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EXHIBIT 1.1
$250,000,000
FIDELITY NATIONAL FINANCIAL, INC.
7.30% SENIOR NOTES DUE AUGUST 15, 2011
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
August 13, 2001
▇▇▇▇▇▇ BROTHERS INC.
BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC
BEAR ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & CO. INC.
c/▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Brothers Inc.
Three World Financial Center
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Fidelity National Financial, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"),
proposes to issue and sell $250,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 7.30%
Senior Notes due August 15, 2011 (the "Notes") to you (the "Underwriters"). The
Notes will be issued pursuant to an Indenture dated as of August 20, 2001 (the
"Indenture") between the Company and The Bank of New York, as Trustee (the
"Trustee"). This agreement (this "Agreement") is to confirm the agreement
concerning the purchase of the Notes from the Company by the Underwriters.
1. Representations and Warranties. The Company represents and warrants to,
and agrees with, each Underwriter that:
(a) The registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-57904) with
respect to the Notes (i) has been prepared by the Company in conformity with the
requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"),
and the rules and regulations (the "Rules and Regulations") of the Securities
and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") thereunder, (ii) has been filed with
the Commission under the Securities Act, (iii) has become effective under the
Securities Act and is not proposed to be amended and (iv) is not subject to any
stop order under the Securities Act suspending the effectiveness of such
registration statement or any Rule 462(b) registration statement relating
thereto, and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending
or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated by the Commission. If any
post-effective amendment to such registration statement has been filed with the
Commission prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the most
recent such amendment has been declared effective by the Commission. Copies of
such registration statement as amended to date have been delivered by the
Company to you.
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For purposes of this Agreement, "Effective Time" means the most recent
date and the time as of which such registration statement, or the most recent
post-effective amendment thereto, if any, was declared effective by the
Commission; "Effective Date" means the date of the Effective Time; "Preliminary
Prospectus" means the prospectus included in such registration statement, or
amendments thereof, before such registration statement became effective under
the Securities Act and any prospectus filed with the Commission by the Company
that omitted information required by Rule 430A or 434 of the Rules and
Regulations or other information to be included upon pricing in a form of
prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Rules and
Regulations ("Rule 424(b)"), that was used after such effectiveness and prior to
the execution and delivery of this Agreement; "Registration Statement" means
such registration statement, as amended at the Effective Time, including any
documents incorporated by reference therein and, if the Effective Date is on or
before the date of this Agreement, all information contained in the final
prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) in accordance with
Section 4(a) hereof and deemed to be a part thereof as of the Effective Time
pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 430A of the Rules and Regulations;
"Prospectus" means the form of prospectus relating to the Notes (including the
prospectus supplement), as first used to confirm sales of the Notes; and
"described in the Prospectus" or "disclosed in the Prospectus" means described
or disclosed, as applicable, in the Prospectus or any document incorporated by
reference therein.
If it is contemplated, at the time this Agreement is executed, that a
registration statement will be filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the
Securities Act before the offering of the Notes may commence, the term
"Registration Statement" as used in this Agreement includes such registration
statement, as the same may be amended from time to time. Reference made herein
to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and
include any documents incorporated by reference therein as of the date of such
Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, as the case may be, and any reference to
any amendment or supplement to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus
shall be deemed to refer to and include any documents filed under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), after the date of such
Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, as the case may be, and incorporated by
reference in such Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus. For purposes of this
Section l, all references to the Registration Statement, any post-effective
amendments thereto and the Prospectus shall be deemed to include, without
limitation, any electronically transmitted copies thereof, including, without
limitation, any copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data
Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system ("▇▇▇▇▇"). The Commission has not
issued any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus
or the Prospectus.
(b) If the Effective Date is on or before the date of this Agreement, (i)
the Registration Statement conforms, and the Prospectus and any further
amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus will
when they become effective or are first used to confirm sales of the Notes, as
the case may be, conform to the requirements of the Securities Act and the Rules
and Regulations, (ii) the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto does
not and will not, as of the applicable Effective Date, contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading and
(iii) the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto will not, as of the
first date of its use to confirm sales of the Notes, contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required
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to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
If the Effective Date is after the date of this Agreement, (i) the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any further amendments or
supplements thereto will, when they become effective or are first used to
confirm sales of the Notes, as the case may be, conform to the requirements of
the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations, (ii) the Registration
Statement and any amendment thereto will not, as of the applicable Effective
Date, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading and (iii) the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement
thereto will not, as of the date on which the Prospectus and any amendment or
supplement thereto is first used to confirm sales of the Notes, contain any
untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required
to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company makes no representation or warranty
as to information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus in reliance upon, and in conformity with written information
furnished to the Company by you, expressly for inclusion therein. There is no
contract or document required to be described in the Registration Statement or
the Prospectus or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or to
a document incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement which is
not described or filed as required.
(c) KPMG LLP, whose report is included or incorporated by reference in the
Prospectus, are independent certified public accountants with respect to the
Company and its Subsidiaries (as defined in Section 13 hereof), as required by
the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations. The financial statements
(including the related notes and supporting schedules) included or incorporated
by reference in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus and the
Prospectus present fairly in all material respects the financial condition,
results of operations and cash flows of the entities purported to be shown
thereby at the dates and for the periods indicated and have been prepared in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent
basis throughout the periods indicated and conform in all material respects with
the Rules and Regulations, except as otherwise noted therein; and the supporting
schedules included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement
present fairly in all materials respects the information required to be stated
therein.
(d) Each of the Company and its Significant Subsidiaries (as defined in
Exhibit A hereto) has been duly organized or formed and is validly existing in
good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization or
formation, with full power and authority to own, lease and operate its
properties and conduct its business and, in the case of the Company, to enter
into and perform its obligations under this Agreement and the Indenture; and
each of the Company and its Subsidiaries holds all licenses and is duly
registered and qualified to do business and is in good standing in each
jurisdiction in which the character of the business conducted by it or the
location of the properties owned, leased or operated by it make such licensure,
registration or qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so
licensed, registered or qualified would not, individually or in the aggregate,
have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or other), results of
operations, business or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a
whole.
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(e) All of the outstanding shares of capital stock of each Significant
Subsidiary of the Company that is a corporation have been duly authorized and
validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable. Except as disclosed in the
Prospectus, all of the outstanding shares of capital stock, partnership
interests or other ownership interests of each Significant Subsidiary of the
Company are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of any
material claim, lien, encumbrance, security interest, restriction upon voting or
transfer, preemptive rights or any other claim of any third party, except such
as are described in the Prospectus.
(f) Except as described in or contemplated by the Registration Statement
and the Prospectus, there has not been any material adverse change in, or
adverse development which, individually or in the aggregate, materially affects
or may materially affect, the condition (financial or other), results of
operations, business or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a
whole from the respective dates as of which information is given in the
Prospectus.
(g) Neither (i) the execution or delivery hereof by the Company, (ii) the
consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, (iii) the execution and
delivery of the Indenture and the Notes by the Company nor (iv) compliance by
the Company with all of the provisions of this Agreement, the Indenture and the
Notes, will result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under,
the certificate of incorporation, by-laws, partnership agreement or other
governing documents of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or any material
agreement, indenture or other instrument to which the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them is bound, or to which any of
their properties is subject, nor will any such action or the performance by the
Company of its obligations hereunder violate any material law, rule,
administrative regulation or decree of any court, or any governmental agency or
body having jurisdiction over the Company, its Subsidiaries or any of their
respective properties, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien,
charge, claim or encumbrance upon any property or asset of the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries. Except for permits, consents, approvals and similar
authorizations required under the securities or "Blue Sky" laws of certain
jurisdictions, and except for such permits, consents, approvals and
authorizations which have been obtained or the failure to obtain would not,
individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the
condition (financial or other), results of operations, business or prospects of
the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole or affect the ability of the
Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement, no permit, consent,
approval, authorization or order of any court, governmental agency or body or
financial institution is required in connection with the consummation of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(h) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the
Company and constitutes the valid and binding agreement of the Company, and is
enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as the
enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization
or similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and by
general equitable principles (regardless of whether such enforceability is
considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).
(i) Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries (i) is in violation of
its certificate of incorporation or by-laws or other governing documents, (ii)
is in default, and no
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event has occurred which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute
such a default, in the due performance or observance of any term, covenant or
condition contained in any agreement, indenture or other instrument to which it
is a party or by which it is bound or to which any of its properties is subject,
except for any such defaults that would not, individually or in the aggregate,
have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or other), results of
operations, business or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a
whole, or (iii) is in violation of any law, ordinance, governmental rule,
regulation or court decree to which it or its property may be subject, except
for any such violations that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a
material adverse effect on the condition (financial or other), results of
operations, business or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a
whole.
(j) The Indenture has been duly and validly authorized, executed and
delivered by the Company and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company,
enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as the
enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization
or similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and by
general equitable principles (regardless of whether such enforceability is
considered in a proceeding in equity or at law). The Indenture (i) has been duly
qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the "Trust
Indenture Act"), (ii) complies as to form with the requirements of the Trust
Indenture Act and (iii) conforms to the description thereof in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus.
(k) The Notes have been duly and validly authorized by the Company for
issuance and sale to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement and, when
executed by the Company and authenticated by the Trustee in accordance with the
Indenture and delivered to the Underwriters against payment therefor in
accordance with the terms hereof, will have been validly issued and delivered,
free of any preemptive or similar rights to subscribe to or purchase the same
arising by operation of law or under the charter or by-laws of the Company or
otherwise, and will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company
entitled to the benefits of the Indenture and enforceable in accordance with
their terms, except as enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy,
insolvency, reorganization or other similar laws relating to or affecting the
enforcement of creditors' rights generally and by general equitable principles,
and the Notes conform, or will conform, to the description thereof in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
Neither the filing of the Registration Statement nor the offering or sale
of the Notes as contemplated by this Agreement gives rise to any rights, other
than those which have been duly waived or satisfied, for or relating to the
registration of any securities of the Company. The capitalization of the Company
as of the date of the most recent balance sheet included in the Prospectus is as
set forth in the Prospectus. The Company has all requisite corporate power and
authority to issue, sell and deliver the Notes in accordance with and upon the
terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement and in the Registration
Statement and Prospectus. All corporate action required to be taken by the
Company for the authorization, issuance, sale and delivery of the Notes to be
sold by the Company hereunder has been validly and sufficiently taken.
(l) Each contract, agreement or arrangement to which the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound, or to
which any of the
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property or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is subject, which
is material to the condition (financial or other), results of operations,
business or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, has
been duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company or its
Subsidiary, as applicable; none of such contracts, agreements or arrangements
has been assigned by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to any
non-affiliated party other than in the ordinary course of business, and the
Company knows of no present condition or fact which would prevent compliance by
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any other party thereto with the terms
of any such contract, agreement or arrangement in accordance with its terms in
all material respects, except for any such failures to comply that would not,
individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the
condition (financial or other), results of operations, business or prospects of
the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole; neither the Company nor any
of its Subsidiaries has any present intention to exercise any right that it may
have to cancel any such contract, agreement or arrangement or otherwise to
terminate its rights and obligations thereunder, and none of them has any
knowledge that any other party to any such contract, agreement or arrangement
has any intention not to render full performance in all material respects as
contemplated by the terms thereof, except for any such cancellations,
terminations or failures to perform that would not, individually or in the
aggregate, result in a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or
other), results of operations, business or prospects of the Company and its
Subsidiaries taken as a whole.
(m) There is no litigation or governmental proceeding to which the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or to which any property of the Company or
any of its Subsidiaries is subject or which is pending or, to the knowledge of
the Company, threatened against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that
could reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, result in a
material adverse effect on the condition (financial or other), results of
operations, business or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a
whole or which is required to be disclosed in the Prospectus and is not
disclosed.
(n) The documents incorporated by reference into each Preliminary
Prospectus and the Prospectus, at the time they were or are filed with the
Commission, conform or will conform, as the case may be, with the requirements
of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations and the Exchange Act and the
rules and regulations adopted by the Commission thereunder, and did not or will
not, as the case may be, include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit
to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(o) The Company has not taken and shall not take, directly or indirectly,
any action designed to cause or result in, or which has constituted or which
might reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of
the price of the Notes to facilitate the sale or resale of the Notes.
(p) The Notes will be pari passu with all existing and future unsecured
and unsubordinated indebtedness of the Company.
(q) The conditions for the Company's use of Form S-3 for filing the
Registration Statement, as set out in the general instructions to such form,
have been satisfied.
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(r) Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, all reinsurance treaties,
reinsurance contracts and reinsurance agreements to which the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries is a party are in full force and effect, and none of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries is in violation of, or in default in the
performance, observance or fulfillment of, any obligation, agreement, covenant
or condition contained therein, except where the failure to be in full force and
effect and except where any such violation or default would not, singly or in
the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or
other), results of operations, business or prospects of the Company and its
Subsidiaries taken as a whole; none of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
has received any notice from any of the other parties to such treaties,
contracts or agreements which are material to its business that such other party
intends not to perform in any material respect such treaty, contract or
agreement; and the Company and its Subsidiaries have no reason to believe that
any of the parties to such treaties, contracts or agreements will be unable to
perform such treaty, contract, agreement or arrangement, except where such
non-performance would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse
effect on the condition (financial or other), results of operations, business or
prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole.
(s) Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, none of the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries have made any material changes in their insurance reserving
practices during the last two years.
(t) Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries (i) holds such permits,
licenses, consents, exemptions, franchises, authorizations and other approvals
from insurance departments and other governmental or regulatory authorities
(each, an "Authorization") (including, without limitation, insurance licenses
from the insurance regulatory agencies of the various states or other
jurisdictions where it conducts business (the "Insurance Licenses")), and has
made all filings with and notices to, all governmental or regulatory authorities
and self-regulatory organizations and all courts and other tribunals, as are
necessary to own, lease, license and operate its respective properties and to
conduct its business, except where the failure to have any such Authorizations
or Insurance Licenses or to make any such filing or notice would not, singly or
in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or
other), results of operations, business or prospects of the Company and its
Subsidiaries taken as a whole, and (ii) to the knowledge of the Company, has
fulfilled and performed all material obligations necessary to maintain such
Authorizations and Insurance Licenses.
Each such Authorization and Insurance License is valid and in full force
and effect, and each of the Company and its Subsidiaries is in compliance with
all the terms and conditions thereof and with the rules and regulations of the
authorities and governing bodies having jurisdiction with respect thereto,
except where the failure so to comply or where the invalidity of such Insurance
Licenses or the failure of such Insurance Licenses to be in full force and
effect would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on
the condition (financial or other), results of operations, business or prospects
of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole; and no event has occurred
(including, without limitation, the receipt of any notice from any authority or
governing body) which allows or, after notice or lapse of time or both, would
allow, revocation, suspension or termination of any such Authorization or
Insurance License or results or, after notice or lapse of time or both, would
result in any other impairment of the rights of the holder of any such
Authorization or Insurance License, except where the revocation, suspension,
termination or impairment would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a material
adverse effect on the condition (financial or other), results of operations,
business or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole; such
Authorizations and Insurance Licenses contain no restrictions that are
burdensome to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, except
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where such failure to be valid and in full force and effect or to be in
compliance, the occurrence of any such event or the presence of any such
restriction would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse
effect on the condition (financial or other), results of operations, business or
prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole; and no insurance
regulatory agency or body has issued any order or decree impairing, restricting
or prohibiting the payment of dividends by any of the Subsidiaries to its
parent.
(u) Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is an "investment
company" within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
(the "1940 Act"), or is subject to regulation as an "investment company" under
the 1940 Act.
(v) The Company has unsecured non-convertible debt with a term of at least
four years rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization in
one of its four highest generic rating categories. At the time the Registration
Statement was filed and at the Effective Time, the Company met the eligibility
requirements under the Securities Act for the use of Form S-3, and the aggregate
market value of the voting and non-voting common equity of the Company held by
non-affiliates of the Company was at least $150 million.
(w) The Company and its Subsidiaries own or possess, or can acquire on
reasonable terms, adequate patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions,
copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or
unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures),
trademarks, service marks, trade names or other intellectual property
(collectively, "Intellectual Property") necessary to carry on the business now
operated by them, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has
received any notice or is otherwise aware of any infringement of or conflict
with asserted rights of others with respect to any Intellectual Property or of
any facts or circumstances which would render any Intellectual Property invalid
or inadequate to protect the interest of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
therein, and which infringement or conflict (if the subject of any unfavorable
decision, ruling or finding) or invalidity or inadequacy, singly or in the
aggregate, would result in a material adverse effect on the condition (financial
or other), results of operations, business or prospects of the Company and its
Subsidiaries taken as a whole.
(x) The Company and its Subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee
simple to all material real property owned by the Company and its Subsidiaries
and good and marketable title to all other properties owned by them, in each
case, free and clear of all mortgages, pledges, liens, security interests,
claims, defects, restrictions or encumbrances of any kind, except (A) as
otherwise stated in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or (B) those
which do not, singly or in the aggregate, materially affect the value of all
such properties in the aggregate and do not interfere with the use made and
proposed to be made of such property by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
considered as one enterprise. All of the leases and subleases material to the
business of the Company and its Subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, and
under which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries holds properties described in
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the Prospectus, are in full force and effect, and neither the Company nor any of
its Subsidiaries has received any notice of any material claim of any sort that
has been asserted by anyone adverse to the rights of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries under any of the leases or subleases mentioned above, or affecting
or questioning the rights of the Company or such Subsidiary of the continued
possession of the leased or subleased premises under any such lease or sublease.
(y) Except as otherwise stated in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus, and except as would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a
material adverse effect on the condition (financial or other), results of
operations, business or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a
whole, (A) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in violation of
any federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance,
code, policy or rule of common law, or any judicial or administrative
interpretation thereof, including any judicial or administrative order, consent,
decree or judgment, relating to pollution or protection of human health, the
environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water,
groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without
limitation, laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened release
of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous
substances, petroleum or petroleum products (collectively, "Hazardous
Materials") or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment,
storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively,
"Environmental Laws"), (B) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries fails
to possess any permit, authorization or approval required under any applicable
Environmental Laws or to be in compliance with their requirements, (C) there are
no pending or, to the Company's knowledge, threatened administrative, regulatory
or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of
noncompliance or violation, investigations or proceedings relating to any
Environmental Law against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and (D) there
are no events or circumstances (including costs and potential liabilities to
third parties) that might reasonably be expected to form the basis of an order
for clean-up or remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding by any private
party or governmental body or agency, against or affecting the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries relating to Hazardous Materials or any Environmental Laws.
2. Purchase of the Notes by the Underwriters. Subject to the terms and
conditions and upon the basis of the representations and warranties herein set
forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the Underwriters, and each of the
Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at
a price equal to 98.947% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued interest,
if any, from August 20, 2001, the principal amount of the Notes set forth
opposite such Underwriter's name in Schedule I hereto. The Underwriters propose
to offer the Notes to the public as set forth in the Prospectus.
3. Delivery of and Payment for Notes. Delivery of the Notes shall be made
at such place or places as mutually may be agreed upon by the Company and the
Underwriters, at 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on August 20, 2001 or on such
later date not more than three Business Days after the foregoing date as shall
be determined by you and the Company (the "Closing Date"). Delivery of the Notes
shall be made to you by or on behalf of the Company against payment of the
purchase price therefor by wire transfer of immediately available funds.
Delivery of the Notes shall be made through the facilities of The Depository
Trust Company unless you shall otherwise instruct. Time shall be of the essence,
and delivery of the Notes at the
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time and place specified in this Agreement is a further condition to the
obligations of each Underwriter.
4. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees with each
Underwriter that:
(a) If the Effective Date is on or before the date of this Agreement, the
Company shall comply with the provisions of and make all requisite filings with
the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) not later than the Commission's close of
business on the second Business Day following the execution and delivery of this
Agreement or, if applicable, such earlier time as may be required by Rule
430A(a)(3) of the Rules and Regulations. The Company shall advise you, promptly
after it receives notice thereof, of the time when, if the Effective Date is on
or before the date of this Agreement, any amendment to the Registration
Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any supplement to the
Prospectus or any amended Prospectus has been filed. The Company shall notify
you promptly of any request by the Commission for any amendment of or supplement
to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or for additional information;
the Company shall prepare and file with the Commission, promptly upon your
request, any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus which, in your opinion, may be necessary or advisable in connection
with the distribution of the Notes; and the Company shall not file any amendment
or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or file any
document under the Exchange Act before the termination of the offering of the
Notes by the Underwriters if such document would be deemed to be incorporated by
reference into the Prospectus, which filing is not consented to by you after
reasonable notice thereof, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or
delayed.
The Company shall advise you promptly of the issuance by the Commission or
any State or other regulatory body of any stop order or other order suspending
the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, suspending or preventing the
use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or suspending the
qualification of the Notes for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the
institution of any proceedings for any such purpose; and the Company shall use
its best efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or other such order
and, should a stop order or other such order be issued, to obtain as soon as
possible the lifting thereof.
(b) The Company shall furnish to each of you and to counsel for the
Underwriters such number of conformed copies of the Registration Statement, as
originally filed, and each amendment thereto (excluding exhibits other than this
Agreement), the Prospectus and all amendments and supplements to any of such
documents (including any document filed under the Exchange Act and deemed to be
incorporated by reference in the Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus), in each
case as soon as available and in such quantities as you may from time to time
reasonably request.
(c) Within the time during which the Prospectus relating to the Notes is
required to be delivered under the Securities Act, the Company shall comply with
all requirements imposed upon it by the Securities Act, as now and hereafter
amended, and by the Rules and Regulations, as from time to time in force, so far
as is necessary to permit the continuance of sales of or dealings in the Notes
as contemplated by the provisions hereof and by the Prospectus. If during such
period any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus as
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then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein,
in the light of the circumstances then existing, not misleading, or if during
such period it is necessary to amend the Registration Statement or supplement
the Prospectus or file any document to comply with the Securities Act, the
Company shall promptly notify you and shall, subject to Section 4(a) above,
amend the Registration Statement or supplement the Prospectus or file any
document (at the expense of the Company) so as to correct such statement or
omission or to effect such compliance.
(d) As soon as practicable, the Company shall make generally available to
its security holders (and shall deliver to you) an earnings statement satisfying
the requirements of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 of the
Rules and Regulations.
(e) Whether or not this Agreement becomes effective or is terminated or
the sale of the Notes to the Underwriters is consummated, the Company shall pay
or cause to be paid (A) all fees and expenses (including, without limitation,
all registration and filing fees and fees and expenses of the Company's
accountants but excluding fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriters)
incurred in connection with the preparation, printing, filing, delivery and
shipping of the Registration Statement (including the financial statements
therein and all amendments and exhibits thereto), each Preliminary Prospectus,
the Prospectus, the Indenture, the Statement of Eligibility and Qualification of
the Trustee on Form T-1 filed with the Commission (the "Form T-1") and any
amendments or supplements of the foregoing and any documents incorporated by
reference into any of the foregoing and the copying, delivery and shipping of
this Agreement and Blue Sky Memoranda, (B) all fees and expenses incurred in
connection with the preparation and delivery to the Underwriters of the Notes
(including the cost of printing the Notes), (C) all filing fees and fees and
disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters incurred in connection with the
qualification of the Notes under state securities or Blue Sky laws, (D) any fees
required to be paid to rating agencies incurred in connection with the rating of
the Notes, (E) the fees, costs and charges of the Trustee, including the fees
and disbursements of counsel for the Trustee, and (F) all other costs and
expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder for which
provision is not otherwise made in this Section.
Except as provided in this Section, Section 6 and Section 8 hereof, the
Underwriters shall pay all of their own costs and expenses, including the fees
of their counsel and any advertising expenses incurred in connection with any
offers they may make. If the sale of the Notes provided for herein is not
consummated by reason of acts of the Company or changes in circumstances of the
Company pursuant to Section 8 hereof which prevent this Agreement from becoming
effective, or by reason of any failure, refusal or inability on the part of the
Company to perform any agreement on its part to be performed or because any
other condition of the Underwriters' obligations hereunder is not fulfilled or
if the Underwriters shall decline to purchase the Notes for any reason permitted
under this Agreement (other than by reason of a default by any of the
Underwriters pursuant to Section 7 or if the Underwriters terminate this
Agreement under clause (iv), (v) or (vi) of Section 8(b) of this Agreement), the
Company shall reimburse the several Underwriters for all reasonable
out-of-pocket disbursements (including fees and disbursements of counsel)
incurred by the Underwriters in connection with any investigation or preparation
made by them in respect of the marketing of the Notes or in contemplation of the
performance by them of their obligations hereunder.
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(f) During the period of one year from the Closing Date, the Company shall
furnish to the Underwriters copies of all reports or other communications
furnished to stockholders, all reports or financial statements furnished to or
filed with the Commission and all reports and other communications furnished to
the Noteholders.
(g) Until termination of the offering of the Notes, the Company shall
timely file all documents and amendments to previously filed documents required
to be filed by it pursuant to Section 12, 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.
(h) The Company shall apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Notes as
set forth in the Prospectus.
(i) Until the 60 days following the Closing Date, the Company shall not,
without the prior written consent of ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Brothers Inc., directly or
indirectly, issue, sell, offer to sell, grant any option for the sale of or
otherwise dispose of, any debt securities in the same market as the Notes.
5. Conditions of Underwriters' Obligations. The obligations of the
Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy, as of the date hereof and
the Closing Date (as if made at the Closing Date), of the representations and
warranties of the Company contained herein, to the performance by the Company of
its obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions:
(a) The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission in a timely
fashion in accordance with Section 4(a) hereof, the Registration Statement and
all post-effective amendments to the Registration Statement shall have become
effective, all filings required by Rule 424 and Rule 430A of the Rules and
Regulations shall have been made, and no such filings shall have been made
without the consent of the Underwriters; no stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement
thereto or suspending the qualification of the Notes for offering or sale in any
jurisdiction shall have been issued; no proceedings for the issuance of any such
order shall have been initiated or threatened; and any request of the Commission
for additional information (to be included in the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus or otherwise) shall have been disclosed to you and complied with to
your satisfaction.
(b) No Underwriter shall have been advised by the Company or shall have
discovered and disclosed to the Company that the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto contains an untrue statement
of fact which in your opinion, or in the opinion of counsel to the Underwriters,
is material, or omits to state a fact which, in your opinion, or in the opinion
of counsel to the Underwriters, is material and is required to be stated therein
or is necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.
(c) On the Closing Date, you shall have received from O'Melveny & ▇▇▇▇▇
LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, such opinion or opinions with respect to the
validity of the Notes and other related matters as you may reasonably request,
and such counsel shall have received such documents and information as they
reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.
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(d) On the Closing Date there shall have been furnished to you the opinion
(addressed to the Underwriters) of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇, a
Professional Corporation, counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date and in
form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters, to the effect
that:
(i) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing and in
good standing as a corporation under the laws of the jurisdiction of its
incorporation, with full corporate power and authority to own, lease and
operate its properties and conduct its business as described in the
Prospectus. To the knowledge of such counsel, the Company is duly qualified
to do business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the
character of the business conducted by it or the location of the properties
owned, leased or operated by it makes such qualification necessary (except
where the failure to so qualify would not, individually or in the aggregate,
have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or other), results
of operations, business or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries
taken as a whole).
(ii) Neither the filing of the Registration Statement nor the offering or
sale of the Notes as contemplated by this Agreement gives rise to any rights
under any contracts, agreements or understandings known to such counsel,
other than those which have been waived or satisfied, for or relating to the
registration of any securities of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. The
Company has all requisite corporate power and authority to issue, sell and
deliver the Notes in accordance with and upon the terms and conditions set
forth in this Agreement and in the Registration Statement and Prospectus.
(iii) The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by
the Company and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable
against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as the
enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization, moratorium or similar laws relating to or affecting
creditors' rights generally and by general equitable principles (regardless
of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at
law); and the Indenture has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act
and the rules and regulations thereunder.
(iv) The Notes have been duly authorized and executed by the Company for
issuance and sale to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement and,
assuming due authentication of the Notes by the Trustee, upon delivery to the
Underwriters against payment therefor in accordance with the terms of this
Agreement, will have been validly issued and delivered, will be entitled to
the benefits of the Indenture and will constitute valid and binding
obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance
with their terms, except as enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy,
insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws or judicial
decisions relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and by general
equitable principles (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered
in a proceeding in equity or at law).
(v) Neither the execution or delivery of this Agreement nor consummation
of the transactions contemplated hereby will result in a breach or violation
of, or constitute a
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default under, the certificate of incorporation or by-laws of the Company,
nor will the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder violate
any California or federal law, rule, administrative regulation of a type
typically applicable to similar transactions or (to the knowledge of such
counsel) decree (except that such counsel need not express an opinion as to
federal or state securities or Blue Sky laws with respect to this
subparagraph) of any court or any governmental agency or body having
jurisdiction over the Company, its Subsidiaries or their respective
properties. Except for permits, consents, approvals and similar
authorizations required under the securities or Blue Sky laws of certain
jurisdictions and except for such permits, consents, approvals and
authorizations which have been obtained, no permit, consent, approval,
authorization or order of any court, governmental agency or body or financial
institution is required of the Company for the valid authorization, issuance,
sale and delivery of the Notes.
(vi) The Company has all necessary corporate power and authority to
execute and deliver this Agreement and perform its obligations hereunder.
This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the
Company.
(vii) The Registration Statement and all post-effective amendments thereto
have become effective under the Securities Act, and, to the knowledge of such
counsel, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been
instituted or are pending before or threatened by the Commission. To the
knowledge of such counsel, no order of the Commission directed to any
document incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement has been
issued, and no challenge by appropriate proceedings has been made to the
accuracy or adequacy of any document incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement.
(viii) The Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any further
amendments or supplements thereto made by the Company, as of their respective
effective or issue dates, complied as to form in all material respects with
the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Rules and
Regulations and the Trust Indenture Act and the rules and regulations
thereunder (except that no opinion need be expressed as to the financial
statements or notes thereto or other financial and statistical data contained
therein or omitted therefrom).
(ix) The Indenture and the Notes conform in all material respects as to
legal matters to the respective statements concerning them contained in the
Registration Statement and Prospectus. There are no legal proceedings
pending or threatened against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to
which such counsel has given substantive attention or in which such counsel
has been engaged to represent the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that
are required to be disclosed in the Prospectus and are not disclosed.
(x) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the
Prospectus as amended or supplemented.
(xi) The statements set forth in the Prospectus under the caption
"Description of
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the Notes," insofar as they purport to constitute a summary of the terms of
the Notes are correct in all material respects.
Such opinion shall also contain a statement that in connection with such
counsel's participation in the preparation of the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus, such counsel has not independently verified the accuracy,
completeness or fairness of the statements contained therein (except as
otherwise set forth in paragraph (xi) above), and the limitations inherent in
the examination made by such counsel and the knowledge available to such counsel
are such that such counsel is unable to assume, and does not assume, any
responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements
contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. However, on the
basis of such counsel's examination and participation in conferences with
certain officers of the Company, its independent public accountants and
representatives of the Underwriters in connection with the preparation of the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus, nothing has come to such counsel's
attention that would lead it to believe that (i) the Registration Statement, at
the Effective Time, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted
to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading, or (ii) the Prospectus, on August 13, 2001,
or on the date of such opinion, included or includes an untrue statement of a
material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to
make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading. However, such counsel need express no belief as to the
financial statements and supporting schedules or other financial data contained
or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus.
(e) On the Closing Date there shall have been furnished to you the opinion
(addressed to the Underwriters) of the General Counsel of the Company, dated the
Closing Date and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the
Underwriters, to the effect that:
(i) Each of the Company's Significant Subsidiaries has been duly
incorporated or formed as a corporation or partnership, as applicable, and is
validly existing as a corporation, a general partnership or a limited
partnership under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation or formation
(and each of the Significant Subsidiaries that is a corporation or a limited
partnership is in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of
incorporation or formation), with full corporate or partnership (as
applicable) power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and
conduct its business as described in the Prospectus.
(ii) To the knowledge of such counsel, except as disclosed in the
Prospectus, all of the outstanding shares of capital stock, partnership
interests (or such percentage of the partnership interest as is set forth in
the respective partnership agreements) or other ownership interests of each
Significant Subsidiary are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free
and clear of any perfected security interest.
(iii) Neither the execution or delivery of this Agreement nor consummation
of the transactions contemplated hereby will result in a breach or violation
of, or constitute a default under, the certificate of incorporation, by-laws,
partnership agreement or other governing documents of the Significant
Subsidiaries or any agreement, indenture or other instrument filed as an
exhibit to the Registration Statement or any document incorporated by
reference therein.
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(iv) Each document incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement
as filed under the Exchange Act complied when so filed as to form in all
material respects with the applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and
the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (except that no
opinion need be expressed as to the financial statements or notes thereto and
other financial and statistical data contained therein).
(v) The descriptions in the Registration Statement and Prospectus of
statutes, regulations, legal or governmental proceedings, to the extent they
constitute matters of law and summaries of legal matters are accurate in all
material respects. To the knowledge of such counsel, there are no contracts
or documents required to be described in the Registration Statement or
Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits thereto which are not described or
filed as required.
(f) There shall have been furnished to you a certificate, dated the
Closing Date and addressed to you, signed by the Chairman of the Board or the
President or any Senior Vice President and by the Chief Financial Officer of the
Company to the effect that: (i) the representations and warranties of the
Company contained in this Agreement are true and correct, as if made at and as
of the Closing Date, and the Company has complied with all the agreements and
satisfied all the conditions on its part to be complied with or satisfied at or
prior to the Closing Date; (ii) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of
the Registration Statement has been issued, and no proceeding for that purpose
has been initiated or, to the best of their knowledge, threatened; (iii) all
filings required by Rule 424(b) and Rule 430A of the Rules and Regulations have
been made; (iv) the signers of said certificate have carefully examined the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus, and any amendments or supplements
thereto (including any documents filed under the Exchange Act and deemed to be
incorporated by reference into the Prospectus), and do not include any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; (v)
since the Effective Date there has occurred no event required to be set forth in
an amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which
has not been so set forth and there has been no document required to be filed
under the Exchange Act and the Rules and Regulations that upon such filing would
be deemed to be incorporated by reference into the Prospectus that has not been
so filed and (vi) no event contemplated by subsection (g) of this Section 5 has
occurred.
(g) Since the dates as of which information is given in the Registration
Statement (exclusive of any amendment thereto) and in the Prospectus (exclusive
of any supplement thereto filed subsequent to the date hereof), neither the
Company nor any of its Subsidiaries shall have sustained any loss by fire,
flood, accident or other calamity, or shall have become a party to or the
subject of any litigation, which is materially adverse to the Company and its
Subsidiaries taken as a whole, nor shall there have been a material adverse
change in the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations,
business or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole,
regardless of whether arising in the ordinary course of business, which loss,
litigation or change, in your judgement, shall render it impractical or
inadvisable to proceed with the payment for and delivery of the Notes.
(h) On the date hereof and the Closing Date you shall have received
letters from KPMG LLP, dated respectively the date hereof and the Closing Date
and addressed to you,
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confirming that they are independent certified public accountants within the
meaning of the Securities Act and the applicable published Rules and
Regulations, and stating, as of the date of such letter (or, with respect to
matters involving changes or developments since the respective dates as of which
specified financial information is given or incorporated in the Prospectus as of
a date not more than five days prior to the date of such letter, provided that
such date shall be after the date of the Prospectus), the conclusions and
findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other
matters covered by its letter delivered to you concurrently with the execution
of this Agreement, and, with respect to the letter delivered on the Closing
Date, confirming the conclusions and findings set forth in such prior letter.
(i) You shall have been furnished by the Company such additional documents
and certificates as you or counsel for the Underwriters may reasonably request.
(j) At the time of the Closing, the Company's senior debt shall have a
rating of at least Baa3 by ▇▇▇▇▇'▇ Investors Services, Inc. and BBB- by Standard
& Poor's Rating Services. Since the date hereof, there shall not have occurred
any downgrading with respect to any debt securities of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries by any "nationally recognized statistical rating organization" as
that term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the
Securities Act or any public announcement that any such organization has under
surveillance or review its rating of any such debt securities (other than an
announcement with positive implications of a possible upgrading, and no
implication of a possible downgrading of such rating).
All such opinions, certificates, letters and documents shall be in
compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are satisfactory in form and
substance to you and to counsel for the Underwriters. The Company shall furnish
to you conformed copies of such opinions, certificates, letters and other
documents in such number as you shall reasonably request. If any of the
conditions specified in this Section 5 shall not have been fulfilled when and as
required by this Agreement, this Agreement and all obligations of the
Underwriters hereunder may be canceled at, or at any time prior to, the Closing
Date, by you. Any such cancellation shall be without liability of the
Underwriters to the Company. Notice of such cancellation shall be given to the
Company in writing, or by telegraph or telephone and confirmed in writing.
6. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) The Company shall indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter from
and against any loss, claim, damage or liability (or any action in respect
thereof), joint or several, to which such Underwriter may become subject, under
the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such loss, claim, damage or
liability (or action in respect thereof) arises out of or is based upon (i) any
untrue statement or alleged untrue statement made by the Company in Section 1
hereof, (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact
contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the
Prospectus or the Registration Statement or Prospectus as amended or
supplemented, or (iii) the omission or alleged omission to state in the
Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or the
Registration Statement or Prospectus as amended or supplemented a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading; and shall reimburse each Underwriter promptly after receipt of
invoices from such Underwriter for any legal or other
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expenses as reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with
investigating, preparing to defend or defending against or appearing as a
third-party witness in connection with any such loss, claim, damage, liability
or action, notwithstanding the possibility that payments for such expenses might
later be held to be improper, in which case such payments shall be promptly
refunded; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable under this
paragraph 6(a) in any such case to the extent, but only to the extent, that any
such loss, claim, damage, liability or action arises out of or is based upon an
untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission
made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to
the Company by the Underwriters expressly for use in the preparation of the
Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or the
Registration Statement or Prospectus as amended or supplemented.
(b) Each Underwriter severally, but not jointly, shall indemnify and hold
harmless the Company against any loss, claim, damage or liability (or any action
in respect thereof) to which the Company may become subject, under the
Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such loss, claim, damage or liability
(or action in respect thereof) arises out of or is based upon (i) any untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the
Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or the
Registration Statement or Prospectus as amended or supplemented, or (ii) the
omission or alleged omission to state in the Registration Statement, any
Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or the Registration Statement or
Prospectus as amended or supplemented a material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading and shall
reimburse the Company promptly after receipt of invoices from the Company for
any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection
with investigating, preparing to defend or defending against or appearing as a
third-party witness in connection with any such loss, claim, damage, liability
or action notwithstanding the possibility that payments for such expenses might
later be held to be improper, in which case such payments shall be promptly
refunded; provided, however, that such indemnification or reimbursement shall be
available in each such case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such
untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was
made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to
the Company by such Underwriter expressly for use therein.
(c) Promptly after receipt by any indemnified party under subsection (a)
or (b) above of notice of any claim or the commencement of any action, the
indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the
indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in
writing of the claim or the commencement of that action; provided, however, that
the failure to so notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any
liability which it may have under this Section 6 except to the extent it has
been prejudiced in any material respect by such failure or from any liability
which it may have to an indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 6.
If any such claim or action shall be brought against any indemnified party, and
it shall notify the indemnifying party thereof, the indemnifying party shall be
entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it wishes, jointly with
any other similarly notified indemnifying party, to assume the defense thereof
with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party.
After notice from the indemnifying party to the indemnified party of its
election to assume the defense of such claim or action, the indemnifying party
shall not be liable to the
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indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above for any legal or other
expenses subsequently incurred by the indemnified party in connection with the
defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation; except that the
Underwriters shall have the right to employ counsel to represent the
Underwriters who may be subject to liability arising out of any claim in respect
of which indemnity may be sought by the Underwriters against the Company under
such subsection if (i) the employment thereof has been specifically authorized
by the Company in writing, (ii) the Underwriters shall have been advised by
counsel that there may be one or more legal defenses available to the
Underwriters which are different from or additional to those available to the
Company, and in the reasonable judgment of such counsel it is advisable for the
Underwriters to employ separate counsel or (iii) the Company has failed to
assume the defense of such action and employ counsel reasonably satisfactory to
the Underwriters, in which event the fees and expenses of such separate counsel
shall be paid by the Company.
No indemnifying party shall (i) without the prior written consent of the
indemnified parties (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld), settle
or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any
pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in respect of which
indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the
indemnified parties are actual or potential parties to such claim or action)
unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release
of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such claim, action,
suit or proceeding, or (ii) be liable for any settlement of any such action
effected without its written consent (which consent shall not be unreasonably
withheld), but if settled with the consent of the indemnifying party or if there
be a final judgment of the plaintiff in any such action, the indemnifying party
agrees to indemnify and hold harmless any indemnified party from and against any
loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment.
(d) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 6 is unavailable
or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a) or
(b) above, then each indemnifying party shall, in lieu of indemnifying such
indemnified party, contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified
party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to in
subsection (a) or (b) above (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect
the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the
Underwriters on the other hand from the offering of the Notes or (ii) if the
allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in
such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits
referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on
the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the
statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or
liabilities, or actions in respect thereof, as well as any other relevant
equitable considerations.
The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the
Underwriters on the other hand shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as
the total net proceeds from the offering of the Notes (before deducting
expenses) received by the Company bear to the total underwriting discounts and
commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table
on the cover page of the Prospectus. Relative fault shall be determined by
reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement
of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact
relates to information supplied by the Company or the Underwriters and the
parties' relative intent,
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knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such
untrue statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it
would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this subsection (d)
were to be determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were
treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation
that does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to in the
first sentence of this subsection (d).
The amount paid by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims,
damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to in the first
sentence of this subsection (d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other
expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with
investigating, preparing to defend or defending against any action or claim
which is the subject of this subsection (d). Notwithstanding the provisions of
this subsection (d), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount
in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Notes underwritten
by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the
amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay
by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged
omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning
of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from
any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The
Underwriters' obligations in this subsection (d) to contribute are several in
proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint. Each
party entitled to contribution agrees that upon the service of a summons or
other initial legal process upon it in any action instituted against it in
respect to which contribution may be sought, it shall promptly give written
notice of such service to the party or parties from whom contribution may be
sought, but the omission so to notify such party or parties of any such service
shall not relieve the party from whom contribution may be sought for any
obligation it may have hereunder or otherwise (except as specifically provided
in subsection (c) above).
(e) The obligations of the Company under this Section 6 shall be in
addition to any liability that the Company may otherwise have, and shall extend,
upon the same terms and conditions set forth in this Section 6, to the
respective officers and directors of the Underwriters and each person, if any,
who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act; and the
obligations of the Underwriters under this Section 6 shall be in addition to any
liability that the respective Underwriters may otherwise have, and shall extend,
upon the same terms and conditions, to each director of the Company (including
any person who, with his or her consent, is named in the Registration Statement
as about to become a director of the Company), to each officer of the Company
who has signed the Registration Statement and to each person, if any, who
controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act.
7. Substitution of Underwriters. If any Underwriter defaults in its
obligation to purchase the principal amount of the Notes which it has agreed to
purchase under this Agreement, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be
obligated to purchase (in the respective proportions which the principal amount
of the Notes set forth opposite the name of each non-defaulting Underwriter in
Schedule I hereto bears to the total principal amount of the Notes less the
principal amount of the Notes the defaulting Underwriter agreed to purchase set
forth in Schedule I hereto) the principal amount of the Notes which the
defaulting Underwriter agreed but failed to purchase; except that the
non-defaulting Underwriters shall not be obligated to purchase any of the Notes
if the total principal amount of the Notes which the defaulting Underwriter or
Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase exceeds 9.09% of the total principal
amount of the Notes, and no non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated to
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purchase more than 110% of the principal amount of the Notes set forth opposite
its name in Schedule I hereto. If the foregoing maximums are exceeded, the
non-defaulting Underwriters, and any other underwriters satisfactory to you who
so agree, shall have the right, but shall not be obligated, to purchase (in such
proportions as may be agreed upon among them) all of the Notes. If the
non-defaulting Underwriters or the other underwriters satisfactory to the
Underwriters do not elect to purchase the Notes that the defaulting Underwriter
or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase within 36 hours after such
default, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any
non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except for the indemnity and
contribution agreements of the Company and the Underwriters contained in Section
6 hereof.
Nothing contained herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter of any
liability it may have for damages caused by its default. If the non-defaulting
Underwriters or the other underwriters satisfactory to you are obligated or
agree to purchase the Notes of a defaulting Underwriter, either you or the
Company may postpone the Closing Date for up to seven full Business Days in
order to effect any changes that may be necessary in the Registration Statement
or the Prospectus or in any other document or agreement, and to file promptly
any amendments or any supplements to the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus which in your opinion may thereby be made necessary. As used in this
Agreement, the term "Underwriter" includes any person substituted for an
Underwriter pursuant to this Section 7.
8. Effective Date and Termination.
(a) This Agreement shall become effective (i) if the Effective Date is on
or before the date of this Agreement, at 11:00 A.M., New York City time, on the
next Business Day following the date hereof, (ii) if the Effective Date is after
the date of this Agreement, at 11:00 A.M., New York City time, on the first full
Business Day following the Effective Date or (iii) at such earlier time after
the Registration Statement becomes effective as you shall first release the
Notes for sale to the public. You shall notify the Company immediately after you
have taken any action which causes this Agreement to become effective. Until
this Agreement is effective, it may be terminated by the Company by giving
notice as hereinafter provided to you, or by you by giving notice as hereinafter
provided to the Company except that the provisions of Section 4(e) and Section 6
hereof shall at all times be effective. For purposes of this Agreement, the
release of the initial public offering of the Notes for sale to the public shall
be deemed to have been made when you release, by telegram or otherwise, firm
offers of the Notes to securities dealers or release for publication a newspaper
advertisement relating to the Notes, whichever occurs first.
(b) Until the Closing Date, this Agreement may be terminated by you by
giving notice as hereinafter provided to the Company if (i) the Company shall
have failed, refused or been unable, at or prior to the Closing Date, to perform
any agreement on its part to be performed hereunder, (ii) any other condition of
the Underwriters' obligation hereunder is not fulfilled, (iii) trading in the
Common Stock of the Company shall have been suspended by the Commission or the
NYSE, (iv) trading in securities generally on the NYSE shall have been suspended
or minimum prices shall have been established on such exchange by the Commission
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or such exchange or other regulatory body or governmental authority having
jurisdiction which, in the judgment of ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Brothers Inc., make it inadvisable
or impractical to proceed with the offering or delivery of the Notes, or a
banking moratorium is declared by either federal or New York state authorities,
(v) the United States becomes engaged in hostilities or there is an escalation
of hostilities involving the United States or there is a declaration of a
national emergency or war by the United States which, in the judgment of ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Brothers Inc., make it inadvisable or impracticable to proceed with the offering
or delivery of the Notes or (vi) there shall have been such a material adverse
change in general economic, political or financial conditions, or the effect of
international conditions on the financial markets in the United States shall be
such, as to, in the judgment of ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Brothers Inc., make it inadvisable or
impracticable to proceed with the offering or delivery of the Notes. Any
termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 8 shall be without
liability on the part of the Company or any Underwriter, except as otherwise
provided in Sections 4(e) and 6 hereof.
Any notice referred to above may be given at the address specified in
Section 10 hereof in writing or by telegraph or telephone, and if by telegraph
or telephone, shall be immediately confirmed in writing.
9. Survival of Certain Provisions. The agreements contained in Section 6
hereof and the representations, warranties and agreements of the Company
contained in Sections 1 and 4 hereof shall survive the delivery of the Notes to
the Underwriters hereunder and shall remain in full force and effect, regardless
of any termination or cancellation of this Agreement or any investigation made
by or on behalf of any indemnified party.
10. Notices. Except as otherwise provided in the Agreement, (a) whenever
notice is required by the provisions of this Agreement to be given to the
Company, such notice shall be in writing or by telegraph addressed to the
Company at ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇,
Attention: General Counsel; (b) whenever notice is required by the provisions of
this Agreement to be given to the several Underwriters, such notice shall be in
writing or by telegraph addressed to you in care of ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Brothers Inc., Three
World Financial Center, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, Attention:
Debt Capital Markets, Financial Institutions Group, with a copy to the General
Counsel.
11. Information Furnished by Underwriters. The Underwriters severally
confirm that the information appearing in the list of names of, and principal
amount of Notes to be purchased by, each of the Underwriters, under the caption
"Underwriting" in any Preliminary Prospectus and in the Prospectus, the
concession and reallowance figures appearing in the second paragraph under such
caption, the second sentence of the third paragraph under such caption, the
statements concerning stabilization activities appearing in the fourth, fifth,
and sixth paragraphs under such caption, and the statements concerning internet
distribution in the penultimate paragraph under such caption, constitute the
only written information furnished by or on behalf of any Underwriter referred
to in paragraph (b) of Section 1 hereof and in paragraphs (a) and (b) of Section
6 hereof.
12. Parties. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding
upon the several Underwriters, the Company and their respective successors. This
Agreement and the terms and provisions hereof are for the sole benefit of only
those persons, except that (a) the
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representations, warranties, indemnities and agreements of the Company contained
in this Agreement shall also be deemed to be for the benefit of the person or
persons, if any, who control any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of
the Securities Act and (b) the indemnity agreement of the Underwriters contained
in Section 6 hereof shall be deemed to be for the benefit of directors of the
Company, officers of the Company who signed the Registration Statement and any
person controlling the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the
Securities Act. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to give any person,
other than the persons referred to in this paragraph, any legal or equitable
right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision
contained herein.
13. Definition of "Business Day" and "Subsidiary." For purposes of this
Agreement, (a) "Business Day" means any day on which the New York Stock
Exchange, Inc. is open for trading, other than any day on which commercial banks
are authorized or required to be closed in New York City, and (b) "Subsidiary"
has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 of the Rules and Regulations and includes
both partnerships and corporations.
14. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of the State of New York without regard to the
conflicts of laws provisions thereof.
15. Headings. The headings herein are inserted for convenience of
reference only and are not intended to be part of, or to affect the meaning or
interpretation of, this Agreement.
16. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in one or more
counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original and all of which
together shall constitute one and the same agreement.
[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]
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Please confirm, by signing and returning to us two counterparts of this
Agreement, that you are acting on behalf of yourselves and the several
Underwriters and that the foregoing correctly sets forth the Agreement between
the Company and the several Underwriters.
Very truly yours,
FIDELITY NATIONAL FINANCIAL, INC.
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
----------------------------------
Title: Executive Vice President
---------------------------------
Confirmed and accepted as of
the date first above mentioned
▇▇▇▇▇▇ BROTHERS INC.
BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC
BEAR ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & CO. INC.
By: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ BROTHERS INC.
AS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNDERWRITERS
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
----------------------------------
Title: Senior Vice President
---------------------------------
S-1
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SCHEDULE I
Underwriting Agreement dated August 13, 2001
Underwriter Principal Amount of
----------- Notes to be Purchased
---------------------
▇▇▇▇▇▇ BROTHERS INC. $150,000,000
BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC 50,000,000
BEAR ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & CO. INC. 50,000,000
------------
TOTAL $250,000,000
============
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EXHIBIT A
Underwriting Agreement dated August 13, 2001
As used in the Underwriting Agreement, the "Significant Subsidiaries" of the
Company are as follows:
1. Fidelity National Title Insurance Co.
2. Fidelity National Title Insurance Co. of New York
3. Chicago Title and Trust Company
4. Ticor Title Insurance Company
5. Chicago Title Insurance Company of Oregon
6. Security Union Title Insurance Company
7. Alamo Title Insurance