EXHIBIT 1.10
CALCULATION AGENCY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT, dated as of May 22, 2001, between Xxxxxx Brothers
Holdings Inc. (the "Company") and Xxxxxx Brothers Inc., as Calculation Agent.
WHEREAS, the Company has authorized the issuance of
$30,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Nasdaq-100 Index(R) RANGERS PlusSM,
Risk AdjustiNG Equity Range Securities PlusSM Notes Due January 24, 2003 (the
"Securities")*;
WHEREAS, the Securities will be issued under an Indenture
Agreement dated as of September 1, 1987, between the Company and Citibank, N.A.,
as Trustee (the "Trustee"), as supplemented and amended by supplemental
indentures dated as of November 25, 1987, November 27, 1990, September 13, 1991,
October 4, 1993, October 1, 1995, and June 26, 1997, and incorporating Standard
Multiple Series Indenture Provisions dated July 30, 1987, as amended November
16, 1987 (collectively, the "Indenture"); and
WHEREAS, the Company requests the Calculation Agent to perform
certain services described herein in connection with the Securities;
NOW THEREFORE, the Company and the Calculation Agent agree as
follows:
1. Appointment of Agent. The Company hereby appoints Xxxxxx
Brothers Inc. as Calculation Agent and Xxxxxx Brothers Inc.
hereby accepts such appointment as
* The Nasdaq-100(R), Nasdaq-100 Index(R), and Nasdaq(R) are trade or
service marks of The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. (which with its
affiliates are the "Nasdaq Corporations") and are licensed for use by
the Company. The Securities have not been passed on by the Nasdaq
Corporations as to their legality or suitability. The Securities are
not issued, endorsed, sold, or promoted by the Nasdaq Corporations. THE
NASDAQ CORPORATIONS MAKE NO WARRANTIES AND BEAR NO LIABILITY WITH
RESPECT TO THE SECURITIES.
Risk AdjustiNG Equity Range Securities Plus and RANGERS Plus are
service marks of Xxxxxx Brothers Inc.
2
the Company's agent for the purpose of performing the
services hereinafter described upon the terms and subject to the
conditions hereinafter mentioned.
2. Calculations and Information Provided. In response to a
request made by the Trustee for a determination of the Maturity
Payment Amount due at Stated Maturity of the Securities, the
Calculation Agent shall determine such Maturity Payment Amount
and notify the Trustee of its determination. The Calculation
Agent shall also be responsible for (a) the determination of the
Maturity Payment Amount, (b) whether adjustments to the Ending
Index Level should be made, (c) the Successor Index if
publication of the Index is discontinued and (d) whether a Market
Disruption Event has occurred. The Calculation Agent shall notify
the Trustee of any such adjustment or any such Successor Index,
or if a Market Disruption Event has occurred. Annex A hereto sets
forth the procedures the Calculation Agent will use to determine
the information described in this Section 2.
3. Calculations. Any calculation or determination by the
Calculation Agent pursuant hereto shall (in the absence of
manifest error) be final and binding. Any calculation made by the
Calculation Agent hereunder shall, at the Trustee's request, be
made available at the Corporate Trust Office.
4. Fees and Expenses. The Calculation Agent shall be
entitled to reasonable compensation for all services rendered by
it as agreed to between the Calculation Agent and the Company.
5. Terms and Conditions. The Calculation Agent accepts its
obligations herein set out upon the terms and conditions hereof,
including the following, to all of which the Company agrees:
3
(i) in acting under this Agreement, the Calculation Agent
is acting solely as an independent expert of the
Company and does not assume any obligation toward, or
any relationship of agency or trust for or with, any of
the holders of the Securities;
(ii) unless otherwise specifically provided herein, any
order, certificate, notice, request, direction or other
communication from the Company or the Trustee made or
given under any provision of this Agreement shall be
sufficient if signed by any person who the Calculation
Agent reasonably believes to be a duly authorized
officer or attorney-in-fact of the Company or the
Trustee, as the case may be;
(iii)the Calculation Agent shall be obliged to perform only
such duties as are set out specifically herein and any
duties necessarily incidental thereto;
(iv) the Calculation Agent, whether acting for itself or in
any other capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of
Securities with the same rights as it would have had if
it were not acting hereunder as Calculation Agent; and
(v) the Calculation Agent shall incur no liability
hereunder except for loss sustained by reason of its
gross negligence or wilful misconduct.
6. Resignation; Removal; Successor. (a) The Calculation
Agent may at any time resign by giving written notice to the
Company of such intention on its part, specifying the date on
which its desired resignation shall become effective, subject to
the appointment of a successor Calculation Agent and acceptance
of such appointment by such successor Calculation Agent, as
hereinafter provided. The Calculation Agent hereunder may be
removed at any time by the filing with it of an instrument in
writing signed by or on behalf of the Company and specifying such
removal and the date when it shall become effective. Such
resignation or removal shall take effect upon the appointment by
the Company, as hereinafter provided, of a successor Calculation
Agent and the acceptance of such appointment by such successor
Calculation Agent. In the event a successor Calculation Agent has
not been appointed and has not accepted its duties within 90 days
of the Calculation Agent's notice of resignation, the Calculation
Agent may apply to any court of competent jurisdiction for the
designation of a successor Calculation Agent.
4
(b) In case at any time the Calculation Agent shall resign, or shall be
removed, or shall become incapable of acting, or shall be adjudged bankrupt
or insolvent, or make an assignment for the benefit of its creditors or
consent to the appointment of a receiver or custodian of all or any
substantial part of its property, or shall admit in writing its inability
to pay or meet its debts as they mature, or if a receiver or custodian of
it or all or any substantial part of its property shall be appointed, or if
any public officer shall have taken charge or control of the Calculation
Agent or of its property or affairs, for the purpose of rehabilitation,
conservation or liquidation, a successor Calculation Agent shall be
appointed by the Company by an instrument in writing, filed with the
successor Calculation Agent. Upon the appointment as aforesaid of a
successor Calculation Agent and acceptance by the latter of such
appointment, the Calculation Agent so superseded shall cease to be
Calculation Agent hereunder.
(c) Any successor Calculation Agent appointed hereunder shall execute,
acknowledge and deliver to its predecessor, to the Company and to the
Trustee an instrument accepting such appointment hereunder and agreeing to
be bound by the terms hereof, and thereupon such successor Calculation
Agent, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested
with all the authority, rights, powers, trusts, immunities, duties and
obligations of such predecessor with like effect as if originally named as
Calculation Agent hereunder, and such predecessor, upon payment of its
charges and disbursements then unpaid, shall thereupon become obligated to
transfer, deliver and pay over, and such successor Calculation Agent shall
be entitled to receive, all moneys, securities and other property on
deposit with or held by such predecessor, as Calculation Agent hereunder.
(d) Any corporation into which the Calculation Agent hereunder may be merged or
converted or any corporation with which the Calculation Agent may be
5
consolidated, or any corporation resulting from any merger, conversion or
consolidation to which the Calculation Agent shall be a party, or any
corporation to which the Calculation Agent shall sell or otherwise transfer
all or substantially all of the assets and business of the Calculation
Agent shall be the successor Calculation Agent under this Agreement without
the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any
of the parties hereto.
7. Certain Definitions. Terms not otherwise defined herein or in Annex
A hereto are used herein as defined in the Indenture or the Securities.
8. Indemnification. The Company will indemnify the Calculation Agent
against any losses or liability which it may incur or sustain in connection
with its appointment or the exercise of its powers and duties hereunder
except such as may result from the gross negligence or wilful misconduct of
the Calculation Agent or any of its agents or employees. The Calculation
Agent shall incur no liability and shall be indemnified and held harmless
by the Company for or in respect of any action taken or suffered to be
taken in good faith by the Calculation Agent in reliance upon written
instructions from the Company.
9. Notices. Any notice required to be given hereunder shall be
delivered in person, sent (unless otherwise specified in this Agreement) by
letter, telex or facsimile transmission or communicated by telephone
(confirmed in a writing dispatched within two New York Business Days), (a)
in the case of the Company, to it at Three World Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx
Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000 (facsimile: (000) 000-0000) (telephone: (212)
000-0000), Attention: Legal Counsel, (b) in the case of the Calculation
Agent, to it at Three World Financial Center, 000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx,
Xxx Xxxx 00000-0000 (facsimile: (000) 000-0000) (telephone: (212)
000-0000), Attention: Equity Derivatives Trading and (c) in the case of the
Trustee, to it at 000 Xxxx Xxxxxx, 0xx Xxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
(facsimile: (000) 000-0000) (telephone: (000) 000-0000), Attention:
6
Corporate Trust Department or, in any case, to any other address or number
of which the party receiving notice shall have notified the party giving
such notice in writing. Any notice hereunder given by telex, facsimile or
letter shall be deemed to be served when in the ordinary course of
transmission or post, as the case may be, it would be received.
10. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and continued
in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
11. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of
counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an
original and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same
agreement.
12. Benefit of Agreement. This Agreement is solely for the benefit of
the parties hereto and their successors and assigns, and no other person
shall acquire or have any rights under or by virtue hereof.
7
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Calculation Agency Agreement has been
entered into as of the day and year first above written.
XXXXXX BROTHERS HOLDINGS INC.
By: /s/ Xxxxxxx X. XxXxxxx
-------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxxx X. XxXxxxx
Title:Vice President
XXXXXX BROTHERS INC.,
as Calculation Agent
By: /s/ Xxxxxxx X. XxXxxxx
-------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxxx X. XxXxxxx
Title:Vice President
ANNEX A
1. The Index.
The Index is the Nasdaq-100 Index(R), as calculated by Nasdaq
(the "Index").
2. Determination of the Maturity Payment Amount.
The Calculation Agent shall determine the Maturity Payment Amount.
3. Discontinuance of the Index.
(a) If Nasdaq discontinues publication of the Index and Nasdaq or another entity
publishes a successor or substitute index (the "Successor Index") that the
Calculation Agent determines, in its sole discretion, to be comparable to the
discontinued Index, then the Calculation Agent shall calculate the Maturity
Payment Amount pursuant to Section 2 hereof by reference to the index level of
such Successor Index at the Close of Trading on the NYSE, AMEX, Nasdaq or the
relevant exchange or market for the Successor Index on the date that any Ending
Index Level is to be determined.
(b) Upon any selection by the Calculation Agent of a Successor Index, the
Company shall promptly give notice to the holders of the Securities.
(c) If Nasdaq discontinues publication of the Index prior to, and such
discontinuance is continuing on, the date that any Ending Index Level is to be
determined and the Calculation Agent determines that no Successor Index is
available at such time, then, on such date, the Calculation Agent shall
determine the Ending Index Level to be used in computing the Maturity Payment
Amount. The Ending Index Level shall be computed by the Calculation Agent in
accordance with the formula for and method of calculating the Index last in
effect prior to such discontinuance, using the Closing Level (or, if trading in
the relevant securities has been materially suspended or materially limited, its
good faith estimate of the Closing Level that would have prevailed but for such
suspension or limitation) at the close of the principal trading session on such
date of each security most recently comprising the Index on the primary
organized U.S. exchange or trading system.
4. Alteration of Method of Calculation.
If at any time the method of calculating the Index or a
Successor Index, or the Ending Index Level thereof, is changed in a material
respect, or if the Index or a Successor Index is in any other way modified so
that such Index does not, in the opinion of the Calculation Agent, fairly
represent the value of the Index or such Successor Index had such changes or
modifications not been made, then, from and after such time, the Calculation
Agent will, at the Close of Trading in New York City on the date that the Ending
Index Level is to be determined, make such calculations and adjustments as, in
the good faith judgment of the Calculation Agent, may be necessary in order to
arrive at a level of a stock index comparable to the Index or such Successor
Index, as the case may be, as if such changes or modifications had not been
made, and calculate the Ending Index Level and the Maturity Payment Amount with
reference to the Index or such Successor Index, as adjusted. Accordingly, if the
2
method of calculating the Index or a Successor Index is modified so that the
level of such index is a fraction of what it would have been if it had not been
modified (e.g., due to a split in the index), then the Calculation Agent shall
adjust such index in order to arrive at a level of the Index or such Successor
Index as if it had not been modified (e.g., as if such split had not occurred).
5. Definitions.
Set forth below are the terms used in this Annex A to the
Calculation Agency Agreement.
"AMEX" shall mean the American Stock Exchange.
"Business Day" shall mean any day that is not a Saturday, a
Sunday or a day on which the NYSE or Nasdaq is not open for trading or banking
institutions or trust companies in the City of New York are authorized or
obligated by law or executive order to close.
"Calculation Agent" shall mean the person that has entered
into an agreement with the Company providing for, among other things, the
determination of the Maturity Payment Amount, which term shall, unless the
context otherwise requires, include its successors and assigns. The initial
Calculation Agent shall be Xxxxxx Brothers Inc.
"Calculation Day" shall mean three Business Days prior to
January 24, 2003.
"Close of Trading" shall mean 4:00 p.m., New York City time.
"Closing Level" shall mean the last reported level of the
Index or the Successor Index, as the case may be, at 4:00 p.m., New York City
time, as reported by Nasdaq or the publisher of the Successor Index, as the case
may be.
"Ending Index Level" shall equal the Closing Level of the
Index or a Successor Index, as the case may be, on the Payment Determination
Date.
"Index" shall mean the Nasdaq-100 Index(R), as calculated by
Nasdaq.
"Market Disruption Event", on any day, shall mean any of the
following events as determined by the Calculation Agent:
(i) A suspension, absence or material limitation of trading in
20% of more of the underlying stocks which then comprise the Index or
any Successor Index, as the case may be, has occurred on that day, in
each case, for more than two hours of trading or during the one-half
hour period preceding the Close of Trading on the primary organized
U.S. exchange or trading system on which such stocks are traded or, in
the case of a common stock not listed or quoted in the United States,
on the primary exchange, trading system or market for that security.
Limitations on trading during significant market fluctuations imposed
pursuant to the rules of any primary organized U.S. exchange or trading
system similar to NYSE Rule 80B (or any applicable rule or regulation
enacted or promulgated by the NYSE, any other exchange, trading system,
or market, any other self regulatory organization or the Securities and
Exchange Commission of similar scope as determined by the Calculation
Agent), may be considered material. Notwithstanding the first sentence
3
of this paragraph, a Market Disruption Event for a security traded on a
bulletin board means a suspension, absence or material limitation of
trading of that security for more than two hours or during the one hour
period preceding 4:00 p.m., New York City time.
(ii) A suspension, absence or material limitation has occurred
on that day, in each case, for more than two hours of trading or during
the one-half hour period preceding the Close of Trading in options
contracts related to the Index or any Successor Index, as the case may
be, whether by reason of movements in price exceeding levels permitted
by an exchange, trading system or market on which such options
contracts are traded or otherwise.
(iii) Information is unavailable on that date, through a
recognized system of public dissemination of transaction information,
for more than two hours of trading or during the one-half hour period
preceding the Close of Trading, of accurate price, volume or related
information in respect of 20% or more of the underlying stocks which
then comprise the Index or any Successor Index, as the case may be, or
in respect of options contracts related to the Index or any Successor
Index, as the case may be, in each case traded on any major U.S.
exchange or trading system or in the case of securities of a non-U.S.
issuer, traded on the primary non-U.S. exchange, trading system or
market.
For purposes of determining whether a Market Disruption Event has
occurred:
(i) a limitation on the hours or number of days of trading
shall not constitute a Market Disruption Event if it results from an
announced change in the regular business hours of the relevant
exchange, trading system or market;
(ii) any suspension in trading in an options contract on the
Index or any Successor Index, as the case may be, by a major securities
exchange, trading system or market by reason of (a) a price change
violating limits set by such securities market, (b) an imbalance of
orders relating to those contracts, or (c) a disparity in bid and ask
quotes relating to those contracts, shall constitute a Market
Disruption Event notwithstanding that the suspension or material
limitation is less than two hours;
(iii) a suspension or material limitation on an exchange,
trading system or in a market shall include a suspension or material
limitation of trading by one class of investors provided that the
suspension continues for more than two hours of trading or during the
last one-half hour period preceding the Close of Trading on the
relevant exchange, trading system or market but shall not include any
time when the relevant exchange, trading system or market is closed for
trading as part of that exchange's, trading system's or market's
regularly scheduled business hours; and
(iv) "Trading systems" include bulletin board services.
"Maturity Payment Amount" shall mean, with respect to each
$1,000 principal amount of Securities, the following:
4
If the Ending Index Level is at least 112% of the Starting
Index Level, the lesser of:
(1) $1,321; and
(2) the product of (a) $1,000 and (b) Ending Index Level
--------------------
Starting Index Level
If the Ending Index Level is less than 112% of the Starting
Index Level, the lesser of:
(1) $1,120; and
(2) the sum of (a) $120 and (b) $1,000 x Ending Index Level
------------------
1636.37
"Nasdaq" shall mean The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc.
"NYSE" shall mean the New York Stock Exchange.
"Payment Determination Date" shall mean the Calculation Day,
unless a Market Disruption Event occurs on the Calculation Day, in which case
the first Business Day after the Calculation Day on which a Market Disruption
Event does not occur.
"Starting Index Level" shall equal 1925.14.
"Stated Maturity" shall mean January 24, 2003, or (i) if
January 24, 2003 is not a Business Day, the next Business Day, or (ii) if a
Market Disruption Event occurs on the Calculation Day, three Business Days after
the Payment Determination Date on which the Ending Index Level has been
determined.
"Successor Index" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
3(a).
