribution
from Included Entities.
(g) Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary, express or implied, contained in this Agreement,
without the prior written consent or approval of the Company (which approval or
consent may be given or withheld at the sole discretion of the Company), no Net
Proceeds shall be allocated to or invested by the Investment Manager in any one
or more Included Entities that own Investment Account Assets which invest in
hedge funds or were former Stillwater Cayman Fund of Funds or Stillwater
Delaware Fund of Funds. It is the express mutual intention of the Company and
the Investment Manager that all available Net Proceeds will be allocated to
Included Entities that make asset backed or secured loan investments of a nature
similar to the investment activities formerly conducted by the Stillwater
Delaware Lending Funds and the Stillwater Cayman Lending Funds, or other forms
of secured loans included in the Investment Guidelines set forth
below.
4. Investment
Guidelines and Objectives. The Investment
Manager shall cause the Included Entities and the Investment Account Assets to
be invested in accordance with the investment objectives of the Surviving
Entities or Buyers of the Stillwater Funds as described on Exhibit
A annexed hereto and made a part hereof (the “Investment
Guidelines”); provided,
that such Investment Guidelines may be modified, amended or restated in
accordance with and based upon the policies and guidelines that may be adopted
from time to time by the Investment Committee and the Board of Directors of the
Company.
5. Custody
of Assets.
(a) The
Investment Account Assets consisting of (i) loan participations and similar
instruments, (ii) interests in private investment funds and (iii) direct or
indirect real estate and related assets shall be held by the Investment Manager,
who shall serve as the custodian of such Investment Account Assets, in an
account determined by the Investment Manager and approved by the
Company. Other types of Investment Account Assets, at the discretion
of the Company, will be held by one or more custodians and/or sub-custodians
appointed by the Company (the “Custodian”), in one
or more accounts (the “Investment Account”).
Subject at all times to its right to terminate the Appointment of the Investment
Manager hereunder, in whole or in part, the Company shall cause the Custodian to
accept instructions from the Investment Manager to execute transactions for the
Investment Account and to provide the Investment Manager and a representative
designated by the Company with daily and monthly reports concerning the status
of the Investment Account and such other information relating to the Investment
Account or the Investment Account Assets as the Investment Manager or the
Company may from time to time request.
(b) The
Company shall pay its share of all fees and expenses of the Custodian relating
to the Investment Account Assets. All transactions will be
consummated by payment to or delivery by, the Custodian, of all cash or
securities due to or from the Investment Account. The Investment
Manager shall at no time have custody or physical control of any of the
Investment Account Assets. The Investment Manager shall instruct all
brokers or dealers executing orders on behalf of the Investment Account to
forward to the Custodian and the Company copies of all brokerage confirmations
promptly after execution of transactions. Upon giving instructions to
the Custodian, the Investment Manager shall have no responsibility or liability
with respect to custodial arrangements or the acts, omissions or other conduct
of the Custodian.
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6. Authority
of the Investment Manager; Certain Limitations and Major
Decisions.
(a) Authority of Investment
Manager. Subject at all times to the provisions of this
Agreement, the Investment Manager shall have sole, complete and full power and
authority to invest and reinvest all of the Investment Account Assets in such
securities or other instruments as the Investment Manager, in its sole and
absolute discretion, shall consider to be in the best interest of the Company,
provided such investments are consistent with the Investment Guidelines, as the
same may be amended, modified or restated as provided herein. In
connection therewith, the Investment Manager shall have sole, complete and full
power and authority to: (i) issue orders for the Investment Account to a
broker-dealer or loan servicer; (ii) instruct the Custodian to exercise or
abstain from exercising any option, privilege or right held in the Investment
Account; (iii) monitor the correct collection of income on the Investment
Account by the Custodian; and (iv) take any other action with respect to
securities or other property in the Investment Account as needed to serve the
best interest of the Company and to adhere to the Investment
Guidelines. The Investment Manager shall be free to sell securities
or other instruments in the Investment Account regardless of the length of time
they have been held. The Investment Manager shall further be free to
make investment changes regardless of the resulting rate of portfolio turnover,
when it, in its sole discretion, shall determine that such changes will promote
the investment objective of the Investment Account. The Investment
Manager shall be authorized to represent the Included Entities in all dealings
with loan servicers and originators in connection with loan investments and
related activities, as described in the Investment Guidelines.
(b) Investment
Committee. From and after the Closing Date and for a period
through and including March 31, 2013, the Investment Manager shall establish a
three (3) Person investment committee, which shall provide general advice and
guidance to the Investment Manager in making investment decisions on behalf of
the Included Entities (the “Investment
Committee”). Xxxxxxx Xxxx and Xxxx Xxxxxx shall be two of the
members of the Investment Committee, and a Person designated by the Company
shall be the third member. In the event of the death or other inability of
either Xxxx or Doueck to serve on the Investment Committee, the Investment
Manager shall have the right to designate the replacement for such departing
member, provided that such replacement shall be approved by the Company, which
approval shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.
(c) Major
Decisions. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, express
or implied, any of the following actions or transaction (each a “Major Decision”)
shall not be consummated by the Investment Manager or any general partner of any
Included Entity which is Affiliated with the Investment Manager, by or on behalf
of any such Included Entity or any Investment Account Assets of such Included
Entity, unless and until the Investment Manager or such general partner receives
the affirmative vote or consent of either the Company or the Company’s designee
on the Investment Committee of the Investment Manager:
(i) any
change in control of the Investment Manager such that Xxxxxxx Xxxx and Xxxx
Xxxxxx together, with their respective trusts, no longer control the Investment
Manager, except that changes made for estate planning purposes shall not violate
this provision;
(ii) any
material and unilateral amendment or modification to, or restatement of, this
Management Agreement or the Organizational Documents of the Included
Entities;
(iii) the
sale or issuance of any additional equity of in any of the Included Entities; it
being understood that, except as provided in Section 9(c) below, nothing shall
prevent the Investment Manager from raising assets for new or other Stillwater
products, projects, investment funds or ventures;
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(iv) the
incurrence of outstanding indebtedness by any one or more Included Entity in an
amount exceeding 50% of the Net Asset Value of such Included Entity at the time
of the inception of such leverage;
(v) the
acquisition by any Included Entity of the securities or assets of any other
Person outside of the ordinary course of business (excluding any acquisitions of
assets or securities permitted under the Investment Guidelines);
(vi) the
taking of any steps to wind-up, dissolve or terminate the existence of any of
the Included Entities still in existence, or the commencement of any voluntary
Insolvency Event in relation to any of such Included Entities or the Investment
Manager;
(vii) the
amalgamation, merger, reorganization or consolidation of any Included Entity or
the sale, lease, assignment, lending, giving, licensing, transfer or otherwise
disposing of all or substantially all of the assets of any Included Entity or
any Subsidiary thereof;
(viii) engaging
or terminating the services of the independent accountants engaged to prepare
financial statements for the Included Entities or audit the financial statements
of any of the Included Entities;
(ix) entering
into a transaction with a related party or a Subsidiary which results in a
personal benefit to the Investment Manager or any of its Affiliates and which is
not in the ordinary course of business of the Included Entity or specified in
this Agreement; or
(x) any
material increase (not in accordance with the terms herein) in the aggregate
compensation or other remuneration payable by any Included Entity to the
Investment Manager or any of its Affiliates, including any general partner of an
Included Entity.
(d) Work-Out
Advisor. In the event that any asset backed loan shall in the
view of the Company representative on the Investment Committee of the Investment
Manager, have materially deteriorated in value or a material default by the
borrower which is not likely to be cured has occurred or is imminent (any such
loan, an “Impaired
Asset”), the Company shall have the right, but not the obligation, to
engage the services of a work-out specialist or advisor on behalf of the
relevant Included Entity; the costs and expenses of which Person(s) shall be
borne by the relevant Included Entity. The engagement of such
work-out specialist or advisor shall be subject to the approval of the
Investment Manager; which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld or
delayed. For so long as any such asset backed loan shall be
classified as an Impaired Asset, any loss or gain in respect of such loan shall
not be included in the Net Asset Value calculations for purposes of determining
the Incentive Fee payable to the Investment Manager under Section 8(b) below or
for purposes of determining the Cumulative IRR under Section 16
below.
7. Valuation
of Investment Account Assets. The Investment Account Assets
and the Net Asset Values of the Included Entities shall be valued quarterly by a
recognized valuation professional or valuation firm (the “Asset Appraiser”),
and shall be valued on a quarterly basis as at the end of each calendar quarter
ending March 31st, June
30th,
September 30th, and
December 31st, or (if
the Company’s fiscal year end is other than December 31st) such
other fiscal quarter of the Company as shall be determined by the Board of
Directors of the Company (each, a “Fiscal Quarter”) in
accordance with the criteria set forth in Exhibit B hereto. Such
valuations shall be used to deterrmine the Management Fee and Incentive Fee
payable to the Investment Manager pursuant to Section 8 hereof. The
Cost of the Asset Appraiser shall be borne by the Company.
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8. Fees
Payable to Investment Manager.
(a) Management
Fee. During the Term of this Agreement, the Company will cause
the Included Entities to pay the Investment Manager an annual fixed fee (the
“Management
Fee”) equal to one percent (1.0%) of the aggregate Net Asset Value of all
of the Included Entities, as shall be determined at the beginning of each Fiscal
Quarter by the Appraiser in accordance with the criteria set forth on Schedule B
annexed hereto or such other criteria as shall be acceptable to the Company (the
“Appraised
NAV”). Such Management Fee shall be non-refundable and payable
quarterly not later than the beginning of the following Fiscal
Quarter, at the rate of one quarter of one percent (0.25%) of the Appraised NAV
of the Included Entities for the immediately preceding Fiscal
Quarter. The Investment Manager may, in its sole and absolute
discretion, waive or reduce its Management Fee.
(b) Incentive
Fee.
(i) Subject
to recovery of the Loss Carryforward amount pursuant to Section 8(b)(ii) below,
in consideration for its services the Investment Manager shall also receive an
incentive fee (the “Incentive Fee”) at
the close of each fiscal quarter equal to 20% of each Included Entity’s
quarterly New Appreciation (as defined below) as of the close of such quarter.
“Appreciation”
is the increase in the Net Asset Value of each Included Entity from the prior
quarter end. For purposes of calculating the Incentive Fee,
Appreciation is reduced by all fees and expenses, including the Management Fee,
but not by the Incentive Fee. “New Appreciation” is
the amount of cumulative Appreciation in excess of the high water xxxx or Loss
Carryforward provision (as described in Section Section 8(b)(ii)
below). All Incentive Fees paid to the Investment Manager are
non-refundable, notwithstanding any losses incurred in subsequent
periods. The quarterly or other period of time over which Incentive
Fees are charged is referred to as the “Incentive Fee
Period.” The Investment Manager shall waive any Incentive Fee
for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2010, and, accordingly, the first
Incentive Fee hereunder shall be payable to the Investment Manager as of March
31, 2011 with respect to any New Appreciation for the prior quarter ending on
such date.
(ii) In
any Incentive Fee Period in which an Included Entity has a decrease in Net Asset
Value, the Incentive Fee in the succeeding Incentive Fee Period(s) shall be
calculated on the net increase in Net Asset Value for such Included Entity for
each such succeeding Incentive Fee Period(s) reduced by an amount equal to the
decrease in Net Asset Value in the preceding Incentive Fee Period(s) for such
Included Entity (“Loss
Carryforward”) until the aggregate reductions equal the Loss Carryforward
amount. In the event, however, that an Included Entity withdraws
Investment Account Assets at a time in which such Included Entity has a Loss
Carryforward, the amount of such Loss Carryforward at such withdrawal date
applicable to such Included Entity shall be reduced by a percentage equal to one
hundred percent (100%) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the
amount to be withdrawn by the Included Entity, and the denominator of which is
the Net Asset Value of such Included Entity immediately prior to the
withdrawal. No Loss Carryforward amount shall accrue with respect to
the fiscal year ending December 31, 2010.
(iii) Notwithstanding
the foregoing structure for payment of Incentive Fees, upon request of the
Investment Manager, the Company and the Included Entities shall use their best
efforts to replicate the foregoing performance based compensation provisions in
any domestic Included Entity organized as a limited partnership or limited
liability company in the form of a net profit allocation to the Investment
Manager or its affiliate allocable by such fund in order to benefit from any
favorable tax treatment which may be afforded to the Investment Manager or its
affiliate as a result of such structure. In the event of any such
replication, such performance based compensation shall be payable under the
relevant Included Entity governing documents and no Incentive Fee shall be
payable hereunder with respect to such Included Entity.
9
9. Other
Activities; Co-Investment Rights.
(a) Other Investment Management
Services. Subject at all times to the provisions of Section
9(b) below and the performance of its duties and obligations under this
Agreement as well as the fiduciary obligations of the Investment Manager and its
Affiliates to the Company (in their capacities as Investment Manager and a
member of the Board of Directors of the Company), the Investment Manager and its
stockholders, officers, directors, affiliates, employees and agents may
originate or sponsor other investment funds (both domestic or foreign) or
investment accounts for others, provide advisory services to or manage such
investment funds or investment accounts and, except as set forth in Section 9(b)
below, nothing in this Agreement shall in any way be deemed to restrict the
right of the Investment Manager or such other persons to perform investment
management or other services for any other person or entity. Except
as set forth in Section 9(b) below, nothing in this Agreement shall limit or
restrict the Investment Manager or its stockholders, officers, directors,
affiliates, employees or agents (or their family members) from buying, selling
or trading in any securities for its or their own account or the account of
others.
(b) Right to
Co-Invest. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 9(a)
above but subject to the Company’s compliance with its capital raising
undertaking set forth in Section 10 below, each of the Investment Manager and
its Affiliates who are party signatories to this Agreement do hereby covenant
and agree that, in the event and to the extent that either the Investment
Manager, or any of its Affiliates, including, Xxxx Xxxxxx or Xxxxxxx Xxxx or any
of their Affiliates, shall establish, manage or operate any entity, fund,
investment program or other investment strategy (whether domestic or foreign)
that is engaged in (i) making asset backed loans of any type or description,
(ii) investing in or development of real estate or real estate assets, (iii)
investing in other hedge funds, or (iv) making any other investments expressly
included in the Investment Guidelines attached hereto (individually, a “Similar Entity” and
collectively, “Similar
Entities”), the Company shall have a right (the “Co-Investment Right”)
to invest in and own (directly or through any Affiliate) up to fifty-one percent
(51%) of the share capital or partnership interests in any such Similar Entity,
which investment(s) shall be on terms and conditions no less favorable to the
Company than the terms offered to any other Person investing in such Similar
Entity. The Co-Investment Right shall be exercisable by the Company
on each date on which the Similar Entity is closing on the acceptance of new
subscriptions (in a minimum aggregate amount of $5 million or
more). The Investment Manager shall notify the Company of such
investment opportunity (with appropriate detail) and the availability of the
Co-Investment Right, and the Company shall be obligated to decide whether or not
it shall exercise such Co-Investment Right (in whole or in part) within 30 days
after receiving such notice from the Investment Manager. Assets
raised and invested pursuant to Section 10 may not be used by the Company in its
exercise of its Co-Investment Rights under this Section
9(b).
(c) The
parties hereto acknowledge and agree that a violation of the covenant and
agreement would cause irreparable harm to the Company and its Subsidiaries,
including the Included Entities. Accordingly, to the extent that any
such violation does not result from compliance with any legal or regulatory
requirements applicable to such Similar Entity, each of the parties hereto do
hereby agree that, in addition to any remedies available to them at law, the
Company or the affected Included Entity(s) may seek and obtain injunctive or
other equitable relief from any court of competent jurisdiction to prevent or
enjoin any actual or alleged violation of the covenants and agreement contained
in this Section 9(c).
(d) Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the parties agree that the Company’s right of co-investment set
forth in Section 9(b) above, shall not be
available to the Company if and at such time as the Company is unable to
directly or indirectly provide additional ABL Fund financing in the amounts and
at the time(s) contemplated by Section 10
below.
10
10. Additional
ABL Fund Financing.
(a) The
Company covenants and agrees that promptly following the closing of the
transactions contemplated by the Stillwater Purchase Agreements, pursuant to the
methods outlined in the Stillwater Agreement, the Company will undertake to
raise not less than $200.0 million over a period to two years (at the rate of
approximately $25.0 million per calendar quarter, commencing with the quarter
ending June 30, 2010) for investment in (i) Included Entities that make asset
backed or secured loan investments, (ii) additional domestic or
offshore asset backed loan funds (“ABL Funds”) or (iii)
other investments to be managed by the Investment Manager as Included Entities
pursuant to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Unless the
Investment Manager directs otherwise, there will be at least a three-year lock
up period on the Company’s capital in such additional ABL Funds.
(b) Any
such additional entities deemed to be Included Entities pursuant to this Section
10 shall automatically be deemed to be parties to this Agreement and shall
execute such documentation as may be reasonably requested by the Investment
Manager. In addition, any private investment funds referred to in the
letter agreement between the Investment Manager and the Company dated December
18, 2009 that were not included as Stillwater Funds in the Stillwater Purchase
Agreements and whose assets are subsequently acquired by the Company or its
Subsidiaries after the date hereof, shall also automatically be deemed to be
Included Entities and parties to this Agreement and shall execute such
documentation as may be reasonably requested by the Investment
Manager
11. Costs and
Expenses.
(a) In
consideration for the Management Fee and the Incentive Fee, the Investment
Manager shall be responsible for the payment of all of its own operating and
overhead type expenses which it incurs in connection with the provision of the
services described herein. These expenses include all expenses
incurred by the Investment Manager in providing for its normal operating
overhead, including, but not limited to, the cost of providing relevant support
and administrative services (e.g., employee compensation and benefits, rent,
office equipment, insurance, utilities, telephone, secretarial and bookkeeping
services, etc.), but not including any Company operating expenses.
(b) The
Included Entities shall bear all costs and expenses incurred in connection with
effecting transactions involving Investment Account Assets. In
particular, the Company and the Included Entities shall pay or reimburse the
Investment Manager for (i) all operating expenses of the Included Entities such
as Management Fees, tax preparation fees, governmental fees and taxes,
insurance, all fees and expenses associated with the Asset Appraiser, market
data services and communications systems, and ongoing custodial, legal,
accounting, auditing, bookkeeping, consulting and other professional fees and
expenses; (ii) research, due diligence and investment costs and expenses (e.g.,
expenses associated with making or maintaining any loan assets or with any
interests in real estate or other investment funds, as well as any expenses
related to brokerage commissions, short sales, and clearing and settlement
charges); (iii) all fees to protect or preserve any investment held by the
Included Entity or to enforce its rights under any loan or other asset, as
determined in good faith by the Investment Manager; and (iv) all fees and other
expenses incurred in connection with any litigation involving the Included
Entity and the amount of any judgments or settlements paid in connection
therewith.
12. Proxies. The Investment
Manager shall not be required to take any action or render any advice with
respect to the voting of proxies solicited by or with respect to the issuers of
securities in which the Investment Account Assets may be invested from time to
time. In the event that the Investment Manager receives any such
proxies, it shall promptly forward them to the Company for voting
purposes.
11
13. Company
Representations. The Company
represents and warrants to the Investment Manager that (i) the Company has the
authority to appoint the Investment Manager to manage the Included Entities held
in the Investment Account, and (ii) the Company and the Included Entities have
received a copy of Part II of the Investment Manager’s Form ADV or another
document containing at least the information required by Part II of the
Adviser’s Form ADV at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to entering into this
Agreement or at the time this Agreement was executed. If the Company
and the Included Entities have not received a copy of Part II of the Investment
Manager’s Form ADV at least forty eight (48) hours prior to executing this
Agreement, the Company and the Included Entities shall have five (5) days from
the time of executing this Agreement to terminate this Agreement without
penalty.
14. Exculpation
and Indemnification.
(a) Except
as otherwise provided in this Agreement, the Investment Manager shall not be
liable to the Company, any Included Entities or their shareholders for any
action or inaction in connection with the business of the Company or the
Included Entities unless such action or inaction is adjudged to constitute gross
negligence, willful malfeasance, willful misconduct or otherwise in violation of
the covenants and agreements of the Investment Manager and its Affiliates
contained herein. It shall be conclusively presumed and established
that the Investment Manager acted in good faith and in accordance with this
Agreement if any action is taken, or not taken, by it on the advice of legal
counsel or other independent outside consultants or
agents. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement to the
contrary, the Company will indemnify and hold harmless the Investment Manager
and its stockholders, officers, directors, employees, agents and their
respective affiliates (collectively, “Indemnified Persons”) from and
against any loss or expense suffered or sustained by an Indemnified Person
resulting from the performance or non-performance of the Investment Manager’s
duties under this Agreement, including without limitation any judgment,
settlement, reasonable attorneys’ fees and other costs or expenses incurred in
connection with the defense of any actual or threatened action or proceeding,
provided that such indemnity will not extend to conduct by an Indemnified Person
that is adjudged to constitute gross negligence, willful malfeasance, willful
misconduct, or otherwise violate the covenants and agreements of the Investment
Manager and its Affiliates contained herein.
(b) The
Investment Manager shall be entitled to receive, upon application therefor,
advances from the Included Entities to cover the costs of defending any pending,
threatened or completed claim, action, suit or proceeding against it for Claims
in connection with which it would be entitled to indemnification under this
Section 14, provided, that such advances shall be repaid to the Included
Entities (with interest thereon at an annual rate equal to the Money Market Rate
(as defined below)) if the Investment Manager is found to be guilty of gross
negligence willful malfeasance, willful misconduct, or otherwise in violation of
the covenants and agreements of the Investment Manager and its Affiliates
contained herein, which precludes indemnification hereunder. For the
purposes of this Section 14, “Money Market Rate”
shall mean a money market rate of interest as determined in good faith by the
Investment Manager from time to time by referencing recognized financial
publications like the Wall Street Journal or financial service providers like
Bloomberg or Reuters
15. Confidentiality. The
Investment Manager and its stockholders, officers, directors, employees and
agents shall regard as confidential all information concerning the affairs of
the Company and the Included Entities, but shall be permitted to disclose to
third parties the fact that the Investment Manager is performing investment
management activities on behalf of the Included Entities.
16. Renewal
of Term. On the date of each expiration of the Agreement,
commencing January 1, 2013, the Cumulative IRR shall be calculated as
follows: The Cumulative IRR shall be the internal annual rate of
return calculated from December 31, 2009 to the date of expiration of this
Agreement, for all the Included Entities, based on the change in Appraised NAV
as at December 31, 2009, using such Appraised NAV as at December 31, 2009 as the
starting value, and the Audited Net Asset Value as at the relevant expiration
date as the ending value.
12
This
Agreement shall be automatically renewed:
(a) for
a subsequent one-year period if the Cumulative IRR at the relevant expiration
date is equal to or greater than 7%;
(b) for
a subsequent two-year period if the Cumulative IRR at the relevant expiration
date is equal to or greater than 8%; and
(c) for
a subsequent three-year period if the Cumulative IRR at the relevant expiration
date is equal to or greater than 9%.
17. Termination
of Prior Agreements. Stillwater acknowledges and agrees that,
as of the Effective Date, the terms and conditions of any and all prior
management, services or other similar agreements between Stillwater or any of
its affiliates, on the one hand, and any of the Stillwater Funds, on the other
hand (the “Prior
Management Agreements”), are hereby terminated and shall be of no further
force or effect.
18. Non-Assignment. Except as
provided herein, neither the Investment Manager nor the Company shall assign
this Agreement or any of its rights or obligations hereunder without the prior
written consent of the other. An assignment includes any direct or
indirect transfer or hypothecation of this Agreement by either the Investment
Manager or the Company; provided, that the Company shall have the absolute right
to assign this Agreement to any successor in interest to the Company or any
Included Entity, whether as a result of the sale of all or a majority of the
securities or assets of such Person or the merger, consolidation, tender offer,
or similar transaction involving the Company or such Included
Entity(s).
19. Entire
Agreement. This Agreement
constitutes the entire agreement between the parties concerning the subject
matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, oral or
written, between them regarding such subject matter, including the Prior
Management Agreements.
20. Amendments
and Waivers. This Agreement
may only be amended by a writing signed by both the Investment Manager and the
Company. The Investment Manager and the Company may by written
consent waive, either prospectively or retrospectively, and either for a
specified period or indefinitely, the operation or effect of any provision of
this Agreement. No waiver of any right by any party hereto shall be
construed as a waiver of the same or any other right at any other
time.
21. Notices. Except as otherwise
expressly provided in this Agreement, whenever any notice is required or
permitted to be given under any provision of this Agreement, such notice shall
be in writing, shall be signed by or on behalf of the party giving the notice
and shall be mailed by first class mail or sent by a professional recognized
courier service to the other party at the address set forth above or to such
other address as a party may from time to time specify to the other party by
such notice hereunder. Any such notice shall be deemed duly given
when delivered at such address.
22. Governing
Law. THE DOMESTIC LAW, WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICTS OF LAWS
PRINCIPLES, OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WILL GOVERN ALL QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE
CONSTRUCTION, VALIDITY AND INTERPRETATION OF THIS AGREEMENT AND THE PERFORMANCE
OF THE OBLIGATIONS IMPOSED BY THIS AGREEMENT.
13
23. Jurisdiction. Each
of the parties submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of any state or federal
court sitting in New York, New York, in any action or proceeding arising out of
or relating to this Agreement and agrees that all claims in respect of the
action or proceeding may be heard and determined in any such court. Each party
also agrees not to bring any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to
this Agreement in any other court. Each of the parties waives any
defense of inconvenient forum to the maintenance of any action or proceeding so
brought and waives any bond, surety or other security that might be required of
any other party with respect to any such action or proceeding. The
parties agree that any of them may file a copy of this paragraph with any court
as written evidence of the knowing, voluntary and bargained agreement between
the parties irrevocably to waive any objections to venue or to convenience of
forum. Nothing in this Section 22 will affect the right of any party
to serve legal process in any other manner permitted by law or in
equity.
24. Waiver of
Jury Trial. EACH PARTY ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT ANY
CONTROVERSY THAT MAY ARISE UNDER THIS AGREEMENT IS LIKELY TO INVOLVE COMPLICATED
AND DIFFICULT ISSUES, AND THEREFORE IT IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES
ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY LITIGATION DIRECTLY
OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS
CONTEMPLATED BY THIS AGREEMENT. EACH PARTY CERTIFIES AND ACKNOWLEDGES
THAT (I) NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS
REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE
EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER, (II) IT UNDERSTANDS
AND HAS CONSIDERED THE IMPLICATIONS OF SUCH WAIVER, (III) IT MAKES SUCH WAIVER
VOLUNTARILY AND (IV) IT HAS BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG
OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVER AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION
23.
25. Construction. The
parties and their respective counsel have participated jointly in the
negotiation and drafting of this Agreement. In addition, each of the
parties acknowledges that it is sophisticated and has been advised by
experienced counsel and, to the extent it deemed necessary, other advisors in
connection with the negotiation and drafting of this Agreement. In
the event an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, this
Agreement will be construed as if drafted jointly by the parties and no
presumption or burden of proof will arise favoring or disfavoring any party by
virtue of the authorship of any of the provisions of this
Agreement. The parties intend that each representation, warranty and
agreement contained in this Agreement will have independent
significance. If any party has breached any representation, warranty
or agreement in any respect, the fact that there exists another representation,
warranty or agreement relating to the same subject matter (regardless of the
relative levels of specificity) that the party has not breached will not detract
from or mitigate the fact that the party is in breach of the first
representation, warranty or agreement. Any reference to any Law will
be deemed to refer to all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, unless
the context requires otherwise. The headings preceding the text of
articles and sections included in this Agreement and the headings to the
schedules and exhibits are for convenience only and are not be deemed part of
this Agreement or given effect in interpreting this
Agreement. References to sections, articles, schedules or exhibits
are to the sections, articles, schedules and exhibits contained in, referred to
or attached to this Agreement, unless otherwise specified. The word
“including” means “including without limitation.” A statement that an
action has not occurred in the past means that it is also not presently
occurring. When any party may take any permissive action, including the granting
of a consent, the waiver of any provision of this Agreement or otherwise,
whether to take such action is in its sole and absolute
discretion. The use of the masculine, feminine or neuter gender or
the singular or plural form of words will not limit any provisions of this
Agreement. A statement that an item is listed, disclosed or described
means that it is correctly listed, disclosed or described, and a statement that
a copy of an item has been delivered means a true and correct copy of the item
has been delivered.
26. Counterparts. This Agreement
may be executed in any number of counterparts which together shall constitute
one and the same instrument.
14
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of
the parties has caused this Agreement to be executed on its behalf by its duly
authorized representative, as of the date first above written.
GEROVA
FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
|
STILLWATER
CAPITAL PARTNERS, INC.
|
|||
By:
|
By:
|
|||
Name: Xxxxxxxx
Xxxxxx,
|
Name: Xxxx
Xxxxxx
|
|||
Title: Chief
Executive Officer
|
Title: Principal
|
STILLWATER
ASSET BACKED HOLDINGS LP
|
STILLWATER
ASSET BACKED
|
|||
Hirst
Management LLC, General Partner
|
HOLDINGS,
LTD.
|
|||
By:
|
By:
|
|||
Xxxx
X. Xxxxx Manager
|
Xxxx
X. Xxxxx, President
|
|||
STILLWATER
MN HOLDINGS LP
|
STILLWATER
MN HOLDINGS LTD
|
|||
Hirst
Management LLC, General Partner
|
||||
By:
|
By:
|
|||
Xxxx
X. Xxxxx Manager
|
Xxxx
X. Xxxxx, President
|
|||
STILLWATER
REAL ESTATE PARTNERS, LP
|
STILLWATER
WBP VENTURE
|
|||
PARTNERS
I, XX
|
||||
Xxxxx
Management LLC, General Partner
|
Hirst
Management LLC, General Partner
|
|||
By:
|
By:
|
|||
Xxxx
X. Xxxxx, Manager
|
Xxxx
X. Xxxxx,
Manager
|
EXHIBIT
A
INVESTMENT
GUIDELINES
Investment
Objective and Strategy
The investment objective of the
Included Entities is to achieve advantageous and consistent rates of return by
investing in and funding a portfolio of mostly illiquid and privately offered
short and medium-term loans and other asset backed obligations (collectively,
“Loans”) for various types of borrowers (“Borrowers”), including but not limited
to:
|
l
|
loans
secured by residential and commercial
properties;
|
|
l
|
legal
claims;
|
|
l
|
medical
receivables;
|
|
l
|
commercial
accounts receivable;
|
|
l
|
general
commercial and corporate loans;
|
|
l
|
mezzanine
corporate or real estate loans;
|
|
l
|
ownership
of participations in loans and loan
portfolios;
|
|
l
|
non-performing
debt;
|
|
l
|
energy
receivables;
|
|
l
|
international
trade receivables;
|
|
l
|
life
insurance policies; and
|
|
l
|
other
miscellaneous assets.
|
The Investment Manager shall
determine what portion of an Included Entity’s investments shall be allocated to
each type of transaction. The Loans will normally have maturities of
between ninety (90) and seven hundred and twenty (720) days on average (although
some Loans may be outside such range), and the majority of the instruments will
be collateralized by certain assets of Borrowers (“Collateral”). The
size of an individual Loan generally ranges from $50,000 to $15,000,000 per Loan
(although some Loans may be outside such range). In connection with
each Loan, the Included Entities will sometimes receive periodic interest
payments normally ranging from 8% to 18% per annum (although some Loans may be
outside such range). Very often, interest income will be via accrual
rather than cash-pay. The loans or participations may be purchased
using leverage (i.e., borrowed funds) available to the Included Entities, thus
increasing both net returns as well as risk.
In addition to such Loans, the
Included Entities may invest in senior life insurance policies, or pools
thereof, to include policies acquired via loan foreclosure or
otherwise.
There is no guaranty that any
Included Entity will achieve its objective, and investment results may vary
substantially over time and from period to period.
Sales of Loan
Participations
With the consent of the Company, an
Included Entity may sell participation rights in the Loans to other entities,
including other Included Entities or other offshore investment funds managed or
advised by the Investment Manager and other affiliated entities. Each
Included Entity intends to retain at least a 20% interest in all Loans it
originates (i.e., the Included Entity intends to limit its sales of
participation rights to no more than 80% of its interest in such
Loans). Moreover, an Included Entity may charge a fee to purchasers
of Loan participations for the participations.
In connection with any sales of Loan
participations to affiliates or other entities, an Included Entity may retain
responsibility for servicing and administration of the underlying
Loans.
Use
of Loan Originators and Servicers
In carrying out the Included
Entities’ investment strategy, the Investment Manager may seek out and utilize
third-party firms (“Servicers”) that specialize in Loan origination and
servicing. The Investment Manager performs due diligence on each
Servicer in order to evaluate the firm’s experience and expertise in making
Loans that satisfy the investment criteria herein. Generally, this
due diligence process will include, among other things, visiting the office and
interviewing key personnel, reviewing the origination process, evaluating the
firm’s appraisal process, evaluating past loans and performance, and reviewing
the back office functionality and documentation process. Upon
completion and review of the due diligence process, those firms that meet the
Investment Manager’s criteria will be eligible to enter into Loan origination
and servicing agreements with the Included Entities. Moreover, in
addition to or in lieu of using third party servicers, the Investment Manager
intends to seek out and hire in-house experts that specialize in Loan
origination and servicing.
Agreements
with Servicers
With the consent of the Company, the
Included Entities may, but are not required to, enter into Loan origination and
servicing agreements with Servicers. If a Servicer is an affiliate of
the Investment Manager, with the consent of the Company, then the Investment
Manager and/or such affiliate may earn compensation for providing services to
the Included Entities.
Other
Features of the Included Entities’ Investment Program
Set forth below is certain additional
information on some other features of the Included Entities’ investment
program:
Other
Investments. The Investment Manager may also invest some of an
Included Entity’s assets in mutual funds, short-term United States Government
obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper and other money market
instruments, to enable the Included Entity to make investments quickly, for
liquidity purposes and/or to serve as collateral with respect to certain of its
investments. From time to time, in the discretion of the Investment
Manager, the Included Entity’s cash balances may be placed in a money market
fund.
Borrowing. As
recited in the Investment Management Agreement, to the extent that leverage
exceeds the parameters outlined therein, with the consent of the Company, the
Included Entities may obtain a credit facility from a bank or other financial
institution in order to finance investments, for liquidity purposes or to pay
expenses in connection with the Investment Account Assets. Each
Included Entity may secure the credit facility by pledging its
assets.
EXHIBIT
B
Valuation
of Included Entities and Investment Account Assets
An Included Entity’s net asset value
(“Net Asset
Value”) is generally equal to the amount by which the value of the assets
of the Included Entity exceeds the amount of its liabilities. Net Asset
Value determinations are made by the Asset Appraiser in accordance with U.S.
generally accepted accounting principles and in accordance with the following
criteria:
(a) No
value will be assigned to goodwill;
(b) All
accrued debts and liabilities will be treated as liabilities, including but not
limited to, estimated expenses for accounting, legal, administrative and other
operating expenses (including the Management Fee and the Incentive Fee payable
to the Investment Manager) and such reserves for contingent liabilities of the
Included Entity, including estimated expenses, if any, in connection therewith,
as the Asset Appraiser shall determine;
(c)
Loans, loan participations and other similar assets owned by an Included Entity
will generally be carried at the high range of fair market value as determined
by the Asset Appraiser, and will be subject to an independent valuation review
as frequently as determined by the Asset Appraiser. These independent
valuation reviews will provide the Included Entity with opinions on whether
specific pieces of collateral are in need of re-valuation. The Asset
Appraiser, on the basis of this information, will determine whether a specific
loan or other asset needs to be re-priced;
(d)
In the case of investments in private investment funds or other vehicles which
are not readily marketable, in the absence of an independent fair market value
appraisal or audit, the net asset value calculation provided by the
administrators or managers of those underlying funds or vehicles will be used in
determining an Included Entity’s Net Asset Value.
(e) Securities
or commodities (which for valuation purposes hereunder may include weather
derivatives and other financial instruments trading on or off, as the case may
be, commodities exchanges) that are listed on a national securities or
commodities exchange, as the case may be, shall be valued at their last sales
prices on the date of determination on the largest securities or commodities
exchange (by trading volume in such security or commodity) on which such
securities or commodities shall have traded on such date, or if trading in such
securities or commodities on the largest securities or commodities exchange (by
trading volume in such security or commodity) on which such securities or
commodities shall have traded on such date was reported on the consolidated
tape, their last sales price on the consolidated tape (or, in the event that the
date of determination is not a date upon which a securities or commodities
exchange was open for trading, on the last prior date on which such securities
or commodities exchange was so open not more than 10 days prior to the date of
determination). If no such sales of such securities or commodities occurred on
either of the foregoing dates, such securities or commodities shall be valued at
the “bid” price for long positions and “asked” price for short positions on the
largest securities or commodities exchange (by trading volume in such security)
on which such securities or commodities are traded, on the date of
determination, or, if the “bid” price for long positions and “asked” price for
short positions in such securities or commodities on the largest securities or
commodities exchange (by trading volume in such security or commodity) on which
such securities or commodities shall have traded on such date were reported on
the consolidated tape, the “bid” price for long positions and “asked” price for
short positions on the consolidated tape (or, if the date of determination is
not a date upon which such securities or commodities exchange was open for
trading, on the last prior date on which such a securities or commodities
exchange was so open not more than 10 days prior to the date of
determination);
(f)
Securities and commodities that are not listed on an exchange but are traded
over-the-counter shall be valued at representative “bid” quotations if held long
and representative “asked” quotations if held short;
(g)
For securities and commodities not listed on a securities or commodities
exchange or quoted on an over-the-counter market, but for which there are
available quotations, such valuation will be based upon quotations obtained from
market makers, dealers or pricing services;
(h)
Options that are listed on a securities or commodities exchange shall be
valued at their last sales prices on the date of determination on the largest
securities or commodities exchange (by trading volume) on which such options
shall have traded on such date; provided, that, if the last sales prices of such
options do not fall between the last “bid” and “asked” prices for such options
on such date, then the Asset Appraiser shall value such options at the mean
between the last “bid” and “asked” prices for such options on such
date;
(i)
Illiquid assets (including direct and indirect interests in real estate
and related assets) will be valued at the high range of fair market value (which
in most cases may be at cost if that is a fair approximation of value), as
determined by the Asset Appraiser (with appropriate input from the Investment
Manager);
(j)
Preferred shares, preferred stock or other senior equity securities shall
be valued at 100% of their per share stated or liquidation value, with such
discounts from such stated or liquidation value as the Investment Manager or the
Company shall, in good faith determined from time to time;
(k)
All other assets shall be valued at such value as the Asset Appraiser may
reasonably determine (with appropriate input from the Investment Manager);
and
(l)
Securities and commodities not denominated in U.S. dollars shall be
translated into U.S. dollars at prevailing exchange rates as the Asset Appraiser
may reasonably determine.
If the Asset Appraiser determines, in
its sole discretion, that the valuation of any asset, security or other
instrument pursuant to the foregoing does not fairly represent its market value,
the Asset Appraiser (with appropriate input from the Investment Manager and the
Company) shall value such security or other instrument as it reasonably
determines and shall set forth the basis of such valuation in writing to the
Investment Manager and the Company.
EXHIBIT
C
ACCRUED
STILLWATER FUND FEES
The
following Stillwater Funds (to the extent they are or become Included Entities
under the Agreement) are estimated owe the following Accrued Stillwater Fund
Fees to the Investment Manager:
The
Stillwater Asset Backed Fund LP =
|
$ | 250,000 | ||
The
Stillwater Asset Backed Fund II, LP =
|
425,000 | |||
The
Stillwater Asset Backed Offshore Fund Ltd =
|
16,000,000 | |||
Stillwater
Market Neutral Fund LP =
|
20,000 | |||
Stillwater
Market Neutral Fund Ltd =
|
1,400,000 | |||
Stillwater
Market Neutral Fund III SPC =
|
3,800,000 | |||
Stillwater
Real Estate Partners =
|
1,950,000 | |||
TOTAL
|
$ | 23,845,000 |
The
actual Accrued Stillwater Fund Fees shall be determined by reference to the
books and records of the relevant Included Entity.