Appointment of Administrative Agent (a) Each Lender irrevocably appoints SunTrust Bank as the Administrative Agent and authorizes it to take such actions on its behalf and to exercise such powers as are delegated to the Administrative Agent under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, together with all such actions and powers that are reasonably incidental thereto. The Administrative Agent may perform any of its duties hereunder or under the other Loan Documents by or through any one or more sub-agents or attorneys-in-fact appointed by the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent or attorney-in-fact may perform any and all of its duties and exercise its rights and powers through their respective Related Parties. The exculpatory provisions set forth in this Article shall apply to any such sub-agent or attorney-in-fact and the Related Parties of the Administrative Agent, any such sub-agent and any such attorney-in-fact and shall apply to their respective activities in connection with the syndication of the credit facilities provided for herein as well as activities as Administrative Agent.
(b) The Issuing Bank shall act on behalf of the Lenders with respect to any Letters of Credit issued by it and the documents associated therewith until such time and except for so long as the Administrative Agent may agree at the request of the Required Lenders to act for the Issuing Bank with respect thereto; provided, that the Issuing Bank shall have all the benefits and immunities (i) provided to the Administrative Agent in this Article with respect to any acts taken or omissions suffered by the Issuing Bank in connection with Letters of Credit issued by it or proposed to be issued by it and the application and agreements for letters of credit pertaining to the Letters of Credit as fully as if the term “Administrative Agent” as used in this Article included the Issuing Bank with respect to such acts or omissions and (ii) as additionally provided in this Agreement with respect to the Issuing Bank.
Resignation of Administrative Agent and Successor Administrative Agent The Administrative Agent may resign at any time by giving ten days written notice thereof to the Lenders and the Borrower. If the Administrative Agent is a Defaulting Lender or an Affiliate of a Defaulting Lender, either the Required Lenders or the Borrower may, upon ten (10) days’ notice to the Borrower, the Lenders and the Administrative Agent, remove the Administrative Agent (such retiring or replaced Administrative Agent, the “Departing Administrative Agent”). The Administrative Agent shall have the right to appoint a financial institution (which shall be a commercial bank with an office in the U.S. having combined capital and surplus in excess of $1 billion) to act as Administrative Agent and/or Collateral Agent hereunder, with the written consent of the Borrower and the Required Lenders (not to be unreasonably withheld), and the Administrative Agent’s resignation shall become effective on the earliest of (i) 30 days after delivery of the notice of resignation, (ii) the acceptance of such successor Administrative Agent by the Borrower and the Required Lenders or (iii) such other date, if any, agreed to by the Borrower and the Required Lenders. Upon any such notice of resignation or any such removal, if a successor Administrative Agent has not already been appointed by the retiring Administrative Agent, the Required Lenders shall have the right, upon the written consent of the Borrower (not to be unreasonably withheld), to appoint a successor Administrative Agent. If neither the Required Lenders nor the Administrative Agent have appointed a successor Administrative Agent, the Required Lenders shall be deemed to have succeeded to and become vested with all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring Administrative Agent; provided that until a successor Administrative Agent is so appointed by Required Lenders or the Administrative Agent, any collateral security held by the Administrative Agent in its role as Collateral Agent on behalf of the Lenders or the L/C Issuer under any of the Loan Documents shall continue to be held by the retiring Collateral Agent as nominee until such time as a successor Collateral Agent is appointed. Upon the acceptance of any appointment as Administrative Agent hereunder by a successor Administrative Agent, that successor Administrative Agent shall thereupon succeed to and become vested with all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the Departing Administrative Agent and the Departing Administrative Agent shall promptly (i) transfer to such successor Administrative Agent all sums, securities and other items of Collateral held under the Collateral Documents, together with all records and other documents necessary or appropriate in connection with the performance of the duties of the successor Administrative Agent under the Loan Documents, and (ii) execute and deliver to such successor Administrative Agent such amendments to financing statements, and take such other actions, as may be necessary or appropriate in connection with the assignment to such successor Administrative Agent of the security interests created under the Collateral Documents, whereupon such Departing Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder. Except as provided above, any resignation or removal of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. or its successor as Administrative Agent pursuant to this Section shall also constitute the resignation or removal of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. or its successor as Collateral Agent. After any Departing Administrative Agent’s resignation or replacement hereunder as Administrative Agent, the provisions of this ARTICLE 9 and all protective provisions of the other Loan Documents shall inure to its benefit as to any actions taken or omitted to be taken by it while it was Administrative Agent, but no successor Administrative Agent shall in any event be liable or responsible for any actions of its predecessor. Any successor Administrative Agent appointed pursuant to this Section shall, upon its acceptance of such appointment, become the successor Collateral Agent of all purposes hereunder.
Authority of Administrative Agent Each Grantor acknowledges that the rights and responsibilities of the Administrative Agent under this Agreement with respect to any action taken by the Administrative Agent or the exercise or non-exercise by the Administrative Agent of any option, voting right, request, judgment or other right or remedy provided for herein or resulting or arising out of this Agreement shall, as between the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, be governed by the Credit Agreement and by such other agreements with respect thereto as may exist from time to time among them, but, as between the Administrative Agent and the Grantors, the Administrative Agent shall be conclusively presumed to be acting as agent for the Lenders with full and valid authority so to act or refrain from acting, and no Grantor shall be under any obligation, or entitlement, to make any inquiry respecting such authority.
Rights of Administrative Agent Any institution serving as the Administrative Agent hereunder shall have the same rights and powers in its capacity as a Lender as any other Lender and may exercise the same as though it were not an Administrative Agent, and such bank and its respective Affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to and generally engage in any kind of business with the Borrower or any Subsidiary or other Affiliate of the Borrower as if it were not an Administrative Agent hereunder.
Successor Administrative Agents An Administrative Agent may resign at any time by giving written notice thereof to the Lenders and Altria and may be removed at any time with or without cause by the Required Lenders. Upon the resignation or removal of JPMCB, as Administrative Agent, Citibank, as Administrative Agent, shall succeed to and become vested with all the rights, powers, discretion, privileges and duties of JPMCB, as Administrative Agent, and JPMCB, as Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations under this Agreement. Upon any other such resignation or removal which results in there being no Administrative Agent hereunder, the Required Lenders shall have the right to appoint a successor Administrative Agent. If no successor Administrative Agent shall have been so appointed by the Required Lenders, and shall have accepted such appointment, within 30 days after the retiring Administrative Agent’s giving of notice of resignation or the Required Lenders’ removal of the retiring Administrative Agent, then the retiring Administrative Agent may, on behalf of the Lenders, appoint a successor Administrative Agent, which shall be a commercial bank organized under the laws of the United States of America or of any State thereof and having a combined capital and surplus of at least $500,000,000. Upon the acceptance of any appointment as Administrative Agent hereunder by a successor Administrative Agent, such successor Administrative Agent shall thereupon succeed to and become vested with all the rights, powers, discretion, privileges and duties of the retiring Administrative Agent, and the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations under this Agreement. After any retiring Administrative Agent’s resignation or removal hereunder as Administrative Agent, the provisions of this Article VII shall inure to its benefit as to any actions taken or omitted to be taken by it while it was Administrative Agent under this Agreement.