OLD REPUBLIC INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION and WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. Rights Agent Amended and Restated Rights Agreement Amended and Restated as of June 26, 2017
and
▇▇▇▇▇ FARGO BANK, N.A.
Rights Agent
______________________
Amended and Restated Rights Agreement
Amended and Restated as of June 26, 2017
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1. Certain Definitions 2
Section 2. Appointment of Rights Agent 8
Section 3. Issuance of Rights Certificates 8
Section 4. Form of Right Certificates 10
Section 5. Countersignature and Registration 11
Section 6. Transfer, Split Up, Combination and Exchange
Of Rights Certificates; Mutilated, Destroyed,
Lost or Stolen Right Certificate 12
Section 7. Exercise of Rights; Purchase Price; Expiration
Date of Rights 13
Section 8. Cancellation and Destruction of Right Certificates 16
Section 9. Reservation and Availability of Preferred Shares 17
Section 10. Preferred Shares Record Date 18
Section 11. Adjustment of Purchase Price, Number and
Kind of Shares or Number of Rights 19
Section 12. Certificate of Adjusted Purchase Price or
Number of Shares 30
Section 13. Consolidation, Merger or Transfer of Assets or
Earning Power 30
Section 14. Fractional Rights and Fractional Shares 34
Section 15. Rights of Action 36
Section 16. Agreement of Right Holders 37
Section 17. Right Certificate Holder Not Deemed a Stockholder 37
Section 18. Concerning the Rights Agent 38
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Section 19. Merger or Consolidation or Change of Name of
Rights Agent 38
Section 20. Duties of Rights Agent 39
Section 21. Change of Rights Agent 44
Section 22. Issuance of New Right Certificates 45
Section 23. Redemption and Termination 45
Section 24. Exchanges 47
Section 25. Notice of Certain Events 49
Section 26. Notices 50
Section 27. Supplements and Amendments 51
Section 28. Determination and Actions by the Board of
Directors, etc. 51
Section 29. Successors 52
Section 30. Benefits of this Agreement 52
Section 31. Severability 52
Section 32. Governing Law 52
Section 33. Counterparts 53
Section 34. Descriptive Headings 53
Section 35. Force Majeure 53
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
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AMENDED AND RESTATED RIGHTS AGREEMENT
This Agreement, as amended and restated as of June 26, 2017, between Old Republic International Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and ▇▇▇▇▇ Fargo Bank, N.A.(the “Rights Agent”).
W I T N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS, on March 25, 1987, the Board of Directors of the Company authorized and declared a dividend (the “Dividend”) of one Right for each outstanding share of Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share, of the Company (“Common Share”) outstanding on the record date for the Dividend, and, subject to the approval of the shareholders of the Company, authorized the issuance of one Right with respect to each Common Share that was or shall become outstanding between the record date and the earlier of the Distribution Date, the Expiration Date and the Final Expiration Date (as such terms are defined in Sections 3 and 7);
WHEREAS, on June 26, 1987, at their regular annual meeting, the shareholders of the Company approved the issuance of such Rights and authorized the Company to enter into a Rights Agreement with the Rights Agent;
WHEREAS, The Company and the Rights Agent entered into a Rights Agreement effective as of June 26, 1987, (the “Original Rights Agreement”) with respect to the Rights;
WHEREAS, the Original Rights Agreement provided for its amendment and restatement from time to time as the Company and the Rights Agent deemed necessary or desirable;
WHEREAS, on May 15, 1997, June 26, 2007, and February 23, 2017, the Board of Directors of the Company authorized the officers of the Company to amend and restate the Original Rights Agreement;
WHEREAS, as of June 26, 2017 the Company and the Rights Agent further amended and restated the Amended and Restated Rights Agreement; and
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WHEREAS, the Company now deems it desirable and protective of, and not adversely affecting the interests of the holders of the Rights, further to amend the Amended and Restated Rights Agreement by broadening the definition of the term “Acquiring Person” and the terms related to “Beneficial Ownership” and to restate said Agreement as so amended.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual agreements herein set forth, the parties hereby agree as follows:
Section 1. Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings indicated:
(a) “Acquiring Person” shall mean any Person who or which together with all Affiliates and Associates of such Person, shall be the Beneficial Owner of 20% or more of the then outstanding Common Shares (other than as a result of a Permitted Offer (as hereinafter defined)) or was such a Beneficial Owner at any time after the date hereof, whether or not such Person continues to be the Beneficial Owner of 20% or more of the then outstanding Common Shares. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (A) the term “Acquiring Person” shall not include (i) the Company, (ii) any Subsidiary of the Company, (iii) any employee benefit plan of the Company or of any Subsidiary of the Company, (iv) any Person or entity organized, appointed or established by the Company for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan, or (v) any Person, who or which together with all Affiliates and Associates of such Person becomes the Beneficial Owner of 20% or more of the then outstanding Common Shares as a result of the acquisition of Common Shares directly from the Company, and (B) no Person shall be deemed to be an “Acquiring Person” either (X) as a result of the acquisition of Common Shares by the Company which, by reducing the number of Common Shares outstanding, increases the proportional number of shares beneficially owned by such Person together with all Affiliates and Associates of such Person: except that if (i) a Person would become an Acquiring Person (but for the operation of this Section 1(a)(B)(X)) as a result of the acquisition of Common Shares by the Company, and (ii) after such share acquisition by the Company, such Person, or an Affiliate or Associate of such Person, becomes the Beneficial Owner of any additional Common Shares, then such Person shall be deemed an Acquiring Person, or (Y) if (i) within eight (8)
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days after such Person would otherwise have become an Acquiring Person (but for the operation of this Section 1(a)(B)(Y), such Person notifies the Board of Directors that such Person did so inadvertently and (ii) within two (2) days after such notification, such Person is the Beneficial Owner of less than 20% of the outstanding Common Shares. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Board of Directors of the Company determines in good faith that a Person who would otherwise be an “Acquiring Person,” as defined pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section 1(a), has become such inadvertently (including, without limitation, because (A) such Person was unaware that it Beneficially Owned a percentage of the Common Shares that would otherwise cause such Person to be an “Acquiring Person” or (B) such Person was aware of the extent of its Beneficial Ownership of Common Stock but had no actual knowledge of the consequences of such Beneficial Ownership under this Agreement), and without any intention of changing or influencing control of the Company, and such Person divests as promptly as practicable a sufficient number of Common Shares so that such Person would no longer be an Acquiring Person, as defined pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section 1(a) (or, in the case solely of Derivative Common Shares (as such term is hereinafter defined), such Person terminates the subject derivative transaction or transactions or disposes of the subject derivative security or securities, or establishes to the satisfaction of the Board of Directors that such Derivative Common Shares are not held with any intention of changing or influencing control of the Company), then such Person shall not be deemed to be or have become an “Acquiring Person” at any time for any purposes of this Agreement. For all purposes of this Agreement, any calculation of the number of Common Shares outstanding at any particular time, for purposes of determining the particular percentage of such outstanding Common Shares of which any Person is the Beneficial Owner, shall include Common Shares deemed to be Beneficially Owned by the Person in accordance with Section 1(d), but shall not include any other unissued Common Shares which may be issuable pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding, or upon exercise of conversion rights, warrants or options, or otherwise.
(b) “Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and as in effect on the date of this Agreement.
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(c) “Affiliate” and “Associate” shall have the respective meanings ascribed to such terms in Rule 12b-2 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and in effect on the date of this Agreement (the “Exchange Act”).
(d) A Person shall be deemed the “Beneficial Owner” of and shall be deemed to “Beneficially Own” and have “Beneficial Ownership” of any securities:
(i) which such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates beneficially owns, directly or indirectly (as determined pursuant to Rule 13d-3 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act as in effect on the date of this Agreement;
(ii) which such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates, directly or indirectly, has (A) the right to acquire (whether such right is exercisable immediately, or only after the passage of time, compliance with regulatory requirements, fulfillment of a condition or otherwise) pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding, whether or not in writing (other than customary agreements with and between underwriters and selling group members with respect to a bona fide public offering of securities), or upon the exercise of conversion rights, exchange rights, rights, warrants or options, or otherwise; provided, however, that a Person shall not be deemed the Beneficial Owner of, or to Beneficially Own, (w) securities tendered pursuant to a tender or exchange offer made by or on behalf of such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates until such tendered securities are accepted for purchase or exchange, (x) securities which such Person has a right to acquire upon the exercise of Rights at any time prior to the time that any Person becomes an Acquiring Person, (y) securities issuable upon the exercise of Rights from and after the time that any Person becomes an Acquiring Person if such Rights were acquired by such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates prior to the Distribution Date or pursuant to Section 3(a) or Section 22 (‘Original Rights’) or pursuant to Section 11(h) or Section 11(p) with respect to an adjustment to Original Rights or (z) securities which such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates may acquire, does or do acquire or
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may be deemed to acquire or may be deemed to have the right to acquire, pursuant to any merger or other acquisition agreement between the Company and such Person (or one or more of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates) if prior to such Person becoming an Acquiring Person the Board of Directors of the Company has approved such agreement and determined that such Person shall not be or be deemed to be the Beneficial Owner of such securities within the meaning of this Section 1(d); or (B) through any written or oral agreement, or arrangement, relationship, understanding or otherwise has or shares the power to vote, or direct the voting of such securities; provided, however, that a Person shall not be deemed the Beneficial Owner of, or to Beneficially Own, any security under this clause (B) if the agreement, arrangement or understanding to vote such security (1) arises solely from a revocable proxy or consent given to such Person in response to a public proxy or consent solicitation made pursuant to, and in accordance with, the applicable rules and regulations of the Exchange Act and (2) is not also then reportable on Schedule 13D under the Exchange Act (or any comparable or successor report);
(iii) which are Beneficially Owned, directly or indirectly, by any other Person (or any Affiliate or Associate thereof) and with respect to which such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates has any agreement, arrangement or understanding (other than customary agreements with and between underwriters and selling group members with respect to a bona fide public offering of securities), whether or not in writing, for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting (except voting pursuant to a revocable proxy or consent as described in the proviso to Section 1(d)(ii)(B)) or disposing of any securities of the Company with any other Person that Beneficially Owns, or whose Affiliates or Associates Beneficially Own, directly or indirectly, such securities; or
(iv) that are the subject of a derivative transaction entered into by such Person, or derivative security acquired by such Person, which gives such Person the economic equivalent of ownership of an amount of such securities due to the fact that the value of the derivative is explicitly determined by reference to the price or value of such securities, without regard to whether (a) such derivative conveys any voting rights in such securities to
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such Person, (b) the derivative is required to be, or capable of being, settled through delivery of such securities, or (c) such Person may have entered into other transactions that hedge the economic effect of such derivative. In determining the number of Common Shares deemed Beneficially Owned by virtue of the operation of this Section 1.3(iv), the subject Person shall be deemed to Beneficially Own (without duplication) the number of Common Shares that are synthetically owned pursuant to such derivative transactions or such derivative securities. Such Common Shares that are deemed so Beneficially Owned pursuant to the operation of this Section 1.3(iv) shall be referred to herein as “Derivative Common Shares.”
No Person who is an officer, director or employee of an Exempt Person shall be deemed, solely by reason of such Person’s status or authority as such, to be the “Beneficial Owner” of, to have “Beneficial Ownership” of or to “Beneficially Own” any securities that are “Beneficially Owned” (as defined in this Section 1(d)), including, without limitation, in a fiduciary capacity, by an Exempt Person or by any other such officer, director or employee of an Exempt Person.
(e) “Business Day” shall mean any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or a day on which banking institutions in the State of New York are authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.
(f) “Close of Business” on any given date shall mean 5:00 P.M., New York time, on such date; provided, however, that if such date is not a Business Day it shall mean 5:00 P.M., New York time, on the next succeeding Business Day.
(g) “Common Shares” when used with reference to the Company shall mean the shares of Common Stock, par value $1 per share, of the Company or, in the event of a subdivision, combination or consolidation with respect to such shares of Common Stock, the shares of Common Stock resulting from such subdivision, combination or consolidation. “Common Shares” when used with reference to any Person other than the Company shall mean the capital stock (or equity interest) with the greatest voting power of such other Person or, if such other Person is a
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Subsidiary of another Person, the Person or Persons which ultimately control such first-mentioned Person.
(h) “Distribution Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3 hereof.
(i) “Final Expiration Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7 hereof.
(j) “Interested Stockholder” shall mean any Acquiring Person or any Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person or any other Person in which any such Acquiring Person, Affiliate or Associate has an interest, or any other Person acting directly or indirectly on behalf of or in concert with any such Acquiring Person, Affiliate or Associate.
(k) “Permitted Offer” shall mean a tender or exchange offer which is for all outstanding Common Shares at a price and on terms determined, prior to the purchase of shares under such tender or exchange offer, by at least a majority of the members of the Board of Directors who are not officers of the Company and who are not Acquiring Persons or Affiliates, Associates, nominees or representatives of an Acquiring Person, to be adequate (taking into account all factors that such Directors deem relevant including, without limitation, prices that could reasonably be achieved if the Company or its assets were sold on an orderly basis designed to realize maximum value) and otherwise in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders (other than the Person or any Affiliate or Associate thereof on whose behalf the offer is being made) taking into account all factors that such directors may deem relevant.
(l) “Person” shall mean any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, trust, association, joint venture or other entity, and shall include any successor (by merger or otherwise) of such entity.
(m) “Preferred Shares” shall mean shares of a Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock with a par value of $.01 per share of the Company having the relative rights, preferences and limitations set forth in the Form of Certificate of Designations attached to this Agreement as Exhibit A.
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(n) “Redemption Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7 hereof.
(o) “Section 11(a)(ii) Event” shall mean any event described in Section 11(a)(ii) hereof.
(p) “Section 13 Event” shall mean any event described in clause (x), (y) or (z) of Section 13(a) hereof.
(q) “Shares Acquisition Date” shall mean the first date of public announcement (which for purposes of this definition, shall include, without limitation, a report filed pursuant to the Exchange Act) by the Company or an Acquiring Person that an Acquiring Person has become such; provided, that, if such Person is determined not to have become an Acquiring Person pursuant to Section 1(a)(B)(Y) hereof, then no Shares Acquisition Date shall be deemed to have occurred.
(r) “Subsidiary” of any Person shall mean any corporation or other Person of which a majority of the voting power of the voting equity securities or equity interest is owned, directly or indirectly, by such Person.
(s) “Triggering Event” shall mean any Section 11 (a)(ii) Event or any Section 13 Event.
Section 2. Appointment of Rights Agent. The Company hereby appoints the Rights Agent to act as agent of the Company and the holders of the Rights (who, in accordance with Section 3 hereof, shall prior to the Distribution Date also be the holders of the Common Shares) in accordance with the terms and conditions hereof, and the Rights Agent hereby accepts such appointment. The Company may from time to time appoint such Co-Rights Agents as it may deem necessary or desirable, upon ten (10) days’ prior written notice to the Rights Agent. The Rights Agent shall have no duty to supervise, and in no event be liable for, the acts or omissions of any such Co-Rights Agent.
Section 3. Issuance of Rights Certificates.
(a) Until the earlier of (i) the Shares Acquisition Date or (ii) the Close of Business on the tenth day (or such later date as may be determined by action of the Company’s Board of Directors) after the date of the commencement by any Person (other than the Company, any
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Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company or any Person or entity organized, appointed or established by the Company for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan) of, or of the first public announcement of the intention of any Person (other than the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company or of any Subsidiary of the Company or any Person or entity organized, appointed or established by the Company for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan) to commence (which intention to commence remains in effect for five Business Days after such announcement), a tender or exchange offer the consummation of which would result in any Person becoming an Acquiring Person (including, in the case of both Section 3 (a)(i) and (ii), any such date which is after the date of this Agreement and prior to the issuance of the Rights), the earlier of such dates being herein referred to as the “Distribution Date,” (x) the Rights will be evidenced (subject to the provisions of Section 3(b) hereof) by the certificates for Common Shares registered in the names of the holders thereof (which certificates shall also be deemed to be Right Certificates) and not by separate Right Certificates, and (y) the right to receive Right Certificates will be transferable only in connection with the transfer of the underlying Common Shares (including a transfer to the Company); provided, however, that if a tender offer is terminated prior to the occurrence of a Distribution Date, then no Distribution Date shall occur as a result of such tender offer. As soon as practicable after the Distribution Date, the Company will prepare and execute, the Rights Agent will countersign, and the Company will send or cause to be sent by first-class, postage prepaid mail, to each record holder of Common Shares as of the close of business on the Distribution Date, at the address of such holder as shown on the records of the Company, a Right Certificate, substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto (a “Right Certificate”), evidencing one Right for each Common Share so held. As of and after the Distribution Date, the Rights will be evidenced solely by such Right Certificates.
(b) Certificates for Common Shares which become outstanding (including, without limitation, reacquired Common Shares referred to in the last sentence of this paragraph (b)) after the record date but prior to the earliest of the Distribution Date, the Redemption Date or
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the Final Expiration Date, shall have impressed on, printed on, written on or otherwise affixed to them the following legend:
This certificate also evidences and entitles the holder hereof to certain Rights as set forth in an Amended and Restated Rights Agreement between Old Republic International Corporation and ▇▇▇▇▇ Fargo Bank, N.A., dated as of June 26, 2017(the “Rights Agreement”), the terms of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference and a copy of which is on file at the principal executive offices of Old Republic International Corporation. Under certain circumstances, as set forth in the Rights Agreement, such Rights will be evidenced by separate certificates and will no longer be evidenced by this certificate. Old Republic International Corporation will mail to the holder of this certificate a copy of the Rights Agreement without charge after receipt of a written request therefor. As described in the Rights Agreement, Rights which are owned by, transferred to or have been owned by Acquiring Persons or Associates or Affiliates thereof (as defined in the Rights Agreement) shall become null and void and will no longer be transferable.
With respect to such certificates containing the foregoing legend, until the Distribution Date, the Rights associated with the Common Shares represented by such certificates shall be evidenced by such certificates alone, and the surrender for transfer of any such certificate shall constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Shares represented thereby. In the event that the Company purchases or acquires any Common Shares after the record date but prior to the Distribution Date, any Rights associated with such Common Shares shall be deemed cancelled and retired so that the Company shall not be entitled to exercise any Rights associated with the Common Shares which are no longer outstanding.
Section 4. Form of Right Certificates.
(a) The Right Certificates (and the forms of election to purchase Preferred Shares and of assignment to be printed on the reverse thereof) shall be substantially the same as Exhibit B hereto and may have such marks of
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identification or designation and such legends, summaries or endorsements printed thereon as the Company may deem appropriate and as are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Agreement, or as may be required to comply with any applicable law or with any rule or regulation made pursuant thereto or with any rule or regulation of any stock exchange on which the Rights may from time to time be listed or to conform to usage. Subject to the provisions of Sections 11 and 22 hereof, the Right Certificates shall entitle the holders thereof to purchase such number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share as shall be set forth therein at the price per one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share set forth therein (the “Purchase Price”), but the amount and type of securities purchasable upon the exercise of each Right and the Purchase Price thereof shall be subject to adjustment as provided herein.
(b) Any Right Certificate issued pursuant to Section 3 (a) or Section 22 hereof that represents Rights which are null and void pursuant to Section 7(e) of this Agreement and any Right Certificate issued pursuant to Section 6 or Section 11 hereof upon transfer, exchange, replacement or adjustment of any other Right Certificate referred to in this sentence, shall contain (to the extent feasible) the following legend:
The Rights represented by this Right Certificate are or were beneficially owned by a Person who was or became an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person (as such terms are defined in the Rights Agreement). Accordingly, this Right Certificate and the Rights represented hereby are null and void.
Provisions of Section 7(e) of this Rights Agreement shall be operative whether or not the foregoing legend is contained on any such Right Certificate.
Section 5. Countersignature and Registration. The Right Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the Company by its Chairman of the Board, its Chief Executive Officer, its President, any of its Vice Presidents, or its Treasurer, either manually or by facsimile signature, shall have affixed thereto the Company’s seal or a facsimile thereof, and shall be attested by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company,
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either manually or by facsimile signature. The Right Certificates shall be countersigned by the Rights Agent and shall not be valid for any purpose unless countersigned. In case any officer of the Company who shall have signed any of the Right Certificates shall cease to be such officer of the Company before countersignature by the Rights Agent and issuance and delivery by the Company, such Right Certificates, nevertheless, may be countersigned by the Rights Agent and issued and delivered by the Company with the same force and effect as though the Person who signed such Right Certificates had not ceased to be such officer of the Company; and any Right Certificate may be signed on behalf of the Company by any Person who, at the actual date of the execution of such Right Certificate, shall be a proper officer of the Company to sign such Right Certificate, although at the date of the execution of this Rights Agreement any such Person was not such an officer.
Following the Distribution Date, the Rights Agent will keep or cause to be kept, at its principal office, books for registration and transfer of the Right Certificates issued hereunder. Such books shall show the names and addresses of the respective holders of the Right Certificates, the number of Rights evidenced on its face by each of the Right Certificates and the date of each of the Right Certificates.
Section 6. Transfer, Split Up, Combination and Exchange of Right Certificates; Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Right Certificate. Subject to the provisions of Sections 4(b), 7(e) and 14 hereof, at any time after the close of business on the Distribution Date, and at or prior to the close of business on the earlier of the Redemption Date or the Final Expiration Date, any Right Certificate or Right Certificates may be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged for another Right Certificate or Right Certificates, entitling the registered holder to purchase a like number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share (or, following a Triggering Event, other securities as the case may be) as the Right Certificate or Right Certificates surrendered then entitled such holder (or former holder in the case of a transfer) to purchase. Any registered holder desiring to transfer, split up, combine or exchange any Right Certificate or Right Certificates shall make such request in writing delivered to the Rights Agent, and shall surrender the Right Certificate or Right Certificates to be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged at the principal office of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose. Neither the Rights Agent nor the Company shall be obligated to take any action whatsoever with respect to
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the transfer of any such surrendered Right Certificate until the registered holder shall have completed and signed the certificate contained in the form of assignment on the reverse side of such Right Certificate and shall have provided such additional evidence of the identity of the Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) or Affiliates or Associates thereof as the Company shall reasonably request. Thereupon the Rights Agent shall, subject to Sections 4(b), 7(e) and 14 hereof, countersign and deliver to the Person entitled thereto a Right Certificate or Right Certificates, as the case may be, as so requested. The Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or governmental charge that may be imposed in connection with any transfer, split up, combination or exchange of Right Certificates.
Upon receipt by the Company and the Rights Agent of evidence reasonably satisfactory to them of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of a Right Certificate, and, in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to them, and, at the Company’s request, reimbursement to the Company and the Rights Agent of all reasonable expenses incidental thereto, and upon surrender to the Rights Agent and cancellation of the Right Certificate if mutilated, the Company will make and deliver a new Right Certificate of like tenor to the Rights Agent for delivery to the registered holder in lieu of the Right Certificate so lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated.
Section 7. Exercise of Rights; Purchase Price; Expiration Date of Rights.
(a) Subject to Section 7(e) hereof, the registered holder of any Right Certificate may exercise the Rights evidenced thereby (except as otherwise provided herein) in whole or in part at any time after the Distribution Date upon surrender of the Right Certificate, with the form of election to purchase on the reverse side thereof duly executed, to the Rights Agent at the principal office or offices of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, together with payment of the aggregate Purchase Price for each one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share (or such other securities, as the case may be) as to which the Rights are exercised, at or prior to the earliest of (i) the Close of Business on June 25, 2027 (the “Final Expiration Date”), (ii) the time at which the Rights are redeemed as provided in Section 23 hereof (the “Redemption Date”), or (iii) the
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time at which such Rights are exchanged as provided in Section 24 hereof.
(b) the Purchase Price for each one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share pursuant to the exercise of a Right shall initially be $100.00, shall be subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in the next sentence and in Sections 11 and 13(a) hereof and shall be payable in accordance with paragraph (c) below. Anything in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, in the event that at any time after the date of this Agreement and prior to the Distribution Date, the Company shall (i) declare or pay any dividend on the Common Shares payable in Common Shares or (ii) effect a subdivision, combination or consolidation of the Common Shares (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of dividends in Common Shares) into a greater or lesser number of Common Shares, then in any such case, each Common Share outstanding following such subdivision, combination or consolidation shall continue to have a Right associated therewith and the Purchase Price following any such event shall be proportionately adjusted to equal the result obtained by multiplying the Purchase Price immediately prior to such event by a fraction the numerator of which shall be the total number of Common Shares outstanding immediately prior to the occurrence of the event and the denominator of which shall be the total number of Common Shares outstanding immediately following the occurrence of such event. The adjustment provided for in the preceding sentence shall be made successively whenever such a dividend is declared or paid or such a subdivision, combination or consolidation is effected.
(c) Upon receipt of a Right Certificate representing exercisable Rights, with the form of election to purchase duly executed, accompanied by payment of the Purchase Price for the Preferred Shares (or other securities, as the case may be) to be purchased and an amount equal to any applicable transfer tax required to be paid by the holder of such Right Certificate in accordance with Section 6 hereof by certified check, cashier’s check or money order payable to the order of the Company, the Rights Agent shall thereupon promptly (i) (A) requisition from any transfer agent of the Preferred Shares certificates for the number of Preferred Shares to be purchased and the Company hereby irrevocably authorizes its transfer agent to comply with all such requests, or (B) if the Company, in its sole
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discretion, shall have elected to deposit the Preferred Shares issuable upon exercise of the Rights hereunder into a depositary, requisition from the depositary agent depositary receipts representing such number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share as are to be purchased (in which case certificates for the Preferred Shares represented by such receipts shall be deposited by the transfer agent with the depositary agent) and the Company hereby directs the depositary agent to comply with such request, (ii) when appropriate, requisition from the Company the amount of cash to be paid in lieu of issuance of fractional shares in accordance with Section 14 hereof, (iii) after receipt of such certificates or depositary receipts, cause the same to be delivered to or upon the order of the registered holder of such Right Certificate, registered in such name or names as may be designated by such holder and (iv) when appropriate, after receipt, deliver such cash to or upon the order of the registered holder of such Right Certificate. In the event the Company is obligated to issue other securities (including Common Shares) of the Company pursuant to Section 11(a) hereof, the Company will make all arrangements necessary so that such other securities are available for distribution by the Rights Agent, if and when appropriate.
(d) In case the registered holder of any Right Certificate shall exercise less than all the Rights evidenced thereby, a new Right Certificate evidencing Rights equivalent to the Rights remaining unexercised shall be issued by the Rights Agent to the registered holder of such Right Certificate or to his duly authorized assigns, subject to the provisions of Section 14 hereof, or the Rights Agent shall place an appropriate notation on the Right Certificate with respect to those Rights exercised.
(e) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, from and after the first occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event, any Rights beneficially owned by (i) an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person, (ii) a transferee of an Acquiring Person (or of an Affiliate or Associate thereof) who becomes a transferee after the Acquiring Person becomes such, or (iii) a transferee of an Acquiring Person (or of any Affiliate or Associate thereof) who becomes a transferee prior to or concurrently with the Acquiring Person becoming such and receives such Rights pursuant to either (A) a
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transfer (whether or not for consideration) from the Acquiring Person to holders of equity interests in such Acquiring Person or to any Person with whom the Acquiring Person has a continuing agreement, arrangement or understanding regarding the transferred Rights or (B) a transfer which the Board of Directors of the Company has determined is part of a plan, arrangement or understanding which has as a primary purpose or effect the avoidance of this Section 7(e), shall become null and void without any further action and no holder of such Rights shall have any rights whatsoever with respect to such Rights, whether under any provision of this Agreement or otherwise. The Company shall use all reasonable efforts to insure that the provisions of this Section 7(e) and Section 4(b) hereof are complied with, but shall have no liability to any holder of Rights Certificates or other Person as a result of its failure to make any determinations with respect to an Acquiring Person or its Affiliates, Associates or transferees hereunder.
(f) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, neither the Rights Agent nor the Company shall be obligated to undertake any action with respect to a registered holder upon the occurrence of any purported exercise as set forth in this Section 7 unless such registered holder shall have (i) completed and signed the certificate contained in the form of election to purchase set forth on the reverse side of the Right Certificate surrendered for such exercise, and (ii) provided such additional evidence of the identity of the Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) or Affiliates or Associates thereof as the Company shall reasonably request.
Section 8. Cancellation and Destruction of Right Certificates. All Right Certificates surrendered for the purpose of exercise, transfer, split up, combination or exchange shall, if surrendered to the Company or to any of its agents, be delivered to the Rights Agent for cancellation or in cancelled form, or, if surrendered to the Rights Agent, shall be cancelled by it, and no Right Certificates shall be issued in lieu thereof except as expressly permitted by any of the provisions of this Rights Agreement. The Company shall deliver to the Rights Agent for cancellation and retirement, and the Rights Agent shall so cancel and retire, any other Right Certificate purchased or acquired by the Company otherwise than upon the exercise thereof. Subject to applicable law and regulation, the Rights
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Agent shall maintain, in a retrievable database, electronic records of all cancelled or destroyed stock certificates which have been cancelled or destroyed by the Rights Agent. The Rights Agent shall maintain such electronic records or physical records for the time period required by applicable law and regulation. Upon written request of the Corporation (and at the expense of the Corporation), the Rights Agent shall provide to the Corporation or its designee copies of such electronic records or physical records relating to rights certificates cancelled or destroyed by the Rights Agent.
Section 9. Reservation and Availability of Preferred Shares. The Company covenants and agrees that at all times prior to the occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event it will cause to be reserved and kept available out of its authorized and unissued Preferred Shares, or any authorized and issued Preferred Shares held in its treasury, the number of Preferred Shares that will be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Rights and, after the occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event, shall, to the extent reasonably practicable, so reserve and keep available a sufficient number of Common Shares (and/or other securities) which may be required to permit the exercise in full of the Rights pursuant to this Agreement.
So long as the Preferred Shares (and, after the occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event, Common Shares or any other securities) issuable upon the exercise of the Rights may be listed on any national securities exchange, the Company shall use its best efforts to cause, from and after such time as the Rights become exercisable, all shares reserved for such issuance to be listed on such exchange upon official notice of issuance upon such exercise.
The Company covenants and agrees that it will take all such action as may be necessary to ensure that all Preferred Shares (or Common Shares and/or other securities, as the case may be) delivered upon exercise of Rights shall, at the time of delivery of the certificates for such shares or other securities (subject to payment of the Purchase Price), be duly and validly authorized and issued and fully paid and non-assessable shares or securities.
The Company further covenants and agrees that it will pay when due and payable any and all U.S. federal and state transfer taxes and charges which may be payable in respect of the issuance or delivery of the Right Certificates or of any
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Preferred Shares (or Common Shares and/or other securities, as the case may be) upon the exercise of Rights. The Company shall not, however, be required to pay any transfer tax which may be payable in respect of any transfer or delivery of Right Certificates to a Person other than, or the issuance or delivery of certificates or depositary receipts for the Preferred Shares (or Common Shares and/or other securities, as the case may be) in a name other than that of, the registered holder of the Right Certificates evidencing Rights surrendered for exercise, or to issue or to deliver any certificates or depositary receipts for Preferred Shares (or Common Shares and/or other securities, as the case may be) upon the exercise of any Rights, until any such tax shall have been paid (any such tax being payable by the holder of such Right Certificate at the time of surrender) or until it has been established to the Company’s reasonable satisfaction that no such tax is due.
The Company shall use its best efforts to (i) file, as soon as practicable following the Shares Acquisition Date, a registration statement under the Act, with respect to the securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on an appropriate form, (ii) cause such registration statement to become effective as soon as practicable after such filing, and (iii) cause such registration statement to remain effective (with a prospectus at all times meeting the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations thereunder) until the date of the expiration of the rights provided by Section 11(a)(ii). The Company will also take such action as may be appropriate under the blue sky laws of the various states.
Section 10. Preferred Shares Record Date. Each Person in whose name any certificate for Preferred Shares (or Common Shares and/or other securities, as the case may be) is issued upon the exercise of Rights shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of the Preferred Shares (or Common Shares and/or other securities, as the case may be) represented thereby on, and such certificates shall be dated, the date upon which the Right Certificate evidencing such Rights was duly surrendered and payment of the Purchase Price (and any applicable transfer taxes) was made; provided, however, that if the date of such surrender and payment is a date upon which the Preferred Shares (or Common Shares and/or other securities as the case may be) transfer books of the Company are closed, such Person shall be deemed to have become the record holder of such shares on, and such Certificate shall be dated, the next succeeding Business Day on which the Preferred Shares (or Common
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Shares and/or other securities, as the case may be) transfer books of the Company are open. Prior to the exercise of the Rights evidenced thereby, the holder of a Right Certificate shall not be entitled to any rights of a holder of Preferred Shares (or Common Shares and/or other securities, as the case may be) for which the Rights shall be exercisable, including, without limitation, the right to vote, to receive dividends or other distributions or to exercise any preemptive rights, and shall not be entitled to receive any notice of any proceedings of the Company, except as provided herein.
Section 11. Adjustment of Purchase Price, Number and Kind of Shares or Number of Rights. The Purchase Price, the number and kind of shares covered by each Right and the number of Rights outstanding are subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in this Section 11.
(a) (i) In the event the Company shall at any time after the date of this Agreement (A) declare a dividend on the Preferred Shares payable in Preferred Shares, (B) subdivide the outstanding Preferred Shares, (C) combine the outstanding Preferred Shares into a smaller number of Preferred Shares or (D) issue any shares of its capital stock in a reclassification of the Preferred Shares (including any such reclassification in connection with a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing or surviving corporation), except as otherwise provided in this Section 11(a) and Section 7(e) hereof, the Purchase Price in effect at the time of the record date for such dividend or of the effective date of such subdivision, combination or reclassification, and the number and kind of shares of capital stock issuable on such date shall be proportionately adjusted so that the holder of any Right exercised after such time shall be entitled to receive the aggregate number and kind of shares of capital stock which, if such Right had been exercised immediately prior to such date and at a time when the Preferred Shares transfer books of the Company were open, such holder would have owned upon such exercise and been entitled to receive by virtue of such dividend, subdivision, combination or reclassification; provided, however, that in no event shall the consideration to be paid upon the exercise of one Right be less than the aggregate par value of the shares of capital stock of the Company issuable upon exercise of one Right. If an event occurs which would require an adjustment under both Section 11(a)(i) and Section 11(a)(ii), the
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adjustment provided for in this Section 11(a)(i) shall be in addition to, and shall be made prior to any adjustment required pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii). Notwithstanding the foregoing, upon the occurrence of a Triggering Event, any Rights that are or were acquired or Beneficially Owned by (1) any Acquiring Person or any Associate or Affiliate thereof, (2) a transferee of any Acquiring Person (or of any such Associate or Affiliate) who becomes a transferee after the Acquiring Person becomes such, or (3) a transferee of any Acquiring Person (or of any such Associate or Affiliate) who becomes a transferee prior to or concurrently with the Acquiring Person becoming such and receives such Rights pursuant to either (A) a transfer (whether or not for consideration) from the Acquiring Person to holders of equity interests in such Acquiring Person or to any Person with whom the Acquiring Person has any continuing agreement, arrangement or understanding regarding the transferred Rights or (B) a transfer which the Board of Directors of the Company has determined is part of a plan, arrangement or understanding which has as a primary purpose or effect avoidance of this Section 11(a)(ii), and subsequent transferees, shall become null and void without any further action, and any holder (whether or not such holder is an Acquiring Person or an Associate or Affiliate of an Acquiring Person) of such Rights shall thereafter have no right to exercise such Rights under any provision of this Agreement or otherwise. From and after the Triggering Event, no Right Certificate shall be issued pursuant to Section 3 or Section 6 that represents Rights that are or have become null and void pursuant to the provisions of this paragraph, and any Right Certificate delivered to the Rights Agent that represents Rights that are or have become null and void pursuant to the provisions of this paragraph shall be canceled. The Company shall give the Rights Agent written notice of the identity of any such Acquiring Person, Associate or Affiliate, or the transferee of any of the foregoing, and the Rights Agent may rely on such notice in carrying out its duties under this Agreement and shall be deemed not to have any knowledge of the identity of any such Acquiring Person, Associate or Affiliate, or the transferee of any of the foregoing unless and until it shall have received such notice. The Company shall notify the Rights Agent when this Section 11(a)(ii) applies and shall use all reasonable efforts to ensure that the provisions of this Section 11(a)(ii) are complied with, but neither the Company nor
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the Rights Agent shall have any liability to any holder of Right Certificates or other Person as a result of the Company’s failure to make any determinations with respect to any Acquiring Person or its Affiliates, Associates or transferees hereunder. From and after the occurrence of an event specified in Section 13(a), any Rights that theretofore have not been exercised pursuant to this Section 11(a)(ii) shall thereafter be exercisable only in accordance with Section 13 and not pursuant to this Section 11(a)(ii).
(ii) In the event any Person, alone or together with its Affiliates and Associates, shall become an Acquiring Person, then proper provision shall be made so that each holder of a Right (except as provided above in Section 7(e) hereof) shall, after the effective date of an appropriate registration statement under the Act pursuant to Section 9 hereof, have a right to receive, upon exercise thereof at a price equal to the then current Purchase Price, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, such number of Common Shares (or, in the discretion of the Board of Directors, one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share) as shall equal the result obtained by (x) multiplying the then current Purchase Price by the then number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share for which a Right was exercisable immediately prior to the first occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event, and dividing that product by (y) 50% of the then current per share market price of the Company’s Common Shares (determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) on the date of such first occurrence (such number of shares being referred to as the “Adjustment Shares”); provided, however, that if the transaction that would otherwise give rise to the foregoing adjustment is also subject to the provisions of Section 13 hereof, then only the provisions of Section 13 hereof shall apply and no adjustment shall be made pursuant to this Section 11(a)(ii);
(iii) In the event that there shall not be sufficient treasury shares or authorized but unissued (and unreserved) Common Shares to permit the exercise in full of the Rights in accordance with the foregoing subparagraph (ii) and the Rights become so exercisable (and the Board has determined to make the Rights exercisable into fractions of a Preferred Share), notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, to the extent necessary and permitted by
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applicable law, each Right shall thereafter represent the right to receive, upon exercise thereof at the then current Purchase Price in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, (x) a number of (or fractions of) Common Shares (up to the maximum number of Common Shares which may permissibly be issued) and (y) one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share or a number of, or fractions of other equity securities of the Company (or, in the discretion of the Board of Directions, debt) which the Board of Directors of the Company has determined to have the same aggregate current market value (determined pursuant to Section 11(d)(i) and (ii) hereof, to the extent applicable, as one Common Share (such number of, or fractions of, Preferred Shares, debt, or other equity securities or debt of the Company) being referred to as a “capital stock equivalent”), equal in the aggregate to the number of Adjustment Shares; provided, however, if sufficient Common Shares and/or capital stock equivalents are unavailable, then the Company shall, to the extent permitted by applicable law, take all such action as may be necessary to authorize additional Common Shares or capital stock equivalents for issuance upon exercise of the Rights, including the calling of a meeting of stockholders; and provided, further, that if the Company is unable to cause sufficient Common Shares and/or capital stock equivalents to be available for issuance upon exercise in full of the Rights, then each Right shall thereafter represent the right to receive the Adjusted Number of Shares upon exercise at the Adjusted Purchase Price (as such terms are hereinafter defined). As used herein, the term “Adjusted Number of Shares” shall be equal to that number of (or fractions of) Common Shares (and/or capital stock equivalents) equal to the product of (x) the number of Adjustment shares and (y) a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of Common Shares (and/or capital stock equivalents) available for issuance upon exercise of the Rights and the denominator of which is the aggregate number of Adjusted Shares otherwise issuable upon exercise in full of all Rights (assuming there were a sufficient number of Common Shares available) (such fraction being referred to as the “Proration Factor”). The “Adjusted Purchase Price” shall mean the product of the Purchase Price and the Proration Factor. The Board of Directors may, but shall not be required to, establish procedures to allocate the right to receive Common Shares and capital stock
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equivalents upon exercise of the Rights among holders of Rights.
(b) In case the Company shall fix a record date for the issuance of rights (other than the Rights), options or warrants to all holders of Preferred Shares entitling them (for a period expiring within 45 calendar days after such record date) to subscribe for or purchase Preferred Shares (or shares having the same rights, privileges and preferences as the Preferred Shares (“equivalent preferred shares”)) or securities convertible into Preferred Shares or equivalent preferred shares at a price per Preferred Share or equivalent preferred share (or having a conversion price per share for a security convertible into Preferred Shares or equivalent preferred shares) less than the then current per share market price of the Preferred Shares (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) on such record date, the Purchase Price to be in effect after such record date shall be determined by multiplying the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such record date by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the number of Preferred Shares outstanding on such record date plus the number of Preferred Shares which the aggregate offering price of the total number of Preferred Shares and/or equivalent preferred shares so to be offered (and/or the aggregate initial conversion price of the convertible securities so to be offered) would purchase at such current per share market price, and the denominator of which shall be the number of Preferred Shares outstanding on such record date plus the number of additional Preferred Shares and/or equivalent preferred shares to be offered for subscription or purchase (or into which the convertible securities so to be offered are initially convertible); provided, however, that in no event shall the consideration to be paid upon the exercise of one Right be less than the aggregate par value of the shares of capital stock of the Company issuable upon exercise of one Right. In case such subscription price may be paid in a consideration part or all of which shall be in a form other than cash, the value of such consideration shall be determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company whose determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent and shall be binding on the Rights Agent. Preferred shares owned by or held for the account of the Company shall not be deemed outstanding for the purpose of any such computation. Such adjustment
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shall be made successively whenever such a record date is fixed; and in the event that such rights, options or warrants are not so issued, the Purchase Price shall be adjusted to be the Purchase Price which would then be in effect if such record date had not been fixed.
(c) In case the Company shall fix a record date for the making of a distribution to all holders of the Preferred Shares (including any such distribution made in connection with a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing or surviving corporation) of evidences of indebtedness or assets (other than a regular quarterly cash dividend or a dividend payable in Preferred Shares) or subscription rights or warrants (excluding those referred to in Section 11(b) hereof), the Purchase Price to be in effect after such record date shall be determined by multiplying the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such record date by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the then current per share market price (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) of the Preferred Shares on such record date, less the fair market value (as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company, whose determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent and shall be binding on the Rights Agent) of the portion of the assets or evidences of indebtedness so to be distributed or of such subscription rights, options or warrants applicable to one Preferred Share and the denominator of which shall be such current per share market price of the Preferred Shares; provided, however, that in no event shall the consideration to be paid upon the exercise of one Right be less than the aggregate par value of the shares of capital stock of the Company to be issued upon exercise of one Right. Such adjustments shall be made successively whenever such a record date is fixed; and in the event that such distribution is not so made, the Purchase Price shall again be adjusted to be the Purchase Price which would then be in effect if such record date had not been fixed.
(d) (i) For the purpose of any computation hereunder, the “current per share market price” of any security (a “Security” for the purpose of this Section 11(d)(i)) on any date shall be deemed to be the average of the daily closing prices per share of such Security for the 30 consecutive Trading Days (as such term is hereinafter defined) immediately prior to such date; provided, however, that in
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the event that the current per share market price of the Security is determined during a period following the announcement by the issuer of such Security of (A) a dividend or distribution on such Security payable in shares of such Security or securities convertible into such shares, or (B) any subdivision, combination or reclassification of such Security and prior to the expiration of 30 Trading Days after the ex-dividend date for such dividend or distribution, or the record date for such subdivision, combination or reclassification, then, and in each such case, the current per share market price shall be appropriately adjusted to reflect the current market price per share equivalent of such Security. The closing price for each day shall be the last sale price, regular way, or, in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices, regular way, in either case as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange or, if the Security is not listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange, as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed on the principal national securities exchange on which the Security is listed or admitted to trading or, if the Security if not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, the last quoted price or, if not so quoted, the average of the high bid and low asked prices in the over-the-counter market, as reported by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. Automated Quotations System (“NASDAQ”) or such other system then in use, or, if on any such date the Security is not quoted by any such organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by a professional market maker making a market in the Security selected by the Board of Directors of the Company. If on any such date no such market maker is making a market in the Security, the fair value of the Security on such date as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company shall be used. The term “Trading Day” shall mean a day on which the principal national securities exchange on which the Security is listed or admitted to trading is open for the transaction of business or, if the Security is not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, a Business Day.
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(ii) For the purpose of any computation hereunder, the “current per share market price” of the Preferred Shares shall be determined in accordance with the method set forth in Section 11(d)(i). If the Preferred Shares are not publicly traded, the “current per share market price of the Preferred Shares shall be conclusively deemed to be the current per share market price of the Common Shares as determined pursuant to Section 11(d)(i), (appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction occurring after the date hereof), multiplied by one hundred. If neither the Common Shares nor the Preferred Shares are publicly held or so listed or traded, “current per share market price” shall mean the fair value per share as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company, whose determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent and shall be binding on the Rights Agent.
(e) Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, no adjustment in the Purchase Price shall be required unless such adjustment would require an increase or decrease of at least 1% in the Purchase Price; provided, however, that any adjustments which by reason of this Section 11(e) are not required to be made shall be carried forward and taken into account in any subsequent adjustment. All calculations under this Section 11 shall be made to the nearest cent or to the nearest one one-millionth of a Preferred Share or one ten-thousandth of any other share or security as the case may be. Notwithstanding the first sentence of this Section 11(e), any adjustment required by this Section 11 shall be made no later than the earlier of (i) three years from the date of the transaction which requires such adjustment or (ii) the Final Expiration Date.
(f) If as a result of an adjustment made pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii) or Section 13(a) hereof, the holder of any Right thereafter exercised shall become entitled to receive any shares of capital stock of the Company other than Preferred Shares, thereafter the number of such other shares so receivable upon exercise of any Right shall be subject to adjustment from time to time in a manner and on terms as nearly equivalent as practicable to the provisions with respect to the Preferred Shares contained in Section 11(a) through (c), inclusive, and the provisions of
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Sections 7, 9, 10, 13 and 14 with respect to the Preferred Shares shall apply on like terms to any such other shares.
(g) All Rights originally issued by the Company subsequent to any adjustment made to the Purchase Price hereunder shall evidence the right to purchase, at the adjusted Purchase Price, the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share purchasable from time to time hereunder upon exercise of the Rights, all subject to further adjustment as provided herein.
(h) The Company may elect on or after the date of any adjustment of the Purchase Price to adjust the number of Rights, in lieu of any adjustment in the number of one-one hundredths of a Preferred Share purchasable upon the exercise of a Right. Each of the Rights outstanding after such adjustment of the number of Rights shall be exercisable for the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share for which a Right was exercisable immediately prior to such adjustment. Each Right held of record prior to such adjustment of the number of Rights shall become that number of Rights (calculated to the nearest one ten-thousandth) obtained by dividing the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to adjustment of the Purchase Price by the Purchase Price in effect immediately after adjustment of the Purchase Price. The Company shall make a public announcement of its election to adjust the number of Rights, indicating the record date for the adjustment, and, if known at the time, the amount of the adjustment to be made. This record date may be the date on which the Purchase Price is adjusted or any day thereafter, but, if the Right Certificates have been issued, shall be at least 10 days later than the date of public announcement. If Right Certificates have been issued upon each adjustment of the number of Rights pursuant to this Section 11(h), the Company shall, as promptly as practicable, cause to be distributed to holders of record of Right Certificates on such record date Right Certificates evidencing, subject to Section 14 hereof, the additional Rights to which such holders shall be entitled as a result of such adjustment, or, at the option of the Company, shall cause to be distributed to such holders of record in substitution and replacement for the Right Certificates held by such holders prior to the date of adjustment, and upon surrender thereof, if required by the Company, new Right Certificates evidencing all the Rights
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to which such holders shall be entitled after such adjustment. Right Certificates so to be distributed shall be issued, executed and countersigned in the manner provided for herein and shall be registered in the names of the holders of record of Right Certificates on the record date specified in the public announcement.
(i) Irrespective of any adjustment or change in the Purchase Price or the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share issuable upon the exercise of the Rights, the Right Certificates theretofore and thereafter issued may continue to express the Purchase Price and the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share which were expressed in the initial Right Certificates issued hereunder.
(j) Before taking any action that would cause an adjustment reducing the Purchase Price below the then par value, if any, of the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share, Common Shares or other securities issuable upon exercise of the Rights, the Company shall take any corporate action which may, in the opinion of its counsel, be necessary in order that the Company may validly and legally issue such number of fully paid and non-assessable one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share, Common Shares or other securities at such adjusted Purchase Price.
(k) In any case in which this Section 11 shall require that an adjustment in the Purchase Price be made effective as of a record date for a specified event, the Company may elect to defer until the occurrence of such event the issuing to the holder of any Right exercised after such record date of the Preferred Shares and other capital stock or securities of the Company, if any, issuable upon such exercise over and above the Preferred Shares and other capital stock or securities of the Company, if any, issuable upon such exercise on the basis of the Purchase Price in effect prior to such adjustment; provided, however, that the Company shall deliver to such holder a due ▇▇▇▇ or other appropriate instrument evidencing such holder’s right to receive such additional shares upon the occurrence of the event requiring such adjustment.
(l) Anything in this Section 11 to the contrary notwithstanding, the Company shall be entitled to make such
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reductions in the Purchase Price, in addition to those adjustments expressly required by this Section 11, as and to the extent that it in its sole discretion shall determine to be advisable in order that (i) any consolidation or subdivision of the Preferred Shares, (ii) issuance wholly for cash of any Preferred Shares at less than the current market price, (iii) issuance wholly for cash of Preferred Shares or securities which by their terms are convertible into or exchangeable for Preferred Shares, (iv) stock dividends or (v) issuance of rights, options or warrants referred to in this Section 11, hereafter made by the Company to holders of its Preferred Shares shall not be taxable to such stockholder.
(m) The Company covenants and agrees that it shall not, at any time after the Distribution Date, (i) consolidate with any other Person (other than a Subsidiary of the Company in a transaction which does not violate Section 11(n) hereof), (ii) merge with or into any other Person (other than a Subsidiary of the Company in a transaction which does not violate Section 11(n) hereof), or (iii) sell or transfer (or permit any Subsidiary to sell or transfer), in one transaction, or a series of related transactions, assets or earning power aggregating more than 50% of the assets or earning power of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to any other Person or Persons (other than the Company and/or any of its Subsidiaries in one or more transactions each of which does not violate Section 11(n) hereof), if (x) at the time of or immediately after such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer there are any charter or by-law provisions or any rights, warrants or other instruments or securities outstanding or agreements in effect or other actions taken, which would materially diminish or otherwise eliminate the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights or (y) prior to, simultaneously with or immediately after such consolidation, merger or sale, the stockholders of the Person who constitutes, or would constitute, the “Principal Party” for purposes of Section 13(a) hereof shall have received a distribution of Rights previously owned by such Person or any of its Affiliates and Associates. The Company shall not consummate any such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer unless prior thereto the Company and such other Person shall have executed and delivered to the Rights Agent a supplemental agreement evidencing compliance with this Section 11(m).
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(n) The Company covenants and agrees that, after the Distribution Date, it will not, except as permitted by Section 23 or Section 27 hereof, take (or permit any Subsidiary to take) any action the purpose of which is to, or if at the time such action is taken it is reasonably foreseeable that the effect of such action is to, materially diminish or otherwise eliminate the benefit intended to be afforded by the Rights.
(o) The exercise of Rights under Section 11(a)(ii) shall only result in the loss of rights under Section 11(a)(ii) to the extent so exercised and shall not otherwise affect the rights represented by the Rights under this Rights Agreement, including the rights represented by Section 13.
Section 12. Certificate of Adjusted Purchase Price or Number of Shares. Whenever an adjustment is made as provided in Section 11 or 13 hereof, the Company shall promptly (a) prepare a certificate setting forth such adjustment, and a brief statement of the facts accounting for such adjustment, (b) file with the Rights Agent and with each transfer agent for the Common Shares and the Preferred Shares a copy of such certificate and (c) mail a brief summary thereof to each holder of a Right Certificate in accordance with Section 26 hereof. The Rights Agent shall be fully protected in relying on any such certificate and on any adjustment therein contained and shall not be deemed to have knowledge of such adjustment unless and until it shall have received such certificate.
Section 13. Consolidation, Merger or Sale or Transfer of Assets or Earning Power.
(a) In the event that, on or following the Shares Acquisition Date, directly or indirectly, (x) the Company shall consolidate with, or merge with and into, any Interested Stockholder or, if in such merger or consolidation all holders of Common Stock are not treated alike, any other Person, (y) the Company shall consolidate with, or merge with, any Interested Stockholder or, if in such merger or consolidation all holders of Common Stock are not treated alike, any other Person, and the Company shall be the continuing surviving corporation of such consolidation or merger (other than in a case of any transaction described in (x) or (y), a merger or
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consolidation which would result in all of the securities generally entitled to vote in the election of directors (“voting securities”) of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into securities of the surviving entity) all of the voting securities of the Company (or such surviving entity outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation and the holders of such securities not having changed as a result of such merger or consolidation), or (z) the Company shall sell or otherwise transfer (or one or more of its Subsidiaries shall sell or otherwise transfer), in one transaction or a series of related transactions, assets or earning power aggregating more than 50% of the assets or earning power of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to any Interested Stockholder or Stockholders or, if in such transaction all holders of Common Stock are not treated alike, any other Person (other than the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company in one or more transactions each of which does not violate Section 11(n) (hereof), then, and in each such case (except as provided in Section 13(d) hereof), proper provisions shall be made so that (i) each holder of a Right, except as provided in Section 7(e) hereof, shall thereafter have the right to receive, upon the exercise thereof at a price equal to the then current Purchase Price, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and in lieu of Preferred Shares, such number of freely tradable Common Shares of the Principal Party (as hereinafter defined), not subject to any liens, encumbrances, rights of first refusal or other adverse claims, as shall equal the result obtained by (A) multiplying the then current Purchase Price by the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share for which a Right is then exercisable (without taking into account any adjustment previously made pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii)) and dividing that product by (B) 50% of the then current per share market price of the Common Shares of such Principal Party (determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) on the date of consummation of such Section 13 Event; (ii) such Principal Party shall thereafter be liable for, and shall assume, by virtue of such Section 13 Event, all the obligations and duties of the Company pursuant to this Agreement; (iii) the term “Company” shall thereafter be deemed to refer to such Principal Party, it being specifically intended that the provisions of Section 11 hereof shall apply only to such Principal Party following
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the first occurrence of a Section 13 Event; and (iv) such Principal Party shall take such steps (including, but not limited to, the reservation of a sufficient number of its Common Shares) in connection with the consummation of any such transaction as may be necessary to assure that the provisions hereof shall thereafter be applicable, as nearly as reasonably may be, in relation to the Common Shares thereafter deliverable upon the exercise of the Rights.
(b) “Principal Party” shall mean:
(i) in the case of any transaction described in clause (x) or (y) of the first sentence of Section 13(a), the Person that is the issuer of any securities into which Common Shares of the Company are converted in such merger or consolidation, and if no securities are so issued, the Person that is the other party to such merger or consolidation, (including, if applicable, the Company if it is the surviving corporation); and
(ii) in the case of any transaction described in clause (z) of the first sentence of Section 13(a), the Person that is the party receiving the greatest portion of the assets or earning power transferred pursuant to such transaction or transactions; provided, however, that in any of the foregoing cases, (1) if the Common Shares of such Person are not at such time and have not been continuously over the preceding twelve (12) month period registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act, and such Person is a direct or indirect Subsidiary of another Person the Common Shares of which are and have been so registered, “Principal Party” shall refer to such other Person; (2) in case such Person is a Subsidiary, directly or indirectly, of more than one Person, the Common Shares of two or more of which are and have been so registered, “Principal Party” shall refer to whichever of such Persons is the issuer of the Common Shares having the greatest aggregate market value; and (3) in case such Person is owned, directly or indirectly, by a joint venture formed by two or more Persons that are not owned, directly or indirectly, by the same Person, the rules set forth in (1) and (2) above shall apply to each of the chains of ownership having an interest in such joint venture as if
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such party were a “Subsidiary” of both or all of such joint ventures and the Principal Parties in each such chain shall bear the obligations set forth in this Section 13 in the same ratio as their direct or indirect interests in such Person bear to the total of such interests.
(c) The Company shall not consummate any such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer unless the Principal Party shall have a sufficient number of its authorized Common Shares which have not been issued or reserved for issuance to permit the exercise in full of the Rights in accordance with this Section 13 unless prior thereto the Company and such Principal Party shall have executed and delivered to the Rights Agent a supplemental agreement providing for the terms set forth in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 13 and further provided that, as soon as practicable after the date of any consolidation, merger, sale or transfer mentioned in paragraph (a) of this Section 13, the Principal Party at its own expense shall:
(i) prepare and file a registration statement under the Act with respect to the Rights and the securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on an appropriate form, and will use its best efforts to cause such registration statement to (A) become effective as soon as practicable after such filing and (B) remain effective (with a prospectus at all times meeting the requirements of the Act) until the Final Expiration Date;
(ii) use its best efforts to qualify or register the Rights and the securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights under the blue sky laws of such jurisdiction as may be necessary or appropriate; and
(iii) deliver to holders of the Rights historical financial statements for the Principal Party which comply in all respects with the requirements for registration on Form 10 under the Exchange Act.
The provisions of this Section 13 shall similarly apply to successive mergers or consolidations or sales or other transfers. The rights under this Section 13 shall be in addition to the rights to exercise Rights and adjustments under Section 11(a)(ii) and shall survive any exercise thereof.
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(d) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, Section 13 shall not be applicable to a transaction described in subparagraphs (x) and (y) of Section 13(a) if: (i) such transaction is consummated with a Person or Persons who acquired Common Shares pursuant to a Permitted Offer (or a wholly owned Subsidiary of any such Person or Persons); (ii) the price per Common Share offered in such transaction is not less than the price per Common Share paid to all holders of Common Shares whose shares were purchased pursuant to such Permitted Offer; and (iii) the form of consideration offered in such transaction is the same as the form of consideration paid pursuant to such Permitted Offer. Upon consummation of any such transaction contemplated by this Section 13(d), all Rights hereunder shall expire.
Section 14. Fractional Rights and Fractional Shares.
(a) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Rights or to distribute Right Certificates which evidence fractional Rights. In lieu of such fractional Rights, there shall be paid to the registered holders of the Right Certificates with regard to which such fractional Rights would otherwise be issuable, an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of a whole Right. For the purpose of this Section 14(a), the current market value of a whole Right shall be the closing price of the Rights for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date on which such fractional Rights would have been otherwise issuable. The closing price for any day shall be the last sale price, regular way, or, in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices, regular way, in either case as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange or, if the Rights are not listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange, as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed on the principal national securities exchange on which the Rights are listed or admitted to trading or, if the Rights are not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, the last quoted price or, if not so quoted, the average of the high bid and low ask prices in the over-the-counter market, as
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reported by NASDAQ or such other system then in use or, if on any such date the Rights are not quoted by any such organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by a professional market maker making a market in the Rights selected by the Board of Directors of the Company. If on any such date no such market maker is making a market in the Rights, the fair value of the Rights on such date shall be as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company whose determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent and shall be binding on the Rights Agent.
(b) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Preferred Shares (other than fractions which are integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share) upon exercise of the Rights or to distribute certificates which evidence fractional Preferred Shares (other than fractions which are integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share). Fractions of Preferred Shares in integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share may, at the election of the Company, be evidenced by deposit receipts, pursuant to an appropriate agreement between the Company and a depositary selected by it; provided, that such agreement shall provide that the holders of such depositary receipts shall have all the rights, privileges and preferences to which they are entitled as beneficial owners of, the Preferred Shares represented by such depositary receipts. In lieu of fractional Preferred Shares that are not integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share, the Company shall pay to the registered holders of Right Certificates at the time such Rights are exercised as herein provided an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of one Preferred Share. For the purposes of this Section 14(b), the current market value of a Preferred Share shall be the closing price of a Preferred Share (as determined pursuant to the second sentence of Section 11(d)(i) hereof) for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of such exercise.
(c) Following the occurrence of one of the transactions or events specified in Section 11 giving rise to the right to receive Common Shares, capital stock equivalents (other than Preferred Shares) or other securities upon the exercise of a Right, the Company shall not be required to issue fractions of shares or units of
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such Common Shares, capital stock equivalents or other securities upon exercise of the Rights or to distribute certificates which evidence fractions of such Common Shares, capital stock equivalents or other securities. In lieu of fractional shares or units of such Common Shares, capital stock equivalents or other securities, the Company may pay to the registered holders of Right Certificates at the time such Rights are exercised as herein provided an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of a share or unit of such Common Shares, capital stock equivalents or other securities. For purposes of this Section 14(c), the current market value shall be determined in the manner set forth in Section 11(d) hereof for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of such exercise and, if such capital stock equivalent is not traded, each such capital stock equivalent shall have the value of one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share.
(d) The holder of a Right by the acceptance of the Right expressly waives his right to receive any fractional Rights or any fractional shares upon exercise of a Right (except as provided above).
Section 15. Rights of Action. All rights of action in respect of this Agreement, excepting the rights of action given to the Rights Agent under Section 18 hereof, are vested in the respective registered holders of the Right Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the registered holders of the Common Shares); and any registered holder of any Right Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Shares), without the consent of the Rights Agent or of the holder of any other Right Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Shares), may, in his own behalf and for his own benefit, enforce, and may institute and maintain any suit, action or proceeding against the Company to enforce, or otherwise act in respect of, his right to exercise the Rights evidenced by such Right Certificate in the manner provided in such Right Certificate and in this Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing or any remedies available to the holders of Rights, it is specifically acknowledged that the holders of Rights would not have an adequate remedy at law for any breach of this Agreement and will be entitled to specific performance of the obligations under, and injunctive relief against actual or threatened violations of the obligations of any Person subject to, this Agreement.
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Section 16. Agreement of Right Holders. Every holder of a Right, by accepting the same, consents and agrees with the Company and the Rights Agent and with every other holder of a Right that:
(a) prior to the Distribution Date, the Rights will be transferable only in connection with the transfer of the Common Shares;
(b) after the Distribution Date, the Right Certificates are transferable only on the registry books of the Rights Agent if surrendered at the principal office of the Rights Agent, duly endorsed or accompanied by a proper instrument of transfer fully executed;
(c) subject to Section 6 and 7(f) hereof, the Company and the Rights Agent may deem and treat the Person in whose name the Right Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, the associated Common Shares certificate) is registered as the absolute owner thereof and of the Rights evidenced thereby (notwithstanding any notations of ownership or writing on the Right Certificates or the associated Common Shares certificate made by anyone other than the Company or the Rights Agent) for all purposes whatsoever, and neither the Company nor the Rights Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary; and
(d) notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, neither the Company nor the Rights Agent shall have any liability to any holder of a Right or a beneficial interest in a Right or other Person as a result of its inability to perform any of its obligations under this Agreement by reason of any preliminary or permanent injunction or other order, decree or ruling issued by a court of competent jurisdiction or by a governmental regulatory or administrative agency or commission, or any statute, rule, regulation or executive order promulgated or enacted by any governmental authority, prohibiting or otherwise restraining performance of such obligation; provided, however, the Company must use its best efforts to have any such order, decree or ruling lifted or otherwise overturned as soon as possible.
Section 17. Right Certificate Holder Not Deemed a Stockholder. No holder, as such, of any Right Certificate shall be entitled to vote, receive dividends or be deemed for any
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purpose the holder of the Preferred Shares or any other securities of the Company which may at any time be issuable on the exercise of the Rights represented thereby, nor shall anything contained herein or in any Right Certificate be construed to confer upon the holder of any Right Certificate, as such, any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company or any right to vote for the election of directors or upon any matter submitted to stockholders at any meeting thereof, or to give or withhold consent to any corporate action, or to receive notice of meetings or other actions affecting stockholders (except as provided in Section 25 hereof), or to receive dividends or subscription rights, or otherwise, until the Right or Rights evidenced by such Right Certificate shall have been exercised in accordance with the provisions hereof.
Section 18. Concerning the Rights Agent. The Company agrees to pay to the Rights Agent reasonable compensation for all services rendered by it hereunder and, from time to time, on demand of the Rights Agent, its reasonable expenses and counsel fees and other disbursements incurred in the administration and execution of this Agreement and the exercise and performance of its duties hereunder. The Company also agrees to indemnify the Rights Agent for, and to hold it harmless against, any loss, liability or expense, incurred without gross negligence, actual fraud or willful misconduct on the part of the Rights Agent, for anything done or omitted by the Rights Agent in connection with the acceptance and administration of this Agreement, including the costs and expenses of defending against any claim of liability in the premises.
The Rights Agent shall be protected and shall incur no liability for or in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it in connection with, its administration of this Agreement in reliance upon any Right Certificate or certificate for the Preferred Shares or Common Shares or for other securities of the Company, instrument of assignment or transfer, power of attorney, endorsement, affidavit, letter, notice, direction, consent, certificate, statement, or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to be signed, executed and, where necessary, verified or acknowledged, by the proper Person or Persons, or otherwise upon the advice of counsel as set forth in Section 20 hereof.
Section 19. Merger or Consolidation or Change of Name of Rights Agent. Any corporation into which the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent may be merged or with which it may be
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consolidated, or any corporation resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent shall be a party, or any corporation succeeding to the stock transfer or corporate trust powers of the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent, shall be the successor to the Rights 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; provided, that such corporation would be eligible for appointment as a successor Rights Agent under the provisions of Section 21 hereof. In case at the time such successor Rights Agent shall succeed to the agency created by this Agreement, any of the Right Certificates shall have been countersigned but not delivered, any such successor Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature of the predecessor Rights Agent and deliver such Right Certificates so countersigned; and in case at that time any of the Right Certificates shall not have been countersigned, any successor Rights Agent may countersign such Right Certificates either in the name of the predecessor Rights Agent or in the name of the successor Rights Agent; and in all such cases such Right Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Right Certificates and in this Agreement.
In case at any time the name of the Rights Agent shall be changed and at such time any of the Right Certificates shall have been countersigned but not delivered, the Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature under its prior name and deliver Right Certificates so countersigned; and in case at that time any of the Right Certificates shall not have been countersigned, the Rights Agent may countersign such Right Certificates either in its prior name or in its changed name; and in all such cases such Right Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Right Certificates and in this Agreement.
Section 20. Duties of Rights Agent. The Rights Agent undertakes the duties and obligations imposed by this Agreement upon the following terms and conditions, by all of which the Company and the holders of Right Certificates, by their acceptance thereof, shall be bound:
(a) The Rights Agent may consult with legal counsel (who may be legal counsel for the Company), and the opinion of such counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection to the Rights Agent as to any action taken or omitted by it in good faith and in accordance with such opinion.
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(b) Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement the Rights Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a certificate signed by any one of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, any Vice President, the Treasurer or the Secretary of the Company and delivered to the Rights Agent; and such certificate shall be full authorization to the Rights Agent for any action taken or suffered in good faith by it under the provisions of this Agreement in reliance upon such certificate.
(c) The Company will indemnify the Rights Agent for, and hold it harmless against, any loss, liability, suit, action, proceeding, damage, judgment, fine, penalty, claim, demand, settlement or expense incurred (including without limitation, the reasonable fees and expenses of outside legal counsel) without gross negligence, actual fraud or willful misconduct (each as determined by a final, nonappealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction) on the part of the Rights Agent, for anything done or omitted to be done by the Rights Agent in connection with the acceptance, administration of, exercise and performance of its duties under this Agreement, including the costs and expenses of defending against any claim of liability arising therefrom, directly or indirectly. The reasonable costs and expenses incurred in enforcing this right of indemnification will be paid by the Company if the Rights Agent is entitled to indemnification by the Company pursuant to this Agreement (as determined by a final, nonappealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction). The Rights Agent shall notify the Company promptly of any claim for which it may seek indemnity. Failure by the Rights Agent to so notify the Company shall not relieve the Company of its obligations hereunder. The Company need not pay for any settlement made without its consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.
(d) The Rights Agent shall not be liable for or by reason of any of the statements of fact or recitals contained in this Agreement or in the Right Certificates (except its countersignature thereof) or be required to
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verify the same, but all such statements and recitals are and shall be deemed to have been made by the Company only. The Rights Agent shall not be liable or responsible for any failure of the Company to comply with any of its obligations relating to any registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission or this Agreement, including without limitation obligations under applicable regulation or law.
(e) The Rights Agent shall not be under any responsibility in respect of the validity of this Agreement or the execution and delivery hereof (except the due execution hereof by the Rights Agent) or in respect of the validity or execution of any Right Certificate (except its countersignature thereof); nor shall it be responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Right Certificate; nor shall it be responsible for any change in the exercisability of the Rights (including the Rights becoming void pursuant to Section 7(e) hereof) or any adjustment in the terms of the Rights (including the manner, method or amount thereof) provided for in Sections 3, 11, 13, 23 or 24, or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such change or adjustment (except with respect to the exercise of Rights evidenced by Right Certificates after receipt of the certificate described in Section 12 hereof); nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any Preferred Shares to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Right Certificate or as to whether any Preferred Shares or Common Shares will, when issued, be validly authorized and issued, fully paid and nonassessable. The Rights Agent shall not have any duty or responsibility in the case of the receipt of any written demand from any holder with respect to any action or default by the Company, including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any duty or responsibility to initiate or attempt to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise or to make any demand upon the Company.
(f) The Company agrees that it will perform, execute, acknowledge and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged and delivered all such further and other acts, instruments and assurances as may reasonably be required by
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Rights Agent for the carrying out or performing by the Rights Agent of the provisions of this Agreement.
(g) The Rights Agent is hereby authorized and directed to accept instructions with respect to the performance of its duties hereunder from any one of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, any Vice President, the Secretary or the Treasurer of the Company, and to apply to such officers for advice or instructions in connection with its duties and it shall not be liable for any action or lack of action taken or suffered by it in good faith in accordance with instructions of any such officer or for any delay in acting while waiting for those instructions. Any application by the Rights Agent for written instructions from the Company may, at the option of the Rights Agent, set forth in writing any action proposed to be taken or omitted by the Rights Agent under this Rights Agreement and the date on or after which such action shall be taken or such omission shall be effective. The Rights Agent shall not be liable for any action taken by, or omission of, the Rights Agent in accordance with a proposal included in any such application on or after the date specified in such application (which date shall not be less than five Business Days after the date any officer of the Company actually receives such application, unless any such officer shall have consented in writing to an earlier date) unless, prior to taking any such action (or the effective date in the case of an omission), the Rights Agent shall have received written instruction in response to such application specifying the action to be taken or omitted.
(h) The Rights Agent and any stockholder, director, officer or employee of the Rights Agent may buy, sell or deal in any of the Rights or other securities of the Company or become pecuniarily interested in any transaction in which the Company may be interested, or contract with or lend money to the Company or otherwise act as fully and freely as though it were not Rights Agent under this Agreement. Nothing herein shall preclude the Rights Agent from acting in any other capacity for the Company or for any other legal entity.
(i) The Rights Agent may execute and exercise any of the rights or powers hereby vested in it or perform any duty hereunder either itself or by or through its attorneys
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or agents, and the Rights Agent shall not be answerable or accountable for any act, default, neglect or misconduct of any such attorneys or agents or for any loss to the Company resulting from any such act, default, neglect or misconduct, provided reasonable care was exercised in the selection and continued employment thereof.
(j) No provision of this Agreement shall require the Rights Agent to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder or in the exercise of its rights if there shall be reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnification against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it.
(k) Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, the Rights Agent’s aggregate liability during any term of this Agreement with respect to, arising from, or arising in connection with this Agreement, or from all services provided or omitted to be provided under this Agreement, whether in contract, or in tort, or otherwise, is limited to, and shall not exceed, the amounts paid hereunder by the Company to Rights Agent as fees and charges, but not including reimbursable expenses; provided, however, such limitation shall not apply to any such losses, costs, claims, damages suits, judgments, penalties, liabilities, and expenses finally adjudicated to have been directly caused by the gross negligence, actual fraud or willful misconduct of the Rights Agent
(l) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, in no event will either party be liable for special, punitive, indirect, incidental or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including but not limited to lost profits), even if the party has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action.
(m) If, with respect to any Rights Certificate surrendered to the Rights Agent for exercise or transfer, the certificate attached to the form of assignment or form of election to purchase, as the case may be, has not been completed, the Rights Agent shall not take any further action with respect to such requested exercise of transfer without first consulting with the Company.
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(n) The provisions of this section, will survive the termination of this Agreement, the exercise or expiration of the Rights Certificates and the resignation, replacement or removal of the Rights Agent.
Section 21. Change of Rights Agent. The Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent may resign and be discharged from its duties under this Agreement upon 30 days’ notice in writing mailed to the Company and to each transfer agent of the Common Shares or Preferred Shares by registered or certified mail, and to the holders of the Right Certificates by first-class mail. In the event the transfer agency relationship in effect between the Company and the Rights Agent terminates, the Rights Agent will be deemed to resign automatically on the effective date of such termination; and any required notice will be sent by the Company. The Company may remove the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent upon 30 days’ notice in writing, mailed to the Rights Agent or successor Rights Agent, as the case may be, and to each transfer agent of the Common Shares or Preferred Shares by registered or certified mail, and to the holders of the Right Certificates by first-class mail. If the Rights Agent shall resign or be removed or shall otherwise become incapable of acting, the Company shall appoint a successor to the Rights Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of 30 days after giving notice of such removal or after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the resigning or incapacitated Rights Agent or by the holder of a Right Certificate (who shall, with such notice, submit his Right Certificate for inspection by the Company), then the registered holder of any Right Certificate may apply to any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a new Rights Agent. Any successor Rights Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such a court, shall be a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States. After appointment, the successor Rights Agent shall be vested with the same powers, rights, duties and responsibilities as if it had been originally named as Rights Agent without further act or deed; but the predecessor Rights Agent shall deliver and transfer to the successor Rights Agent any property at the time held by it hereunder, and execute and deliver any further assurance, conveyance, act or deed necessary for the purpose. Not later than the effective date of any such appointment the Company shall file notice thereof in writing with the predecessor Rights Agent and each transfer agent of the Common Shares or Preferred Shares, and mail a notice thereof in writing to the registered holders of the Right Certificates. Failure to
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give any notice provided for in this Section 21, however, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality of validity of the resignation or removal of the Rights Agent or the appointment of the successor Rights Agent, as the case may be.
Section 22. Issuance of New Right Certificates. Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this Agreement or of the Rights to the contrary, the Company may, at its option, issue new Right Certificates evidencing Rights in such form as may be approved by its Board of Directors to reflect any adjustment or change in the Purchase Price and the number or kind or class of shares or other securities or property purchasable under the Right Certificates made in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.
In addition, in connection with the issuance or sale of Common Shares following the Distribution Date and prior to the earlier of the Redemption Date and the Final Expiration Date, the Company (a) shall with respect to Common Shares so issued or sold pursuant to the exercise of stock options or under any employee plan or arrangement, or upon the exercise, conversion or exchange of securities, notes or debentures issued by the Company, and (b) may, in any other case, if deemed necessary or appropriate by the Board of Directors of the Company, issue Rights Certificates representing the appropriate number of Rights in connection with such issuance or sale; provided, however, that (i) the Company shall not be obligated to issue any such Right Certificates if, and to the extent that, the Company shall be advised by counsel that such issuance would create a significant risk of material adverse tax consequences to the Company or the Person to whom such Right Certificate would be issued, and (ii) no Right Certificate shall be issued if, and to the extent that, appropriate adjustment shall otherwise have been made in lieu of the issuance thereof.
Section 23. Redemption and Termination.
(a)(i) The Board of Directors of the Company may, at its option, redeem all but not less than all the then outstanding Rights at a redemption price of $.01 per Right, as such amount may be appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction occurring after the date hereof (such redemption price being hereinafter referred to as the “Redemption Price”), at any time prior to the earlier of (x) the occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event, or (y) the Final Expiration Date.
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The Company may, at its option, pay the Redemption Price either in Common Shares (based on the “current per share market price,” as defined in Section 11(d) hereof, of the Common Shares at the time of redemption) or cash; provided that if the Company elects to pay the Redemption Price in Common Shares, the Company shall not be required to issue any fractional Common Shares and the number of Common Shares issuable to each holder of Rights shall be rounded down to the next whole share.
(ii) In addition, the Board of Directors of the Company may, at its option, at any time, redeem all but not less than all of the then outstanding Rights at the Redemption Price (x) in connection with any merger, consolidation or sale or other transfer (in one transaction or in a series of related transactions) of assets or earning power aggregating 50% or more of the earning power of the Company and its subsidiaries (taken as a whole) in which all holders of Common Shares are treated alike and not involving (other than as a holder of Common Shares being treated like all other such holders) an Interested Stockholder or (y)(aa) if and for so long as the Acquiring Person is not thereafter the Beneficial Owner of 20% of the Common Shares and (bb) at the time of redemption no other Persons are Acquiring Persons.
(b) In the case of a redemption permitted under Section 23(a)(i), immediately upon the date for redemption set forth (or determined in the manner specified in) in a resolution of the Board of Directors of the Company ordering the redemption of the Rights, evidence of which shall have been filed with the Rights Agent, and without any further action and without any notice, the right to exercise the Rights will terminate and the only right thereafter of the holders of Rights shall be to receive the Redemption Price for each Right so held. In the case of a redemption permitted only under Section 23(a)(ii), evidence of which shall have been filed with the Rights Agent, the right to exercise the Rights will terminate and represent only the right to receive the Redemption Price upon the later of ten Business Days following the giving of such notice or the expiration of any period during which the Rights under Section 11(a)(ii) may be exercised. The Company shall promptly give public notice of any such redemption; provided, however, that the failure to give, or any defect in, any such notice shall not affect the
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validity of such redemption. Within ten (10) days after such date of redemption set forth in a resolution of the Board of Directors ordering the redemption of the Rights, the Company shall mail a notice of redemption to all the holders of the then outstanding Rights at their last addresses as they appear upon the registry books of the Rights Agent or, prior to the Distribution Date, on the registry books of the transfer agent for the Common Shares. Any notice which is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be deemed given, whether or not the holder receives the notice. Each such notice of redemption will state the method by which the payment of the Redemption Price will be made. Neither the Company nor any of its Affiliates or Associates may redeem, acquire or purchase for value any Rights at any time in any manner other than that specifically set forth in this Section 23 and other than in connection with the purchase of Common Shares prior to the Distribution Date.
(c) The Company may, at its option, discharge all of its obligations with respect to the Rights by (i) issuing a press release announcing the manner of redemption of the Rights in accordance with this Agreement and (ii) mailing payment of the Redemption Price to the registered holders of the Rights at their last addresses as they appear on the registry books of the Rights Agent or, prior to the Distribution Date, on the registry books of the Transfer Agent of the Common Shares, and upon such action, all outstanding Rights and Right Certificates shall be null and void without any further action by the Company.
Section 24. Exchanges.
(a) The Board of Directors of the Company may, at its option, at any time, exchange all or part of the then outstanding and exercisable Rights (which shall not include Rights that have become void pursuant to the provisions of Section 7 (e) hereof) for Common Shares at an exchange ratio of one Common Share per Right, appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction occurring after the date hereof (such exchange ratio being hereinafter referred to as the “Exchange Ratio”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board of Directors shall not be empowered to effect such exchange at any time after any Person (other than the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of the
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Company or any such Subsidiary, or any entity holding Common Shares for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan), together with all Affiliates and Associates of such Person, become the Beneficial Owner of 20% or more of the Common Shares then outstanding.
(b) Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors of the Company ordering the exchange of any Rights pursuant to paragraph (a) of this Section 24 and without any further action and without any notice, the right to exercise such Rights shall terminate and the only right thereafter of a holder of such Rights shall be to receive that number of Common Shares equal to the number of such Rights held by such holder multiplied by the Exchange Ratio. The Company shall promptly give public notice of any such exchange; provided, however, that the failure to give, or any defect in, such notice shall not affect the validity of such exchange. The Company promptly shall mail a notice of any such exchange to all of the holders of such Rights at their last addresses as they appear upon the registry books of the Rights Agent. Any notice which is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be deemed given, whether or not the holder receives the notice. Each such notice of exchange will state the method by which the exchange of the Common Shares for Rights will be effected and, in the event of any partial exchange, the number of Rights which will be exchanged. Any partial exchange shall be effected pro rata based on the number of Rights (other than Rights which have become void pursuant to the provisions of Section 7(e) hereof) held by each holder of Rights.
(c) In any exchange pursuant to this Section 24, the Company, at its option, may substitute Preferred Shares (or equivalent preferred shares, as such term is defined in Section 11(b) hereof) for some or all of the Common Shares exchangeable for Rights, at the initial rate of one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share (or equivalent preferred share) for each Common Share, as appropriately adjusted to reflect adjustments in the voting rights of the Preferred Shares pursuant to the terms thereof, so that the fraction of a Preferred Share delivered in lieu of each Common Share shall have the same voting rights as one Common Share.
(d) In the event that there shall not be sufficient Common Shares issued but not outstanding or authorized but
48
unissued to permit any exchange of Rights as contemplated in accordance with this Section 24, the Company shall take all such action as may be necessary to authorize additional Common Shares for issuance upon exchange of the Rights.
Section 25. Notice of Certain Events.
(a) In case the Company shall propose (i) to pay any dividend payable in stock of any class to the holders of its Preferred Shares or to make any other distribution to the holders of its Preferred Shares (other than a regular quarterly cash dividend), (ii) to offer to the holders of its Preferred Shares rights or warrants to subscribe for or to purchase any additional Preferred Shares or shares of stock of any class or any other securities, rights or options, (iii) to effect any reclassification of its Preferred Shares (other than a reclassification involving only the subdivision of outstanding Preferred Shares), (iv) to effect any consolidation or merger into or with, or to effect any sale or other transfer (or to permit one or more of its Subsidiaries to effect any sale or other transfer), in one or more transactions, of 50% or more of the assets or earning power of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to, any other Person, (v) to effect the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, or (vi) to declare or pay any dividend on the Common Shares payable in Common Shares to effect a subdivision, combination or consolidation of the Common Shares (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of dividends in Common Shares), then, in each such case, the Company shall give to each holder of a Right Certificate, in accordance with Section 26 hereof, a notice of such proposed action, which shall specify the record date for the purposes of such stock dividend, or distribution of rights or warrants, or the date on which such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer, liquidation, dissolution, or winding up is to take place and the date of participation therein by the holders of the Common Shares and/or Preferred Shares, if any such date is to be fixed, and such notice shall be so given in the case of any action covered by clause (i) or (ii) above at least 10 days prior to the record date for determining holders of the Preferred Shares for purposes of such action, and in the case of any such other action, at least 10 days prior to the date of the taking of such proposed action or the date of participation therein by the holders of the Common
49
Shares and/or Preferred Shares, whichever shall be the earlier.
(b) In case of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event, then (i) the Company shall as soon as practicable thereafter give to each holder of a Right Certificate, in accordance with Section 26 hereof, a notice of the occurrence of such event, which notice shall describe such event and the consequences of such event to holders of Rights under Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, and (ii) all references in the preceding paragraph (a) to Preferred Shares shall be deemed thereafter to refer also to Common Shares and/or, if appropriate, other securities of the Company.
Section 26. Notices. Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Rights Agent or by the holder of any Right Certificate to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given or made if sent first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing with the Rights Agent) as follows:
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Attention: Corporate Secretary
Subject to the provisions of Section 21 hereof, any notice or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Company or by the holder of any Right Certificate to or on the Rights Agent shall be sufficiently given or made if sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing with the Company) as follows:
▇▇▇▇▇ Fargo Shareowner Services
▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Attention: Account Management Team
Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Company or the Rights Agent to the holder of any Right Certificate shall be sufficiently given or made if sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed to such holder at the address of such holder as shown on the registry books of the Company.
50
Section 27. Supplements and Amendments. Prior to the Distribution Date, the Company and the Rights Agent shall, if the Company or the Rights Agent so directs, supplement or amend any provision of this Agreement without the approval of any holders of certificates representing Common Shares. From and after the Distribution Date, the Company and the Rights Agent shall, if the Company or the Rights Agent so directs, supplement or amend this Agreement without the approval of any holders of Right Certificates in order (i) to cure any ambiguity, (ii) to correct or supplement any provision contained herein which may be defective or inconsistent with any other provisions herein, or (iii) to change or supplement the provisions hereunder in any manner which the Company or the Rights Agent may deem necessary or desirable for the purpose of protecting, enhancing or clarifying the rights of, and/or the benefits to, the holders of Rights, without adversely affecting the interests of the holders of Right Certificates (other than those of an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person). Prior to the Distribution Date, the interests of the holders of Rights shall be deemed coincident with the interests of the holders of Common Shares, notwithstanding anything contained in this Rights Agreement to the contrary, in the event that a majority of the Board of Directors of the Company is comprised of (i) Persons elected at a meeting of or by written consent of stockholders and who were not nominated by the Board of Directors in office immediately prior to such meeting or action by written consent and/or (ii) successors of such Persons elected to the Board of Directors for the purpose of either facilitating a transaction with a Person or circumventing directly or indirectly the provisions of this Section 27, then for a period of 180 days following the effectiveness of such action, this Rights Agreement shall not be amended or supplemented in any manner reasonably likely to have the purpose or effect of facilitating a transaction with a Person.
Section 28. Determination and Actions by the Board of Directors, etc. The Board of Directors of the Company shall have the exclusive power and authority to administer this Agreement and to exercise all rights and powers specifically granted to the Board, or the Company, or as may be necessary or advisable in the administration of this Agreement, including, without limitation, the right and power to (i) interpret the provisions of this Agreement, and (ii) make all determinations deemed necessary or advisable for the administration of this Agreement (including, without limitation, a determination to redeem or not redeem the Rights and whether any proposed
51
amendment to the Agreement adversely affects the interest of the holders of Right Certificates). For all purposes of this Agreement, any calculation of the number of Common Shares or other securities outstanding at any particular time, including for purposes of determining the particular percentage of such outstanding Common Shares or any other securities of which any Person is the Beneficial Owner, shall be made in accordance with the last sentence of Rule 13d-3(d)(1)(i) of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act as in effect on the date of this Agreement. All such actions, calculations, interpretations and determinations (including, for purposes of clause (y) below, all omissions with respect to the foregoing) which are done or made by the Board in good faith, shall (x) be final, conclusive and binding on the Company, the Rights Agent, the holders of the Right Certificates and all other parties, and (y) not subject the Board to any liability to the holders of the Right Certificates.
Section 29. Successors. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Rights Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns hereunder.
Section 30. Benefits of this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to give to any Person or corporation other than the Company, the Rights Agent and the registered holders of the Right Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the Common Shares) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under this Agreement; but this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Company, the Rights Agent and the registered holders of the Right Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date the Common Shares).
Section 31. Severability. If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or other authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated.
Section 32. Governing Law. This Agreement and each Right Certificate issued hereunder shall be deemed to be a contract made under the laws of the State of Delaware and for all purposes shall be governed by and construed in accordance with
52
the laws of such State applicable to contracts to be made and performed entirely within such State.
Section 33. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
Section 34. Descriptive Headings. Descriptive headings of the several Sections of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not control or affect the meaning or construction of any of the provisions hereof.
Section 35. Force Majeure. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, Rights Agent shall not be liable for any delays or failures in performance resulting from acts beyond its reasonable control including, without limitation, acts of God, terrorist acts, shortage of supply, breakdowns or malfunctions, interruptions or malfunction of computer facilities, or loss of data due to power failures or mechanical difficulties with information storage or retrieval systems, labor difficulties, war, or civil unrest.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Amended and Restated Rights Agreement to be duly executed and their respective corporate seals to be hereunto affixed and attested, all as of the day and year first written above.
By: /s/ R. ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Title: President
Attest:
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇.
▇▇▇▇▇ FARGO BANK, N.A.
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By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Title: Officer – ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Attest:
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
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Exhibit A
CERTIFICATE OF DESIGNATIONS
of
SERIES A JUNIOR PARTICIPATING PREFERRED STOCK
of
(Pursuant to Section 151 of the
Delaware General Corporation Law)
Old Republic International Corporation, a corporation organized and existing under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (hereinafter called the "Corporation"), hereby certifies that the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Directors of the Corporation as required by Section 151 of the General Corporation Law at a meeting duly called and held on May 15, 1997.
RESOLVED, that pursuant to the authority granted to and vested in the Board of Directors of this Corporation (hereinafter called the "Board of Directors" or the "Board") in accordance with the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation, the Board of Directors hereby creates a series of Preferred Stock, par value $.01 per share (the "Preferred Stock"), of the Corporation and hereby states the designation and number of shares, and fixes the relative rights, preferences, and limitations thereof as follows:
Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock:
Section 1. Designation, Par Value and Amount. The shares of such series shall be designated as "Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock" (the "Series A Preferred Stock") and the number of shares constituting the Series A Preferred Stock shall be 10,000,000; such number of shares may be increased or decreased by resolution of the Board of Directors; provided, that no decrease shall reduce the number of shares of Series A Preferred Stock to a number less than the number of shares then outstanding plus the number of shares reserved for issuance upon the exercise of outstanding options, rights or warrants or upon conversion of any outstanding securities issued
by the Corporation convertible into Series A Preferred Stock.
Section 2. Dividends and Distributions.
(A) Subject to the rights of the holders of any shares of any series of Preferred Stock (or any similar stock) ranking prior and superior to the Series A Preferred Stock with respect to dividends, the holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock, in preference to the holders of Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share (the "Common Stock"), of the Corporation, and of any other junior stock, shall be entitled to receive, when, and if declared by the Board of Directors out of funds legally available for the purpose, quarterly dividends payable in cash on the first day of March, June, September and December in each year (each such date being referred to herein as a "Quarterly Dividend Payment Date"), commencing on the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date after the first issuance of a share or fraction of a share of Series A Preferred Stock, in an amount per share (rounded to the nearest cent) equal to the greater of (a) $1 or (b) subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth, 100 times the aggregate per share amount of all cash dividends, and 100 times the aggregate per share amount (payable in kind) of all non-cash dividends or other distributions, other than a dividend payable in shares of Common Stock or a subdivision of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise), declared on the Common Stock since the immediately preceding Quarterly Dividend Payment Date or, with respect to the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, since the first issuance of any share or fraction of a share of Series A Preferred Stock. In the event the Corporation shall at any time declare or pay any dividend on the Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision or combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, then in each such case the amount to which holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock were entitled immediately prior to such event under clause (b) of the preceding sentence shall be adjusted by multiplying such amount by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to such event.
(B) The Corporation shall declare a dividend or distribution on the Series A Preferred Stock as provided in paragraph (A) of this Section immediately after it declares a
dividend or distribution on the Commons Stock (other than a dividend payable in shares of Common Stock); provided that, in the event no dividend or distribution shall have been declared on the Common Stock during the period between any Quarterly Dividend Payment Date and the next subsequent Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, a dividend of $1 per share on the Series A Preferred Stock shall nevertheless be payable on such subsequent Quarterly Dividend Payment Date.
(C) Dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative on outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock from the Quarterly Dividend Payment Date next preceding the date of issue of such shares, unless the date of issue of such shares is prior to the record date for the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, in which case dividends on such shares shall begin to accrue from the date of issue of such shares, or unless the date of issue is a Quarterly Dividend Payment Date or is a date after the record date for the determination of holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock entitled to receive a quarterly dividend and before such Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, in either of which events such dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative from such Quarterly Dividend Payment Date. Accrued but unpaid dividends shall not bear interest. Dividends paid on the shares of Series A Preferred Stock in an amount less than the total amount of such dividends at the time accrued and payable on such shares shall be allocated pro rata on a share-by-share basis among all such shares at the time outstanding. The Board of Directors may fix a record date for the determination of holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock entitled to receive payment of a dividend or distribution declared thereon, which record date shall be not more than 60 days prior to the date fixed for the payment thereof.
Section 3. Voting Rights. The holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall have the following voting rights:
(A) Except as provided in paragraph C of this Section 3 and subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth, each share of Series A Preferred Stock shall entitle the holder thereof to 100 votes on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders of the Corporation.
(B) Except as otherwise provided herein or by law, the holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock and the holders of shares of Common Stock shall vote together as one class on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders of the Corporation.
(C) (i) If, on the date used to determine stockholders of record for any meeting of stockholders for the election of directors, a default in preference dividends (as defined in subparagraph (v) below) on the Series A Preferred Stock shall exist, the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock shall have the right, voting as a class as described in subparagraph (ii) below, to elect two directors (in addition to the directors elected by holders of Common Stock of the Corporation). Such right may be exercised (a) at any meeting of stockholders for the election of directors or (b) at a meeting of the holders of shares of Voting Preferred Stock (as hereinafter defined), called for the purpose in accordance with the By-laws of the Corporation, until all such cumulative dividends (referred to above) shall have been paid in full or until non-cumulative dividends have been paid regularly for at least one year.
(ii) The right of the holders of Series A Preferred Stock to elect two directors, as described above, shall be exercised as a class concurrently with the rights of holders of any other series of Preferred Stock upon which voting rights to elect such directors have been conferred and are then exercisable. The Series A Preferred Stock and any additional series of Preferred Stock which the Corporation may issue and which may provide for the right to vote with the foregoing series of Preferred Stock are collectively referred to herein as "Voting Preferred Stock."
(iii) Each director elected by the holders of shares of Voting Preferred Stock shall be referred to herein as a "Preferred Director." A Preferred Director so elected shall continue to serve as such director for a term of one year, except that upon any termination of the right of all such holders to vote as a class for Preferred Directors, the term of office of such directors shall terminate. Any Preferred Director may be removed by, and shall not be removed except by, the vote of the holders of record of a majority of the outstanding shares of Voting Preferred Stock then entitled to vote for the election of directors, present (in person or by proxy) and voting together as a single class (a) at a meeting of the stockholders, or (b) at a meeting of the holders of shares of such Voting Preferred Stock, called for the purpose in accordance with the By-laws of the Corporation, or (c) by written consent signed by the holders of a majority of the then outstanding shares of Voting Preferred Stock then entitled to vote for the election of directors, taken together as a single class.
(iv) So long as a default in any preference dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock shall exist or the holders of any other
series of Voting Preferred Stock shall be entitled to elect Preferred Directors, (a) any vacancy in the office of a Preferred Director may be filled (except as provided in the following clause (b)) by an instrument in writing signed by the remaining Preferred Director and filed with the Corporation and (b) in the case of the removal of any Preferred Director, the vacancy may be filled by the vote or written consent of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Voting Preferred Stock then entitled to vote for the election of directors, present (in person or by proxy) and voting together as a single class, at such time as the removal shall be effected. Each director appointed as aforesaid by the remaining Preferred Director shall be deemed, for all purposes hereof, to be a Preferred Director. Whenever (x) no default in preference dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock shall exist and (y) the holders of other series of Voting Preferred Stock shall no longer be entitled to elect such Preferred Directors, then the number of directors constituting the Board of Directors of the Corporation shall be reduced by two.
(v) For purposes hereof, a "default in preference dividends" on the Series A Preferred Stock shall be deemed to have occurred whenever the amount of cumulative and unpaid dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock shall be equivalent to six full quarterly dividends or more (whether or not consecutive), and, having so occurred, such default shall be deemed to exist thereafter until, but only until, all cumulative dividends on all shares of the Series A Preferred Stock then outstanding shall have been paid through the last Quarterly Dividend Payment Date or until, but only until, non-cumulative dividends have been paid regularly for at least one year.
(D) Except as set forth herein (or as otherwise required by applicable law), holders of Series A Preferred Stock shall have no general or special voting rights and their consent shall not be required for taking any corporate action.
Section 4. Certain Restrictions.
(A) Whenever quarterly dividends or other dividends or distributions payable on the Series A Preferred Stock as provided in Section 2 are in arrears, thereafter and until all accrued and unpaid dividends and distributions, whether or not declared, on shares of Series A Preferred Stock outstanding shall have been paid in full, the Corporation shall not:
(i) declare or pay dividends, or make any other distributions,
on any shares of stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the Series A Preferred Stock;
(ii) declare or pay dividends, or make any other distributions, on any shares of stock ranking on a parity (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the Series A Preferred Stock, except dividends paid ratably in the Series A Preferred Stock and all such parity stock on which dividends are payable or in arrears in proportion to the total amounts to which the holders of all such shares are then entitled;
(iii) redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration shares of any stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the Series A Preferred Stock, provided that the Corporation may at any time redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire shares of any such junior stock in exchange for shares of any stock of the Corporation ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon dissolution, liquidation or winding up) to the Series A Preferred Stock; or (iv) redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of Series A Preferred Stock, or any shares of stock ranking on a parity with the Series A Preferred Stock, except in accordance with a purchase offer made in writing or by publication (as determined by the Board of Directors) to all holders of such shares upon such terms as the Board of Directors, after consideration of the respective annual dividend rates and other relative rights and preferences of the respective series and classes, shall determine in good faith will result in fair and equitable treatment among the respective series or classes.
(B) The Corporation shall not permit any subsidiary of the Corporation to purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of stock of the Corporation unless the Corporation could, under paragraph (A) of this Section 4, purchase or otherwise acquire such shares at such time and in such manner.
Section 5. Reacquired Shares. Any shares of Series A Preferred Stock purchased or otherwise acquired by the Corporation in any manner whatsoever shall be retired and cancelled promptly after the acquisition thereof. All such shares shall upon their cancellation become authorized but unissued shares of Preferred Stock and may be reissued as part of a new series of Preferred Stock subject to the conditions and
restrictions on issuance set forth herein, in the Certificate of Incorporation, or in any other Certificate of Designations creating a series of Preferred Stock or any similar stock or as otherwise required by law.
Section 6. Liquidation, Dissolution or Winding Up.
(A) Subject to the prior and superior rights of holders of any shares of any series of Preferred Stock ranking prior and superior to the shares of Series A Preferred Stock with respect to rights upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up (voluntary or otherwise), no distribution shall be made to the holders of shares of stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the Series A Preferred Stock unless, prior thereto, the holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall have received $100 per share, plus an amount equal to accrued and unpaid dividends and distributions thereon, whether or not declared, to the date of such payment (the "Series Liquidation Preference"). Following the payment of the full amount of the Series A Liquidation Preference, no additional distributions shall be made to the holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock unless, prior thereto, the holders of shares of Common Stock shall have received an amount per share (the "Capital Adjustment") equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the Series A Liquidation Preference by (ii) 100 (such number in clause (ii), the "Adjustment Number"). Following the payment of the full amount of the Series A Liquidation Preference and the Capital Adjustment in respect of all outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock and Common Stock, respectively, holders of Series A Preferred Stock and holders of Common Stock shall receive their ratable and proportionate share of the remaining assets to be distributed in the ratio of the Adjustment Number to 1 with respect to such Preferred Stock and Common Stock, on a per share basis, respectively.
(B) In the event, however, that there are not sufficient assets available to permit payment in full of the Series A Liquidation Preference and the liquidation preferences of all other series of preferred stock, if any, which rank on a parity with the Series A Preferred Stock, then such remaining assets shall be distributed ratably to the holders of Series A Preferred Stock and the holders of such parity shares in proportion in their respective liquidation preferences. In the event, however, that there are not sufficient assets available to permit payment in full of the Capital Adjustment, then such remaining assets shall be distributed ratably to the holders of
Common Stock.
Section 7. Consolidation, Merger, etc. In case the Corporation shall enter into any consolidation, merger, combination or other transaction in which the shares of Common Stock are exchanged for or changed into other stock or securities, cash and/or any other property, then in any such case each share of Series A Preferred Stock shall at the same time be similarly exchanged or changed into an amount per share, subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth, equal to 100 times the aggregate amount of stock, securities, cash and/or any other property (payable in kind), as the case may be, into which or for which each share of Common Stock is changed or exchanged. In the event the Corporation shall at any time declare or pay any dividend on the Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision or combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, then in each such case the amount set forth in the preceding sentence with respect to the exchange or change of shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall be adjusted by multiplying such amount by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of Shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to such event.
Section 8. No Redemption. The shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall not be redeemable.
Section 9. Ranking. The Series A Preferred Stock shall rank, with respect to payment of dividends and the distribution of assets, junior to all series of any other class of the Corporation's Preferred Stock.
Section 10. Amendment. The Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation shall not be amended in any manner which would materially alter or change the powers, preferences or special rights of the Series A Preferred Stock so as to affect them adversely without the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock, voting together as a single class.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Certificate of Designations is executed on behalf of the Corporation by its Chairman of the Board and attested by its Secretary this day of May, 1997.
___________________ Chairman of the Board
ATTEST: Secretary |
Exhibit B
[Form of Right Certificate]
Certificate No. R- Rights
NOT EXERCISABLE AFTER JUNE 25, 2027 OR
EARLIER IF NOTICE OF REDEMPTION IS GIVEN.
THE RIGHTS ARE SUBJECT TO REDEMPTION, AT THE
OPTION OF THE COMPANY, AT $.01 PER RIGHT ON
THE TERMS SET FORTH IN THE
AMENDED AND RESTATED RIGHTS AGREEMENT
Rights Certificate
This certifies that , or registered assigns, is the registered owner of the number of Rights set forth above, each of which entitles the owner thereof, subject to the terms, provisions and conditions of the Amended and Restated Rights Agreement dated as of June 26, 2017 (the "Rights Agreement") between Old Republic International Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and ▇▇▇▇▇ Fargo Bank, N.A. (the "Rights Agent"), to purchase from the Company at any time after the Distribution Date (as such term is defined in the Rights Agreement) and prior to 5:00 p.m. (Chicago time) on June 25, 2027 at the principal office of the Rights Agent, designated for such purpose, or its successors as Rights Agent, one one-hundredth of a fully paid non-assessable share of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, par value $.01 per share (the "Preferred Shares") of the Company, at a purchase price of $100.00 per one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share (the "Purchase Price") upon presentation and surrender of this Right Certificate with the Form of Election to Purchase duly executed. The number of Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate (and the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share which may be purchased upon exercise thereof) set forth above, and the Purchase Price per share set forth above, are the number and Purchase Price as of June 25, 2017,
based on the Preferred Shares as constituted at such date. As provided in the Rights Agreement, the Purchase Price and the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share which may be purchased upon the exercise of the Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate are subject to modification and adjustment upon the happening of certain events.
This Rights Certificate is subject to all of the terms, provisions and conditions of the Rights Agreement, which terms, provisions and conditions are hereby incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof and to which Rights Agreement reference is hereby made for a full description of the rights, limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities hereunder of the Rights Agent, the Company and the holders of the Right Certificates. Copies of the Rights Agreement are on file at the above-mentioned office of the Rights Agent.
This Right Certificate, with or without other Right Certificates, upon surrender at the office or offices of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, may be exchanged for another Right Certificate or Right Certificates of like tenor and date evidencing Rights entitling the holder to purchase a like aggregate number of Preferred Shares as the Rights evidenced by the Right Certificate or Right Certificates surrendered shall have entitled such holder to purchase. If this Right Certificate shall be exercised in part, the holder shall be entitled to receive upon surrender hereof, another Right Certificate or Right Certificates for the number of whole Rights not exercised.
Subject to the provisions of the Rights Agreement, the Rights evidenced by this Certificate may (i) be redeemed by the Company at its option at a redemption price of $.05 per Right or (ii) may be exchanged in whole or in part for Preferred Shares or shares of the Company's Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share.
No fractional Preferred Shares will be issued upon the exercise of any Right or Rights evidenced hereby (other than fractions which are integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share, which may, at the election of the Company, be evidenced by depositary receipts), but in lieu thereof a cash payment will be made, as provided in the Rights Agreement.
No holder of this Right Certificate shall be entitled to vote or to receive dividends or be deemed for any purpose the holder of the Preferred Shares or of any other securities of the Company which may at any time be issuable on the exercise hereof, nor
shall anything contained in the Rights Agreement or herein be construed to confer upon the holder hereof, as such, any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company or any right to vote for the election of directors or upon any matter submitted to stockholders at any meeting thereof, or to give or withhold consent to any corporate action, or to receive notice of meetings or other actions affecting stockholders (except as provided in the Rights Agreement), or to receive dividends or subscription rights, or otherwise, until the Rights or Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate shall have been exercised as provided in the Rights Agreement.
This Right Certificate shall not be valid or obligatory for any purpose until it shall have been countersigned by the Rights Agent.
WITNESS the facsimile signature of the proper officers of the Company and its corporate seal. Dated as of__________________.
ATTEST: Secretary | OLD REPUBLIC INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION By: |
Countersigned: ▇▇▇▇▇ FARGO BANK, N.A. By: Title: | |
[Form of Reverse Side of Right Certificate]
FORM OF ASSIGNMENT
(To be executed by the registered holder if such
holder desires to transfer the Right Certificate)
FOR VALUE RECEIVED ___ hereby sells, assigns and Transfers unto
(Please print name and address of transferee) _____________________________________________
this Right Certificate, together with all right, title and interest therein, and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint_________________________________ Attorney, to transfer the within Right Certificate on the books of the within-named Company, with full
power of substitution.
Dated:_____________ ,20__
___________________
Signature
Signature Guaranteed:
Signatures must be guaranteed by a member firm of a registered national securities exchange, a member of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., or a commercial bank or trust company having an office or correspondent in the United States.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The undersigned hereby certifies that the Rights evidence by this Right Certificate are not beneficially owned by an
Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate thereof (as defined in the Rights Agreement).
____________________
Signature
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Form of Reverse Side of Right Certificate -- Continued
FORM OF ELECTION TO PURCHASE
(To be executed if holder desires to
exercise the Right Certificate)
To Old Republic International Corporation:
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise ________________________________________Rights represented by this Right Certificate to purchase the Preferred Shares issuable upon the exercise of such Rights and requests that certificates for such shares be issued in the name of: _______________________________________________________________.
Please insert social security or other identifying number:____________________________________________.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(Please print name and address)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
If such number of Rights shall not be all of the Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate, a new Right Certificate for the balance remaining of such Rights shall be registered in the name of and delivered to:_________________________________________________________.
Please insert social security or other identifying number:________________________________________________________.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(Please print name and address)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dated: _______________________,20__
_______________________
Signature
(Signature must conform in all respects to name of holder as specified on the face of this Right Certificate)
Signature Guaranteed:
____________________________________