Letter of Credit Accommodations (a) Subject to, and upon the terms and conditions contained herein, at the request of Borrower, Lender agrees to provide or arrange for Letter of Credit Accommodations for the account of Borrower containing terms and conditions acceptable to Lender, Borrower and the issuer thereof. Any payments made by Lender to any issuer thereof and/or related parties in connection with the Letter of Credit Accommodations shall constitute additional Loans to Borrower pursuant to this Section 2.
(b) In addition to any charges, fees or expenses charged by any bank or issuer in connection with the Letter of Credit Accommodations, Borrower shall pay to Lender a letter of credit fee at a rate equal to two percent (2%) per annum on the daily outstanding balance of the Letter of Credit Accommodations for the immediately preceding month (or part thereof), payable in arrears as of the first day of each succeeding month; provided, that, if any of the Letter of Credit Accommodations have expired with any amount remaining unpaid thereunder, such Letter of Credit Accommodation shall continue to be included in the daily outstanding balance of the Letter of Credit Accommodations for purposes of calculating such letter of credit fee until the earlier of (i) the payment under the Letter of Credit Accommodation of all amounts which were unpaid upon its expiration date or (ii) a period of thirty (30) days after the stated expiration date of such Letter of Credit Accommodation. Such letter of credit fee shall be calculated on the basis of a three hundred sixty (360) day year and actual days elapsed and the obligation of Borrower to pay such fee shall survive the termination or non-renewal of this Agreement.
(c) Borrower shall give Lender two (2) Business Days’ prior written notice of Borrower’s request for the issuance of a Letter of Credit Accommodation. Such notice shall be irrevocable and shall specify the original face amount of the Letter of Credit Accommodation requested, the effective date (which date shall be a Business Day and in no event shall be a date less than ten (10) days’ prior to the end of the then current term of this Agreement) of issuance of such requested Letter of Credit Accommodation, whether such Letter of Credit Accommodations may be drawn in a single or in partial draws, the date on which such requested Letter of Credit Accommodation is to expire (which date shall be a Business Day), the purpose for which such Letter of Credit Accommodation is to be issued, and the beneficiary of the requested Letter of Credit Accommodation. Borrower shall attach to such notice the proposed terms of the Letter of Credit Accommodation.
(d) In addition to being subject to the satisfaction of the applicable conditions precedent contained in Section 4 hereof and the other terms and conditions contained herein, no
(i) Borrower shall have delivered to the proposed issuer of such Letter of Credit Accommodation at such times and in such manner as such proposed issuer may require, an application, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such proposed issuer and Lender, for the issuance of the Letter of Credit Accommodation and such other documents as may be required pursuant to the terms thereof, and the form and terms of the proposed Letter of Credit Accommodation shall be reasonably satisfactory to Lender and such proposed issuer, (ii) as of the date of issuance, no order of any court, arbitrator or other Governmental Authority shall purport by its terms to enjoin or restrain money center banks generally from issuing letters of credit of the type and in the amount of the proposed Letter of Credit Accommodation, and no law, rule or regulation applicable to money center banks generally and no request or directive (whether or not having the force of law) from any Governmental Authority with jurisdiction over money center banks generally shall prohibit, or request that the proposed issuer of such Letter of Credit Accommodation refrain from, the issuance of letters of credit generally or the issuance of such Letters of Credit Accommodation; and (iii) the Excess Availability, prior to giving effect to any Availability Reserves with respect to such Letter of Credit Accommodations, on the date of the proposed issuance of any Letter of Credit Accommodations, shall be equal to or greater than: (A) if the proposed Letter of Credit Accommodation is for the purpose of purchasing Eligible Inventory consisting of leaf tobacco Inventory and the documents of title with respect thereto are consigned to the issuer, the sum of (1) the percentage equal to one hundred percent (100%) minus the then applicable percentage with respect to Eligible Inventory consisting of leaf tobacco set forth in Section 2.1(a) multiplied by the Value of such Eligible Inventory, plus (2) freight, taxes, duty and other amounts which Lender estimates must be paid in connection with such Inventory upon arrival and for delivery to one of Borrower’s locations for Eligible Inventory within the United States of America and (B) if the proposed Letter of Credit Accommodation is for any other purpose or the documents of title are not consigned to the issuer in connection with a Letter of Credit Accommodation for the purpose of purchasing Inventory, an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the face amount thereof and all other commitments and obligations made or incurred by Lender with respect thereto. Effective on the issuance of each Letter of Credit Accommodation, an Availability Reserve shall be established in the applicable amount set forth in Section 2.2(d)(iii)(A) or Section 2.2(d)(iii)(B).
(e) Except in Lender’s discretion, the amount of all outstanding Letter of Credit Accommodations and all other commitments and obligations made or incurred by Lender in connection therewith, shall not at any time exceed $5,000,000. At any time an Event of Default exists or has occurred and is continuing, upon Lender’s request, Borrower will either furnish cash collateral to secure the reimbursement obligations to the issuer in connection with any Letter of Credit Accommodations or furnish cash collateral to Lender for the Letter of Credit Accommodations, and in either case, the Loans otherwise available to Borrower shall not be reduced as provided in Section 2.2(d) to the extent of such cash collateral
(f) Borrower shall indemnify and hold Lender harmless from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses which Lender may suffer or incur in connection with any Letter of Credit Accommodations and any documents, drafts or acceptances relating thereto, including, but not limited to, any losses, claims, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses due to any action taken by any issuer or correspondent with respect to any Letter of Credit Accommodation, other than any such loss, claim, damage, liability, cost or expense resulting only from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of Lender. Borrower assumes all risks with respect to the acts or omissions of the drawer under or beneficiary of any Letter of Credit Accommodation and for such purposes the drawer or beneficiary shall be deemed Borrower’s agent Borrower assumes all risks for, and agrees to pay, all foreign, Federal, State and local taxes, duties and levies relating to any good subject to any Letter of Credit Accommodations or any documents, drafts or acceptances thereunder. Borrower hereby releases and holds Lender harmless from and against any acts, waivers, errors, delays or omissions, whether caused by Borrower, by any issuer or correspondent or otherwise with respect to or relating to any Letter of Credit Accommodation. The provisions of this Section 2.2(f) shall survive the payment of Obligations and the termination or non-renewal of this Agreement.
(g) In connection with Inventory purchased pursuant to Letter of Credit Accommodations, Borrower shall, at Lender’s request, instruct all suppliers, carriers, forwarders, customs brokers, warehouses or others receiving or holding cash, checks, Inventory, documents or instruments in which Lender holds a security interest to deliver them to Lender and/or subject to Lender’s order, and if they shall come into Borrower’s possession, to deliver them, upon Lender’s request, to Lender in their original form. Borrower shall also, at Lender’s request, designate Lender as the consignee on all bills of lading and other negotiable and non-negotiable documents.
(h) So long as no Event of Default exists or has occurred and is continuing, Borrower may (i) approve or resolve any questions of non-compliance of documents, (ii) give any instructions as to acceptance or rejection of any documents or goods, (iii) execute any and all applications for steamship or airway guaranties, indemnities or delivery orders, and (iv) with Lender’s consent, grant any extensions of the maturity of, time of payment for, or time of presentation of, any drafts, acceptances, or documents, and agree to any amendments, renewals, extensions, modifications, changes or cancellations of any of the terms or conditions of any of the applications, Letter of Credit Accommodations, or documents, drafts or acceptances thereunder or any letters of credit included in the Collateral.
(i) Borrower hereby irrevocably authorizes and directs any issuer of a Letter of Credit Accommodation to name Borrower as the account party therein and to deliver to Lender all instruments, documents and other writings and property received by issuer pursuant to the Letter of Credit Accommodations and to accept and rely upon Lender’s instructions and agreements with respect to all matters arising in connection with the Letter of Credit Accommodations or the applications therefor. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed or construed to grant Borrower any right or authority to pledge the credit of Lender in any manner. Lender shall have no liability of any kind with respect to any Letter of Credit Accommodation provided by an issuer other than Lender unless Lender has duly executed and delivered to such issuer the application or a guarantee or indemnification in writing with respect to such Letter of Credit Accommodation. Borrower shall be bound by any reasonable interpretation made in good faith by Lender, or any other issuer or correspondent under or in connection with any Letter of Credit Accommodation or any documents, drafts or acceptances thereunder, notwithstanding that such interpretation may be inconsistent with any instructions of Borrower.
(j) At any time an Event of Default exists or has occurred and is continuing, Lender shall have the right and authority to, and Borrower shall not, without the prior written consent of Lender, (i) approve or resolve any questions of non-compliance of documents, (ii) give any instructions as to acceptance or rejection of any documents or goods, (iii) execute any and all applications for steamship or airway guaranties, indemnities or delivery orders, (iv) grant any extensions of the maturity of, time of payments for, or time of presentation of, any drafts, acceptances, or documents, and (v) agree to any amendments, renewals, extensions, modifications, changes or cancellations of any of the terms or conditions of any of the applications, Letter of Credit Accommodations, or documents, drafts or acceptances thereunder or any letters of credit included in the Collateral. Lender may take such actions either in its own name or in Borrower’s name.
(k) Any rights, remedies, duties or obligations granted or undertaken by Borrower to any issuer or correspondent in any application for any Letter of Credit Accommodation, or any other agreement in favor of any issuer or correspondent relating to any Letter of Credit Accommodation, shall be deemed to have been granted or undertaken by Borrower to Lender. Any duties or obligations undertaken by Lender to any issuer or correspondent in any application for any Letter of Credit Accommodation, or any other agreement by Lender in favor of any issuer or correspondent to the extent relating to any Letter of Credit Accommodation, shall be deemed to have been undertaken by Borrower to Lender and to apply in all respects to Borrower.
Procedures for Issuance and Amendment of Letters of Credit; Auto-Extension Letters of Credit (i) Each Letter of Credit shall be issued or amended, as the case may be, upon the request of the Borrower delivered to the L/C Issuer (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) in the form of a Letter of Credit Application, appropriately completed and signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower. Such Letter of Credit Application must be received by the L/C Issuer and the Administrative Agent not later than 11:00 a.m. at least two Business Days (or such later date and time as the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuer may agree in a particular instance in their sole discretion) prior to the proposed issuance date or date of amendment, as the case may be. In the case of a request for an initial issuance of a Letter of Credit, such Letter of Credit Application shall specify in form and detail satisfactory to the L/C Issuer: (A) the proposed issuance date of the requested Letter of Credit (which shall be a Business Day); (B) the amount thereof; (C) the expiry date thereof; (D) the name and address of the beneficiary thereof; (E) the documents to be presented by such beneficiary in case of any drawing thereunder; (F) the full text of any certificate to be presented by such beneficiary in case of any drawing thereunder; and (G) such other matters as the L/C Issuer may require. In the case of a request for an amendment of any outstanding Letter of Credit, such Letter of Credit Application shall specify in form and detail satisfactory to the L/C Issuer (A) the Letter of Credit to be amended; (B) the proposed date of amendment thereof (which shall be a Business Day); (C) the nature of the proposed amendment; and (D) such other matters as the L/C Issuer may require. Additionally, the Borrower shall furnish to the L/C Issuer and the Administrative Agent such other documents and information pertaining to such requested Letter of Credit issuance or amendment, including any Issuer Documents, as the L/C Issuer or the Administrative Agent may require.
(ii) Promptly after receipt of any Letter of Credit Application, the L/C Issuer will confirm with the Administrative Agent (by telephone or in writing) that the Administrative Agent has received a copy of such Letter of Credit Application from the Borrower and, if not, the L/C Issuer will provide the Administrative Agent with a copy thereof. Unless the L/C Issuer has received written notice from any Lender, the Administrative Agent or any Loan Party, at least one Business Day prior to the requested date of issuance or amendment of the applicable Letter of Credit, that one or more applicable conditions contained in Article IV shall not then be satisfied, then, subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the L/C Issuer shall, on the requested date, issue a Letter of Credit for the account of the Borrower (or the applicable Subsidiary) or enter into the applicable amendment, as the case may be, in each case in accordance with the L/C Issuer’s usual and customary business practices. Immediately upon the issuance of each Letter of Credit, each Lender shall be deemed to, and hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees to, purchase from the L/C Issuer a risk participation in such Letter of Credit in an amount equal to the product of such Lender’s Applicable Percentage times the amount of such Letter of Credit.
(iii) If the Borrower so requests in any applicable Letter of Credit Application, the L/C Issuer may, in its sole and absolute discretion, agree to issue a Letter of Credit that has automatic extension provisions (each, an “Auto-Extension Letter of Credit”); provided that any such Auto-Extension Letter of Credit must permit the L/C Issuer to prevent any such extension at least once in each twelve-month period (commencing with the date of issuance of such Letter of Credit) by giving prior notice to the beneficiary thereof not later than a day (the “Non-Extension Notice Date”) in each such twelve-month period to be agreed upon at the time such Letter of Credit is issued. Unless otherwise directed by the L/C Issuer, the Borrower shall not be required to make a specific request to the L/C Issuer for any such extension. Once an Auto-Extension Letter of Credit has been issued, the Lenders shall be deemed to have authorized (but may not require) the L/C Issuer to permit the extension of such Letter of Credit at any time to an expiry date not later than the Letter of Credit Expiration Date; provided, however, that the L/C Issuer shall not permit any such extension if (A) the L/C Issuer has determined that it would not be permitted, or would have no obligation, at such time to issue such Letter of Credit in its revised form (as extended) under the terms hereof (by reason of the provisions of clause (ii) or (iii) of Section 2.03(a) or otherwise), or (B) it has received notice (which may be by telephone or in writing) on or before the day that is five Business Days before the Non-Extension Notice Date (1) from the Administrative Agent that the Required Lenders have elected not to permit such extension or (2) from the Administrative Agent, any Lender or the Borrower that one or more of the applicable conditions specified in Section 4.02 is not then satisfied, and in each such case directing the L/C Issuer not to permit such extension.
(iv) Promptly after its delivery of any Letter of Credit or any amendment to a Letter of Credit to an advising bank with respect thereto or to the beneficiary thereof, the L/C Issuer will also deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent a true and complete copy of such Letter of Credit or amendment.
Requesting Letters of Credit (a) Borrower must make written application for any Letter of Credit or amendment or extension of any Letter of Credit at least 5 Business Days (or such shorter period as LC Issuer may in its discretion from time to time agree) before the date on which Borrower desires for LC Issuer to issue such Letter of Credit. By making any such written application, unless otherwise expressly stated therein, Borrower shall be deemed to have represented and warranted that the LC Conditions described in Section 2.9 will be met as of the date of issuance of such Letter of Credit. Each such written application for a Letter of Credit must be made in writing in the form customarily used by LC Issuer, the terms and provisions of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference (or in such other form as may mutually be agreed upon by LC Issuer and Borrower).
(b) If Borrower so requests in any applicable LC Application, LC Issuer may, in its discretion, agree to issue a Letter of Credit that has automatic extension provisions (each, an “Auto-Extension Letter of Credit”); provided that any such Auto-Extension Letter of Credit must permit LC Issuer to prevent any such extension at least once in each 12 month period (commencing with the date of issuance of such Letter of Credit) by giving prior notice to the beneficiary thereof not later than a day (the “Non-Extension Notice Date”) in each such 12 month period to be agreed upon at the time such Letter of Credit is issued. Unless otherwise directed by LC Issuer, Borrower shall not be required to make a specific request to LC Issuer for any such extension. Once an Auto-Extension Letter of Credit has been issued, Lenders shall be deemed to have authorized (but may not require) LC Issuer to permit the extension of such Letter of Credit at any time to an expiry date not later than the Letter of Credit Termination Date; provided, however, that LC Issuer shall not permit any such extension if (i) LC Issuer has determined that it would not be permitted, or would have no obligation at such time to issue such Letter of Credit in its revised form (as extended) under the terms hereof (by reason of the provisions of Section 2.9 or otherwise), or (ii) it has received notice (which notice may be by telephone or in writing) on or before the day that is 5 Business Days before the Non-Extension Notice Date (1) from Administrative Agent that Majority Lenders have elected not to permit such extension or (2) from Administrative Agent, any Lender or Borrower that one or more of the applicable conditions specified in Section 4.2 is not then satisfied, and in each such case directing LC Issuer not to permit such extension.
(c) Two Business Days after the LC Conditions for a Letter of Credit have been met as described in Section 2.9 (or if LC Issuer otherwise desires to issue such Letter of Credit earlier), LC Issuer will issue such Letter of Credit at LC Issuer’s office in Denver, Colorado. If any provisions of any LC Application conflict with any provisions of this Agreement, the provisions of this Agreement shall govern and control. Borrower shall promptly examine a copy of each Letter of Credit and each amendment thereto that is delivered to it and, in the event of any claim of noncompliance with Borrower’s instructions or other irregularity, Borrower will immediately notify LC Issuer.
(d) Notwithstanding that a Letter of Credit issued or outstanding hereunder is in support of any obligations of, or is for the account of, a Subsidiary of Borrower, Borrower shall be obligated to reimburse LC Issuer hereunder for any and all drawings under such Letter of Credit. Borrower hereby acknowledges that the issuance of Letters of Credit for the account of such Subsidiaries inures to the benefit of Borrower, and that Borrower’s business derives substantial benefits from the businesses of such Subsidiaries.
(e) Unless otherwise agreed by Administrative Agent, each LC Issuer shall report in writing to Administrative Agent (i) on or prior to each Business Day on which such LC Issuer issues, amends, renews or extends any Letter of Credit, the date of such issuance, amendment, renewal or extension, and the currencies and face amounts of the Letters of Credit issued, amended, renewed or extended by it and outstanding after giving effect to such issuance, amendment, renewal or extension (and whether the amounts thereof shall have changed), it being understood that such LC Issuer shall not effect any issuance, renewal, extension or amendment resulting in an increase in the aggregate amount of the Letters of Credit issued by it without first obtaining written confirmation from Administrative Agent that such increase is then permitted under this Agreement, (ii) on each Business Day on which such LC Issuer makes any payment under any draw made under any Letter of Credit, the date, currency and amount of such payment, (iii) on any Business Day on which Borrower fails to reimburse any Matured LC Obligation required to be reimbursed to such LC Issuer on such day, the date of such failure and the currency and amount of such Matured LC Obligation, and (iv) on any other Business Day, such other information as Administrative Agent shall reasonably request as the Letters of Credit issued by such LC Issuer.