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Published CUSIP Number: 89462XAA3
CREDIT AGREEMENT
Dated as of June 27, 2005
among
TREEHOUSE FOODS, INC.
as the Borrower,
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.,
as Administrative Agent, Swing Line Lender
and
L/C Issuer,
and
The Other Lenders Party Hereto
BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC
and
▇.▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ SECURITIES INC.
as
Joint Lead Arrangers and Joint Book Managers
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
as
Syndication Agent
THE BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA,
COOPERATIEVE CENTRALE RAIFFEISEN-BOERENLEENBANK B.A.,
"RABOBANK NEDERLAND", NEW YORK BRANCH,
SUNTRUST BANK,
and
WACHOVIA BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
as
Co-Documentation Agents
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section Page
------- ----
ARTICLE I.
DEFINITIONS AND ACCOUNTING TERMS
1.01 Defined Terms...................................................... 1
1.02 Other Interpretive Provisions...................................... 23
1.03 Accounting Terms................................................... 23
1.04 Rounding........................................................... 24
1.05 Times of Day....................................................... 24
1.06 Letter of Credit Amounts........................................... 24
1.07 Accounting for Acquisitions and Dispositions....................... 24
ARTICLE II.
THE COMMITMENTS AND CREDIT EXTENSIONS
2.01 Committed Loans.................................................... 25
2.02 Borrowings, Conversions and Continuations of Committed Loans....... 25
2.03 Letters of Credit.................................................. 27
2.04 Swing Line Loans................................................... 35
2.05 Prepayments........................................................ 38
2.06 Termination or Reduction of Commitments............................ 39
2.07 Repayment of Loans................................................. 39
2.08 Interest........................................................... 40
2.09 Fees............................................................... 40
2.10 Computation of Interest and Fees................................... 41
2.11 Evidence of Debt................................................... 41
2.12 Payments Generally; Administrative Agent's Clawback................ 42
2.13 Sharing of Payments by Lenders..................................... 44
2.14 Increase in Commitments............................................ 44
ARTICLE III.
TAXES, YIELD PROTECTION AND ILLEGALITY
3.01 Taxes.............................................................. 46
3.02 Illegality......................................................... 48
3.03 Inability to Determine Rates....................................... 48
3.04 Increased Costs; Reserves on Eurodollar Rate Loans................. 49
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3.05 Compensation for Losses............................................ 50
3.06 Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders..................... 51
3.07 Survival........................................................... 51
ARTICLE IV.
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO CLOSING DATE AND CREDIT EXTENSIONS
4.01 Conditions of Closing Date......................................... 51
4.02 Conditions of and Initial Extension of Credit...................... 54
4.03 Conditions to all Credit Extensions................................ 54
ARTICLE V.
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
5.01 Existence, Qualification and Power; Compliance with Laws........... 55
5.02 Authorization; No Contravention.................................... 55
5.03 Governmental Authorization; Other Consents......................... 56
5.04 Binding Effect..................................................... 56
5.05 Financial Statements; No Material Adverse Effect................... 56
5.06 Litigation......................................................... 56
5.07 No Default......................................................... 57
5.08 Ownership of Property; Liens....................................... 57
5.09 Environmental Compliance........................................... 57
5.10 Insurance.......................................................... 57
5.11 Taxes.............................................................. 57
5.12 ERISA Compliance................................................... 57
5.13 Subsidiaries; Equity Interests..................................... 58
5.14 Margin Regulations; Investment Company Act; Public Utility Holding
Company Act........................................................ 58
5.15 Disclosure......................................................... 58
5.16 Compliance with Laws............................................... 59
ARTICLE VI.
AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS
6.01 Financial Statements............................................... 59
6.02 Certificates; Other Information.................................... 60
6.03 Notices............................................................ 62
6.04 Payment of Taxes................................................... 62
6.05 Preservation of Existence, Etc..................................... 62
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6.06 Maintenance of Properties.......................................... 62
6.07 Maintenance of Insurance........................................... 63
6.08 Compliance with Laws............................................... 63
6.09 Books and Records.................................................. 63
6.10 Inspection Rights.................................................. 63
6.11 Use of Proceeds.................................................... 63
6.12 Remediation of Internal Control Event.............................. 63
6.13 Additional Guarantors.............................................. 63
ARTICLE VII.
NEGATIVE COVENANTS
7.01 Liens.............................................................. 64
7.02 Investments........................................................ 66
7.03 Subsidiary Indebtedness............................................ 66
7.04 Fundamental Changes................................................ 67
7.05 Dispositions....................................................... 68
7.06 Restricted Payments................................................ 68
7.07 Acquisitions....................................................... 69
7.08 Change in Nature of Business....................................... 69
7.09 Transactions with Affiliates....................................... 69
7.10 Burdensome Agreements.............................................. 69
7.11 Use of Proceeds.................................................... 70
7.12 Financial Covenants................................................ 70
ARTICLE VIII.
EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES
8.01 Events of Default.................................................. 70
8.02 Remedies Upon Event of Default..................................... 72
8.03 Application of Funds............................................... 73
ARTICLE IX.
ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
9.01 Appointment and Authority.......................................... 74
9.02 Rights as a Lender................................................. 74
9.03 Exculpatory Provisions............................................. 74
9.04 Reliance by Administrative Agent................................... 75
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9.05 Delegation of Duties............................................... 75
9.06 Resignation of Administrative Agent................................ 75
9.07 Non-Reliance on Administrative Agent and Other Lenders............. 76
9.08 No Other Duties, Etc............................................... 77
9.09 Administrative Agent May File Proofs of Claim...................... 77
9.10 Guaranty Matters................................................... 77
ARTICLE X.
MISCELLANEOUS
10.01 Amendments, Etc.................................................... 78
10.02 Notices; Effectiveness; Electronic Communication................... 79
10.03 No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies..................................... 81
10.04 Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver................................. 81
10.05 Payments Set Aside................................................. 83
10.06 Successors and Assigns............................................. 83
10.07 Treatment of Certain Information; Confidentiality.................. 87
10.08 Right of Setoff.................................................... 88
10.09 Interest Rate Limitation........................................... 88
10.10 Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness........................... 89
10.11 Survival of Representations and Warranties......................... 89
10.12 Severability....................................................... 89
10.13 Replacement of Lenders............................................. 89
10.14 Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Etc................................... 90
10.15 Waiver of Jury Trial............................................... 91
10.16 USA PATRIOT Act Notice............................................. 91
SIGNATURES............................................................... S-1
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SCHEDULES
2.01 Commitments and Applicable Percentages
5.13 Subsidiaries; Other Equity Investments
7.01 Existing Liens
7.03 Existing Indebtedness
10.02 Administrative Agent's Office; Certain Addresses for Notices
EXHIBITS
FORM OF
A Committed Loan Notice
B Swing Line Loan Notice
C Note
D Compliance Certificate
E Assignment and Assumption
F Guaranty
G Opinion Matters
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CREDIT AGREEMENT
This CREDIT AGREEMENT ("Agreement") is entered into as of June 27, 2005,
among TREEHOUSE FOODS, INC., a Delaware corporation (the "Borrower"), each
lender from time to time party hereto (collectively, the "Lenders" and
individually, a "Lender"), and BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., as Administrative Agent,
Swing Line Lender and L/C Issuer.
The Borrower has requested that the Lenders provide a revolving credit
facility, with swing line and letter of credit subfacilities, and the Lenders
are willing to do so on the terms and conditions set forth herein.
In consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements herein contained,
the parties hereto covenant and agree as follows:
ARTICLE I.
DEFINITIONS AND ACCOUNTING TERMS
1.01 DEFINED TERMS. As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall
have the meanings set forth below:
"Acquired Indebtedness" means Indebtedness of any Person (a) that is
existing at the time such Person is acquired by, or merged or consolidated with
or into, the Borrower or a Subsidiary of the Borrower, and (b) that is not
created in contemplation of such event.
"Acquisition" means the acquisition of (a) a controlling equity or other
ownership interest in another Person or (b) assets of another Person which
constitute all or substantially all of the assets of such Person or of a line or
lines of business conducted by such Person.
"Administrative Agent" means Bank of America in its capacity as
administrative agent under any of the Loan Documents, or any successor
administrative agent.
"Administrative Agent's Office" means the Administrative Agent's address
and, as appropriate, account as set forth on Schedule 10.02, or such other
address or account as the Administrative Agent may from time to time notify to
the Borrower and the Lenders.
"Administrative Questionnaire" means an Administrative Questionnaire in a
form supplied by the Administrative Agent.
"Affiliate" means, with respect to any Person, another Person that
directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, Controls or is
Controlled by or is under common Control with the Person specified.
"Aggregate Commitments" means the Commitments of all the Lenders.
"Agreement" means this Credit Agreement.
"Applicable Percentage" means with respect to any Lender at any time, the
percentage (carried out to the ninth decimal place) of the Aggregate Commitments
represented by such
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Lender's Commitment at such time. If the commitment of each Lender to make Loans
and the obligation of the L/C Issuer to make L/C Credit Extensions have been
terminated pursuant to Section 8.02 or if the Aggregate Commitments have
expired, then the Applicable Percentage of each Lender shall be determined based
on the Applicable Percentage of such Lender most recently in effect, giving
effect to any subsequent assignments. The initial Applicable Percentage of each
Lender is set forth opposite the name of such Lender on Schedule 2.01 or in the
Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender becomes a party hereto,
as applicable.
"Applicable Rate" means the following percentages per annum, based upon the
Consolidated Leverage Ratio as set forth in the most recent Compliance
Certificate received by the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 6.02(a):
APPLICABLE RATE
Eurodollar
Rate +
Pricing Consolidated Facility Letter of
Level Leverage Ratio Fee Credit Fee
------- --------------------------------------------------- -------- ----------
1 Less than or equal to 1.00 to 1.00 0.125% 0.500%
2 Less than or equal to 2.00 to 1.00 but greater than 0.150% 0.600%
1.00 to 1.00
3 Less than or equal to 3.00 to 1.00 but greater than 0.175% 0.700%
2.00 to 1.00
4 Greater than 3.00 to 1.00 0.200% 0.800%
Any increase or decrease in the Applicable Rate resulting from a change in
the Consolidated Leverage Ratio shall become effective as of the first Business
Day immediately following the date a Compliance Certificate is delivered
pursuant to Section 6.02(a); provided, however, that if a Compliance Certificate
is not delivered when due in accordance with such Section, then Pricing Level 4
shall apply from the first Business Day after the date on which such Compliance
Certificate was required to have been delivered until the date that is the first
Business Day immediately after the date such Compliance Certificate is
delivered. The Applicable Rate in effect from the Closing Date until the first
Business Day immediately following the date a Compliance Certificate is
delivered pursuant to Section 6.02(a) shall be determined based upon the
Consolidated Leverage Ratio as calculated in the certificate delivered pursuant
to Section 4.02(a)(vi).
"Approved Fund" means any Fund that is administered or managed by (a) a
Lender, (b) an Affiliate of a Lender or (c) an entity or an Affiliate of an
entity that administers or manages a Lender.
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"Arrangers" means, collectively, BAS and JPMSI, in their capacities as
joint lead arrangers.
"Assignee Group" means two or more Eligible Assignees that are Affiliates
of one another or two or more Approved Funds managed by the same investment
advisor.
"Assignment and Assumption" means an assignment and assumption entered into
by a Lender and an Eligible Assignee (with the consent of any party whose
consent is required by Section 10.06(b), and accepted by the Administrative
Agent, in substantially the form of Exhibit E or any other form approved by the
Administrative Agent.
"Attributable Indebtedness" means, on any date and without duplication, (a)
in respect of any capital lease of any Person, the capitalized amount thereof
that would appear on a balance sheet of such Person prepared as of such date in
accordance with GAAP, (b) in respect of any Synthetic Lease Obligation, the
capitalized amount of the remaining lease payments under the relevant lease that
would appear on a balance sheet of such Person prepared as of such date in
accordance with GAAP if such lease were accounted for as a capital lease, and
(c) in the case of any other "Off-Balance Sheet Liabilities," the capitalized
amount of such obligation that would appear on a balance sheet of such Person
prepared on such date in accordance with GAAP if such transaction were accounted
for as a secured loan (including, in respect of any asset securitization
transaction of any Person, the actual amount of any unrecovered investment of
purchasers or transferees of assets so transferred).
"Audited Financial Statements" means the audited combined consolidated
balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2004, and the related consolidated statements of income or
operations, shareholders' equity and cash flows for such fiscal year of the
Borrower and its Subsidiaries, including the notes thereto.
"Available Liquidity" means the sum of (a) the Unencumbered Cash and Cash
Equivalents of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, plus (b) to the extent the
Borrower has the present ability to satisfy all conditions precedent set forth
in Section 4.03, the positive remainder (if any) of (i) the Aggregate
Commitments minus (ii) the Total Outstandings.
"Availability Period" means the period from and including the Closing Date
to the earliest of (a) the Maturity Date, (b) the date of termination of the
Aggregate Commitments pursuant to Section 2.06, and (c) the date of termination
of the commitment of each Lender to make Loans and of the obligation of the L/C
Issuer to make L/C Credit Extensions pursuant to Section 8.02.
"Bank of America" means Bank of America, N.A. and its successors.
"BAS" means Banc of America Securities LLC and its successors.
"Base Rate" means for any day a fluctuating rate per annum equal to the
higher of (a) the Federal Funds Rate plus 1/2 of 1% and (b) the rate of interest
in effect for such day as publicly announced from time to time by Bank of
America as its "prime rate." The "prime rate" is a rate set by Bank of America
based upon various factors including Bank of America's costs and desired return,
general economic conditions and other factors, and is used as a reference point
for
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pricing some loans, which may be priced at, above, or below such announced rate.
Any change in such rate announced by Bank of America shall take effect at the
opening of business on the day specified in the public announcement of such
change.
"Base Rate Committed Loan" means a Committed Loan that is a Base Rate Loan.
"Base Rate Loan" means a Loan that bears interest based on the Base Rate.
"Borrower" has the meaning specified in the introductory paragraph hereto.
"Borrower Materials" has the meaning specified in Section 6.02.
"Borrowing" means a Committed Borrowing or a Swing Line Borrowing, as the
context may require.
"Business" means, collectively, the property, assets, liabilities and
businesses of ▇▇▇▇'▇ Specialty Foods Group and the Mocha Mix(R), Second
Nature(R) and foodservice salad dressings businesses currently conducted by
other segments within ▇▇▇▇.
"Business Day" means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on
which commercial banks are authorized to close under the Laws of, or are in fact
closed in, the state where the Administrative Agent's Office is located and, if
such day relates to any Eurodollar Rate Loan, means any such day on which
dealings in Dollar deposits are conducted by and between banks in the London
interbank eurodollar market.
"Cash Collateralize" has the meaning specified in Section 2.03(g).
"Change in Law" means the occurrence, after the date of this Agreement, of
any of the following: (a) the adoption or taking effect of any law, rule,
regulation or treaty, (b) any change in any law, rule, regulation or treaty or
in the administration, interpretation or application thereof by any Governmental
Authority or (c) the making or issuance of any request, guideline or directive
(whether or not having the force of law) by any Governmental Authority.
"Change of Control" means an event or series of events by which:
(a) any "person" or "group" (as such terms are used in Sections 13(d)
and 14(d) of the Exchange Act, but excluding any employee benefit plan of
such person or its subsidiaries, and any person or entity acting in its
capacity as trustee, agent or other fiduciary or administrator of any such
plan) becomes the "beneficial owner" (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5
under the Exchange Act, directly or indirectly, of 35% or more of the
equity securities of the Borrower entitled to vote for members of the board
of directors or equivalent governing body of the Borrower on a
fully-diluted basis; or
(b) during any period of 12 consecutive months, a majority of the
members of the board of directors or other equivalent governing body of the
Borrower cease to be composed of individuals (i) who were members of that
board or equivalent governing body on the first day of such period, (ii)
whose election or nomination to that board or equivalent governing body was
approved by individuals referred to in clause (i) above
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constituting at the time of such election or nomination at least a majority
of that board or equivalent governing body or (iii) whose election or
nomination to that board or other equivalent governing body was approved by
individuals referred to in clauses (i) and (ii) above constituting at the
time of such election or nomination at least a majority of that board or
equivalent governing body.
"Closing Date" means the first date all the conditions precedent in Section
4.01 are satisfied or waived in accordance with Section 10.01.
"Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
"Commitment" means, as to each Lender, its obligation to (a) make Committed
Loans to the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.01, (b) purchase participations in
L/C Obligations, and (c) purchase participations in Swing Line Loans, in an
aggregate principal amount at any one time outstanding not to exceed the amount
set forth opposite such Lender's name on Schedule 2.01 or in the Assignment and
Assumption pursuant to which such Lender becomes a party hereto, as applicable,
as such amount may be adjusted from time to time in accordance with this
Agreement.
"Committed Borrowing" means a borrowing consisting of simultaneous
Committed Loans of the same Type and, in the case of Eurodollar Rate Loans,
having the same Interest Period made by each of the Lenders pursuant to Section
2.01.
"Committed Loan" has the meaning specified in Section 2.01.
"Committed Loan Notice" means a notice of (a) a Committed Borrowing, (b) a
conversion of Committed Loans from one Type to the other, or (c) a continuation
of Eurodollar Rate Loans, pursuant to Section 2.02(a), which, if in writing,
shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A.
"Compliance Certificate" means a certificate substantially in the form of
Exhibit D.
"Consolidated Domestic Assets" means, as of any date of determination, the
net book value of all assets of the Borrower and its Domestic Subsidiaries on
such date determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP.
"Consolidated EBIT" means, for any period, for the Borrower and its
Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, an amount equal to Consolidated Net Income
for such period plus (a) the following to the extent deducted in calculating
such Consolidated Net Income: (i) Consolidated Interest Charges for such period,
(ii) the provision for Federal, state, local and foreign income taxes payable by
the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for such period, and (iii) non-recurring
expenses or losses of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries reducing such
Consolidated Net Income which do not represent a cash item in such period;
provided, that Consolidated EBIT shall be decreased by the amount of any cash
expenditures in such period related to non-cash expenses or losses added back to
Consolidated EBIT during any prior period and minus (b) the following to the
extent included in calculating such Consolidated Net Income: (i) Federal, state,
local and foreign income tax credits of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for
such period and (ii) all
5
extraordinary, unusual or nonrecurring gains increasing Consolidated Net Income
for such period.
"Consolidated EBITDA" means, for any period, Consolidated EBIT plus
depreciation and amortization expense, in each case, to the extent deducted in
calculating Consolidated Net Income for such period.
"Consolidated Funded Indebtedness" means, as of any date of determination
and without duplication, for the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated
basis, the sum of (a) the outstanding principal amount of all obligations,
whether current or long-term, for borrowed money (including Obligations
hereunder) and all obligations evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes, loan
agreements or other similar instruments, (b) all purchase money Indebtedness,
(c) all direct obligations arising under letters of credit (including standby
and commercial), bankers' acceptances, bank guaranties, surety bonds and similar
instruments, (d) all obligations in respect of the deferred purchase price of
property or services (other than accounts payable in the ordinary course of
business), (e) Attributable Indebtedness in respect of capital leases, Synthetic
Lease Obligations and other Off-Balance Sheet Liabilities, (f) without
duplication, all Guarantees with respect to outstanding Indebtedness of the
types specified in clauses (a) through (e) above of Persons other than the
Borrower or any Subsidiary, and (g) all Indebtedness of the types referred to in
clauses (a) through (f) above of any partnership or joint venture (other than a
joint venture that is itself a corporation or limited liability company) in
which the Borrower or a Subsidiary is a general partner or joint venturer,
unless such Indebtedness is expressly made non-recourse to the Borrower or such
Subsidiary.
"Consolidated Interest Charges" means, for any period, for the Borrower and
its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis and without duplication, the sum of (a)
all interest, premium payments, debt discount, fees, charges and related
expenses of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in connection with borrowed money
(including capitalized interest) or in connection with the deferred purchase
price of assets, in each case to the extent treated as interest in accordance
with GAAP, (b) the portion of rent expense of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries
with respect to such period under capital leases that is treated as interest in
accordance with GAAP, and (c) the amount of payments in respect of Off-Balance
Sheet Liabilities of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries with respect to such
period that are in the nature of interest (including, with respect to
securitization transactions, the aggregate discount (net of reserves) from the
face value of the assets transferred) provided that Consolidated Interest
Charges for any period shall exclude any amortization or write-off of deferred
financing fees during such period.
"Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio" means, as of any date of
determination, the ratio of (a) Consolidated EBIT for the period of the four
prior fiscal quarters ending on such date to (b) Consolidated Interest Charges
for such period.
"Consolidated Leverage Ratio" means, as of any date of determination, the
ratio of (a) Consolidated Funded Indebtedness as of such date to (b)
Consolidated EBITDA for the period of the four fiscal quarters most recently
ended.
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"Consolidated Net Income" means, for any period, for the Borrower and its
Subsidiaries determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP, the net
income of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for that period.
"Consolidated Tangible Assets" means, as of any date of determination, for
the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, Consolidated Total
Assets of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on that date minus the Intangible
Assets of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on that date.
"Consolidated Total Assets" means, as of any date of determination, the net
book value of all assets of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on such date
determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP.
"Contractual Obligation" means, as to any Person, any provision of any
security issued by such Person or of any agreement, instrument or other
undertaking to which such Person is a party or by which it or any of its
property is bound.
"Control" means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to
direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of a Person, whether
through the ability to exercise voting power, by contract or otherwise.
"Controlling" and "Controlled" have meanings correlative thereto.
"Co-Pack Agreement" means the Co-Pack Agreement to be entered into between
▇▇▇▇ and the Borrower in substantially the same form as delivered to the
Administrative Agent prior to the date hereof.
"Cost of Acquisition" means, with respect to any Acquisition, as at the
date of entering into any agreement therefor, the sum of the following (without
duplication): (i) the value of the Equity Interests of the Borrower or any
Subsidiary to be transferred in connection therewith, (ii) the amount of any
cash and fair market value of other property (excluding property described in
clause (i) and the unpaid principal amount of any debt instrument) given as
consideration, (iii) the amount (determined by using the face amount or the
amount payable at maturity, whichever is greater) of any Indebtedness incurred,
assumed or acquired by the Borrower or any Subsidiary in connection with such
Acquisition, (iv) all additional purchase price amounts in the form of earnouts
and other contingent obligations that should be recorded on the financial
statements of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP, (v) all
amounts paid in respect of covenants not to compete, consulting agreements that
should be recorded on financial statements of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries
in accordance with GAAP, and other affiliated contracts in connection with such
Acquisition, (vi) the aggregate fair market value of all other consideration
given by the Borrower or any Subsidiary in connection with such Acquisition, and
(vii) out of pocket transaction costs for the services and expenses of
attorneys, accountants and other consultants incurred in effecting such
transaction, and other similar transaction costs so incurred. For purposes of
determining the Cost of Acquisition for any transaction, (A) the Equity
Interests of the Borrower shall be valued (I) in the case of any Equity
Interests then designated as a national market system security by the National
Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. ("NASDAQ") or is listed on a national
securities exchange, the average of the last reported bid and ask quotations or
the last prices reported thereon, and (II) with respect to any other Equity
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Interests, as determined by the Board of Directors of the Borrower and, if
requested by the Administrative Agent, determined to be a reasonable valuation
by the independent public accountants referred to in Section 6.01(a), (B) the
Equity Interests of any Subsidiary shall be valued as determined by the Board of
Directors of such Subsidiary and, if requested by the Administrative Agent,
determined to be a reasonable valuation by the independent certified public
accountants referred to in Section 6.01(a), and (C) with respect to any
Acquisition accomplished pursuant to the exercise of options or warrants or the
conversion of securities, the Cost of Acquisition shall include both the cost of
acquiring such option, warrant or convertible security as well as the cost of
exercise or conversion.
"Credit Extension" means each of the following: (a) a Borrowing and (b) an
L/C Credit Extension.
"▇▇▇▇" means ▇▇▇▇ Foods Company, a Delaware corporation.
"Debtor Relief Laws" means the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, and
all other liquidation, conservatorship, bankruptcy, assignment for the benefit
of creditors, moratorium, rearrangement, receivership, insolvency,
reorganization, or similar debtor relief Laws of the United States or other
applicable jurisdictions from time to time in effect and affecting the rights of
creditors generally.
"Default" means any event or condition that constitutes an Event of Default
or that, with the giving of any notice, the passage of time, or both, would be
an Event of Default.
"Default Rate" means (a) when used with respect to Obligations other than
Letter of Credit Fees, an interest rate equal to (i) the Base Rate plus (ii) the
Applicable Rate, if any, applicable to Base Rate Loans plus (iii) 2% per annum;
provided, however, that with respect to a Eurodollar Rate Loan, the Default Rate
shall be an interest rate equal to the interest rate (including any Applicable
Rate) otherwise applicable to such Loan plus 2% per annum, and (b) when used
with respect to Letter of Credit Fees, a rate equal to the Applicable Rate plus
2% per annum.
"Defaulting Lender" means any Lender that (a) has failed to fund any
portion of the Committed Loans, participations in L/C Obligations or
participations in Swing Line Loans required to be funded by it hereunder within
one Business Day of the date required to be funded by it hereunder, (b) has
otherwise failed to pay over to the Administrative Agent or any other Lender any
other amount required to be paid by it hereunder within one Business Day of the
date when due, unless the subject of a good faith dispute, or (c) has been
deemed insolvent or become the subject of a bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding.
"Disposition" or "Dispose" means the sale, transfer, license, lease or
other disposition (including any sale and leaseback transaction) of any property
by any Person, including any sale, assignment, transfer or other disposal, with
or without recourse, of any notes or accounts receivable or any rights and
claims associated therewith.
"Disqualified Equity Interest" means any Equity Interest that, by its terms
(or by the terms of any security into which it is convertible or for which it is
exchangeable), or upon the happening of any event, matures or is mandatorily
redeemable, pursuant to a sinking fund
8
obligation or otherwise, or redeemable at the option of the holder thereof, in
whole or in part, on or prior to the date that is ninety-one (91) days after the
Maturity Date.
"Distribution Agreement" means the Distribution Agreement to be entered
into between ▇▇▇▇ and the Borrower in substantially the same form as delivered
to the Administrative Agent prior to the date hereof.
"Dollar" and "$" mean lawful money of the United States.
"Domestic Subsidiary" means any Subsidiary that is organized under the laws
of any political subdivision of the United States.
"Eligible Assignee" means (a) a Lender; (b) an Affiliate of a Lender; (c)
an Approved Fund; and (d) any other Person (other than a natural person)
approved by (i) the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer and the Swing Line
Lender, and (ii) unless an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the
Borrower (each such approval not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed);
provided that notwithstanding the foregoing, "Eligible Assignee" shall not
include the Borrower or any of the Borrower's Affiliates or Subsidiaries.
"Employee Matters Agreement" means the Employee Matters Agreement to be
entered into between ▇▇▇▇ and the Borrower in substantially the same form as
delivered to the Administrative Agent prior to the date hereof.
"Environmental Laws" means any and all applicable Federal, state, local,
and foreign statutes, laws, regulations, ordinances, judgments, orders, decrees,
permits or licenses relating to pollution and the protection of the environment
or the release of any materials into the environment, including those related to
hazardous substances or wastes, air emissions and discharges to waste or public
systems.
"Environmental Liability" means any liability, contingent or otherwise
(including any liability for damages, costs of environmental remediation, fines,
penalties or indemnities), of the Borrower, any other Loan Party or any of their
respective Subsidiaries directly or indirectly resulting from or based upon (a)
violation of any Environmental Law, (b) the generation, use, handling,
transportation, storage, treatment or disposal of any Hazardous Materials, (c)
exposure to any Hazardous Materials, (d) the release or threatened release of
any Hazardous Materials into the environment or (e) any contract, agreement or
other consensual arrangement pursuant to which liability is assumed or imposed
with respect to any of the foregoing.
"Equity Interests" means, with respect to any Person, all of the shares of
capital stock of (or other ownership or profit interests in) such Person, all of
the warrants, options or other rights for the purchase or acquisition from such
Person of shares of capital stock of (or other ownership or profit interests in)
such Person, all of the securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares
of capital stock of (or other ownership or profit interests in) such Person or
warrants, rights or options for the purchase or acquisition from such Person of
such shares (or such other interests), and all of the other ownership or profit
interests in such Person (including partnership, member or trust interests
therein), whether voting or nonvoting, and whether or not such shares, warrants,
options, rights or other interests are outstanding on any date of determination.
9
"ERISA" means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
"ERISA Affiliate" means any trade or business (whether or not incorporated)
under common control with the Borrower within the meaning of Section 414(b) or
(c) of the Code (and, for purposes of provisions relating to Section 412 of the
Code, Sections 414(m) and (o) of the Code).
"ERISA Event" means (a) a Reportable Event with respect to a Pension Plan;
(b) a withdrawal by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from a Pension Plan
subject to Section 4063 of ERISA during a plan year in which it was a
substantial employer (as defined in Section 4001(a)(2) of ERISA) or a cessation
of operations that is treated as such a withdrawal under Section 4062(e) of
ERISA; (c) a complete or partial withdrawal by the Borrower or any ERISA
Affiliate from a Multiemployer Plan or the receipt of notification that a
Multiemployer Plan is in reorganization that could reasonably be expected to
result in a material liability to the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate; (d) the
filing of a notice of intent to terminate, the treatment of a Plan amendment as
a termination under Sections 4041 or 4041A of ERISA, or the commencement of
proceedings by the PBGC to terminate a Pension Plan or Multiemployer Plan; (e)
an event or condition which constitutes grounds under Section 4042 of ERISA for
the termination of, or the appointment of a trustee to administer, any Pension
Plan or Multiemployer Plan; or (f) the imposition of any material liability
under Title IV of ERISA, other than for PBGC premiums due but not delinquent
under Section 4007 of ERISA, upon the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate.
"Eurodollar Rate" means, for any Interest Period with respect to a
Eurodollar Rate Loan, the rate per annum equal to the British Bankers
Association LIBOR Rate ("BBA LIBOR"), as published by Reuters (or other
commercially available source providing quotations of BBA LIBOR as designated by
the Administrative Agent from time to time) at approximately 11:00 a.m., London
time, two Business Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period, for
Dollar deposits (for delivery on the first day of such Interest Period) with a
term equivalent to such Interest Period. If such rate is not available at such
time for any reason, then the "Eurodollar Rate" for such Interest Period shall
be the rate per annum determined by the Administrative Agent to be the rate at
which deposits in Dollars for delivery on the first day of such Interest Period
in same day funds in the approximate amount of the Eurodollar Rate Loan being
made, continued or converted by Bank of America and with a term equivalent to
such Interest Period would be offered by Bank of America's London Branch to
major banks in the London interbank eurodollar market at their request at
approximately 11:00 a.m. (London time) two Business Days prior to the
commencement of such Interest Period.
"Eurodollar Rate Loan" means a Committed Loan that bears interest at a rate
based on the Eurodollar Rate.
"Event of Default" has the meaning specified in Section 8.01.
"Exchange Act" means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
"Excluded Taxes" means, with respect to the Administrative Agent, any
Lender, the L/C Issuer or any other recipient of any payment to be made by or on
account of any obligation of the Borrower hereunder, (a) taxes imposed on or
measured by its overall net income (however
10
denominated), and franchise taxes imposed on it (in lieu of net income taxes),
by the jurisdiction (or any political subdivision thereof) under the laws of
which such recipient is organized or in which its principal office is located or
in which it is otherwise doing business (other than jurisdictions in which such
Person is doing business solely as a result of this Agreement, any Letter of
Credit, any participation in a Letter of Credit or any Loan made by it) or, in
the case of any Lender, in which its applicable Lending Office is located, (b)
any branch profits taxes imposed by the United States or any similar tax imposed
by any other jurisdiction in which the Borrower is located, (c) in the case of a
Foreign Lender (other than an assignee pursuant to a request by the Borrower
under Section 10.13), any withholding tax that is imposed on amounts payable to
such Foreign Lender at the time such Foreign Lender becomes a party hereto (or
designates a new Lending Office) or is attributable to such Foreign Lender's
failure or inability (other than as a result of a Change in Law) to comply with
Section 3.01(e), except to the extent that such Foreign Lender (or its assignor,
if any) was entitled, at the time of designation of a new Lending Office (or
assignment), to receive additional amounts from the Borrower with respect to
such withholding tax pursuant to Section 3.01(a), and (d) in the case of any
Lender other than a Foreign Lender, any backup withholding tax that is imposed
on amounts payable to such Lender at the time such Lender becomes a party hereto
or is attributable to such Lender's failure or inability (other than as a result
of a Change in Law) to comply with Section 3.01(e).
"Federal Funds Rate" means, for any day, the rate per annum equal to the
weighted average of the rates on overnight Federal funds transactions with
members of the Federal Reserve System arranged by Federal funds brokers on such
day, as published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on the Business Day
next succeeding such day; provided that (a) if such day is not a Business Day,
the Federal Funds Rate for such day shall be such rate on such transactions on
the next preceding Business Day as so published on the next succeeding Business
Day, and (b) if no such rate is so published on such next succeeding Business
Day, the Federal Funds Rate for such day shall be the average rate (rounded
upward, if necessary, to a whole multiple of 1/100 of 1%) charged to Bank of
America on such day on such transactions as determined by the Administrative
Agent.
"Fee Letter" means the letter agreement, dated May 12, 2005, among the
Borrower, the Administrative Agent and BAS.
"Financing Transaction" means the execution, delivery and performance by
the Borrower of the Loan Documents, including the incurrence of the Indebtedness
thereunder and the use of the proceeds thereof.
"Foreign Lender" means any Lender that is organized under the laws of a
jurisdiction other than that in which the Borrower is resident for tax purposes.
For purposes of this definition, the United States, each State thereof and the
District of Columbia shall be deemed to constitute a single jurisdiction.
"FRB" means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the
United States.
11
"Fund" means any Person (other than a natural person) that is (or will be)
engaged in making, purchasing, holding or otherwise investing in commercial
loans and similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course of its business.
"GAAP" means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States
set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board
and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and
pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or such other
principles as may be approved by a significant segment of the accounting
profession in the United States, that are applicable to the circumstances as of
the date of determination, consistently applied.
"Governmental Authority" means the government of the United States or any
other nation, or of any political subdivision thereof, whether state or local,
and any agency, authority, instrumentality, regulatory body, court, central bank
or other entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory
or administrative powers or functions of or pertaining to government (including
any supra-national bodies such as the European Union or the European Central
Bank).
"Granting Lender" has the meaning specified in Section 10.06(h).
"Guarantee" means, as to any Person, any (a) any obligation, contingent or
otherwise, of such Person guaranteeing or having the economic effect of
guaranteeing any Indebtedness or other obligation payable or performable by
another Person (the "primary obligor") in any manner, whether directly or
indirectly, and including any obligation of such Person, direct or indirect, (i)
to purchase or pay (or advance or supply funds for the purchase or payment of)
such Indebtedness or other obligation, (ii) to purchase or lease property,
securities or services for the purpose of assuring the obligee in respect of
such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment or performance of such
Indebtedness or other obligation, (iii) to maintain working capital, equity
capital or any other financial statement condition or liquidity or level of
income or cash flow of the primary obligor so as to enable the primary obligor
to pay such Indebtedness or other obligation, or (iv) entered into for the
purpose of assuring in any other manner the obligee in respect of such
Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment or performance thereof or to
protect such obligee against loss in respect thereof (in whole or in part), or
(b) any Lien on any assets of such Person securing any Indebtedness or other
obligation of any other Person, whether or not such Indebtedness or other
obligation is assumed by such Person (or any right, contingent or otherwise, of
any holder of such Indebtedness to obtain any such Lien). The amount of any
Guarantee shall be deemed to be an amount equal to the stated or determinable
amount of the related primary obligation, or portion thereof, in respect of
which such Guarantee is made or, if not stated or determinable, the maximum
reasonably anticipated liability in respect thereof as determined by the
guaranteeing Person in good faith. The term "Guarantee" as a verb has a
corresponding meaning.
"Guarantors" means, collectively or individually as the context may
indicate, each of the existing Domestic Subsidiaries of the Borrower that is a
Material Subsidiary on the Closing Date and each other Person who becomes a
party to the Guaranty (including by execution of a Guaranty Joinder Agreement).
12
"Guaranty" means the Guaranty made by the Guarantors in favor of the
Administrative Agent and the Lenders, which shall be substantially in the form
of Exhibit F.
"Guaranty Joinder Agreement" means each Guaranty Joinder Agreement
substantially in the form thereof attached to the Guaranty, executed and
delivered by a Guarantor to the Administrative Agent under the Guaranty pursuant
to Section 6.13.
"Hazardous Materials" means all explosive or radioactive substances or
wastes and all hazardous or toxic substances, wastes or other pollutants,
including petroleum or petroleum distillates, asbestos or asbestos-containing
materials, polychlorinated biphenyls, radon gas, infectious or medical wastes
and all other substances or wastes of any nature regulated pursuant to any
Environmental Law.
"Indebtedness" means, as to any Person at a particular time, without
duplication, all of the following, whether or not included as indebtedness or
liabilities in accordance with GAAP:
(a) all obligations of such Person for borrowed money and all
obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes, loan
agreements or other similar instruments;
(b) all direct or contingent obligations of such Person arising under
letters of credit (including standby and commercial), bankers' acceptances,
bank guaranties, surety bonds and similar instruments;
(c) net obligations, if any, of such Person under any Swap Contract;
(d) all obligations of such Person to pay the deferred purchase price
of property or services (other than accounts payable in the ordinary course
of business and, in each case, not past due for more than 120 days after
the date on which such account payable was created or, if overdue for more
than 120 days, as to which a dispute exists and adequate reserves in
accordance with GAAP have been established on the books of such Person);
(e) indebtedness (excluding prepaid interest thereon) secured by a
Lien on property owned or being purchased by such Person (including
indebtedness arising under conditional sales or other title retention
agreements), whether or not such indebtedness shall have been assumed by
such Person or is limited in recourse;
(f) capital leases, Synthetic Lease Obligations and other Off-Balance
Sheet Liabilities;
(g) all obligations of such Person to purchase, redeem, retire,
defease or otherwise make any payment in respect of any Disqualified Equity
Interest; and
(h) all Guarantees of such Person in respect of any of the foregoing.
For all purposes hereof, the Indebtedness of any Person shall include the
Indebtedness of any partnership or joint venture (other than a joint venture
that is itself a corporation or limited
13
liability company) in which such Person is a general partner or a joint
venturer, unless such Indebtedness is expressly made non-recourse to such
Person. The amount of any net obligation under any Swap Contract on any date
shall be deemed to be the Swap Termination Value thereof as of such date. The
amount of any capital lease, Synthetic Lease Obligation or other Off-Balance
Sheet Liability as of any date shall be deemed to be the amount of Attributable
Indebtedness in respect thereof as of such date.
"Indemnified Taxes" means Taxes (including Other Taxes) other than Excluded
Taxes.
"Indemnitees" has the meaning specified in Section 10.04(b).
"Information" has the meaning specified in Section 10.07.
"Intangible Assets" means assets that are considered to be intangible
assets under GAAP, including customer lists, goodwill, computer software,
copyrights, trade names, trademarks, patents, franchises, licenses, unamortized
deferred charges, unamortized debt discount and capitalized research and
development costs.
"Interest Payment Date" means, (a) as to any Loan other than a Base Rate
Loan, the last day of each Interest Period applicable to such Loan and the
Maturity Date; provided, however, that if any Interest Period for a Eurodollar
Rate Loan exceeds three months, the respective dates that fall every three
months after the beginning of such Interest Period shall also be Interest
Payment Dates; and (b) as to any Base Rate Loan (including a Swing Line Loan),
the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December and the
Maturity Date.
"Interest Period" means, as to each Eurodollar Rate Loan, the period
commencing on the date such Eurodollar Rate Loan is disbursed or converted to or
continued as a Eurodollar Rate Loan and ending on the date one, two, three or
six months thereafter, as selected by the Borrower in its Committed Loan Notice
or such other period of nine or twelve months requested by the Borrower and
consented to by all the Lenders; provided that:
(i) any Interest Period that would otherwise end on a day that is not
a Business Day shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless
such Business Day falls in another calendar month, in which case such
Interest Period shall end on the next preceding Business Day;
(ii) any Interest Period that begins on the last Business Day of a
calendar month (or on a day for which there is no numerically corresponding
day in the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period) shall end on
the last Business Day of the calendar month at the end of such Interest
Period; and
(iii) no Interest Period shall extend beyond the Maturity Date.
"Internal Control Event" means a material weakness in, or fraud that
involves management or other employees who have a significant role in, the
Borrower's internal controls over financial reporting, in each case as described
in the Securities Laws.
14
"Investment" means, as to any Person, any direct or indirect acquisition or
investment by such Person, whether by means of (a) the purchase or other
acquisition of capital stock or other securities of another Person, (b) a loan,
advance or capital contribution to, Guarantee or assumption of debt of, or
purchase or other acquisition of any other debt or equity participation or
interest in, another Person, including any partnership or joint venture interest
in such other Person and any arrangement pursuant to which the investor
Guarantees Indebtedness of such other Person, or (c) the purchase or other
acquisition (in one transaction or a series of transactions) of assets of
another Person that constitute a business unit. For purposes of covenant
compliance, the amount of any Investment shall be the amount actually invested,
without adjustment for subsequent increases or decreases in the value of such
Investment.
"IRS" means the United States Internal Revenue Service.
"ISP" means, with respect to any Letter of Credit, the "International
Standby Practices 1998" published by the Institute of International Banking Law
& Practice (or such later version thereof as may be in effect at the time of
issuance).
"Issuer Documents" means with respect to any Letter of Credit, the Letter
of Credit Application, and any other document, agreement and instrument entered
into by the L/C Issuer and the Borrower (or any Subsidiary) or in favor the L/C
Issuer and relating to any such Letter of Credit.
"JPMSI" means ▇.▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Securities Inc. and its successors.
"Laws" means, collectively, (a) all international, foreign, Federal, state
and local statutes, treaties, regulations, ordinances, codes and publicly
available administrative or judicial precedents or authorities, and all
applicable administrative orders, directed duties, requests, licenses,
authorizations and permits of, and agreements with, any Governmental Authority,
in each case having the force of law, and (b) for the purposes of Article II,
Article III, Section 10.13 and any related definitions, all of the foregoing and
any related rules and guidelines, including any interpretations thereof by any
Governmental Authority charged with the enforcement, interpretation or
administration thereof, in each case whether or not publicly available or having
the force of law.
"L/C Advance" means, with respect to each Lender, such Lender's funding of
its participation in any L/C Borrowing in accordance with its Applicable
Percentage.
"L/C Borrowing" means an extension of credit resulting from a drawing under
any Letter of Credit which has not been reimbursed on the date when made or
refinanced as a Committed Borrowing.
"L/C Credit Extension" means, with respect to any Letter of Credit, the
issuance thereof or extension of the expiry date thereof, or the increase of the
amount thereof.
"L/C Issuer" means Bank of America in its capacity as issuer of Letters of
Credit hereunder, or any successor issuer of Letters of Credit hereunder.
15
"L/C Obligations" means, as at any date of determination, the aggregate
amount available to be drawn under all outstanding Letters of Credit plus the
aggregate of all Unreimbursed Amounts, including all L/C Borrowings. For
purposes of computing the amount available to be drawn under any Letter of
Credit, the amount of such Letter of Credit shall be determined in accordance
with Section 1.06. For all purposes of this Agreement, if on any date of
determination a Letter of Credit has expired by its terms but any amount may
still be drawn thereunder by reason of the operation of Rule 3.14 of the ISP,
such Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be "outstanding" in the amount so
remaining available to be drawn.
"Lender" has the meaning specified in the introductory paragraph hereto
and, as the context requires, includes the Swing Line Lender.
"Lending Office" means, as to any Lender, the office or offices of such
Lender described as such in such Lender's Administrative Questionnaire, or such
other office or offices as a Lender may from time to time notify the Borrower
and the Administrative Agent.
"Letter of Credit" means any standby letter of credit issued hereunder.
"Letter of Credit Application" means an application and agreement for the
issuance or amendment of a Letter of Credit in the form from time to time in use
by the L/C Issuer.
"Letter of Credit Expiration Date" means the day that is seven days prior
to the Maturity Date then in effect (or, if such day is not a Business Day, the
next preceding Business Day).
"Letter of Credit Fee" has the meaning specified in Section 2.03(i).
"Letter of Credit Sublimit" means an amount equal to $75,000,000. The
Letter of Credit Sublimit is part of, and not in addition to, the Aggregate
Commitments.
"Lien" means any mortgage, pledge, hypothecation, assignment, deposit
arrangement, encumbrance, lien (statutory or other), charge, or preference,
priority or other security interest or preferential arrangement in the nature of
a security interest of any kind or nature whatsoever (including any conditional
sale or other title retention agreement and any financing lease having
substantially the same economic effect as any of the foregoing).
"Loan" means an extension of credit by a Lender to the Borrower under
Article II in the form of a Committed Loan or a Swing Line Loan.
"Loan Documents" means this Agreement, each Note, the Guaranty, each
Guaranty Joinder Agreement, each Issuer Document, and the Fee Letter.
"Loan Parties" means, collectively, the Borrower and each Guarantor.
"Material Adverse Effect" means a material adverse effect upon, (a) the
operations, business, properties, liabilities (actual or contingent) or
condition (financial or otherwise) of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries taken as
a whole (after giving effect to the Spin-Off Transaction); (b) the ability of
the Borrower or the Borrower and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole to perform
its or their respective obligations under any Loan Document to which such Person
or Persons are
16
party, as the case may be; or (c) the legality, validity, binding effect or
enforceability against any Loan Party of any Loan Document to which it is a
party.
"Material Subsidiary" means any direct or indirect Domestic Subsidiary of
the Borrower (a) the total assets of which exceed, as at the end of any calendar
quarter or, in the case of the consummation of any Permitted Acquisition
(calculated on a pro forma basis taking into account the consummation of such
Permitted Acquisition), 10% of Consolidated Domestic Assets, or (b) is
attributed 10% or more of Consolidated EBITDA in any fiscal year or, in the case
of the consummation of any Permitted Acquisition, calculated on a pro forma
basis taking into account the consummation of such Permitted Acquisition as if
such Acquisition occurred on the first day of the fiscal year most recently
ended.
"Maturity Date" means June 25, 2010.
"Multiemployer Plan" means any employee benefit plan of the type described
in Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA, to which the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate
makes or is obligated to make contributions, or during the preceding five plan
years, has made or been obligated to make contributions.
"Note" means a promissory note made by the Borrower in favor of a Lender
evidencing Loans made by such Lender, substantially in the form of Exhibit C.
"Obligations" means all advances to, and debts, liabilities, obligations,
covenants and duties of, any Loan Party arising under any Loan Document or
otherwise with respect to any Loan or Letter of Credit, whether direct or
indirect (including those acquired by assumption), absolute or contingent, due
or to become due, now existing or hereafter arising and including interest and
fees that accrue after the commencement by or against any Loan Party or any
Affiliate thereof of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Laws naming such
Person as the debtor in such proceeding, regardless of whether such interest and
fees are allowed claims in such proceeding.
"Off-Balance Sheet Liabilities" means, with respect to any Person as of any
date of determination thereof, without duplication and to the extent not
included as a liability on the consolidated balance sheet of such Person and its
Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP: (a) with respect to any asset
securitization transaction (including any accounts receivable purchase facility)
(i) the unrecovered investment of purchasers or transferees of assets so
transferred, and (ii) any other payment, recourse, repurchase, hold harmless,
indemnity or similar obligation of such Person or any of its Subsidiaries in
respect of assets transferred or payments made in respect thereof, other than
limited recourse provisions that are customary for transactions of such type and
that neither (x) have the effect of limiting the loss or credit risk of such
purchasers or transferees with respect to payment or performance by the obligors
of the assets so transferred nor (y) impair the characterization of the
transaction as a true sale under applicable Laws (including Debtor Relief Laws);
(b) the monetary obligations under any financing lease or so-called "synthetic,"
tax retention or off-balance sheet lease transaction which, upon the application
of any Debtor Relief Law to such Person or any of its Subsidiaries, would be
characterized as indebtedness; and (c) any other monetary obligation arising
with respect to any other transaction which (i) is characterized as indebtedness
for tax purposes but not for
17
accounting purposes in accordance with GAAP or (ii) is the functional equivalent
of or takes the place of borrowing but which does not constitute a liability on
the consolidated balance sheet of such Person and its Subsidiaries (for purposes
of this clause (c), any transaction structured to provide tax deductibility as
interest expense of any dividend, coupon or other periodic payment will be
deemed to be the functional equivalent of a borrowing).
"Organization Documents" means, (a) with respect to any corporation, the
certificate or articles of incorporation and the bylaws (or equivalent or
comparable constitutive documents with respect to any non-U.S. jurisdiction);
(b) with respect to any limited liability company, the certificate or articles
of formation or organization and operating agreement; and (c) with respect to
any partnership, joint venture, trust or other form of business entity, the
partnership, joint venture or other applicable agreement of formation or
organization and any agreement, instrument, filing or notice with respect
thereto filed in connection with its formation or organization with the
applicable Governmental Authority in the jurisdiction of its formation or
organization and, if applicable, any certificate or articles of formation or
organization of such entity.
"Other Taxes" means all present or future stamp or documentary taxes or any
other excise or property taxes, charges or similar levies arising from any
payment made hereunder or under any other Loan Document or from the execution,
delivery or enforcement of, or otherwise with respect to, this Agreement or any
other Loan Document.
"Outstanding Amount" means (i) with respect to Committed Loans and Swing
Line Loans on any date, the aggregate outstanding principal amount thereof after
giving effect to any borrowings and prepayments or repayments of Committed Loans
and Swing Line Loans, as the case may be, occurring on such date; and (ii) with
respect to any L/C Obligations on any date, the amount of such L/C Obligations
on such date after giving effect to any L/C Credit Extension occurring on such
date and any other changes in the aggregate amount of the L/C Obligations as of
such date, including as a result of any reimbursements by the Borrower of
Unreimbursed Amounts.
"Participant" has the meaning specified in Section 10.06(d).
"Payment Default" means the failure of the Borrower to pay any Obligation
when due (after giving effect to any applicable grace periods), whether at
stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise.
"PBGC" means the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
"Pension Plan" means any "employee pension benefit plan" (as such term is
defined in Section 3(2) of ERISA), other than a Multiemployer Plan, that is
subject to Title IV of ERISA and is sponsored or maintained by the Borrower or
any ERISA Affiliate or to which the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate contributes
or has an obligation to contribute, or in the case of a multiple employer or
other plan described in Section 4064(a) of ERISA, has made contributions at any
time during the immediately preceding five plan years.
"Permitted Acquisition" means any Acquisition that is permitted by the
terms of Section 7.07.
18
"Permitted Lines of Business" means, collectively, (a) food services, (b)
food-related manufacturing, production and processing, (c) consumer products,
(d) private label products, (e) animal feed production and processing, (f) any
other business conducted by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on the date
hereof, and (g) any business reasonably related or incidental to any of the
foregoing.
"Permitted Securitization Facility" means any transaction or series of
transactions involving the sale of accounts receivable (and related supporting
obligations and books and records) so long as the Indebtedness thereunder and
other payment obligations with respect thereto are nonrecourse to the Borrower
and its Subsidiaries (other than any Special Purpose Finance Subsidiary), other
than limited recourse provisions that are customary for transactions of such
type and do not have the effect of Guaranteeing the repayment of any such
Indebtedness or limiting the loss or credit risk of lenders or purchasers with
respect to payment or performance by the obligors of the accounts receivable so
transferred.
"Person" means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company,
trust, joint venture, association, company, partnership, Governmental Authority
or other entity.
"Plan" means any "employee benefit plan" (as such term is defined in
Section 3(3) of ERISA) established by the Borrower or, with respect to any such
plan that is subject to Section 412 of the Code or Title IV of ERISA, any ERISA
Affiliate.
"Platform" has the meaning specified in Section 6.02.
"Register" has the meaning specified in Section 10.06(c).
"Registered Public Accounting Firm" has the meaning specified in the
Securities Laws and shall be independent of the Borrower as prescribed in the
Securities Laws.
"Related Credit Arrangement" means, collectively, any Related Swap
Contracts and any Related Treasury Management Arrangements.
"Related Parties" means, with respect to any Person, such Person's
Affiliates and the partners, directors, officers, employees, agents and advisors
of such Person and of such Person's Affiliates.
"Related Swap Contracts" means all Swap Contracts which are entered into or
maintained with a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender.
"Related Treasury Management Arrangement" means all arrangements for the
delivery of treasury management services to or for the benefit of any Loan Party
which are entered into or maintained with a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender.
"Reportable Event" means any of the events set forth in Section 4043(c) of
ERISA, other than events for which the 30 day notice period has been waived.
19
"Request for Credit Extension" means (a) with respect to a Borrowing,
conversion or continuation of Committed Loans, a Committed Loan Notice, (b) with
respect to an L/C Credit Extension, a Letter of Credit Application, and (c) with
respect to a Swing Line Loan, a Swing Line Loan Notice.
"Required Lenders" means, as of any date of determination, Lenders having
more than 50% of the Aggregate Commitments or, if the commitment of each Lender
to make Loans and the obligation of the L/C Issuer to make L/C Credit Extensions
have been terminated pursuant to Section 8.02, Lenders holding in the aggregate
more than 50% of the Total Outstandings (with the aggregate amount of each
Lender's risk participation and funded participation in L/C Obligations and
Swing Line Loans being deemed "held" by such Lender for purposes of this
definition); provided that the Commitment of, and the portion of the Total
Outstandings held or deemed held by, any Defaulting Lender shall be excluded for
purposes of making a determination of Required Lenders.
"Responsible Officer" means (a) for the purposes of Section 8.01(c), the
chief executive officer, president, chief financial officer, treasurer or any
senior vice president of a Loan Party and (b) for all other purposes, the chief
executive officer, president, chief financial officer, treasurer or any senior
vice president, vice president or assistant treasurer of a Loan Party. Any
document delivered hereunder that is signed by a Responsible Officer of a Loan
Party shall be conclusively presumed to have been authorized by all necessary
corporate, partnership and/or other action on the part of such Loan Party and
such Responsible Officer shall be conclusively presumed to have acted on behalf
of such Loan Party.
"Restricted Payment" means any dividend or other distribution (whether in
cash, securities or other property) with respect to any capital stock or other
Equity Interest of the Borrower or any Subsidiary, or any payment (whether in
cash, securities or other property), including any sinking fund or similar
deposit, on account of the purchase, redemption, retirement, acquisition,
cancellation or termination of any such capital stock or other Equity Interest,
or on account of any return of capital to the Borrower's stockholders, partners
or members (or the equivalent Person thereof).
"▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇" means the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act of 2002.
"SEC" means the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any Governmental
Authority succeeding to any of its principal functions.
"Securities Laws" means the Securities Act of 1933, the Exchange Act,
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ and the applicable accounting and auditing principles, rules,
standards and practices promulgated, approved or incorporated by the SEC or the
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, as each of the foregoing may be
amended and in effect on any applicable date hereunder.
"SPC" has the meaning specified in Section 10.06(h).
"Special Purpose Finance Subsidiary" means any Subsidiary of the Borrower
created solely for the purpose of, and whose sole activity shall consist of,
acquiring and financing
20
accounts receivable of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries pursuant to a Permitted
Securitization Facility.
"Spin-Off Transaction" means, collectively, (a) the transfer by ▇▇▇▇ and
certain of its Subsidiaries of certain property, assets, liabilities and
businesses to the Borrower as a result of which the Borrower and its
Subsidiaries will own the Business, and (b) the distribution by ▇▇▇▇ to ▇▇▇▇'▇
shareholders by means of a share dividend of the approximately 98.3% of
outstanding common stock of the Borrower owned by ▇▇▇▇.
"Spin-Off Transaction Documents" means, collectively, the Co-Pack
Agreement, the Distribution Agreement, the Employee Matters Agreement, the
Stockholders Agreement, the Tax Sharing Agreement, the Trademark License
Agreements, the Transition Services Agreement and all other material definitive
documents pertaining to the Spin-Off Transaction.
"Stockholders Agreement" means the Stockholders Agreement dated as of
January 27, 2005, among ▇▇▇▇, the Borrower and certain stockholders of the
Borrower.
"Subsidiary" of a Person means a corporation, partnership, joint venture,
limited liability company or other business entity of which a majority of the
shares of securities or other interests having ordinary voting power for the
election of directors or other governing body (other than securities or
interests having such power only by reason of the happening of a contingency)
are at the time beneficially owned, or the management of which is otherwise
controlled, directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, or both,
by such Person. Unless otherwise specified, all references herein to a
"Subsidiary" or to "Subsidiaries" shall refer to a Subsidiary or Subsidiaries of
the Borrower.
"Swap Contract" means any and all rate swap transactions, basis swaps,
credit derivative transactions, forward rate transactions, commodity swaps,
commodity options, forward commodity contracts, equity or equity index swaps or
options, bond or bond price or bond index swaps or options or forward bond or
forward bond price or forward bond index transactions, interest rate options,
forward foreign exchange transactions, cap transactions, floor transactions,
collar transactions, currency swap transactions, cross-currency rate swap
transactions, currency options, spot contracts, or any other similar
transactions or any combination of any of the foregoing (including any options
to enter into any of the foregoing), whether or not any such transaction is
governed by or subject to any master agreement entered into by the Borrower or
any Subsidiary; provided, that any and all such transactions, and the related
confirmations, which are subject to the terms and conditions of, or governed by,
the same master agreement, including any form of master agreement published by
the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc., any International
Foreign Exchange Master Agreement, or any other form of master agreement (any
such master agreement, together with any related schedules, a "Master
Agreement"), shall be deemed to be a single Swap Contract to the extent such
transactions and related confirmations are subject to legally enforceable
netting agreements.
"Swap Termination Value" means, in respect of any Swap Contract, after
taking into account the effect of any legally enforceable netting agreement
relating to such Swap Contract, (a) for any date on or after the date such Swap
Contract has been closed out and termination value determined in accordance
therewith, such termination value, and (b) for any date prior to
21
the date referenced in clause (a), the amount determined as the ▇▇▇▇-to-market
value for such Swap Contract (or, if applicable, the net aggregate
▇▇▇▇-to-market value of all transactions constituting such Swap Contract), as
determined based upon one or more mid-market or other readily available
quotations provided by any recognized dealer in such type of Swap Contract
(which may include a Lender or any Affiliate of a Lender).
"Swing Line" means the revolving credit facility made available by the
Swing Line Lender pursuant to Section 2.04.
"Swing Line Borrowing" means a borrowing of a Swing Line Loan pursuant to
Section 2.04.
"Swing Line Lender" means Bank of America in its capacity as provider of
Swing Line Loans, or any successor swing line lender hereunder.
"Swing Line Loan" has the meaning specified in Section 2.04(a).
"Swing Line Loan Notice" means a notice of a Swing Line Borrowing pursuant
to Section 2.04(b), which, if in writing, shall be substantially in the form of
Exhibit B.
"Swing Line Sublimit" means an amount equal to the lesser of (a)
$25,000,000 and (b) the Aggregate Commitments. The Swing Line Sublimit is part
of, and not in addition to, the Aggregate Commitments.
"Synthetic Lease Obligation" means the monetary obligation of a Person
under (a) a so-called synthetic, off-balance sheet or tax retention lease, or
(b) an agreement for the use or possession of property creating obligations that
do not appear on the balance sheet of such Person but which, upon the insolvency
or bankruptcy of such Person, would be characterized as the indebtedness of such
Person (without regard to accounting treatment).
"Tax Sharing Agreement" means the Tax Sharing Agreement to be entered into
between ▇▇▇▇ and the Borrower in substantially the same form as delivered to the
Administrative Agent prior to the date hereof.
"Taxes" means all present or future taxes, levies, imposts, duties,
deductions, withholdings, assessments, fees or other charges imposed by any
Governmental Authority, including any interest, additions to tax or penalties
applicable thereto.
"Total Outstandings" means the aggregate Outstanding Amount of all Loans
and all L/C Obligations.
"Trademark License Agreements" means, collectively, (a) the Trademark
License Agreement between ▇▇▇▇ and the Borrower in substantially the same form
as delivered to the Administrative Agent prior to the date hereof, and (b) the
Trademark License Agreement among ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇ Intellectual Property Services,
L.P., ▇▇▇▇ Intellectual Property Services II, L.P., and the Borrower in
substantially the same form as delivered to the Administrative Agent prior to
the date hereof.
22
"Transactions" means, collectively, the Financing Transaction and the
Spin-Off Transaction.
"Transaction Documents" means, collectively, the Loan Documents and the
Spin-Off Transaction Documents.
"Transition Services Agreement" means the Transition Services Agreement
between ▇▇▇▇ and the Borrower in substantially the same form as delivered to the
Administrative Agent prior to the date hereof.
"Type" means, with respect to a Committed Loan, its character as a Base
Rate Loan or a Eurodollar Rate Loan.
"Unencumbered Cash and Cash Equivalents" means, with respect to any Person,
the cash or cash equivalents owned by such Person (excluding assets of any
retirement plan) which (a) are not the subject of any Lien or other arrangement
with any creditor to have its claim satisfied out of such cash or cash
equivalents prior to the general creditors of such Person (other than banker's
liens, rights of set-off or similar rights or remedies as to deposit accounts or
securities accounts in which such cash or cash equivalents are held), and (b) if
not cash, may be converted to cash within thirty (30) days.
"Unfunded Pension Liability" means the excess of a Pension Plan's benefit
liabilities under Section 4001(a)(16) of ERISA, over the current value of that
Pension Plan's assets, determined in accordance with the assumptions used for
funding the Pension Plan pursuant to Section 412 of the Code for the applicable
plan year.
"United States" and "U.S." mean the United States of America.
"Unreimbursed Amount" has the meaning specified in Section 2.03(c)(i).
1.02 OTHER INTERPRETIVE PROVISIONS. With reference to this Agreement and
each other Loan Document, unless otherwise specified herein or in such other
Loan Document:
(a) The definitions of terms herein shall apply equally to the
singular and plural forms of the terms defined. Whenever the context may
require, any pronoun shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine
and neuter forms. The words "include," "includes" and "including" shall be
deemed to be followed by the phrase "without limitation." The word "will"
shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect as the word "shall."
Unless the context requires otherwise, (i) any definition of or reference
to any agreement, instrument or other document (including any Organization
Document) shall be construed as referring to such agreement, instrument or
other document as from time to time amended, supplemented or otherwise
modified (subject to any restrictions on such amendments, supplements or
modifications set forth herein or in any other Loan Document), (ii) any
reference herein to any Person shall be construed to include such Person's
successors and assigns, (iii) the words "herein," "hereof" and "hereunder,"
and words of similar import when used in any Loan Document, shall be
construed to refer to such Loan Document in its entirety and not to any
particular provision thereof, (iv) all references in a Loan Document to
Articles, Sections, Exhibits and Schedules shall be
23
construed to refer to Articles and Sections of, and Exhibits and Schedules
to, the Loan Document in which such references appear, (v) any reference to
any law shall include all statutory and regulatory provisions
consolidating, amending, replacing or interpreting such law and any
reference to any law or regulation shall, unless otherwise specified, refer
to such law or regulation as amended, modified or supplemented from time to
time, and (vi) the words "asset" and "property" shall be construed to have
the same meaning and effect and to refer to any and all tangible and
intangible assets and properties, including cash, securities, accounts and
contract rights.
(b) In the computation of periods of time from a specified date to a
later specified date, the word "from" means "from and including;" the words
"to" and "until" each mean "to but excluding;" and the word "through" means
"to and including."
(c) Section headings herein and in the other Loan Documents are
included for convenience of reference only and shall not affect the
interpretation of this Agreement or any other Loan Document.
1.03 ACCOUNTING TERMS. (a) Generally. All accounting terms not specifically
or completely defined herein shall be construed in conformity with, and all
financial data (including financial ratios and other financial calculations)
required to be submitted pursuant to this Agreement shall be prepared in
conformity with, GAAP applied on a consistent basis, as in effect from time to
time, applied in a manner consistent with that used in preparing the Audited
Financial Statements, except as otherwise specifically prescribed herein.
(b) Changes in GAAP. If at any time any change in GAAP would affect the
computation of any financial ratio or requirement set forth in any Loan
Document, and either the Borrower or the Required Lenders shall so request, the
Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the Borrower shall negotiate in good faith
to amend such ratio or requirement to preserve the original intent thereof in
light of such change in GAAP; provided that, until so amended, (i) such ratio or
requirement shall continue to be computed in accordance with GAAP prior to such
change therein and (ii) the Borrower shall provide to the Administrative Agent
and the Lenders financial statements and other documents required under this
Agreement or as reasonably requested hereunder setting forth a reconciliation
between calculations of such ratio or requirement made before and after giving
effect to such change in GAAP.
(c) CONSOLIDATION OF VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES. All references herein to
consolidated financial statements of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries or to the
determination of any amount for the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a
consolidated basis or any similar reference shall, in each case, be deemed to
include each variable interest entity that the Borrower is required to
consolidate pursuant to FASB Interpretation No. 46 - Consolidation of Variable
Interest Entities: an interpretation of ARB No. 51 (January 2003) as if such
variable interest entity were a Subsidiary as defined herein.
1.04 ROUNDING. Any financial ratios required to be maintained by the
Borrower pursuant to this Agreement shall be calculated by dividing the
appropriate component by the other component, carrying the result to one place
more than the number of places by which such
24
ratio is expressed herein and rounding the result up or down to the nearest
number (with a rounding-up if there is no nearest number).
1.05 TIMES OF DAY. Unless otherwise specified, all references herein to
times of day shall be references to Central time (daylight or standard, as
applicable).
1.06 LETTER OF CREDIT AMOUNTS. Unless otherwise specified herein, the
amount of a Letter of Credit at any time shall be deemed to be the stated amount
of such Letter of Credit in effect at such time; provided, however, that with
respect to any Letter of Credit that, by its terms or the terms of any Issuer
Document related thereto, provides for one or more automatic increases in the
stated amount thereof, the amount of such Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be
the maximum stated amount of such Letter of Credit after giving effect to all
such increases, whether or not such maximum stated amount is in effect at such
time.
1.07 ACCOUNTING FOR ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSITIONS. With respect to any
Acquisition consummated on or after the Closing Date, the following shall apply:
(a) For each of the four periods of four fiscal quarters ending next
following the date of any Acquisition, (i) Consolidated EBITDA and Consolidated
EBIT shall include the results of operations of the Person or assets so acquired
on a historical pro forma basis to the extent information in sufficient detail
concerning such historical results of such Person or assets is reasonably
available, and which amounts shall include only adjustments as are permitted
under Regulation S-X of the SEC and are otherwise reasonably satisfactory to the
Administrative Agent;
(b) For each of the four periods of four fiscal quarters ending next
following the date of each Acquisition, Consolidated Interest Charges shall
include the results of operations of the Person or assets so acquired determined
on a historical pro forma basis to the extent information in sufficient detail
concerning such historical results of such Person or assets is reasonably
available; provided, that, Consolidated Interest Charges shall be adjusted on a
historical pro forma basis to (i) eliminate interest expense accrued during such
period on any Indebtedness repaid in connection with such Acquisition and (ii)
include interest expense on any Indebtedness (including Indebtedness hereunder)
incurred, acquired or assumed in connection with such Acquisition ("Incremental
Debt") calculated (x) as if all such Incremental Debt had been incurred as of
the first day of such four fiscal quarter period and (y) at the following
interest rates: (I) for all periods subsequent to the date of the Acquisition
and for Incremental Debt assumed or acquired in the Acquisition and in effect
prior to the date of Acquisition, at the actual rates of interest applicable
thereto, and (II) for all periods prior to the actual incurrence of such
Incremental Debt, at the average daily rate applicable to the Incremental Debt
during all periods subsequent to the date of the Acquisition;
(c) For each of the four periods of four fiscal quarters ending next
following the date of any Disposition of a Subsidiary or all or substantially
all of the assets of a Subsidiary, (i) Consolidated EBITDA and Consolidated EBIT
shall exclude the results of operations of the Person or assets so disposed of
on a historical pro forma basis, and which amounts shall include only
adjustments reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent; and
25
(d) For each of the four periods of four fiscal quarters ending next
following the date of any Disposition of a Subsidiary or all or substantially
all of the assets of a Subsidiary, Consolidated Interest Charges shall be
adjusted on a historical pro forma basis to eliminate interest expense accrued
during such period on (i) any Indebtedness repaid or assumed from the Subsidiary
in connection with such Disposition or (ii) if such Disposition is of all of the
Equity Interests of the Subsidiary, any Indebtedness of such Subsidiary for
which neither the Borrower nor any other Subsidiary is directly or indirectly
liable.
ARTICLE II.
THE COMMITMENTS AND CREDIT EXTENSIONS
2.01 COMMITTED LOANS. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein,
each Lender severally agrees to make loans (each such loan, a "Committed Loan")
to the Borrower from time to time, on any Business Day during the Availability
Period, in an aggregate amount not to exceed at any time outstanding the amount
of such Lender's Commitment; provided, however, that after giving effect to any
Committed Borrowing, (i) the Total Outstandings shall not exceed the Aggregate
Commitments, and (ii) the aggregate Outstanding Amount of the Committed Loans of
any Lender, plus such Lender's Applicable Percentage of the Outstanding Amount
of all L/C Obligations, plus such Lender's Applicable Percentage of the
Outstanding Amount of all Swing Line Loans shall not exceed such Lender's
Commitment. Within the limits of each Lender's Commitment, and subject to the
other terms and conditions hereof, the Borrower may borrow under this Section
2.01, prepay under Section 2.05, and reborrow under this Section 2.01. Committed
Loans may be Base Rate Loans or Eurodollar Rate Loans, as further provided
herein.
2.02 BORROWINGS, CONVERSIONS AND CONTINUATIONS OF COMMITTED LOANS.
(a) Each Committed Borrowing, each conversion of Committed Loans from one
Type to the other, and each continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be made
upon the Borrower's irrevocable notice to the Administrative Agent, which may be
given by telephone. Each such notice must be received by the Administrative
Agent not later than 10:00 a.m. (i) three Business Days prior to the requested
date of any Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans
or of any conversion of Eurodollar Rate Loans to Base Rate Committed Loans, and
(ii) on the requested date of any Borrowing of Base Rate Committed Loans;
provided, however, that if the Borrower wishes to request Eurodollar Rate Loans
having an Interest Period other than one, two, three or six months in duration
as provided in the definition of "Interest Period", the applicable notice must
be received by the Administrative Agent not later than 10:00 a.m. four Business
Days prior to the requested date of such Borrowing, conversion or continuation,
whereupon the Administrative Agent shall give prompt notice to the Lenders of
such request and determine whether the requested Interest Period is acceptable
to all of them. Not later than 10:00 a.m., three Business Days before the
requested date of such Borrowing, conversion or continuation, the Administrative
Agent shall notify the Borrower (which notice may be by telephone) whether or
not the requested Interest Period has been consented to by all the Lenders. Each
telephonic notice by the Borrower pursuant to this Section 2.02(a) must be
confirmed promptly by delivery to the Administrative Agent of a written
Committed Loan Notice, appropriately completed and signed by a Responsible
Officer of the Borrower. Each Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of
Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be in a principal
26
amount of $1,000,000 or a whole multiple of $1,000,000 in excess thereof. Except
as provided in Sections 2.03(c) and 2.04(c), each Borrowing of or conversion to
Base Rate Committed Loans shall be in a principal amount of $500,000 or a whole
multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof. Each Committed Loan Notice (whether
telephonic or written) shall specify (i) whether the Borrower is requesting a
Committed Borrowing, a conversion of Committed Loans from one Type to the other,
or a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans, (ii) the requested date of the
Borrowing, conversion or continuation, as the case may be (which shall be a
Business Day), (iii) the principal amount of Committed Loans to be borrowed,
converted or continued, (iv) the Type of Committed Loans to be borrowed or to
which existing Committed Loans are to be converted, and (v) if applicable, the
duration of the Interest Period with respect thereto. If the Borrower fails to
specify a Type of Committed Loan in a Committed Loan Notice or if the Borrower
fails to give a timely notice requesting a conversion or continuation, then the
applicable Committed Loans shall be made as, or converted to, Base Rate Loans.
Any such automatic conversion to Base Rate Loans shall be effective as of the
last day of the Interest Period then in effect with respect to the applicable
Eurodollar Rate Loans. If the Borrower requests a Borrowing of, conversion to,
or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans in any such Committed Loan Notice, but
fails to specify an Interest Period, it will be deemed to have specified an
Interest Period of one month.
(b) Following receipt of a Committed Loan Notice, the Administrative Agent
shall promptly notify each Lender of the amount of its Applicable Percentage of
the applicable Committed Loans, and if no timely notice of a conversion or
continuation is provided by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent shall notify
each Lender of the details of any automatic conversion to Base Rate Loans
described in the preceding subsection. In the case of a Committed Borrowing,
each Lender shall make the amount of its Committed Loan available to the
Administrative Agent in immediately available funds at the Administrative
Agent's Office not later than 12:00 noon on the Business Day specified in the
applicable Committed Loan Notice. Upon satisfaction of the applicable conditions
set forth in Section 4.03 (and, if such Borrowing is the initial Credit
Extension, Section 4.02), the Administrative Agent shall make all funds so
received available to the Borrower in like funds as received by the
Administrative Agent either by (i) crediting the account of the Borrower on the
books of Bank of America with the amount of such funds or (ii) wire transfer of
such funds, in each case in accordance with instructions provided to (and
reasonably acceptable to) the Administrative Agent by the Borrower; provided,
however, that if, on the date the Committed Loan Notice with respect to such
Borrowing is given by the Borrower, there are L/C Borrowings outstanding, then
the proceeds of such Borrowing, first, shall be applied to the payment in full
of any such L/C Borrowings, and second, shall be made available to the Borrower
as provided above.
(c) Except as otherwise provided herein, a Eurodollar Rate Loan may be
continued or converted only on the last day of an Interest Period for such
Eurodollar Rate Loan. During the existence of any Default, no Loans may be
requested as, converted to or continued as Eurodollar Rate Loans with Interest
Periods in excess of one month without the consent of the Required Lenders.
During the existence of any Event of Default, no Loans may be requested as,
converted to or continued as Eurodollar Rate Loans without the consent of the
Required Lenders.
(d) The Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the Borrower and the
Lenders of the interest rate applicable to any Interest Period for Eurodollar
Rate Loans upon determination
27
of such interest rate. At any time that Base Rate Loans are outstanding, the
Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Lenders of any change in
Bank of America's prime rate used in determining the Base Rate promptly
following the public announcement of such change.
(e) After giving effect to all Committed Borrowings, all conversions of
Committed Loans from one Type to the other, and all continuations of Committed
Loans as the same Type, there shall not be more than ten Interest Periods in
effect with respect to Committed Loans.
2.03 LETTERS OF CREDIT.
(a) The Letter of Credit Commitment.
(i) Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, (A) the L/C
Issuer agrees, in reliance upon the agreements of the Lenders set forth in
this Section 2.03, (1) from time to time on any Business Day during the
period from the Closing Date until the Letter of Credit Expiration Date, to
issue Letters of Credit for the account of the Borrower or its
Subsidiaries, and to amend or extend Letters of Credit previously issued by
it, in accordance with subsection (b) below, and (2) to honor drawings
under the Letters of Credit; and (B) the Lenders severally agree to
participate in Letters of Credit issued for the account of the Borrower or
its Subsidiaries and any drawings thereunder; provided that after giving
effect to any L/C Credit Extension with respect to any Letter of Credit,
(x) the Total Outstandings shall not exceed the Aggregate Commitments, (y)
the aggregate Outstanding Amount of the Committed Loans of any Lender, plus
such Lender's Applicable Percentage of the Outstanding Amount of all L/C
Obligations, plus such Lender's Applicable Percentage of the Outstanding
Amount of all Swing Line Loans shall not exceed such Lender's Commitment,
and (z) the Outstanding Amount of the L/C Obligations shall not exceed the
Letter of Credit Sublimit. Each request by the Borrower for the issuance or
amendment of a Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be a representation by
the Borrower that the L/C Credit Extension so requested complies with the
conditions set forth in the proviso to the preceding sentence. Within the
foregoing limits, and subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the
Borrower's ability to obtain Letters of Credit shall be fully revolving,
and accordingly the Borrower may, during the foregoing period, obtain
Letters of Credit to replace Letters of Credit that have expired or that
have been drawn upon and reimbursed.
(ii) The L/C Issuer shall not issue any Letter of Credit, if:
(A) subject to Section 2.03(b)(iii), the expiry date of such
requested Letter of Credit would occur more than twelve months after
the date of issuance or last extension, unless the Required Lenders
have approved such expiry date; or
(B) the expiry date of such requested Letter of Credit would
occur after the Letter of Credit Expiration Date, unless all the
Lenders have approved such expiry date.
28
(iii) The L/C Issuer shall not be under any obligation to issue any
Letter of Credit if:
(A) any order, judgment or decree of any Governmental Authority
or arbitrator shall by its terms purport to enjoin or restrain the L/C
Issuer from issuing such Letter of Credit, or any Law applicable to
the L/C Issuer or any request or directive (whether or not having the
force of law) from any Governmental Authority with jurisdiction over
the L/C Issuer shall prohibit, or request that the L/C Issuer refrain
from, the issuance of letters of credit generally or such Letter of
Credit in particular or shall impose upon the L/C Issuer with respect
to such Letter of Credit any restriction, reserve or capital
requirement (for which the L/C Issuer is not otherwise compensated
hereunder) not in effect on the Closing Date, or shall impose upon the
L/C Issuer any unreimbursed loss, cost or expense which was not
applicable on the Closing Date and which the L/C Issuer in good ▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇ material to it;
(B) the issuance of such Letter of Credit would violate one or
more policies of the L/C Issuer;
(C) except as otherwise agreed by the Administrative Agent and
the L/C Issuer, such Letter of Credit is in an initial stated amount
less than $500,000;
(D) such Letter of Credit is to be denominated in a currency
other than Dollars;
(E) such Letter of Credit provides for automatic reinstatement of
the stated amount after any drawing thereunder; or
(F) a default of any Lender's obligations to fund under Section
2.03(c) exists or any Lender is at such time a Defaulting Lender
hereunder, unless the L/C Issuer has entered into satisfactory
arrangements with the Borrower or such Lender to eliminate the L/C
Issuer's risk with respect to such Lender.
(iv) The L/C Issuer shall not amend any Letter of Credit if the L/C
Issuer would not be permitted at such time to issue such Letter of Credit
in its amended form under the terms hereof.
(v) The L/C Issuer shall be under no obligation to amend any Letter of
Credit if (A) the L/C Issuer would have no obligation at such time to issue
such Letter of Credit in its amended form under the terms hereof, or (B)
the beneficiary of such Letter of Credit does not accept the proposed
amendment to such Letter of Credit.
(vi) The L/C Issuer shall act on behalf of the Lenders with respect to
any Letters of Credit issued by it and the documents associated therewith,
and the L/C Issuer shall have all of the benefits and immunities (A)
provided to the Administrative Agent in Article IX with respect to any acts
taken or omissions suffered by the L/C Issuer in connection with Letters of
Credit issued by it or proposed to be issued by it and Issuer Documents
pertaining to such Letters of Credit as fully as if the term
"Administrative
29
Agent" as used in Article IX included the L/C Issuer with respect to such
acts or omissions, and (B) as additionally provided herein with respect to
the L/C Issuer.
(b) Procedures for Issuance and Amendment of Letters of Credit;
Auto-Extension Letters of Credit.
(i) Each Letter of Credit shall be issued or amended, as the case may
be, upon the request of the Borrower delivered to the L/C Issuer (with a
copy to the Administrative Agent) in the form of a Letter of Credit
Application, appropriately completed and signed by a Responsible Officer of
the Borrower. Such Letter of Credit Application must be received by the L/C
Issuer and the Administrative Agent not later than 10:00 a.m. at least two
Business Days (or such later date and time as the Administrative Agent and
the L/C Issuer may agree in a particular instance in their sole discretion)
prior to the proposed issuance date or date of amendment, as the case may
be. In the case of a request for an initial issuance of a Letter of Credit,
such Letter of Credit Application shall specify in form and detail
satisfactory to the L/C Issuer: (A) the proposed issuance date of the
requested Letter of Credit (which shall be a Business Day); (B) the amount
thereof; (C) the expiry date thereof; (D) the name and address of the
beneficiary thereof; (E) the documents to be presented by such beneficiary
in case of any drawing thereunder; (F) the full text of any certificate to
be presented by such beneficiary in case of any drawing thereunder; and (G)
such other matters as the L/C Issuer may require. In the case of a request
for an amendment of any outstanding Letter of Credit, such Letter of Credit
Application shall specify in form and detail satisfactory to the L/C Issuer
(A) the Letter of Credit to be amended; (B) the proposed date of amendment
thereof (which shall be a Business Day); (C) the nature of the proposed
amendment; and (D) such other matters as the L/C Issuer may require.
Additionally, the Borrower shall furnish to the L/C Issuer and the
Administrative Agent such other documents and information pertaining to
such requested Letter of Credit issuance or amendment, including any Issuer
Documents, as the L/C Issuer or the Administrative Agent may require.
(ii) Promptly after receipt of any Letter of Credit Application, the
L/C Issuer will confirm with the Administrative Agent (by telephone or in
writing) that the Administrative Agent has received a copy of such Letter
of Credit Application from the Borrower and, if not, the L/C Issuer will
provide the Administrative Agent with a copy thereof. Unless the L/C Issuer
has received written notice from any Lender, the Administrative Agent or
any Loan Party, at least one Business Day prior to the requested date of
issuance or amendment of the applicable Letter of Credit, that one or more
applicable conditions contained in Article IV shall not then be satisfied,
then, subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the L/C Issuer shall, on
the requested date, issue a Letter of Credit for the account of the
Borrower (or the applicable Subsidiary) or enter into the applicable
amendment, as the case may be, in each case in accordance with the L/C
Issuer's usual and customary business practices. Immediately upon the
issuance of each Letter of Credit, each Lender shall be deemed to, and
hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees to, purchase from the L/C
Issuer a risk participation in such Letter of Credit in an amount equal to
the product of such Lender's Applicable Percentage times the amount of such
Letter of Credit.
30
(iii) If the Borrower so requests in any applicable Letter of Credit
Application, the L/C Issuer may, in its sole and absolute discretion, agree
to issue a Letter of Credit that has automatic extension provisions (each,
an "Auto-Extension Letter of Credit"); provided that any such
Auto-Extension Letter of Credit must permit the L/C Issuer to prevent any
such extension at least once in each twelve-month period (commencing with
the date of issuance of such Letter of Credit) by giving prior notice to
the beneficiary thereof not later than a day (the "Non-Extension Notice
Date") in each such twelve-month period to be agreed upon at the time such
Letter of Credit is issued. Unless otherwise directed by the L/C Issuer,
the Borrower shall not be required to make a specific request to the L/C
Issuer for any such extension. Once an Auto-Extension Letter of Credit has
been issued, the Lenders shall be deemed to have authorized (but may not
require) the L/C Issuer to permit the extension of such Letter of Credit at
any time to an expiry date not later than the Letter of Credit Expiration
Date; provided, however, that the L/C Issuer shall not permit any such
extension if (A) the L/C Issuer has determined that it would not be
permitted, or would have no obligation, at such time to issue such Letter
of Credit in its revised form (as extended) under the terms hereof (by
reason of the provisions of clause (ii) or (iii) of Section 2.03(a) or
otherwise), or (B) it has received notice (which may be by telephone or in
writing) on or before the day that is five Business Days before the
Non-Extension Notice Date (1) from the Administrative Agent that the
Required Lenders have elected not to permit such extension or (2) from the
Administrative Agent, any Lender or the Borrower that one or more of the
applicable conditions specified in Section 4.03 is not then satisfied, and
in each such case directing the L/C Issuer not to permit such extension.
(iv) Promptly after its delivery of any Letter of Credit or any
amendment to a Letter of Credit to an advising bank with respect thereto or
to the beneficiary thereof, the L/C Issuer will also deliver to the
Borrower and the Administrative Agent a true and complete copy of such
Letter of Credit or amendment.
(c) Drawings and Reimbursements; Funding of Participations.
(i) Upon receipt from the beneficiary of any Letter of Credit of any
notice of a drawing under such Letter of Credit, the L/C Issuer shall
notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent thereof. Not later than
10:00 a.m. on the date of any payment by the L/C Issuer under a Letter of
Credit (each such date, an "Honor Date"), the Borrower shall reimburse the
L/C Issuer through the Administrative Agent in an amount equal to the
amount of such drawing. If the Borrower fails to so reimburse the L/C
Issuer by such time, the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each
Lender of the Honor Date, the amount of the unreimbursed drawing (the
"Unreimbursed Amount"), and the amount of such Lender's Applicable
Percentage thereof. In such event, the Borrower shall be deemed to have
requested a Committed Borrowing of Base Rate Loans to be disbursed on the
Honor Date in an amount equal to the Unreimbursed Amount, without regard to
the minimum and multiples specified in Section 2.02 for the principal
amount of Base Rate Loans, but subject to the amount of the unutilized
portion of the Aggregate Commitments and the conditions set forth in
Section 4.03 (other than the delivery of a Committed Loan Notice). Any
notice given by the L/C Issuer or the Administrative Agent pursuant to this
Section 2.03(c)(i) may be given by telephone if immediately confirmed in
writing;
31
provided that the lack of such an immediate confirmation shall not affect
the conclusiveness or binding effect of such notice.
(ii) Each Lender shall upon any notice pursuant to Section 2.03(c)(i)
make funds available to the Administrative Agent for the account of the L/C
Issuer at the Administrative Agent's Office in an amount equal to its
Applicable Percentage of the Unreimbursed Amount not later than 12:00 noon
on the Business Day specified in such notice by the Administrative Agent,
whereupon, subject to the provisions of Section 2.03(c)(iii), each Lender
that so makes funds available shall be deemed to have made a Base Rate
Committed Loan to the Borrower in such amount. The Administrative Agent
shall remit the funds so received to the L/C Issuer.
(iii) With respect to any Unreimbursed Amount that is not fully
refinanced by a Committed Borrowing of Base Rate Loans because the
conditions set forth in Section 4.03 cannot be satisfied or for any other
reason, the Borrower shall be deemed to have incurred from the L/C Issuer
an L/C Borrowing in the amount of the Unreimbursed Amount that is not so
refinanced, which L/C Borrowing shall be due and payable on demand
(together with interest) and shall bear interest at the Default Rate. In
such event, each Lender's payment to the Administrative Agent for the
account of the L/C Issuer pursuant to Section 2.03(c)(ii) shall be deemed
payment in respect of its participation in such L/C Borrowing and shall
constitute an L/C Advance from such Lender in satisfaction of its
participation obligation under this Section 2.03.
(iv) Until each Lender funds its Committed Loan or L/C Advance
pursuant to this Section 2.03(c) to reimburse the L/C Issuer for any amount
drawn under any Letter of Credit, interest in respect of such Lender's
Applicable Percentage of such amount shall be solely for the account of the
L/C Issuer.
(v) Each Lender's obligation to make Committed Loans or L/C Advances
to reimburse the L/C Issuer for amounts drawn under Letters of Credit, as
contemplated by this Section 2.03(c), shall be absolute and unconditional
and shall not be affected by any circumstance, including (A) any setoff,
counterclaim, recoupment, defense or other right which such Lender may have
against the L/C Issuer, the Borrower or any other Person for any reason
whatsoever; (B) the occurrence or continuance of a Default, or (C) any
other occurrence, event or condition, whether or not similar to any of the
foregoing; provided, however, that each Lender's obligation to make
Committed Loans pursuant to this Section 2.03(c) is subject to the
conditions set forth in Section 4.03 (other than delivery by the Borrower
of a Committed Loan Notice). No such making of an L/C Advance shall relieve
or otherwise impair the obligation of the Borrower to reimburse the L/C
Issuer for the amount of any payment made by the L/C Issuer under any
Letter of Credit, together with interest as provided herein.
(vi) If any Lender fails to make available to the Administrative Agent
for the account of the L/C Issuer any amount required to be paid by such
Lender pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.03(c) by the
time specified in Section 2.03(c)(ii), the L/C Issuer shall be entitled to
recover from such Lender (acting through the Administrative Agent), on
demand, such amount with interest thereon for the period from
32
the date such payment is required to the date on which such payment is
immediately available to the L/C Issuer at a rate per annum equal to the
greater of the Federal Funds Rate and a rate determined by the L/C Issuer
in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation. A
certificate of the L/C Issuer submitted to any Lender (through the
Administrative Agent) with respect to any amounts owing under this clause
(vi) shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
(d) Repayment of Participations.
(i) At any time after the L/C Issuer has made a payment under any
Letter of Credit and has received from any Lender such Lender's L/C Advance
in respect of such payment in accordance with Section 2.03(c), if the
Administrative Agent receives for the account of the L/C Issuer any payment
in respect of the related Unreimbursed Amount or interest thereon (whether
directly from the Borrower or otherwise, including proceeds of Cash
Collateral applied thereto by the Administrative Agent), the Administrative
Agent will distribute to such Lender its Applicable Percentage thereof
(appropriately adjusted, in the case of interest payments, to reflect the
period of time during which such Lender's L/C Advance was outstanding) in
the same funds as those received by the Administrative Agent.
(ii) If any payment received by the Administrative Agent for the
account of the L/C Issuer pursuant to Section 2.03(c)(i) is required to be
returned under any of the circumstances described in Section 10.05
(including pursuant to any settlement entered into by the L/C Issuer in its
discretion), each Lender shall pay to the Administrative Agent for the
account of the L/C Issuer its Applicable Percentage thereof on demand of
the Administrative Agent, plus interest thereon from the date of such
demand to the date such amount is returned by such Lender, at a rate per
annum equal to the Federal Funds Rate from time to time in effect. The
obligations of the Lenders under this clause shall survive the payment in
full of the Obligations and the termination of this Agreement.
(e) Obligations Absolute. The obligation of the Borrower to reimburse the
L/C Issuer for each drawing under each Letter of Credit and to repay each L/C
Borrowing shall be absolute, unconditional and irrevocable, and shall be paid
strictly in accordance with the terms of this Agreement under all circumstances,
including the following:
(i) any lack of validity or enforceability of such Letter of Credit,
this Agreement, or any other Loan Document;
(ii) the existence of any claim, counterclaim, setoff, defense or
other right that the Borrower or any Subsidiary may have at any time
against any beneficiary or any transferee of such Letter of Credit (or any
Person for whom any such beneficiary or any such transferee may be acting),
the L/C Issuer or any other Person, whether in connection with this
Agreement, the transactions contemplated hereby or by such Letter of Credit
or any agreement or instrument relating thereto, or any unrelated
transaction;
(iii) any draft, demand, certificate or other document presented under
such Letter of Credit proving to be forged, fraudulent, invalid or
insufficient in any respect or
33
any statement therein being untrue or inaccurate in any respect; or any
loss or delay in the transmission or otherwise of any document required in
order to make a drawing under such Letter of Credit;
(iv) any payment by the L/C Issuer under such Letter of Credit against
presentation of a draft or certificate that does not strictly comply with
the terms of such Letter of Credit; or any payment made by the L/C Issuer
under such Letter of Credit to any Person purporting to be a trustee in
bankruptcy, debtor-in-possession, assignee for the benefit of creditors,
liquidator, receiver or other representative of or successor to any
beneficiary or any transferee of such Letter of Credit, including any
arising in connection with any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law; or
(v) any other circumstance or happening whatsoever, whether or not
similar to any of the foregoing, including any other circumstance that
might otherwise constitute a defense available to, or a discharge of, the
Borrower or any Subsidiary.
The Borrower shall promptly examine a copy of each Letter of Credit and
each amendment thereto that is delivered to it and, in the event of any claim of
noncompliance with the Borrower's instructions or other irregularity in the
terms or form of such Letter of Credit or amendment, as the case may be, the
Borrower will promptly notify the L/C Issuer. The Borrower shall be conclusively
deemed to have waived any such claim against the L/C Issuer and its
correspondents unless such notice is given as aforesaid.
(f) Role of L/C Issuer. Each Lender and the Borrower agree that, in paying
any drawing under a Letter of Credit, the L/C Issuer shall not have any
responsibility to obtain any document (other than any sight draft, certificates
and documents expressly required by the Letter of Credit) or to ascertain or
inquire as to the validity or accuracy of any such document or the authority of
the Person executing or delivering any such document. None of the L/C Issuer,
the Administrative Agent, any of their respective Related Parties nor any
correspondent, participant or assignee of the L/C Issuer shall be liable to any
Lender for (i) any action taken or omitted in connection herewith at the request
or with the approval of the Lenders or the Required Lenders, as applicable; (ii)
any action taken or omitted in the absence of gross negligence or willful
misconduct; or (iii) the due execution, effectiveness, validity or
enforceability of any document or instrument related to any Letter of Credit or
Issuer Document. The Borrower hereby assumes all risks of the acts or omissions
of any beneficiary or transferee with respect to its use of any Letter of
Credit; provided, however, that this assumption is not intended to, and shall
not, preclude the Borrower's pursuing such rights and remedies as it may have
against the beneficiary or transferee at law or under any other agreement. None
of the L/C Issuer, the Administrative Agent, any of their respective Related
Parties nor any correspondent, participant or assignee of the L/C Issuer shall
be liable or responsible for any of the matters described in clauses (i) through
(v) of Section 2.03(e); provided, however, that anything in such clauses to the
contrary notwithstanding, the Borrower may have a claim against the L/C Issuer,
and the L/C Issuer may be liable to the Borrower, to the extent, but only to the
extent, of any direct, as opposed to consequential or exemplary, damages
suffered by the Borrower which the Borrower proves were caused by the L/C
Issuer's willful misconduct or gross negligence or the L/C Issuer's willful
failure to pay under any Letter of Credit after the presentation to it by the
beneficiary of a sight draft and certificate(s) strictly complying with the
terms and conditions of a Letter of Credit. In
34
furtherance and not in limitation of the foregoing, the L/C Issuer may accept
documents that appear on their face to be in order, without responsibility for
further investigation, regardless of any notice or information to the contrary,
and the L/C Issuer shall not be responsible for the validity or sufficiency of
any instrument transferring or assigning or purporting to transfer or assign a
Letter of Credit or the rights or benefits thereunder or proceeds thereof, in
whole or in part, which may prove to be invalid or ineffective for any reason.
(g) Cash Collateral. Upon the request of the Administrative Agent, (i) if
the L/C Issuer has honored any full or partial drawing request under any Letter
of Credit and such drawing has resulted in an L/C Borrowing, or (ii) if, as of
the Letter of Credit Expiration Date, any L/C Obligation for any reason remains
outstanding, the Borrower shall, in each case, immediately Cash Collateralize
the then Outstanding Amount of all L/C Obligations. Sections 2.05 and 8.02(c)
set forth certain additional requirements to deliver Cash Collateral hereunder.
For purposes of this Section 2.03, Section 2.05, Section 2.06 and Section
8.02(c), "Cash Collateralize" means to pledge and deposit with or deliver to the
Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the L/C Issuer and the Lenders, as
collateral for the L/C Obligations, cash or deposit account balances pursuant to
documentation in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and
the L/C Issuer (which documents are hereby consented to by the Lenders).
Derivatives of such term have corresponding meanings. The Borrower hereby grants
to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the L/C Issuer and the Lenders,
a security interest in all such cash, deposit accounts and all balances therein
and all proceeds of the foregoing. Cash Collateral shall be maintained in
blocked, non-interest bearing deposit accounts at Bank of America.
(h) Applicability of ISP. Unless otherwise expressly agreed by the L/C
Issuer and the Borrower when a Letter of Credit is issued, the rules of the ISP
shall apply to each Letter of Credit.
(i) Letter of Credit Fees. The Borrower shall pay to the Administrative
Agent for the account of each Lender in accordance with its Applicable
Percentage a Letter of Credit fee (the "Letter of Credit Fee") for each Letter
of Credit equal to the Applicable Rate times the daily amount available to be
drawn under such Letter of Credit. For purposes of computing the daily amount
available to be drawn under any Letter of Credit, the amount of such Letter of
Credit shall be determined in accordance with Section 1.06. Letter of Credit
Fees shall be (i) computed on a quarterly basis in arrears and (ii) due and
payable on the first Business Day after the end of each March, June, September
and December, commencing with the first such date to occur after the issuance of
such Letter of Credit, on the Letter of Credit Expiration Date and thereafter on
demand. If there is any change in the Applicable Rate during any quarter, the
daily amount available to be drawn under each Letter of Credit shall be computed
and multiplied by the Applicable Rate separately for each period during such
quarter that such Applicable Rate was in effect. Notwithstanding anything to the
contrary contained herein, so long as any Payment Default exists, upon the
request of the Required Lenders all Letter of Credit Fees will accrue at the
Default Rate.
(j) Fronting Fee and Documentary and Processing Charges Payable to L/C
Issuer. The Borrower shall pay directly to the L/C Issuer for its own account a
fronting fee with respect to each Letter of Credit, at the rate per annum
specified in the Fee Letter, computed on the daily
35
amount available to be drawn under such Letter of Credit and on a quarterly
basis in arrears. Such fronting fee shall be due and payable on the tenth
Business Day after the end of each March, June, September and December in
respect of the most recently-ended quarterly period (or portion thereof, in the
case of the first payment), commencing with the first such date to occur after
the issuance of such Letter of Credit, on the Letter of Credit Expiration Date
and thereafter on demand. For purposes of computing the daily amount available
to be drawn under any Letter of Credit, the amount of such Letter of Credit
shall be determined in accordance with Section 1.06. In addition, the Borrower
shall pay directly to the L/C Issuer for its own account the customary issuance,
presentation, amendment and other processing fees, and other standard costs and
charges, of the L/C Issuer relating to letters of credit as from time to time in
effect. Such customary fees and standard costs and charges are due and payable
on demand and are nonrefundable.
(k) Conflict with Issuer Documents. In the event of any conflict between
the terms hereof and the terms of any Issuer Document, the terms hereof shall
control.
(l) Letters of Credit Issued for Subsidiaries. Notwithstanding that a
Letter of Credit issued or outstanding hereunder is in support of any
obligations of, or is for the account of, a Subsidiary, the Borrower shall be
obligated to reimburse the L/C Issuer hereunder for any and all drawings under
such Letter of Credit. The Borrower hereby acknowledges that the issuance of
Letters of Credit for the account of Subsidiaries inures to the benefit of the
Borrower, and that the Borrower's business derives substantial benefits from the
businesses of such Subsidiaries.
2.04 SWING LINE LOANS.
(a) The Swing Line. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein,
the Swing Line Lender agrees, in reliance upon the agreements of the other
Lenders set forth in this Section 2.04, to make loans (each such loan, a "Swing
Line Loan") to the Borrower from time to time on any Business Day during the
Availability Period in an aggregate amount not to exceed at any time outstanding
the amount of the Swing Line Sublimit, notwithstanding the fact that such Swing
Line Loans, when aggregated with the Applicable Percentage of the Outstanding
Amount of Committed Loans and L/C Obligations of the Lender acting as Swing Line
Lender, may exceed the amount of such Lender's Commitment; provided, however,
that after giving effect to any Swing Line Loan, (i) the Total Outstandings
shall not exceed the Aggregate Commitments, and (ii) the aggregate Outstanding
Amount of the Committed Loans of any Lender, plus such Lender's Applicable
Percentage of the Outstanding Amount of all L/C Obligations, plus such Lender's
Applicable Percentage of the Outstanding Amount of all Swing Line Loans shall
not exceed such Lender's Commitment, and provided, further, that the Borrower
shall not use the proceeds of any Swing Line Loan to refinance any outstanding
Swing Line Loan. Within the foregoing limits, and subject to the other terms and
conditions hereof, the Borrower may borrow under this Section 2.04, prepay under
Section 2.05, and reborrow under this Section 2.04. Each Swing Line Loan shall
be a Base Rate Loan or shall bear interest at a rate agreed to between the
Borrower and the Swing Line Lender prior to funding such Loan. Immediately upon
the making of a Swing Line Loan, each Lender shall be deemed to, and hereby
irrevocably and unconditionally agrees to, purchase from the Swing Line Lender a
risk participation in such Swing Line Loan in an amount equal to the product of
such Lender's Applicable Percentage times the amount of such Swing Line Loan.
36
(b) Borrowing Procedures. Each Swing Line Borrowing shall be made upon the
Borrower's irrevocable notice to the Swing Line Lender and the Administrative
Agent, which may be given by telephone. Each such notice must be received by the
Swing Line Lender and the Administrative Agent not later than 12:00 noon on the
requested borrowing date, and shall specify (i) the amount to be borrowed, which
shall be a minimum of $100,000, and (ii) the requested borrowing date, which
shall be a Business Day. Each such telephonic notice must be confirmed promptly
by delivery to the Swing Line Lender and the Administrative Agent of a written
Swing Line Loan Notice, appropriately completed and signed by a Responsible
Officer of the Borrower. Promptly after receipt by the Swing Line Lender of any
telephonic Swing Line Loan Notice, the Swing Line Lender will confirm with the
Administrative Agent (by telephone or in writing) that the Administrative Agent
has also received such Swing Line Loan Notice and, if not, the Swing Line Lender
will notify the Administrative Agent (by telephone or in writing) of the
contents thereof. Unless the Swing Line Lender has received notice (by telephone
or in writing) from the Administrative Agent (including at the request of any
Lender) prior to 1:00 p.m. on the date of the proposed Swing Line Borrowing (A)
directing the Swing Line Lender not to make such Swing Line Loan as a result of
the limitations set forth in the proviso to the first sentence of Section
2.04(a), or (B) that one or more of the applicable conditions specified in
Article IV is not then satisfied, then, subject to the terms and conditions
hereof, the Swing Line Lender will, not later than 2:00 p.m. on the borrowing
date specified in such Swing Line Loan Notice, make the amount of its Swing Line
Loan available to the Borrower at its office by crediting the account of the
Borrower on the books of the Swing Line Lender in immediately available funds.
(c) Refinancing of Swing Line Loans.
(i) The Swing Line Lender at any time in its sole and absolute
discretion may request, on behalf of the Borrower (which hereby irrevocably
authorizes the Swing Line Lender to so request on its behalf), that each
Lender make a Base Rate Committed Loan in an amount equal to such Lender's
Applicable Percentage of the amount of Swing Line Loans then outstanding.
Such request shall be made in writing (which written request shall be
deemed to be a Committed Loan Notice for purposes hereof) and in accordance
with the requirements of Section 2.02, without regard to the minimum and
multiples specified therein for the principal amount of Base Rate Loans,
but subject to the unutilized portion of the Aggregate Commitments and the
conditions set forth in Section 4.03. The Swing Line Lender shall furnish
the Borrower with a copy of the applicable Committed Loan Notice promptly
after delivering such notice to the Administrative Agent. Each Lender shall
make an amount equal to its Applicable Percentage of the amount specified
in such Committed Loan Notice available to the Administrative Agent in
immediately available funds for the account of the Swing Line Lender at the
Administrative Agent's Office not later than 12:00 noon on the day
specified in such Committed Loan Notice, whereupon, subject to Section
2.04(c)(ii), each Lender that so makes funds available shall be deemed to
have made a Base Rate Committed Loan to the Borrower in such amount. The
Administrative Agent shall remit the funds so received to the Swing Line
Lender.
(ii) If for any reason any Swing Line Loan cannot be refinanced by
such a Committed Borrowing in accordance with Section 2.04(c)(i), the
request for Base Rate
37
Committed Loans submitted by the Swing Line Lender as set forth herein
shall be deemed to be a request by the Swing Line Lender that each of the
Lenders fund its risk participation in the relevant Swing Line Loan and
each Lender's payment to the Administrative Agent for the account of the
Swing Line Lender pursuant to Section 2.04(c)(i) shall be deemed payment in
respect of such participation.
(iii) If any Lender fails to make available to the Administrative
Agent for the account of the Swing Line Lender any amount required to be
paid by such Lender pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section
2.04(c) by the time specified in Section 2.04(c)(i), the Swing Line Lender
shall be entitled to recover from such Lender (acting through the
Administrative Agent), on demand, such amount with interest thereon for the
period from the date such payment is required to the date on which such
payment is immediately available to the Swing Line Lender at a rate per
annum equal to the greater of the Federal Funds Rate and a rate determined
by the Swing Line Lender in accordance with banking industry rules on
interbank compensation. A certificate of the Swing Line Lender submitted to
any Lender (through the Administrative Agent) with respect to any amounts
owing under this clause (iii) shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
(iv) Each Lender's obligation to make Committed Loans or to purchase
and fund risk participations in Swing Line Loans pursuant to this Section
2.04(c) shall be absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by
any circumstance, including (A) any setoff, counterclaim, recoupment,
defense or other right which such Lender may have against the Swing Line
Lender, the Borrower or any other Person for any reason whatsoever, (B) the
occurrence or continuance of a Default, or (C) any other occurrence, event
or condition, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing; provided,
however, that each Lender's obligation to make Committed Loans pursuant to
this Section 2.04(c) is subject to the conditions set forth in Section
4.03. No such funding of risk participations shall relieve or otherwise
impair the obligation of the Borrower to repay Swing Line Loans, together
with interest as provided herein.
(d) Repayment of Participations.
(i) At any time after any Lender has purchased and funded a risk
participation in a Swing Line Loan, if the Swing Line Lender receives any
payment on account of such Swing Line Loan, the Swing Line Lender will
distribute to such Lender its Applicable Percentage of such payment
(appropriately adjusted, in the case of interest payments, to reflect the
period of time during which such Lender's risk participation was funded) in
the same funds as those received by the Swing Line Lender.
(ii) If any payment received by the Swing Line Lender in respect of
principal or interest on any Swing Line Loan is required to be returned by
the Swing Line Lender under any of the circumstances described in Section
10.05 (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by the Swing Line
Lender in its discretion), each Lender shall pay to the Swing Line Lender
its Applicable Percentage thereof on demand of the Administrative Agent,
plus interest thereon from the date of such demand to the date such amount
is returned, at a rate per annum equal to the Federal Funds Rate. The
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Administrative Agent will make such demand upon the request of the Swing
Line Lender. The obligations of the Lenders under this clause shall survive
the payment in full of the Obligations and the termination of this
Agreement.
(e) Interest for Account of Swing Line Lender. The Swing Line Lender shall
be responsible for invoicing the Borrower for interest on the Swing Line Loans.
Until each Lender funds its Base Rate Committed Loan or risk participation
pursuant to this Section 2.04 to refinance such Lender's Applicable Percentage
of any Swing Line Loan, interest in respect of such Applicable Percentage shall
be solely for the account of the Swing Line Lender.
(f) Payments Directly to Swing Line Lender. The Borrower shall make all
payments of principal and interest in respect of the Swing Line Loans directly
to the Swing Line Lender.
2.05 PREPAYMENTS.
(a) The Borrower may, upon notice to the Administrative Agent, at any time
or from time to time voluntarily prepay Committed Loans in whole or in part
without premium or penalty; provided that (i) such notice must be received by
the Administrative Agent not later than 10:00 a.m. (A) three Business Days prior
to any date of prepayment of Eurodollar Rate Loans and (B) on the date of
prepayment of Base Rate Committed Loans; (ii) any prepayment of Eurodollar Rate
Loans shall be in a principal amount of $1,000,000 or a whole multiple of
$1,000,000 in excess thereof; and (iii) any prepayment of Base Rate Committed
Loans shall be in a principal amount of $500,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000
in excess thereof or, in each case, if less, the entire principal amount thereof
then outstanding. Each such notice shall specify the date and amount of such
prepayment and the Type(s) of Committed Loans to be prepaid. The Administrative
Agent will promptly notify each Lender of its receipt of each such notice, and
of the amount of such Lender's Applicable Percentage of such prepayment. If such
notice is given by the Borrower, the Borrower shall make such prepayment and the
payment amount specified in such notice shall be due and payable on the date
specified therein. Any prepayment of a Eurodollar Rate Loan shall be accompanied
by all accrued interest on the amount prepaid, together with any additional
amounts required pursuant to Section 3.05. Each such prepayment shall be applied
to the Committed Loans of the Lenders in accordance with their respective
Applicable Percentages.
(b) The Borrower may, upon notice to the Swing Line Lender (with a copy to
the Administrative Agent), at any time or from time to time, voluntarily prepay
Swing Line Loans in whole or in part without premium or penalty; provided that
(i) such notice must be received by the Swing Line Lender and the Administrative
Agent not later than 12:00 noon on the date of the prepayment, and (ii) any such
prepayment shall be in a minimum principal amount of $100,000. Each such notice
shall specify the date and amount of such prepayment. If such notice is given by
the Borrower, the Borrower shall make such prepayment and the payment amount
specified in such notice shall be due and payable on the date specified therein.
(c) If for any reason the Total Outstandings at any time exceed the
Aggregate Commitments then in effect, the Borrower shall immediately prepay
Loans and/or Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations in an aggregate amount equal
to such excess; provided, however, that the Borrower shall not be required to
Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations
39
pursuant to this Section 2.05(c) unless after the prepayment in full of the
Loans the Total Outstandings exceed the Aggregate Commitments then in effect.
2.06 TERMINATION OR REDUCTION OF COMMITMENTS. The Borrower may, upon notice
to the Administrative Agent, terminate the Aggregate Commitments, or from time
to time permanently reduce the Aggregate Commitments; provided that (i) any such
notice shall be received by the Administrative Agent not later than 10:00 a.m.
three Business Days prior to the date of termination or reduction, (ii) any such
partial reduction shall be in an aggregate amount of $10,000,000 or any whole
multiple of $1,000,000 in excess thereof, (iii) the Borrower shall not terminate
or reduce the Aggregate Commitments if, after giving effect thereto and to any
concurrent prepayments hereunder, the Total Outstandings (other than the
Outstanding Amount of L/C Obligations that have been Cash Collateralized) would
exceed the Aggregate Commitments, and (iv) if, after giving effect to any
reduction of the Aggregate Commitments, the Letter of Credit Sublimit or the
Swing Line Sublimit exceeds the amount of the Aggregate Commitments, such
Sublimit shall be automatically reduced by the amount of such excess. The
Administrative Agent will promptly notify the Lenders of any such notice of
termination or reduction of the Aggregate Commitments. Any reduction of the
Aggregate Commitments shall be applied to the Commitment of each Lender
according to its Applicable Percentage. All fees accrued until the effective
date of any termination of the Aggregate Commitments shall be paid on the
effective date of such termination.
2.07 REPAYMENT OF LOANS.
(a) The Borrower shall repay to the Lenders on the Maturity Date the
aggregate principal amount of Committed Loans outstanding on such date.
(b) The Borrower shall repay each Swing Line Loan on the earlier to occur
of (i) the date ten Business Days after such Loan is made and (ii) the Maturity
Date.
2.08 INTEREST.
(a) Subject to the provisions of subsection (b) below, (i) each Eurodollar
Rate Loan shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof for
each Interest Period at a rate per annum equal to the Eurodollar Rate for such
Interest Period plus the Applicable Rate; (ii) each Base Rate Committed Loan
shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof from the
applicable borrowing date at a rate per annum equal to the Base Rate; and (iii)
each Swing Line Loan shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount
thereof from the applicable borrowing date at a rate per annum equal to the Base
Rate (unless otherwise agreed to between the Borrower and the Swing Line Lender
in writing prior to funding such Loan).
(b) (i) If Payment Default exists with respect to any amount of principal
of any Loan, such amount shall thereafter bear interest at a fluctuating
interest rate per annum at all times equal to the Default Rate to the
fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws.
(ii) If any Payment Default exists with respect to any other amount
(other than principal of any Loan) payable by the Borrower under any Loan
Document, then upon the request of the Required Lenders, such amount shall
thereafter bear interest at a
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fluctuating interest rate per annum at all times equal to the Default Rate
to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws.
(iii) So long as any Payment Default exists, upon the request of the
Required Lenders the principal amount of all outstanding Obligations
hereunder (to the extent not already subject to the Default Rate pursuant
to clause (i) or (ii) above) shall bear interest at a fluctuating interest
rate per annum at all times equal to the Default Rate to the fullest extent
permitted by applicable Laws.
(iv) Accrued and unpaid interest on past due amounts (including
interest on past due interest) shall be due and payable upon demand.
(c) Interest on each Loan shall be due and payable in arrears on each
Interest Payment Date applicable thereto and at such other times as may be
specified herein. Interest hereunder shall be due and payable in accordance with
the terms hereof before and after judgment, and before and after the
commencement of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law.
2.09 FEES. In addition to certain fees described in subsections (i) and (j)
of Section 2.03:
(a) Facility Fee. The Borrower shall pay to the Administrative Agent for
the account of each Lender in accordance with its Applicable Percentage, a
facility fee equal to the Applicable Rate times the actual daily amount of the
Aggregate Commitments (or, if the Aggregate Commitments have terminated, on the
Outstanding Amount of all Committed Loans, Swing Line Loans and L/C
Obligations), regardless of usage. The facility fee shall accrue at all times
during the Availability Period (and thereafter so long as any Committed Loans,
Swing Line Loans or L/C Obligations remain outstanding), including at any time
during which one or more of the conditions in Article IV is not met, and shall
be due and payable quarterly in arrears on the last Business Day of each March,
June, September and December, commencing with the first such date to occur after
the Closing Date, and on the Maturity Date (and, if applicable, thereafter on
demand). The facility fee shall be calculated quarterly in arrears, and if there
is any change in the Applicable Rate during any quarter, the actual daily amount
shall be computed and multiplied by the Applicable Rate separately for each
period during such quarter that such Applicable Rate was in effect.
(b) Other Fees. (i) The Borrower shall pay to BAS and the Administrative
Agent for their own respective accounts fees in the amounts and at the times
specified in the Fee Letter. Such fees shall be fully earned when paid and shall
not be refundable for any reason whatsoever.
(ii) The Borrower shall pay to the Lenders such fees as shall have
been separately agreed upon in writing in the amounts and at the times so
specified. Such fees shall be fully earned when paid and shall not be
refundable for any reason whatsoever.
2.10 COMPUTATION OF INTEREST AND FEES. All computations of interest for
Base Rate Loans when the Base Rate is determined by Bank of America's "prime
rate" shall be made on the basis of a year of 365 or 366 days, as the case may
be, and actual days elapsed. All other
41
computations of fees and interest shall be made on the basis of a 360-day year
and actual days elapsed (which results in more fees or interest, as applicable,
being paid than if computed on the basis of a 365-day year). Interest shall
accrue on each Loan for the day on which the Loan is made, and shall not accrue
on a Loan, or any portion thereof, for the day on which the Loan or such portion
is paid, provided that any Loan that is repaid on the same day on which it is
made shall, subject to Section 2.12(a), bear interest for one day. Each
determination by the Administrative Agent of an interest rate or fee hereunder
shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes, absent manifest error.
2.11 EVIDENCE OF DEBT.
(a) The Credit Extensions made by each Lender shall be evidenced by one or
more accounts or records maintained by such Lender and by the Administrative
Agent in the ordinary course of business. The accounts or records maintained by
the Administrative Agent and each Lender shall be conclusive absent manifest
error of the amount of the Credit Extensions made by the Lenders to the Borrower
and the interest and payments thereon. Any failure to so record or any error in
doing so shall not, however, limit or otherwise affect the obligation of the
Borrower hereunder to pay any amount owing with respect to the Obligations. In
the event of any conflict between the accounts and records maintained by any
Lender and the accounts and records of the Administrative Agent in respect of
such matters, the accounts and records of the Administrative Agent shall control
in the absence of manifest error. Upon the request of any Lender made through
the Administrative Agent, the Borrower shall execute and deliver to such Lender
(through the Administrative Agent) a Note, which shall evidence such Lender's
Loans in addition to such accounts or records. Each Lender may attach schedules
to its Note and endorse thereon the date, Type (if applicable), amount and
maturity of its Loans and payments with respect thereto.
(b) In addition to the accounts and records referred to in subsection (a),
each Lender and the Administrative Agent shall maintain in accordance with its
usual practice accounts or records evidencing the purchases and sales by such
Lender of participations in Letters of Credit and Swing Line Loans. In the event
of any conflict between the accounts and records maintained by the
Administrative Agent and the accounts and records of any Lender in respect of
such matters, the accounts and records of the Administrative Agent shall control
in the absence of manifest error.
2.12 PAYMENTS GENERALLY; ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT'S CLAWBACK.
(a) General. All payments to be made by the Borrower shall be made without
condition or deduction for any counterclaim, defense, recoupment or setoff.
Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all payments by the Borrower
hereunder shall be made to the Administrative Agent, for the account of the
respective Lenders to which such payment is owed, at the Administrative Agent's
Office in Dollars and in immediately available funds not later than 1:00 p.m on
the date specified herein. The Administrative Agent will promptly distribute to
each Lender its Applicable Percentage (or other applicable share as provided
herein) of such payment in like funds as received by wire transfer to such
Lender's Lending Office. All payments received by the Administrative Agent after
1:00 p.m. shall be deemed received on the next succeeding Business Day and any
applicable interest or fee shall continue to accrue. If any
42
payment to be made by the Borrower shall come due on a day other than a Business
Day, payment shall be made on the next following Business Day, and such
extension of time shall be reflected in computing interest or fees, as the case
may be.
(b) (i) Funding by Lenders; Presumption by Administrative Agent. Unless the
Administrative Agent shall have received notice from a Lender prior to the
proposed date of any Committed Borrowing of Eurodollar Rate Loans (or, in the
case of any Committed Borrowing of Base Rate Loans, prior to 12:00 noon on the
date of such Committed Borrowing) that such Lender will not make available to
the Administrative Agent such Lender's share of such Committed Borrowing, the
Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender has made such share available
on such date in accordance with Section 2.02 (or, in the case of a Committed
Borrowing of Base Rate Loans, that such Lender has made such share available in
accordance with and at the time required by Section 2.02) and may, in reliance
upon such assumption, make available to the Borrower a corresponding amount. In
such event, if a Lender has not in fact made its share of the applicable
Committed Borrowing available to the Administrative Agent, then the applicable
Lender and the Borrower severally agree to pay to the Administrative Agent
forthwith on demand such corresponding amount in immediately available funds
with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is
made available to the Borrower to but excluding the date of payment to the
Administrative Agent, at (A) in the case of a payment to be made by such Lender,
the greater of the Federal Funds Rate and a rate determined by the
Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank
compensation and (B) in the case of a payment to be made by the Borrower, the
interest rate applicable to the relevant Loans (without duplication of any
interest paid in accordance with Section 2.08). If the Borrower and such Lender
shall pay such interest to the Administrative Agent for the same or an
overlapping period, the Administrative Agent shall promptly remit to the
Borrower the amount of such interest paid by the Borrower for such period. If
such Lender pays its share of the applicable Committed Borrowing to the
Administrative Agent, then the amount so paid shall constitute such Lender's
Committed Loan included in such Committed Borrowing. Any payment by the Borrower
shall be without prejudice to any claim the Borrower may have against a Lender
that shall have failed to make such payment to the Administrative Agent.
(ii) Payments by Borrower; Presumptions by Administrative Agent.
Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from the
Borrower prior to the date on which any payment is due to the
Administrative Agent for the account of the Lenders or the L/C Issuer
hereunder that the Borrower will not make such payment, the Administrative
Agent may assume that the Borrower has made such payment on such date in
accordance herewith and may, in reliance upon such assumption, distribute
to the Lenders or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, the amount due. In
such event, if the Borrower has not in fact made such payment, then each of
the Lenders or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, severally agrees to
repay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand the amount so
distributed to such Lender or the L/C Issuer, in immediately available
funds with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such
amount is distributed to it to but excluding the date of payment to the
Administrative Agent, at the greater of the Federal Funds Rate and a rate
determined by the
43
Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank
compensation.
A notice of the Administrative Agent to any Lender or the Borrower with
respect to any amount owing under this subsection (b) shall be conclusive,
absent manifest error.
(c) Failure to Satisfy Conditions Precedent. If any Lender makes available
to the Administrative Agent funds for any Loan to be made by such Lender as
provided in the foregoing provisions of this Article II, and such funds are not
made available to the Borrower by the Administrative Agent because the
conditions to the applicable Credit Extension set forth in Article IV are not
satisfied or waived in accordance with the terms hereof, the Administrative
Agent shall return such funds (in like funds as received from such Lender) to
such Lender, without interest.
(d) Obligations of Lenders Several. The obligations of the Lenders
hereunder to make Committed Loans, to fund participations in Letters of Credit
and Swing Line Loans and to make payments pursuant to Section 10.04(c) are
several and not joint. The failure of any Lender to make any Committed Loan, to
fund any such participation or to make any payment under Section 10.04(c) on any
date required hereunder shall not relieve any other Lender of its corresponding
obligation to do so on such date, and no Lender shall be responsible for the
failure of any other Lender to so make its Committed Loan, to purchase its
participation or to make its payment under Section 10.04(c).
(e) Funding Source. Nothing herein shall be deemed to obligate any Lender
to obtain the funds for any Loan in any particular place or manner or to
constitute a representation by any Lender that it has obtained or will obtain
the funds for any Loan in any particular place or manner.
2.13 SHARING OF PAYMENTS BY LENDERS. If any Lender shall, by exercising any
right of setoff or counterclaim or otherwise, obtain payment in respect of any
principal of or interest on any of the Committed Loans made by it, or the
participations in L/C Obligations or in Swing Line Loans held by it resulting in
such Lender's receiving payment of a proportion of the aggregate amount of such
Committed Loans or participations and accrued interest thereon greater than its
pro rata share thereof as provided herein, then the Lender receiving such
greater proportion shall (a) notify the Administrative Agent of such fact, and
(b) purchase (for cash at face value) participations in the Committed Loans and
subparticipations in L/C Obligations and Swing Line Loans of the other Lenders,
or make such other adjustments as shall be equitable, so that the benefit of all
such payments shall be shared by the Lenders ratably in accordance with the
aggregate amount of principal of and accrued interest on their respective
Committed Loans and other amounts owing them, provided that:
(i) if any such participations or subparticipations are purchased and
all or any portion of the payment giving rise thereto is recovered, such
participations or subparticipations shall be rescinded and the purchase
price restored to the extent of such recovery, without interest; and
44
(ii) the provisions of this Section shall not be construed to apply to
(x) any payment made by the Borrower pursuant to and in accordance with the
express terms of this Agreement or (y) any payment obtained by a Lender as
consideration for the assignment of or sale of a participation in any of
its Committed Loans or subparticipations in L/C Obligations or Swing Line
Loans to any assignee or participant, other than to the Borrower or any
Subsidiary thereof (as to which the provisions of this Section shall
apply).
The Borrower consents to the foregoing and agrees, to the extent it may
effectively do so under applicable law, that any Lender acquiring a
participation pursuant to the foregoing arrangements may exercise against the
Borrower rights of setoff and counterclaim with respect to such participation as
fully as if such Lender were a direct creditor of the Borrower in the amount of
such participation.
2.14 INCREASE IN COMMITMENTS.
(a) Request for Increase. Provided there exists no Default and there has
been no prior reduction of the Aggregate Commitments, upon notice to the
Administrative Agent (which shall promptly notify the Lenders), the Borrower may
from time to time, request an increase in the Aggregate Commitments by an amount
(for all such requests) not exceeding $100,000,000; provided that (i) any such
request for an increase shall be in a minimum amount of $50,000,000, and (ii) no
such increase shall result in any increase in the Letter of Credit Sublimit or
the Swing Line Sublimit. At the time of sending such notice, the Borrower (in
consultation with the Administrative Agent) shall specify the time period within
which each Lender is requested to respond (which shall in no event be less than
ten Business Days from the date of delivery of such notice to the Lenders).
(b) Lender Elections to Increase. Each Lender shall notify the
Administrative Agent within such time period whether or not it agrees to
increase its Commitment and, if so, whether by an amount equal to, greater than,
or less than its Applicable Percentage of such requested increase. Any Lender
not responding within such time period shall be deemed to have declined to
increase its Commitment.
(c) Notification by Administrative Agent; Additional Lenders. The
Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and each Lender of the Lenders'
responses to each request made hereunder. To the extent the Lenders have not
agreed to increase their respective Commitments in an amount sufficient to
provide the full amount of a requested increase, subject to the approval of the
Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuer (which approvals shall not be
unreasonably withheld), the Borrower may also invite additional Eligible
Assignees to become Lenders in order to provide, together with the existing
Lenders increasing their Commitments, the aggregate requested additional
Commitments. In order to become a Lender, each such additional Eligible Assignee
shall execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent a joinder agreement in
form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and its counsel.
(d) Effective Date and Allocations. If the Aggregate Commitments are
increased in accordance with this Section, the Administrative Agent and the
Borrower shall determine the effective date (the "Increase Effective Date") and
the final allocation of such increase. The
45
Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the Borrower and the Lenders of the
final allocation of such increase and the Increase Effective Date.
(e) Conditions to Effectiveness of Increase. As a condition precedent to
such increase, the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent a
certificate of each Loan Party dated as of the Increase Effective Date (in
sufficient copies for each Lender) signed by a Responsible Officer of such Loan
Party (i) certifying and attaching the resolutions adopted by such Loan Party
approving or consenting to such increase, and (ii) in the case of the Borrower,
certifying that, before and after giving effect to such increase, (A) the
representations and warranties contained in Article V and the other Loan
Documents are true and correct on and as of the Increase Effective Date, except
to the extent that such representations and warranties specifically refer to an
earlier date, in which case they are true and correct as of such earlier date,
and except that for purposes of this Section 2.14, the representations and
warranties contained in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 5.05 shall be deemed
to refer to the most recent statements furnished pursuant to clauses (a) and
(b), respectively, of Section 6.01, and (B) no Default exists. On each Increase
Effective Date, (i) each relevant Lender that is increasing its Commitment shall
make available to the Administrative Agent such amounts in immediately available
funds as such Administrative Agent shall determine, for the benefit of the other
relevant Lenders, as being required in order to cause, after giving effect to
such increase and the application of such amounts to make payments to such other
relevant Lenders, the outstanding Committed Loans (and risk participations in
outstanding Swing Line Loans and Letter of Credit Exposure) to be held ratably
by all Lenders in accordance with their respective revised Applicable
Percentages, (ii) the Borrower shall be deemed to have prepaid and reborrowed
the outstanding Committed Loans as of such Increase Effective Date to the extent
necessary to keep the outstanding Committed Loans ratable with any revised
Applicable Percentages arising from any nonratable increase in the Commitments
under this Section, and (iii) the Borrower shall pay to the relevant Lenders the
amounts, if any, required pursuant to Section 3.05 as a result of such
prepayment.
(f) Conflicting Provisions. This Section shall supersede any provisions in
Sections 2.13 or 10.01 to the contrary.
ARTICLE III.
TAXES, YIELD PROTECTION AND ILLEGALITY
3.01 TAXES.
(a) Payments Free of Taxes. Any and all payments by or on account of any
obligation of the Borrower hereunder or under any other Loan Document shall be
made free and clear of and without reduction or withholding for any Indemnified
Taxes, provided that if the Borrower shall be required by applicable law to
deduct any Indemnified Taxes from such payments, then (i) the sum payable shall
be increased as necessary so that after making all required deductions
(including deductions applicable to additional sums payable under this Section)
the Administrative Agent, Lender or L/C Issuer, as the case may be, receives an
amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such deductions been made,
(ii) the Borrower shall make such deductions and (iii) the Borrower shall timely
pay the full amount deducted to the relevant Governmental Authority in
accordance with applicable law.
46
(b) Payment of Other Taxes by the Borrower. Without limiting the provisions
of subsection (a) above, the Borrower shall timely pay any Other Taxes to the
relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law.
(c) Indemnification by the Borrower. The Borrower shall indemnify the
Administrative Agent, each Lender and the L/C Issuer, within 10 days after
demand therefor, for the full amount of any Indemnified Taxes (including
Indemnified Taxes imposed or asserted on or attributable to amounts payable
under this Section) paid by the Administrative Agent, such Lender or the L/C
Issuer, as the case may be, as a result of its Commitment, any Loans made by it
hereunder, any Letter of Credit issued hereunder, any participation in any of
the foregoing, or otherwise arising in any manner in connection with any Loan
Document and any penalties, interest and reasonable expenses arising therefrom
or with respect thereto, whether or not such Indemnified Taxes were correctly or
legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A
certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to the
Borrower by a Lender or the L/C Issuer (with a copy to the Administrative
Agent), or by the Administrative Agent on its own behalf or on behalf of a
Lender or the L/C Issuer, shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
(d) Evidence of Payments. As soon as practicable after any payment of
Indemnified Taxes by the Borrower to a Governmental Authority, the Borrower
shall deliver to the Administrative Agent the original or a certified copy of a
receipt issued by such Governmental Authority evidencing such payment, a copy of
the return reporting such payment or other evidence of such payment reasonably
satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
(e) Status of Lenders.
(i) Any Foreign Lender that is entitled to an exemption from or
reduction of withholding tax under the law of the jurisdiction in which the
Borrower is resident for tax purposes, or any treaty to which such
jurisdiction is a party, with respect to payments hereunder or under any
other Loan Document shall deliver to the Borrower (with a copy to the
Administrative Agent), at the time or times prescribed by applicable law or
reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, such
properly completed and executed documentation prescribed by applicable law
as will permit such payments to be made without withholding or at a reduced
rate of withholding.
(ii) Any Lender, if requested by the Borrower or the Administrative
Agent, shall deliver such other documentation prescribed by applicable law
or reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will
enable the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine whether or not
such Lender is subject to backup withholding or information reporting
requirements.
(iii) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, in the event
that the Borrower is resident for tax purposes in the United States, any
Foreign Lender shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent
(in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or
prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this
Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the
47
request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, but only if such
Foreign Lender is legally entitled to do so), whichever of the following is
applicable:
(I) duly completed copies of Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN
claiming eligibility for benefits of an income tax treaty to which the
United States is a party,
(II) duly completed copies of Internal Revenue Service Form
W-8ECI,
(III) in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of
the exemption for portfolio interest under section 881(c) of the Code,
(x) a certificate to the effect that such Foreign Lender is not (A) a
"bank" within the meaning of section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code, (B) a
"10 percent shareholder" of the Borrower within the meaning of section
881(c)(3)(B) of the Code, or (C) a "controlled foreign corporation"
described in section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Code and (y) duly completed
copies of Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN, or
(IV) any other form prescribed by applicable law as a basis for
claiming exemption from or a reduction in United States Federal
withholding tax duly completed together with such supplementary
documentation as may be prescribed by applicable law to permit the
Borrower to determine the withholding or deduction required to be
made.
(f) Treatment of Certain Refunds. If the Administrative Agent, any Lender
or the L/C Issuer determines, in its sole discretion, that it has received a
refund of any Taxes as to which it has been indemnified by the Borrower or with
respect to which the Borrower has paid additional amounts pursuant to this
Section, it shall pay to the Borrower an amount equal to such refund (but only
to the extent of indemnity payments made, or additional amounts paid, by the
Borrower under this Section with respect to the Taxes giving rise to such
refund), net of all out-of-pocket expenses of the Administrative Agent, such
Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, and without interest (other than
any interest paid by the relevant Governmental Authority with respect to such
refund), provided that the Borrower, upon the request of the Administrative
Agent, such Lender or the L/C Issuer, agrees to repay the amount paid over to
the Borrower (plus any penalties, interest or other charges imposed by the
relevant Governmental Authority) to the Administrative Agent, such Lender or the
L/C Issuer in the event the Administrative Agent, such Lender or the L/C Issuer
is required to repay such refund to such Governmental Authority. This subsection
shall not be construed to require the Administrative Agent, any Lender or the
L/C Issuer to make available its tax returns (or any other information relating
to its taxes that it deems confidential) to the Borrower or any other Person.
3.02 ILLEGALITY. If any Lender determines that any Law has made it
unlawful, or that any Governmental Authority has asserted that it is unlawful,
for any Lender or its applicable Lending Office to make, maintain or fund
Eurodollar Rate Loans, or to determine or charge interest rates based upon the
Eurodollar Rate, or any Governmental Authority has imposed material restrictions
on the authority of such Lender to purchase or sell, or to take deposits of,
Dollars in the London interbank market, then, on notice thereof by such Lender
to the Borrower through the Administrative Agent, any obligation of such Lender
to make or continue Eurodollar
48
Rate Loans or to convert Base Rate Committed Loans to Eurodollar Rate Loans
shall be suspended until such Lender notifies the Administrative Agent and the
Borrower that the circumstances giving rise to such determination no longer
exist. Upon receipt of such notice, the Borrower shall, upon demand from such
Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), prepay or, if applicable,
convert all Eurodollar Rate Loans of such Lender to Base Rate Loans, either on
the last day of the Interest Period therefor, if such Lender may lawfully
continue to maintain such Eurodollar Rate Loans to such day, or immediately, if
such Lender may not lawfully continue to maintain such Eurodollar Rate Loans.
Upon any such prepayment or conversion, the Borrower shall also pay accrued
interest on the amount so prepaid or converted.
3.03 INABILITY TO DETERMINE RATES. If the Required Lenders determine that
for any reason in connection with any request for a Eurodollar Rate Loan or a
conversion to or continuation thereof that (a) Dollar deposits are not being
offered to banks in the London interbank eurodollar market for the applicable
amount and Interest Period of such Eurodollar Rate Loan, (b) adequate and
reasonable means do not exist for determining the Eurodollar Rate for any
requested Interest Period with respect to a proposed Eurodollar Rate Loan, or
(c) the Eurodollar Rate for any requested Interest Period with respect to a
proposed Eurodollar Rate Loan does not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to
such Lenders of funding such Loan, the Administrative Agent will promptly so
notify the Borrower and each Lender. Thereafter, the obligation of the Lenders
to make or maintain Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be suspended until the
Administrative Agent (upon the instruction of the Required Lenders) revokes such
notice. Upon receipt of such notice, the Borrower may revoke any pending request
for a Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans or,
failing that, will be deemed to have converted such request into a request for a
Committed Borrowing of Base Rate Loans in the amount specified therein.
3.04 INCREASED COSTS; RESERVES ON EURODOLLAR RATE LOANS.
(a) Increased Costs Generally. If any Change in Law shall:
(i) impose, modify or deem applicable any reserve, special deposit,
compulsory loan, insurance charge or similar requirement against assets of,
deposits with or for the account of, or credit extended or participated in
by, any Lender (except any reserve requirement contemplated by Section
3.04(e)) or the L/C Issuer;
(ii) subject any Lender or the L/C Issuer to any tax of any kind
whatsoever with respect to this Agreement, any Letter of Credit, any
participation in a Letter of Credit or any Eurodollar Rate Loan made by it,
or change the basis of taxation of payments to such Lender or the L/C
Issuer in respect thereof (except for Indemnified Taxes covered by Section
3.01 and the imposition of, or any change in the rate of, any Excluded Tax
payable by such Lender or the L/C Issuer); or
(iii) impose on any Lender or the L/C Issuer or the London interbank
market any other condition, cost or expense affecting this Agreement or
Eurodollar Rate Loans made by such Lender or any Letter of Credit or
participation therein;
49
and the result of any of the foregoing shall be to increase the cost to such
Lender of making or maintaining any Eurodollar Rate Loan (or of maintaining its
obligation to make any such Loan), or to increase the cost to such Lender or the
L/C Issuer of participating in, issuing or maintaining any Letter of Credit (or
of maintaining its obligation to participate in or to issue any Letter of
Credit), or to reduce the amount of any sum received or receivable by such
Lender or the L/C Issuer hereunder (whether of principal, interest or any other
amount) then, upon request of such Lender or the L/C Issuer, the Borrower will
pay to such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, such additional amount
or amounts as will compensate such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be,
for such additional costs incurred or reduction suffered.
(b) Capital Requirements. If any Lender or the L/C Issuer determines that
any Change in Law affecting such Lender or the L/C Issuer or any Lending Office
of such Lender or such Lender's or the L/C Issuer's holding company, if any,
regarding capital requirements has or would have the effect of reducing the rate
of return on such Lender's or the L/C Issuer's capital or on the capital of such
Lender's or the L/C Issuer's holding company, if any, as a consequence of this
Agreement, the Commitments of such Lender or the Loans made by, or
participations in Letters of Credit held by, such Lender, or the Letters of
Credit issued by the L/C Issuer, to a level below that which such Lender or the
L/C Issuer or such Lender's or the L/C Issuer's holding company could have
achieved but for such Change in Law (taking into consideration such Lender's or
the L/C Issuer's policies and the policies of such Lender's or the L/C Issuer's
holding company with respect to capital adequacy), then from time to time the
Borrower will pay to such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, such
additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or the L/C Issuer or
such Lender's or the L/C Issuer's holding company for any such reduction
suffered.
(c) Certificates for Reimbursement. A certificate of a Lender or the L/C
Issuer setting forth the amount or amounts necessary to compensate such Lender
or the L/C Issuer or its holding company, as the case may be, as specified in
subsection (a) or (b) of this Section and delivered to the Borrower shall be
conclusive absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay such Lender or the L/C
Issuer, as the case may be, the amount shown as due on any such certificate
within 10 days after receipt thereof.
(d) Delay in Requests. Failure or delay on the part of any Lender or the
L/C Issuer to demand compensation pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this
Section shall not constitute a waiver of such Lender's or the L/C Issuer's right
to demand such compensation, provided that the Borrower shall not be required to
compensate a Lender or the L/C Issuer pursuant to the foregoing provisions of
this Section for any increased costs incurred or reductions suffered more than
nine months prior to the date that such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case
may be, notifies the Borrower of the Change in Law giving rise to such increased
costs or reductions and of such Lender's or the L/C Issuer's intention to claim
compensation therefor (except that, if the Change in Law giving rise to such
increased costs or reductions is retroactive, then the nine-month period
referred to above shall be extended to include the period of retroactive effect
thereof).
(e) Reserves on Eurodollar Rate Loans. The Borrower shall pay to each
Lender, as long as such Lender shall be required to maintain reserves with
respect to liabilities or assets consisting of or including Eurocurrency funds
or deposits (currently known as "Eurocurrency liabilities"), additional interest
on the unpaid principal amount of each Eurodollar Rate Loan
50
equal to the actual costs of such reserves allocated to such Loan by such Lender
(as determined by such Lender in good faith, which determination shall be
conclusive), which shall be due and payable on each date on which interest is
payable on such Loan, provided the Borrower shall have received at least 10
days' prior notice (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) of such additional
interest from such Lender. If a Lender fails to give notice 10 days prior to the
relevant Interest Payment Date, such additional interest shall be due and
payable 10 days from receipt of such notice.
3.05 COMPENSATION FOR LOSSES. Upon demand of any Lender (with a copy to the
Administrative Agent) from time to time, the Borrower shall promptly compensate
such Lender for and hold such Lender harmless from any loss, cost or expense
incurred by it as a result of:
(a) any continuation, conversion, payment or prepayment of any Loan other
than a Base Rate Loan on a day other than the last day of the Interest Period
for such Loan (whether voluntary, mandatory, automatic, by reason of
acceleration, or otherwise);
(b) any failure by the Borrower (for a reason other than the failure of
such Lender to make a Loan) to prepay, borrow, continue or convert any Loan
other than a Base Rate Loan on the date or in the amount notified by the
Borrower; or
(c) any assignment of a Eurodollar Rate Loan on a day other than the last
day of the Interest Period therefor as a result of a request by the Borrower
pursuant to Section 10.13;
including any loss of anticipated profits and any loss or expense arising from
the liquidation or reemployment of funds obtained by it to maintain such Loan or
from fees payable to terminate the deposits from which such funds were obtained.
The Borrower shall also pay any customary administrative fees charged by such
Lender in connection with the foregoing.
For purposes of calculating amounts payable by the Borrower to the Lenders under
this Section 3.05, each Lender shall be deemed to have funded each Eurodollar
Rate Loan made by it at the Eurodollar Rate for such Loan by a matching deposit
or other borrowing in the London interbank eurodollar market for a comparable
amount and for a comparable period, whether or not such Eurodollar Rate Loan was
in fact so funded.
3.06 MITIGATION OBLIGATIONS; REPLACEMENT OF LENDERS.
(a) Designation of a Different Lending Office. If any Lender requests
compensation under Section 3.04, or the Borrower is required to pay any
additional amount to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of
any Lender pursuant to Section 3.01, or if any Lender gives a notice pursuant to
Section 3.02, then such Lender shall use reasonable efforts to designate a
different Lending Office for funding or booking its Loans hereunder or to assign
its rights and obligations hereunder to another of its offices, branches or
affiliates, if, in the judgment of such Lender, such designation or assignment
(i) would eliminate or reduce amounts payable pursuant to Section 3.01 or 3.04,
as the case may be, in the future, or eliminate the need for the notice pursuant
to Section 3.02, as applicable, and (ii) in each case, would not subject such
Lender to any unreimbursed cost or expense and would not otherwise be
disadvantageous to such Lender. The Borrower hereby agrees to pay all reasonable
costs and expenses incurred by any Lender in connection with any such
designation or assignment.
51
(b) Replacement of Lenders. If any Lender requests compensation under
Section 3.04, or if the Borrower is required to pay any additional amount to any
Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to
Section 3.01, the Borrower may replace such Lender in accordance with Section
10.13.
3.07 SURVIVAL. All of the Borrower's obligations under this Article III
shall survive termination of the Aggregate Commitments and repayment of all
other Obligations hereunder.
ARTICLE IV.
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO CLOSING DATE AND CREDIT EXTENSIONS
4.01 CONDITIONS OF CLOSING DATE. This Agreement shall be effective subject
to satisfaction of the following conditions precedent:
(a) The Administrative Agent's receipt of the following, each of which
shall be originals or telecopies (followed promptly by originals) unless
otherwise specified, each properly executed by a Responsible Officer of the
signing Loan Party, each dated as of the Closing Date (or, in the case of
certificates of governmental officials, a recent date before the Closing Date)
and each in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and each
of the Lenders:
(i) executed counterparts of this Agreement and the Guaranty,
sufficient in number for distribution to the Administrative Agent, each
Lender and the Borrower;
(ii) a Note executed by the Borrower in favor of each Lender
requesting a Note;
(iii) an initial Request for Credit Extension requesting Loans in an
amount sufficient to pay (x) all fees required to be paid on or before the
Closing Date, and (y) all fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the
Administrative Agent to the extent invoiced prior to or on the Closing
Date, plus such additional amounts of such fees, charges and disbursements
as shall constitute its reasonable estimate of such fees, charges and
disbursements incurred or to be incurred by it through the closing
proceedings (provided that such estimate shall not thereafter preclude a
final settling of accounts between the Borrower and the Administrative
Agent), in each case together with irrevocable instructions to use Loan
proceeds to pay such fees, charges and disbursements in full on the Closing
Date (or the Business Day next following the Closing Date to the extent the
closing conditions are satisfied after 2:00 p.m.);
(iv) such certificates of resolutions or other action, incumbency
certificates and/or other certificates of Responsible Officers of each Loan
Party as the Administrative Agent may require evidencing the identity,
authority and capacity of each Responsible Officer thereof authorized to
act as a Responsible Officer in connection with this Agreement and the
other Loan Documents to which such Loan Party is a party; and
(v) such other assurances, certificates, documents or consents as the
Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer, the Swing Line Lender or the Required
Lenders reasonably may require.
52
(b) The Closing Date shall have occurred on or before June 28, 2005.
Without limiting the generality of the provisions of Section 9.04, for
purposes of determining compliance with the conditions specified in this Section
4.01, each Lender that has signed this Agreement shall be deemed to have
consented to, approved or accepted or to be satisfied with, each document or
other matter required hereunder to be consented to or approved by or acceptable
or satisfactory to a Lender unless the Administrative Agent shall have received
notice from such Lender prior to the proposed Closing Date specifying its
objection thereto.
4.02 CONDITIONS OF INITIAL EXTENSION OF CREDIT. The obligation of the L/C
Issuer and each Lender to make its initial Credit Extension hereunder are
subject to satisfaction of the following conditions precedent:
(a) The Administrative Agent's receipt of the following, each of which
shall be originals or telecopies (followed promptly by originals) unless
otherwise specified, each properly executed by a Responsible Officer of the
signing Loan Party, each dated as of the date of such initial Credit Extension
and each in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent:
(i) such documents and certifications as the Administrative Agent may
reasonably require to evidence that each Loan Party is duly organized or
formed, validly existing, in good standing and qualified to engage in
business in each jurisdiction where its ownership, lease or operation of
properties or the conduct of its business requires such qualification,
except to the extent that failure to do so would not reasonably be expected
to have a Material Adverse Effect;
(ii) a favorable opinion of Winston & ▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP, counsel to the Loan
Parties, addressed to the Administrative Agent and each Lender, as to the
matters set forth in Exhibit G and such other matters concerning the Loan
Parties, the Transactions and the Transaction Documents as the Required
Lenders may reasonably request;
(iii) a certificate of a Responsible Officer of each Loan Party either
(A) attaching copies of all consents, licenses and approvals required in
connection with the execution, delivery and performance by such Loan Party
and the validity against such Loan Party of the Loan Documents to which it
is a party, and such consents, licenses and approvals shall be in full
force and effect, or (B) stating that no such consents, licenses or
approvals are so required;
(iv) certificates signed by the chief financial officer of the
Borrower as to the financial condition and solvency of the Borrower and the
Borrower and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, respectively, after giving
effect to the Transactions and the incurrence of Indebtedness and other
Credit Extensions related thereto;
(v) evidence of (A) the termination of any guaranty by the Borrower or
any of its Subsidiaries of ▇▇▇▇'▇ senior credit facility and (B) cessation
of the sale of receivables into ▇▇▇▇'▇ receivables-backed facility and the
termination of any obligations of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries
thereunder (other than de minimis non-repurchase obligations);
53
(vi) a certificate signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower
certifying (A) that the conditions specified in Sections 4.02(c) and
4.03(a) and (b) have been satisfied, (B) that there has been no event or
circumstance since the date of the Audited Financial Statements that has
had or could be reasonably expected to have, either individually or in the
aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect; (C) a calculation of the Consolidated
Leverage Ratio on a pro forma basis as of March 31, 2005, and (D) attaching
true and correct copies of the Spin-Off Transaction Documents (all of which
shall be in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the
Administrative Agent); and
(vii) an initial Request for Credit Extension.
(b) In the good faith judgment of the Administrative Agent:
(i) there shall not have occurred or become known to the
Administrative Agent or the Lenders any event, condition, change,
development, information, situation or status since the date of the
information contained in the financial and business projections, budgets,
pro forma data and forecasts concerning the Borrower and its Subsidiaries
or the Business delivered to the Administrative Agent prior to such date
that has had or would reasonably be expected to result in a Material
Adverse Effect or materially adversely affect any aspect of the
Transactions; and
(ii) there shall not exist (A) any order, decree, judgment, ruling or
injunction which would materially adversely affect any aspect of the
Spin-Off Transaction, or any portion thereof, or the transactions hereunder
in the manner contemplated hereunder, and (B) any pending or, to the
knowledge of the Borrower or any Guarantor or to the Administrative Agent,
threatened action, suit, investigation or other arbitral, administrative or
judicial proceeding, which, if adversely determined, would reasonably be
expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect or materially adversely
affect any aspect of the Transactions.
(c) The Spin-Off Transaction shall have been consummated on or before July
15, 2005, consistent with the description thereof provided to the Lenders, in
accordance with the terms of the Spin-Off Transaction Documents, which Spin-Off
Transaction Documents shall not have been altered, amended or otherwise changed
or supplemented or any condition therein waived in any manner which would
materially adversely affect the Lenders without the prior written consent of the
Lenders, and in compliance with all applicable Laws or approvals, consents and
waivers from any Governmental Authority or otherwise.
(d) Any all fees payable on or before the Closing Date shall have been paid
or be simultaneously paid with the proceeds of such initial Credit Extension.
(e) Unless waived by the Administrative Agent, the Borrower shall have
paid, or be simultaneously paying with the proceeds of such initial Credit
Extension, all fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the Administrative
Agent to the extent invoiced prior to or on the Closing Date, plus such
additional amounts of such fees, charges and disbursements as shall constitute
its reasonable estimate of such fees, charges and disbursements incurred or to
be
54
incurred by it through the closing proceedings (provided that such estimate
shall not thereafter preclude a final settling of accounts between the Borrower
and the Administrative Agent).
4.03 CONDITIONS TO ALL CREDIT EXTENSIONS. The obligation of each Lender to
honor any Request for Credit Extension (other than a Committed Loan Notice
requesting only a conversion of Committed Loans to the other Type, or a
continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans) is subject to the following conditions
precedent:
(a) The representations and warranties of the Borrower and each other Loan
Party contained in Article V or any other Loan Document, or which are contained
in any document furnished at any time under or in connection herewith or
therewith, shall be true and correct on and as of the date of such Credit
Extension, except to the extent that such representations and warranties
specifically refer to an earlier date, in which case they shall be true and
correct as of such earlier date, and except that for purposes of this Section
4.03, the representations and warranties contained in subsections (a) and (b) of
Section 5.05 shall be deemed to refer to the most recent statements furnished
pursuant to clauses (a) and (b), respectively, of Section 6.01.
(b) No Default shall exist, or would result from such proposed Credit
Extension or from the application of the proceeds thereof.
(c) The Administrative Agent and, if applicable, the L/C Issuer or the
Swing Line Lender shall have received a Request for Credit Extension in
accordance with the requirements hereof.
Each Request for Credit Extension (other than a Committed Loan Notice
requesting only a conversion of Committed Loans to the other Type or a
continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans) submitted by the Borrower shall be deemed
to be a representation and warranty that the conditions specified in Sections
4.03(a) and (b) have been satisfied on and as of the date of the applicable
Credit Extension.
ARTICLE V.
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
The Borrower represents and warrants to the Administrative Agent and the
Lenders that:
5.01 EXISTENCE, QUALIFICATION AND POWER; COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS. Each Loan
Party and each Subsidiary thereof (a) is duly organized or formed, validly
existing and in good standing under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its
incorporation or organization, (b) has all requisite power and authority and all
requisite governmental licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals to (i)
own or lease its assets and carry on its business and (ii) execute, deliver and
perform its obligations under the Transaction Documents to which it is a party,
(c) is duly qualified and is licensed and in good standing under the Laws of
each jurisdiction where its ownership, lease or operation of properties or the
conduct of its business requires such qualification or license, and (d) is in
compliance with all Laws; except in each case referred to in clause (b)(i), (c)
or (d), to the extent that failure to do so would not reasonably be expected to
have a Material Adverse Effect.
55
5.02 AUTHORIZATION; NO CONTRAVENTION. The execution, delivery and
performance by each Loan Party of each Transaction Document to which such Person
is a party have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other
organizational action, and do not and will not (a) contravene the terms of any
of such Person's Organization Documents; (b) conflict with or result in any
material breach or contravention of, or the creation of any Lien under (other
than Liens permitted by clause (a) of Section 7.01), or require any payment to
be made under any material Contractual Obligation to which such Person is a
party or affecting such Person or its properties or any of its Subsidiaries; (c)
violate any order, injunction, writ or decree of any Governmental Authority or
any arbitral award to which such Person or its property is subject; or (d)
violate any Law in any material respect. Each Loan Party and each Subsidiary
thereof is in compliance with all Contractual Obligations referred to in clause
(b), except to the extent that failure to do so would not reasonably be expected
to have a Material Adverse Effect.
5.03 GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORIZATION; OTHER CONSENTS. No approval, consent,
exemption, authorization, or other action by, or notice to, or filing with, any
Governmental Authority or any other Person is necessary or required in
connection with the execution, delivery or performance by any Loan Party of this
Agreement or any other Transaction Document to which it is a party except (x)
such approvals, consents, exemptions, authorizations or other actions as have
been made or obtained, as applicable, and are in full force and effect or (y)
with respect to any Spin-Off Transaction Document, will not result in the
occurrence of a material default under, material conflict with or material
violation of (A) any applicable Laws or approvals, consents or waivers from any
Governmental Authority, or (B) any agreement, document or instrument to which
the Borrower or any Subsidiary is or will be a party (after giving effect to the
Spin-Off Transaction) or by which any of them or their properties or the
Business is or will be bound (after giving effect to the Spin-Off Transaction).
5.04 BINDING EFFECT. This Agreement has been, and each other Loan Document,
when delivered hereunder, will have been, duly executed and delivered by each
Loan Party that is party thereto. This Agreement constitutes, and each other
Loan Document when so delivered will constitute, a legal, valid and binding
obligation of such Loan Party, enforceable against such Loan Party in accordance
with its terms, except as enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy,
insolvency or similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors rights
generally or by general principles of equity.
5.05 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS; NO MATERIAL ADVERSE EFFECT.
(a) The Audited Financial Statements (i) were prepared in accordance with
GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as
otherwise expressly noted therein; and (ii) fairly present in all material
respects the financial condition of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the
date thereof and their results of operations for the period covered thereby in
accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby,
except as otherwise expressly noted therein.
(b) The pro forma balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, and
the related consolidated pro forma statements of income and cash flows of the
Borrower and its Subsidiaries delivered to the Administrative Agent prior to the
Closing Date, fairly present in all material respects as of such date the
consolidated pro forma financial condition of the Borrower and its
56
Subsidiaries after giving effect to the Transactions and the incurrence of
Indebtedness and other Credit Extensions to be made on the Closing Date and the
consolidated pro forma results of operations of the Borrower and its
Subsidiaries for the period ended on such date, all in accordance with GAAP.
(c) Since the date of the Audited Financial Statements, there has been no
event or circumstance, either individually or in the aggregate, that has had or
would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
5.06 LITIGATION. There are no actions, suits, proceedings, claims or
disputes pending or, to the knowledge of the Borrower overtly threatened, at
law, in equity, in arbitration or before any Governmental Authority, by or
against the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries or against any of their
properties or revenues that (a) purport to affect or pertain to this Agreement
or any other Transaction Document, or any of the Transactions, in each case in
any material respect, or (b) either individually or in the aggregate would
reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
5.07 NO DEFAULT. Neither the Borrower nor any Subsidiary is in default
under or with respect to any Contractual Obligation that would, either
individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material
Adverse Effect. No Default has occurred and is continuing or would result from
the consummation of the Transactions.
5.08 OWNERSHIP OF PROPERTY; LIENS. Each of the Borrower and each Subsidiary
has good and marketable title to, or valid leasehold interests in, all real
property necessary or used in the ordinary conduct of its business, except for
such defects in title as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably
be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The property of the Borrower and
its Subsidiaries is subject to no Liens, other than Liens permitted by Section
7.01.
5.09 ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE. The Borrower and its Subsidiaries conduct in
the ordinary course of business a review of the effect of existing Environmental
Laws and claims alleging potential liability or responsibility for violation of
any Environmental Law on their respective businesses, operations and properties,
and as a result thereof the Borrower has reasonably concluded that such
Environmental Laws and claims would not, individually or in the aggregate,
reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
5.10 INSURANCE. The properties of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries are
insured with financially sound and reputable insurance companies not Affiliates
of the Borrower, in such amounts, with such deductibles and covering such risks
as are customarily carried by companies engaged in similar businesses and owning
similar properties in localities where the Borrower or the applicable Subsidiary
operates.
5.11 TAXES. The Borrower and its Subsidiaries have filed all Federal, state
and other material tax returns and reports required to be filed, and have paid
all Federal, state and other material taxes, assessments, fees and other
governmental charges levied or imposed upon them or their properties, income or
assets otherwise due and payable, except those which are being contested in good
faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted and for which adequate
reserves have been provided in accordance with GAAP. There is no proposed tax
assessment
57
against the Borrower or any Subsidiary that would, if made, have a Material
Adverse Effect. Neither any Loan Party nor any Subsidiary thereof is party to
any tax sharing agreement other than the Tax Sharing Agreement.
5.12 ERISA COMPLIANCE.
(a) Each Plan is in compliance in all material respects with the applicable
provisions of ERISA, the Code and other Federal or state Laws. Each Plan that is
intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code has received a
favorable determination letter from the IRS or an application for such a letter
is currently being processed by the IRS with respect thereto or will be filed
within the applicable remedial application period and, to the best knowledge of
the Borrower, nothing has occurred which would prevent, or cause the loss of,
such qualification. The Borrower and each ERISA Affiliate have made all material
required contributions to each Plan subject to Section 412 of the Code, and no
application for a funding waiver or an extension of any amortization period
pursuant to Section 412 of the Code has been made with respect to any Plan.
(b) There are no pending or, to the best knowledge of the Borrower,
threatened claims, actions or lawsuits, or action by any Governmental Authority,
with respect to any Plan that could reasonably be expected to have a Material
Adverse Effect. There has been no prohibited transaction or violation of the
fiduciary responsibility rules with respect to any Plan that has resulted or
could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(c) (i) No ERISA Event has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur;
(ii) on or after the effective date of the Spin-Off Transaction, no Pension Plan
has any Unfunded Pension Liability in excess of $30,000,000; (iii) neither the
Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate reasonably expects to incur any material
liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect to any Pension Plan (other than
premiums due and not delinquent under Section 4007 of ERISA); (iv) neither the
Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate reasonably expects to incur any material
liability (and, to the best knowledge of the Borrower, no event has occurred
which, with the giving of notice under Section 4219 of ERISA, would result in
such liability) under Sections 4201 or 4243 of ERISA with respect to a
Multiemployer Plan; and (v) neither the Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate has
engaged in a transaction that could be subject to Sections 4069 or 4212(c) of
ERISA.
5.13 SUBSIDIARIES; EQUITY INTERESTS. As of the Closing Date, the Borrower
has no Subsidiaries other than those specifically disclosed in Part (a) of
Schedule 5.13, and all of the outstanding Equity Interests in such Subsidiaries
have been validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable and are owned by the
Borrower in the amounts specified on Part (a) of Schedule 5.13 free and clear of
all Liens (other than Liens permitted by clauses (a) through (m) of Section
7.01). As of the Closing Date, the Borrower has no other equity investments in
any other corporation or entity other than those specifically disclosed in
Part(b) of Schedule 5.13 and those permitted by Section 7.02(a).
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5.14 MARGIN REGULATIONS; INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT; PUBLIC UTILITY HOLDING
COMPANY ACT.
(a) The Borrower is not engaged and will not engage, principally or as one
of its important activities, in the business of purchasing or carrying margin
stock (within the meaning of Regulation U issued by the FRB), or extending
credit for the purpose of purchasing or carrying margin stock.
(b) None of the Borrower, any Person Controlling the Borrower, or any
Subsidiary (i) is a "holding company," or a "subsidiary company" of a "holding
company," or an "affiliate" of a "holding company" or of a "subsidiary company"
of a "holding company," within the meaning of the Public Utility Holding Company
Act of 1935, or (ii) is or is required to be registered as an "investment
company" under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
5.15 DISCLOSURE. The Borrower has disclosed to the Administrative Agent and
the Lenders all agreements, instruments and corporate or other restrictions to
which it or any of its Subsidiaries is subject, and all other matters known to
it, that, individually or in the aggregate, would reasonably be expected to
result in a Material Adverse Effect. No report, financial statement, certificate
or other information furnished (whether in writing or orally) by or on behalf of
any Loan Party to the Administrative Agent or any Lender in connection with the
Transactions and the negotiation of this Agreement or delivered hereunder or
under any other Transaction Document (in each case, as modified or supplemented
by other information so furnished) contains any material misstatement of fact or
omits to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in
the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
provided that, with respect to projected financial information, the Borrower
represents only that such information was prepared in good faith based upon
assumptions believed to be reasonable at the time.
5.16 COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS. Each of the Borrower and each Subsidiary is in
compliance in all material respects with the requirements of all Laws and all
orders, writs, injunctions and decrees applicable to it or to its properties,
except in such instances in which (a) such requirement of Law or order, writ,
injunction or decree is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings
diligently conducted or (b) the failure to comply therewith, either individually
or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
Effect.
ARTICLE VI.
AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS
So long as any Lender shall have any Commitment hereunder, any Loan or
other Obligation hereunder shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied, or any Letter of
Credit shall remain outstanding, the Borrower shall, and shall (except in the
case of the covenants set forth in Sections 6.01, 6.02, and 6.03) cause each
Subsidiary to:
6.01 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. Deliver to the Administrative Agent and each
Lender, in form and detail satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the
Required Lenders:
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(a) as soon as available, but in any event within 90 days after the end of
each fiscal year of the Borrower (or if earlier within 15 days after the date
required to be filed with the SEC (without giving effect to extensions)), a
consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at the end of
such fiscal year, and the related consolidated statements of income or
operations, shareholders' equity and cash flows for such fiscal year, setting
forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the previous fiscal year,
all in reasonable detail and prepared in accordance with GAAP, audited and
accompanied by a report and opinion of a Registered Public Accounting Firm of
nationally recognized standing reasonably acceptable (it being agreed that any
"Big Four" accounting firm shall be deemed to be acceptable) to the Required
Lenders (the "Auditor"), which report and opinion shall be prepared in
accordance with audit standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
and applicable Securities Laws and shall not be subject to any "going concern"
or like qualification or exception or any qualification or exception as to the
scope of such audit or with respect to the absence of material misstatement; and
(b) as soon as available, but in any event within 45 days after the end of
each of the first three fiscal quarters of each fiscal year of the Borrower
(commencing with the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2005) (or if earlier within
10 days after the date required to be filed with the SEC (without giving effect
to extensions)), a consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its
Subsidiaries as at the end of such fiscal quarter, and the related consolidated
statements of income or operations, shareholders' equity and cash flows for such
fiscal quarter and for the portion of the Borrower's fiscal year then ended,
setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the corresponding
fiscal quarter of the previous fiscal year and the corresponding portion of the
previous fiscal year, all in reasonable detail, such consolidated statements to
be certified by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower as fairly presenting the
financial condition, results of operations, shareholders' equity and cash flows
of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP, subject only to
normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes.
As to any information contained in materials furnished pursuant to Section
6.02(c), the Borrower shall not be separately required to furnish such
information under clause (a) or (b) above, but the foregoing shall not be in
derogation of the obligation of the Borrower to furnish the information and
materials described in clauses (a) and (b) above at the times specified therein.
6.02 CERTIFICATES; OTHER INFORMATION. Deliver to the Administrative Agent
and each Lender, in form and detail satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and
the Required Lenders:
(a) concurrently with the delivery of the financial statements referred to
in Sections 6.01(a) and (b) (commencing with the delivery of the financial
statements for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2005), a duly completed
Compliance Certificate signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower;
(b) promptly after any request by the Administrative Agent or any Lender,
copies of any detailed audit reports, management letters or recommendations
submitted to the board of directors (or the audit committee of the board of
directors) of the Borrower by independent
60
accountants in connection with the accounts or books of the Borrower or any
Subsidiary, or any audit of any of them;
(c) promptly after the same are available, copies of each annual report,
proxy or financial statement or other report or communication sent to the
stockholders of the Borrower, and copies of all annual, regular, periodic and
special reports and registration statements which the Borrower may file or be
required to file with the SEC under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, and
not otherwise required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent pursuant
hereto; and
(d) promptly, such additional information regarding the business, financial
or corporate affairs of the Borrower or any Subsidiary, or compliance with the
terms of the Transaction Documents, as the Administrative Agent or any Lender
may from time to time reasonably request.
Documents required to be delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b) or
Section 6.02(c) (to the extent any such documents are included in materials
otherwise filed with the SEC) may be delivered electronically and if so
delivered, shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date (i) on which the
Borrower posts such documents, or provides a link thereto on the Borrower's
website on the Internet at the website address listed on Schedule 10.02; or (ii)
on which such documents are posted on the Borrower's behalf on an Internet or
intranet website, if any, to which each Lender and the Administrative Agent have
access (whether a commercial, third-party website or whether sponsored by the
Administrative Agent); provided that: (i) the Borrower shall deliver paper
copies of such documents to the Administrative Agent or any Lender that requests
the Borrower to deliver such paper copies until a written request to cease
delivering paper copies is given by the Administrative Agent or such Lender and
(ii) the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent and each Lender (by
telecopier or electronic mail) of the posting of any such documents and provide
to the Administrative Agent by electronic mail electronic versions (i.e., soft
copies) of such documents. Notwithstanding anything contained herein, in every
instance the Borrower shall be required to provide paper copies of the
Compliance Certificates required by Section 6.02(a) to the Administrative Agent.
Except for such Compliance Certificates, the Administrative Agent shall have no
obligation to request the delivery or to maintain copies of the documents
referred to above, and in any event shall have no responsibility to monitor
compliance by the Borrower with any such request for delivery, and each Lender
shall be solely responsible for requesting delivery to it or maintaining its
copies of such documents.
The Borrower hereby acknowledges that (a) the Administrative Agent and/or
the Arrangers will make available to the Lenders and the L/C Issuer materials
and/or information provided by or on behalf of the Borrower hereunder
(collectively, "Borrower Materials") by posting the Borrower Materials on
IntraLinks or another similar electronic system (the "Platform") and (b) certain
of the Lenders may be "public-side" Lenders (i.e., Lenders that do not wish to
receive material non-public information with respect to the Borrower or its
securities) (each, a "Public Lender"). The Borrower hereby agrees that (w) all
Borrower Materials that are to be made available to Public Lenders shall be
clearly and conspicuously marked "PUBLIC" which, at a minimum, shall mean that
the word "PUBLIC" shall appear prominently on the first page thereof; (x) by
marking Borrower Materials "PUBLIC", the Borrower shall be deemed to
61
have authorized the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers, the L/C Issuer and the
Lenders to treat such Borrower Materials as not containing any material
non-public information with respect to the Borrower or its securities for
purposes of United States Federal and state securities laws (provided, however,
that to the extent such Borrower Materials constitute Information, they shall be
treated as set forth in Section 10.07); (y) all Borrower Materials marked
"PUBLIC" are permitted to be made available through a portion of the Platform
designated "Public Investor"; and (z) the Administrative Agent and the Arrangers
shall be entitled to treat any Borrower Materials that are not marked "PUBLIC"
as being suitable only for posting on a portion of the Platform not designated
"Public Investor".
6.03 NOTICES. Promptly notify the Administrative Agent and each Lender:
(a) of the occurrence of any Default;
(b) of any matter that has resulted or would reasonably be expected to
result in a Material Adverse Effect, including (i) breach or non-performance of,
or any default under, a Contractual Obligation of the Borrower or any
Subsidiary; (ii) any dispute, litigation, investigation, proceeding or
suspension between the Borrower or any Subsidiary and any Governmental
Authority; or (iii) the commencement of, or any material development in, any
litigation or proceeding affecting the Borrower or any Subsidiary, including
pursuant to any applicable Environmental Laws;
(c) of the occurrence of any ERISA Event;
(d) of any material change in accounting policies or financial reporting
practices by the Borrower or any Subsidiary; and
(e) of the occurrence of any Internal Control Event or of any auditor's
determination of the occurrence or existence of any Internal Control Event (in
connection with the preparation of its report under Section 6.01(a)).
Each notice pursuant to this Section shall be accompanied by a statement of
a Responsible Officer of the Borrower setting forth details of the occurrence
referred to therein and stating what action the Borrower has taken and proposes
to take with respect thereto. Each notice pursuant to Section 6.03(a) shall
describe with particularity any and all provisions of this Agreement and any
other Loan Document that have been breached.
6.04 PAYMENT OF TAXES. Pay and discharge as the same shall become due and
payable, all tax liabilities, assessments and governmental charges or levies
upon it or its properties or assets, unless the same are being contested in good
faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted and adequate reserves in
accordance with GAAP are being maintained by the Borrower or such Subsidiary.
6.05 PRESERVATION OF EXISTENCE, ETC. (a) Preserve, renew and maintain in
full force and effect its legal existence and good standing under the Laws of
the jurisdiction of its organization except in a transaction permitted by
Section 7.04 or 7.05; (b) take all reasonable action to maintain all rights,
privileges, permits, licenses and franchises necessary or desirable in the
normal conduct of its business, except to the extent that failure to do so would
not reasonably
62
be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (c) preserve or renew all of
its registered patents, trademarks, trade names and service marks, the
non-preservation of which would reasonably be expected to have a Material
Adverse Effect.
6.06 MAINTENANCE OF PROPERTIES. (a) Maintain, preserve and protect all of
its material properties and equipment necessary in the operation of its business
in good working order and condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted; and (b)
make all necessary repairs thereto and renewals and replacements thereof, in
each case except where the failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to
have a Material Adverse Effect.
6.07 MAINTENANCE OF INSURANCE. Maintain with financially sound and
reputable insurance companies not Affiliates of the Borrower, insurance with
respect to its properties and business against loss or damage of the kinds
customarily insured against by Persons engaged in the same or similar business,
of such types and in such amounts as are customarily carried under similar
circumstances by such other Persons.
6.08 COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS. Comply in all material respects with the
requirements of all Laws and all orders, writs, injunctions and decrees
applicable to it or to its business or property, except in such instances in
which (a) such requirement of Law or order, writ, injunction or decree is being
contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted; or (b)
the failure to comply therewith would not reasonably be expected to have a
Material Adverse Effect.
6.09 BOOKS AND RECORDS. Maintain proper books of record and account, in
which full, true and correct entries in conformity with GAAP consistently
applied shall be made of all financial transactions and matters involving the
assets and business of the Borrower or such Subsidiary, as the case may be.
6.10 INSPECTION RIGHTS. Permit representatives and independent contractors
of the Administrative Agent and each Lender to visit and inspect any of its
properties, to examine its corporate, financial and operating records, and make
copies thereof or abstracts therefrom, and to discuss its affairs, finances and
accounts with its directors, officers, and independent public accountants, all
at the expense of the Borrower and at such reasonable times during normal
business hours, upon reasonable advance notice to the Borrower; provided,
however, that (i) so long as no Event of Default exists, inspections pursuant to
this Section 6.10 shall be limited to no more than once per calendar year, and
(ii) when an Event of Default exists the Administrative Agent or any Lender (or
any of their respective representatives or independent contractors) may do any
of the foregoing at any time during normal business hours, as often as may be
desired and without advance notice.
6.11 USE OF PROCEEDS. Use the proceeds of the Credit Extensions (i) to pay
fees and expenses in connection with the Spin-Off Transaction, and (ii) for
working capital and other general corporate purposes not in contravention of any
Law or of any Loan Document.
6.12 REMEDIATION OF INTERNAL CONTROL EVENT. If, in the reasonable judgment
of the Required Lenders, an Internal Control Event is not being sufficiently
addressed by the Borrower's management (as described in the Borrower's first
quarterly or annual filing with the
63
SEC after the occurrence of such Internal Control Event and any subsequent
filings), remediate or cause to be remediated such Internal Control Event not
later than the end of the time period reasonably agreed between the Required
Lenders and the Borrower as necessary for such remediation.
6.13 ADDITIONAL GUARANTORS.
(a) As soon as practicable (but in any event within 30 days following the
earlier of (x) the delivery of financial statements referred to in Section
6.01(a) or (b), as applicable, with respect to any fiscal quarter in which such
Person has become a Material Subsidiary, or (y) any Investment in, Disposition
of assets by the Borrower or any Subsidiary to, or Acquisition that results in
such Person becoming a Material Subsidiary), cause each Person that becomes a
Material Subsidiary (other than a Special Purpose Finance Subsidiary) to deliver
to the Administrative Agent each of the following: (i) a Guaranty Joinder
Agreement duly executed by such Subsidiary; (ii) current copies of the documents
of the types referred to in clause (iii) of Section 4.01(a) and clause (i) of
Section 4.02(a) with respect to such Subsidiary, all certified by the applicable
Governmental Authority or appropriate officer as the Administrative Agent may
elect, all in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent; and
(iii) opinions of counsel to such Subsidiary with respect to the documents
delivered and the transactions contemplated by this Section 6.13(a)
substantially similar in form and substance to the opinion of counsel delivered
pursuant to Section 4.02(a)(ii) or otherwise acceptable to the Administrative
Agent.
(b) As soon as practicable (but in any event within 30 days following the
earlier of (x) the delivery of financial statements referred to in Section
6.01(a) or (b), as applicable, with respect to any fiscal quarter in which such
event occurs, or (y) any Investment by or Disposition of assets by the Borrower
or any Subsidiary or Acquisition that results in any such event), (i) notify the
Administrative Agent if in excess of 15% of Consolidated Domestic Assets are
owned by, or in excess of 15% of Consolidated EBITDA in any fiscal year is
attributed to, Domestic Subsidiaries which are not Guarantors (excluding for the
purpose of such calculation any Special Purpose Finance Subsidiary), and, (ii)
cause such Domestic Subsidiaries as are necessary to eliminate such excess to
deliver to the Administrative Agent each of the items described in clauses (i) -
(iii) of Section 6.13(a) above.
(c) Notify the Administrative if at any time any Subsidiary of the Borrower
which is not a Guarantor Guarantees any Indebtedness of the Borrower and as soon
as practicable (but in any event within 30 days), cause such Subsidiary to
deliver to the Administrative Agent each of the items described in clauses (i)
through (iii) of Section 6.13(a) above
ARTICLE VII.
NEGATIVE COVENANTS
So long as any Lender shall have any Commitment hereunder, any Loan or
other Obligation hereunder shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied, or any Letter of
Credit shall remain outstanding, the Borrower shall not, nor shall it permit any
Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly:
64
7.01 LIENS. Create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien upon any of
its property, assets or revenues, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, other
than the following:
(a) Liens pursuant to any Loan Document;
(b) Liens existing on the date hereof and listed on Schedule 7.01 and any
renewals or extensions thereof, provided that (i) the property covered thereby
is not changed, (ii) the amount secured or benefited thereby is not increased,
(iii) the direct or any contingent obligor with respect thereto is not changed,
and (iv) any renewal or extension of the obligations secured or benefited
thereby is permitted by Section 7.03(b);
(c) Liens for taxes not yet due or which are being contested in good faith
and by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted, if adequate reserves with
respect thereto are maintained on the books of the applicable Person in
accordance with GAAP;
(d) liens of landlords and carriers', warehousemen's, mechanics',
materialmen's, repairmen's or other like Liens arising in the ordinary course of
business which are not overdue for a period of more than 60 days or which are
being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings diligently
conducted, if adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books
of the applicable Person;
(e) pledges or deposits in the ordinary course of business in connection
with workers' compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security or
similar legislation, other than any Lien imposed by ERISA;
(f) deposits to secure the performance of bids, trade contracts and leases
(other than Indebtedness), statutory obligations, surety and appeal bonds,
performance bonds and other obligations of a like nature incurred in the
ordinary course of business;
(g) easements, rights-of-way, restrictions and other similar encumbrances
affecting real property which, in the aggregate, are not substantial in amount,
and which do not in any case materially detract from the value of the property
subject thereto or materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of the
business of the applicable Person;
(h) Liens securing judgments for the payment of money not constituting an
Event of Default under Section 8.01(h);
(i) Liens securing Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.03(c); provided
that (i) such Liens do not at any time encumber any property other than the
property financed by such Indebtedness (and improvements and attachments
thereto) and (ii) the Indebtedness secured thereby does not exceed the cost or
fair market value, whichever is lower, of the property being acquired on the
date of acquisition;
(j) Liens securing Acquired Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.03(d);
provided that such Liens do not (i) at any time encumber any property other than
property acquired in such Permitted Acquisition (and improvements and
attachments thereto), or (ii) secure any Indebtedness other than Acquired
Indebtedness existing immediately prior to the time of acquisition of such
property; and
65
(k) Liens on accounts receivable (and related supporting obligations and
books and records) subject to any Permitted Securitization Facility;
(l) other Liens incidental to the conduct of the Borrower's or any of its
Subsidiaries businesses (including Liens on goods securing trade letters of
credit issued in respect of the importation of goods in the ordinary course of
business, or the ownership of any of the Borrower's or any Subsidiary's property
or assets) which (x) are not incurred in connection with Indebtedness, and (y)
do not in the aggregate materially detract from the value of the Borrower's or
any of its Subsidiary's property or assets or materially impair the use thereof
in the operation of the Borrower's or any of its Subsidiary's businesses;
(m) customary rights of setoff, revocation, refund or chargeback under
deposit agreements, or banker's or similar liens arising under the UCC, of banks
or other financial institutions where the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries
maintains deposit accounts in the ordinary course of business in accordance with
this Agreement;
(n) Liens securing Indebtedness otherwise permitted hereunder; provided,
that the aggregate outstanding amount of Indebtedness secured by such Liens,
when taken together with all Indebtedness permitted by Section 7.03(g) then
outstanding, does not at any time exceed 15% of Consolidated Tangible Assets.
7.02 INVESTMENTS. Make any Investments, except:
(a) Investments held by the Borrower or such Subsidiary in the form of cash
and cash equivalents (including Investments consisting of deposits with
financial institutions available for withdrawal on demand);
(b) Investments of the Borrower in any wholly-owned Subsidiary and
Investments of any wholly-owned Subsidiary in the Borrower or in another
wholly-owned Subsidiary;
(c) Investments consisting of extensions of credit in the nature of prepaid
expenses, accounts receivable or notes receivable arising from the grant of
trade credit in the ordinary course of business, and Investments received in
satisfaction or partial satisfaction thereof from financially troubled account
debtors to the extent reasonably necessary in order to prevent or limit loss;
(d) Guarantees permitted by Section 7.03;
(e) Permitted Acquisitions (other than Acquisitions in which (x)
immediately after the consummation of such Acquisition, the Person acquired is
not either a wholly-owned Subsidiary or merged into the Borrower or a
wholly-owned Subsidiary or, (y) if assets are being acquired, the acquiror is
not the Borrower or a wholly-owned Subsidiary);
(f) Investments of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries in, and the
creation of, any Special Purpose Finance Subsidiary; and
(g) so long as no Default shall exist or would result therefrom, other
Investments that, when taken together with the aggregate amount of all other
Investments previously made
66
pursuant to this Section 7.02(g) (net of any principal amount thereof that is
repaid or returned), do not exceed 20% of Consolidated Tangible Assets
(calculated as of the most recent date for which financial statements have been
furnished pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b) or, if no such financial statements
have been delivered, as calculated in the Audited Financial Statements).
7.03 SUBSIDIARY INDEBTEDNESS. Permit any Subsidiary to create, incur,
assume or suffer to exist any Indebtedness, except:
(a) Indebtedness under the Loan Documents or, with respect to any Loan
Party, under any Related Credit Arrangement;
(b) Indebtedness outstanding on the date hereof and listed on Schedule 7.03
and any refinancings, refundings, renewals or extensions thereof; provided that
the amount of such Indebtedness is not increased at the time of such
refinancing, refunding, renewal or extension except by an amount equal to a
reasonable premium or other reasonable amount paid, and fees and expenses
reasonably incurred, in connection with such refinancing and by an amount equal
to any existing commitments unutilized thereunder;
(c) Indebtedness in respect of capital leases, Synthetic Lease Obligations
and purchase money obligations for fixed or capital assets within the
limitations set forth in Section 7.01(j); provided, however, that the aggregate
amount of all such Indebtedness at any one time outstanding, when taken together
with all Indebtedness permitted by Section 7.03(d) then outstanding, shall not
exceed $25,000,000;
(d) Acquired Indebtedness; provided, however, that the aggregate amount of
all such Indebtedness at any one time outstanding, when taken together with all
Indebtedness permitted by Section 7.03(c) then outstanding, shall not exceed
$25,000,000;
(e) Indebtedness of any Subsidiary owing to the Borrower or any
wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Borrower; provided, that any such Indebtedness of
any Guarantor shall be to the Borrower or another Guarantor or subordinate to
the payment in full in cash of the Obligations on terms and conditions
acceptable to the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion;
(f) Indebtedness pursuant to any Permitted Securitization Facility; and
(g) Indebtedness not otherwise permitted by this Section 7.03 the aggregate
outstanding amount of which, when taken together with the aggregate outstanding
amount of Indebtedness of the Borrower secured by a Lien permitted by Section
7.01(n), does not at any time exceed 15% of Consolidated Tangible Assets.
7.04 FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES. Merge, dissolve, liquidate, consolidate with or
into another Person, or Dispose of (whether in one transaction or in a series of
transactions) all or substantially all of its assets (whether now owned or
hereafter acquired) to or in favor of any Person, except that, so long as no
Default exists or would result therefrom:
(a) any Subsidiary may merge with (i) the Borrower, provided that the
Borrower shall be the continuing or surviving Person, or (ii) any one or more
other Subsidiaries, provided that (x) when any wholly-owned Subsidiary is
merging with another Subsidiary, the wholly-owned
67
Subsidiary shall be the continuing or surviving Person and (y) when any
Guarantor is merging with another Subsidiary, the Guarantor shall be the
continuing or surviving Person;
(b) any Subsidiary may Dispose of all or substantially all of its assets
(upon voluntary liquidation or otherwise) to the Borrower or to another
Subsidiary; provided that (x) if the transferor in such a transaction is a
wholly-owned Subsidiary, then the transferee must either be the Borrower or a
wholly-owned Subsidiary, and (y) if the transferor in such a transaction is a
Guarantor, then the transferee must either be the Borrower or another Guarantor;
(c) the Borrower or any Subsidiary may Dispose of any Equity Interests to
another Subsidiary or to the Borrower; provided, that (x) if the transferor in
such transaction is a wholly-owned Subsidiary, then the transferee must either
be the Borrower or a wholly-owned Subsidiary, and (y) if the transferor in such
transaction is a Guarantor, then the transferee must either be the Borrower or
another Guarantor; and
(d) any Subsidiary may merge with, or Dispose of all or substantially all
of its assets to, another Person in order to consummate a Disposition permitted
by Section 7.05(g).
7.05 DISPOSITIONS. Make any Disposition or enter into any agreement to make
any Disposition, except:
(a) Dispositions of obsolete or worn out property, whether now owned or
hereafter acquired, in the ordinary course of business;
(b) Dispositions of inventory in the ordinary course of business;
(c) Dispositions of equipment or real property to the extent that (i) such
property is exchanged for credit against the purchase price of similar
replacement property or (ii) the proceeds of such Disposition are reasonably
promptly applied to the purchase price of such replacement property;
(d) Dispositions of property by any Subsidiary to the Borrower or to a
wholly-owned Subsidiary; provided that if the transferor of such property is a
Guarantor, the transferee thereof must either be the Borrower or a Guarantor;
(e) Dispositions permitted by Section 7.04(a), Section 7.04(b) or Section
7.04(c);
(f) Dispositions of accounts receivable (and related supporting obligations
and books and records) subject to any Permitted Securitization Facility; and
(g) Dispositions not otherwise permitted by this Section 7.05; provided,
that (i) at the time of such Disposition, no Default shall exist or would result
from such Disposition, (ii) the aggregate book value of all property Disposed of
in reliance on this clause (g) in any 12 month period shall not exceed 20% of
Consolidated Tangible Assets (calculated as of the most recent date for which
financial statements have been furnished pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b) or,
if no such financial statements have been delivered, as calculated in the
Audited Financial Statements), and (iii) any Disposition pursuant to this clause
(g) shall be for fair market value.
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7.06 RESTRICTED PAYMENTS. Declare or make, directly or indirectly, any
Restricted Payment, or incur any obligation (contingent or otherwise) to do so,
except that, so long as no Default shall have occurred and be continuing at the
time of any action described below or would result therefrom:
(a) each Subsidiary may make Restricted Payments to the Borrower, the
Guarantors and any other Person that owns an Equity Interest in such Subsidiary,
ratably according to their respective holdings of the type of Equity Interest in
respect of which such Restricted Payment is being made;
(b) the Borrower and each Subsidiary may declare and make dividend payments
or other distributions payable solely in the common stock or other common Equity
Interests of such Person;
(c) the Borrower and each Subsidiary may purchase, redeem or otherwise
acquire Equity Interests issued by it with the proceeds received from the
substantially concurrent issue of new shares of its common stock or other common
Equity Interests; and
(d) the Borrower may declare or pay cash dividends to its stockholders and
purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire for cash Equity Interests issued by it;
provided that at the time of such declaration, payment, purchase, redemption or
acquisition, as the case may be, (i) no Default shall exist or would result
therefrom, (ii) there shall be at least $50,000,000 of Available Liquidity, both
immediately prior to declaration and immediately after payment of such cash
dividend or purchase of redemption price, and (iii) with respect to any
Restricted Payment the amount of which, when added to the amount of all other
Restricted Payments pursuant to this clause (d) in the immediately preceding
twelve months, is in excess of $25,000,000, the Borrower shall have furnished to
the Administrative Agent a Compliance Certificate prepared on a historical pro
forma basis as of the most recent date for which financial statements have been
furnished pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b) (or, if no such financial
statements have been delivered, as of the date of the Audited Financial
Statements), which Compliance Certificate shall demonstrate that, upon giving
pro forma effect to such action as of the date thereof and all such other prior
Restricted Payments pursuant to this clause (d) as of the last day of the most
recently ended fiscal quarter, no Default would be deemed to have occurred at
such time as a result thereof.
7.07 ACQUISITIONS. Consummate any Acquisition, unless (i) the Person to be
(or whose assets are to be) acquired does not oppose such Acquisition and the
line or lines of business of the Person to be acquired are Permitted Lines of
Business, (ii) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be
continuing either immediately prior to or immediately after giving effect to
such Acquisition and, if the Cost of Acquisition is in excess of $25,000,000,
prior to the consummation of such Acquisition, the Borrower shall have furnished
to the Administrative Agent, (A) pro forma historical financial statements as of
the end of the most recently completed fiscal year of the Borrower and most
recent interim fiscal quarter, if applicable, giving effect to such Acquisition
and (B) a Compliance Certificate prepared on a historical pro forma basis as of
the most recent date for which financial statements have been furnished pursuant
to Section 6.01(a) or (b) (or, if no such financial statements have been
delivered, as of the date of the Audited Financial Statements) giving effect to
such Acquisition, which certificate shall
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demonstrate that no Default or Event of Default would exist immediately after
giving effect thereto, and (iii) there shall be at least $50,000,000 of
Available Liquidity, both immediately prior to and immediately after giving
effect to such Acquisition.
7.08 CHANGE IN NATURE OF BUSINESS. Engage in any material line of business
other than Permitted Lines of Business.
7.09 TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES. Enter into any transaction of any kind
with any Affiliate of the Borrower other than (a) transactions which are on fair
and reasonable terms substantially as favorable to the Borrower or such
Subsidiary as would be obtainable by the Borrower or such Subsidiary at the time
in a comparable arm's length transaction with a Person other than an Affiliate,
and (b) transactions among Loan Parties.
7.10 BURDENSOME AGREEMENTS. Enter into any Contractual Obligation (other
than this Agreement or any other Loan Document) that (a) limits the ability of
any Subsidiary (other than a Special Purpose Finance Subsidiary) to make
Restricted Payments to the Borrower or any Guarantor or to otherwise transfer
property to the Borrower or any Guarantor, in each case other than (i) any
limitation consisting of customary non-assignment provisions in Contractual
Obligations entered into in the ordinary course of business to the extent such
provisions restrict the transfer or assignment of such agreement, (ii) any
limitation pursuant to a Lien permitted under clause (i) or (j) of Section 7.01
to the extent such provisions restrict the transfer of the property subject to
such agreements, (iii) customary limitations on the Disposition of an asset
pursuant to an agreement with a Person that is not an Affiliate to Dispose of
such asset to such Person to the extent such Disposition is permitted by Section
7.05, and (iv) customary limitations on a Subsidiary party to a Permitted
Securitization Facility that restrict the transfer of such Subsidiary's interest
in accounts receivable (and related supporting obligations and books and
records) subject to such Permitted Securitization Facility, or (b) prohibits any
Subsidiary (other than any Special Purpose Finance Subsidiary) from Guaranteeing
the Obligations pursuant to the Guaranty (or any Guaranty Joinder Agreement).
7.11 USE OF PROCEEDS. Use the proceeds of any Credit Extension, whether
directly or indirectly, and whether immediately, incidentally or ultimately, to
purchase or carry margin stock (within the meaning of Regulation U of the FRB)
or to extend credit to others for the purpose of purchasing or carrying margin
stock or to refund indebtedness originally incurred for such purpose.
7.12 FINANCIAL COVENANTS.
(a) CONSOLIDATED INTEREST COVERAGE RATIO. Permit the Consolidated Interest
Coverage Ratio as of the end of any fiscal quarter of the Borrower to be less
than 3.00 to 1.00
(b) CONSOLIDATED LEVERAGE RATIO. Permit the Consolidated Leverage Ratio as
of the end of any fiscal quarter of the Borrower to be greater than 3.25 to
1.00.
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ARTICLE VIII.
EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES
8.01 EVENTS OF DEFAULT. Any of the following shall constitute an Event of
Default:
(a) Non-Payment. The Borrower or any other Loan Party fails to pay (i) when
and as required to be paid herein, any amount of principal of any Loan or any
L/C Obligation, or (ii) within three Business Days after the same becomes due,
any interest on any Loan or on any L/C Obligation, or any fee due hereunder, or
(iii) within five Business Days after the same becomes due, any other amount
payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document; or
(b) Specific Covenants. The Borrower fails to perform or observe any term,
covenant or agreement contained in any of Section 6.03, 6.05 (in the case of any
Loan Party), 6.10, 6.11, 6.13 or Article VII, or any Guarantor fails to perform
or observe any term, covenant or agreement contained in the Guaranty; or
(c) Other Defaults. Any Loan Party fails to perform or observe any other
covenant or agreement (not specified in subsection (a) or (b) above) contained
in any Loan Document on its part to be performed or observed and such failure
continues for 30 days after the earlier of (i) written notice thereof to the
Borrower by the Administrative Agent or any Lender, or (ii) any Responsible
Officer of the Borrower knows of such failure; or
(d) Representations and Warranties. Any representation, warranty,
certification or statement of fact made or deemed made by or on behalf of the
Borrower or any other Loan Party herein, in any other Loan Document, or in any
document delivered in connection herewith or therewith shall be incorrect or
misleading when made or deemed made; or
(e) Cross-Default. (i) The Borrower or any Subsidiary (A) fails to make any
payment when due (whether by scheduled maturity, required prepayment,
acceleration, demand, or otherwise) in respect of any Indebtedness or Guarantee
(other than Indebtedness hereunder and Indebtedness under Swap Contracts) having
an aggregate principal amount (including undrawn committed or available amounts
and including amounts owing to all creditors under any combined or syndicated
credit arrangement) of more than $20,000,000, or (B) fails to observe or perform
any other agreement or condition relating to any such Indebtedness or Guarantee
or contained in any instrument or agreement evidencing, securing or relating
thereto, or any other event occurs, the effect of which default or other event
is to cause, or to permit the holder or holders of such Indebtedness or the
beneficiary or beneficiaries of such Guarantee (or a trustee or agent on behalf
of such holder or holders or beneficiary or beneficiaries) to cause, with the
giving of notice if required, such Indebtedness to be demanded or to become due
or to be repurchased, prepaid, defeased or redeemed (automatically or
otherwise), or an offer to repurchase, prepay, defease or redeem such
Indebtedness to be made, prior to its stated maturity, or such Guarantee to
become payable or cash collateral in respect thereof to be demanded; provided
that this clause (e)(i) shall not apply to Indebtedness secured by any Lien
permitted under clause (i) or (j) of Section 7.01 to the extent such
Indebtedness becomes due as a result of the voluntary sale or transfer of the
property or assets secured by such Lien, or (ii) there occurs under any Swap
Contract an Early Termination Date (as defined in such Swap Contract) resulting
from (A) any Event of Default (as defined in such Swap Contract) as to which the
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Borrower or any Subsidiary is the Defaulting Party (as defined in such Swap
Contract) or (B) any Termination Event (as so defined) under such Swap Contract
as to which the Borrower or any Subsidiary is an Affected Party (as so defined)
and, in either event, the Swap Termination Value owed by the Borrower or such
Subsidiary as a result thereof is greater than $20,000,000; or
(f) Insolvency Proceedings, Etc. Any Loan Party or any of its Material
Subsidiaries institutes or consents to the institution of any proceeding under
any Debtor Relief Law, or makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors; or
applies for or consents to the appointment of any receiver, trustee, custodian,
conservator, liquidator, rehabilitator or similar officer for it or for all or
any material part of its property; or any receiver, trustee, custodian,
conservator, liquidator, rehabilitator or similar officer is appointed without
the application or consent of such Person and the appointment continues
undischarged or unstayed for 60 calendar days; or any proceeding under any
Debtor Relief Law relating to any such Person or to all or any material part of
its property is instituted without the consent of such Person and continues
undismissed or unstayed for 60 calendar days, or an order for relief is entered
in any such proceeding; or
(g) Inability to Pay Debts; Attachment. (i) The Borrower or any Material
Subsidiary becomes unable or admits in writing its inability or fails generally
to pay its debts as they become due, or (ii) any writ or warrant of attachment
or execution or similar process is issued or levied against all or any material
part of the property of any such Person and is not released, vacated or fully
bonded within 30 days after its issue or levy; or
(h) Judgments. There is entered against the Borrower or any Subsidiary (i)
a final judgment or order for the payment of money in an aggregate amount
exceeding $20,000,000 (to the extent not covered by independent third-party
insurance as to which the insurer does not dispute coverage), or (ii) any one or
more non-monetary final judgments that have, or could reasonably be expected to
have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect and, in either
case, (A) any seizure, sale or similar enforcement proceeding is commenced by
any creditor upon any assets of the Borrower or any Subsidiary with respect to
such judgment or order, or (B) there is a period of 60 consecutive days during
which such judgments or orders shall not have been paid, vacated, discharged,
stayed or bonded pending appeal; or
(i) ERISA. (i) An ERISA Event occurs with respect to a Pension Plan or
Multiemployer Plan which has resulted or would reasonably be expected to result
in liability of the Borrower under Title IV of ERISA to the Pension Plan,
Multiemployer Plan or the PBGC in an aggregate amount in excess of $30,000,000,
or (ii) the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate fails to pay when due, after the
expiration of any applicable grace period, any installment payment with respect
to its withdrawal liability under Section 4201 of ERISA under a Multiemployer
Plan in an aggregate amount in excess of $30,000,000; or
(j) Invalidity of Loan Documents. Any material provision of any Loan
Document, at any time after its execution and delivery and for any reason other
than as expressly permitted hereunder or thereunder or satisfaction in full of
all the Obligations, ceases to be in full force and effect; or any Loan Party
contests in any manner the validity or enforceability of any provision of any
Loan Document; or any Loan Party denies that it has any or further liability or
obligation under any Loan Document; or
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(k) Change of Control. There occurs any Change of Control.
8.02 REMEDIES UPON EVENT OF DEFAULT. If any Event of Default occurs and is
continuing, the Administrative Agent shall, at the request of, or may, with the
consent of, the Required Lenders, take any or all of the following actions:
(a) declare the commitment of each Lender to make Loans and any obligation
of the L/C Issuer to make L/C Credit Extensions to be terminated, whereupon such
commitments and obligation shall be terminated;
(b) declare the unpaid principal amount of all outstanding Loans, all
interest accrued and unpaid thereon, and all other amounts owing or payable
hereunder or under any other Loan Document to be immediately due and payable,
without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which
are hereby expressly waived by the Borrower;
(c) require that the Borrower Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations (in an
amount equal to the then Outstanding Amount thereof); and
(d) exercise on behalf of itself and the Lenders all rights and remedies
available to it and the Lenders under the Loan Documents;
provided, however, that upon the occurrence of an actual or deemed entry of an
order for relief with respect to the Borrower under the Bankruptcy Code of the
United States, the obligation of each Lender to make Loans and any obligation of
the L/C Issuer to make L/C Credit Extensions shall automatically terminate, the
unpaid principal amount of all outstanding Loans and all interest and other
amounts as aforesaid shall automatically become due and payable, and the
obligation of the Borrower to Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations as
aforesaid shall automatically become effective, in each case without further act
of the Administrative Agent or any Lender.
8.03 APPLICATION OF FUNDS. After the exercise of remedies provided for in
Section 8.02 (or after the Loans have automatically become immediately due and
payable and the L/C Obligations have automatically been required to be Cash
Collateralized as set forth in the proviso to Section 8.02), any amounts
received under the Loan Documents shall be applied by the Administrative Agent
in the following order:
First, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting fees,
indemnities, expenses and other amounts (including fees, charges and
disbursements of counsel to the Administrative Agent and amounts payable under
Article III) payable to the Administrative Agent in its capacity as such;
Second, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting fees,
indemnities and other amounts (other than principal, interest and Letter of
Credit Fees) payable to the Lenders and the L/C Issuer (including fees, charges
and disbursements of counsel to the respective Lenders and the L/C Issuer and
amounts payable under Article III), ratably among them in proportion to the
respective amounts described in this clause Second payable to them;
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Third, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting accrued
and unpaid Letter of Credit Fees and interest on the Loans, L/C Borrowings and
other Obligations, ratably among the Lenders and the L/C Issuer in proportion to
the respective amounts described in this clause Third payable to them;
Fourth, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting unpaid
principal of the Loans, L/C Borrowings and Related Treasury Management
Arrangements and the Swap Termination Value of Related Swap Contracts, all
ratably among the Lenders (or Affiliates thereof in the case of Related Treasury
Management Arrangements and Related Swap Contracts) and the L/C Issuer in
proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Fourth payable to
them;
Fifth, to the Administrative Agent for the account of the L/C Issuer, to
Cash Collateralize that portion of L/C Obligations comprising the aggregate
undrawn amount of Letters of Credit; and
Last, the balance, if any, after all of the Obligations have been
indefeasibly paid in full, to the Borrower or as otherwise required by Law.
Subject to Section 2.03(c), amounts used to Cash Collateralize the aggregate
undrawn amount of Letters of Credit pursuant to clause Fifth above shall be
applied to satisfy drawings under such Letters of Credit as they occur. If any
amount remains on deposit as Cash Collateral after all Letters of Credit have
either been fully drawn or expired, such remaining amount shall be applied to
the other Obligations, if any, in the order set forth above.
ARTICLE IX.
ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
9.01 APPOINTMENT AND AUTHORITY. Each of the Lenders and the L/C Issuer
hereby irrevocably appoints Bank of America to act on its behalf as the
Administrative Agent hereunder and under the other Loan Documents and authorizes
the Administrative Agent to take such actions on its behalf and to exercise such
powers as are delegated to the Administrative Agent by the terms hereof or
thereof, together with such actions and powers as are reasonably incidental
thereto. The provisions of this Article are solely for the benefit of the
Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the L/C Issuer, and the Borrower shall not
have rights as a third party beneficiary of any of such provisions.
9.02 RIGHTS AS A LENDER. The Person serving as the Administrative Agent
hereunder shall have the same rights and powers in its capacity as a Lender as
any other Lender and may exercise the same as though it were not the
Administrative Agent and the term "Lender" or "Lenders" shall, unless otherwise
expressly indicated or unless the context otherwise requires, include the Person
serving as the Administrative Agent hereunder in its individual capacity. Such
Person and its Affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to, act as the
financial advisor or in any other advisory capacity for and generally engage in
any kind of business with the Borrower or any Subsidiary or other Affiliate
thereof as if such Person were not the Administrative Agent hereunder and
without any duty to account therefor to the Lenders.
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9.03 EXCULPATORY PROVISIONS. The Administrative Agent shall not have any
duties or obligations except those expressly set forth herein and in the other
Loan Documents. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the
Administrative Agent:
(a) shall not be subject to any fiduciary or other implied duties,
regardless of whether a Default has occurred and is continuing;
(b) shall not have any duty to take any discretionary action or
exercise any discretionary powers, except discretionary rights and powers
expressly contemplated hereby or by the other Loan Documents that the
Administrative Agent is required to exercise as directed in writing by the
Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as
shall be expressly provided for herein or in the other Loan Documents),
provided that the Administrative Agent shall not be required to take any
action that, in its opinion or the opinion of its counsel, may expose the
Administrative Agent to liability or that is contrary to any Loan Document
or applicable law; and
(c) shall not, except as expressly set forth herein and in the other
Loan Documents, have any duty to disclose, and shall not be liable for the
failure to disclose, any information relating to the Borrower or any of its
Affiliates that is communicated to or obtained by the Person serving as the
Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates in any capacity.
The Administrative Agent shall not be liable for any action taken or not
taken by it (i) with the consent or at the request of the Required Lenders (or
such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary, or as the
Administrative Agent shall believe in good faith shall be necessary, under the
circumstances as provided in Sections 10.01 and 8.02) or (ii) in the absence of
its own gross negligence or willful misconduct. The Administrative Agent shall
be deemed not to have knowledge of any Default unless and until notice
describing such Default is given to the Administrative Agent by the Borrower, a
Lender or the L/C Issuer.
The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for or have any duty to
ascertain or inquire into (i) any statement, warranty or representation made in
or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (ii) the
contents of any certificate, report or other document delivered hereunder or
thereunder or in connection herewith or therewith, (iii) the performance or
observance of any of the covenants, agreements or other terms or conditions set
forth herein or therein or the occurrence of any Default, (iv) the validity,
enforceability, effectiveness or genuineness of this Agreement, any other Loan
Document or any other agreement, instrument or document or (v) the satisfaction
of any condition set forth in Article IV or elsewhere herein, other than to
confirm receipt of items expressly required to be delivered to the
Administrative Agent.
9.04 RELIANCE BY ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT. The Administrative Agent shall be
entitled to rely upon, and shall not incur any liability for relying upon, any
notice, request, certificate, consent, statement, instrument, document or other
writing (including any electronic message, Internet or intranet website posting
or other distribution) believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed,
sent or otherwise authenticated by the proper Person. The Administrative Agent
also may rely upon any statement made to it orally or by telephone and believed
by it to have
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been made by the proper Person, and shall not incur any liability for relying
thereon. In determining compliance with any condition hereunder to the making of
a Loan, or the issuance of a Letter of Credit, that by its terms must be
fulfilled to the satisfaction of a Lender or the L/C Issuer, the Administrative
Agent may presume that such condition is satisfactory to such Lender or the L/C
Issuer unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice to the
contrary from such Lender or the L/C Issuer prior to the making of such Loan or
the issuance of such Letter of Credit. The Administrative Agent may consult with
legal counsel (who may be counsel for the Borrower), independent accountants and
other experts selected by it, and shall not be liable for any action taken or
not taken by it in accordance with the advice of any such counsel, accountants
or experts.
9.05 DELEGATION OF DUTIES. The Administrative Agent may perform any and all
of its duties and exercise its rights and powers hereunder or under any other
Loan Document by or through any one or more sub-agents appointed by the
Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent may
perform any and all of its duties and exercise its rights and powers by or
through their respective Related Parties. The exculpatory provisions of this
Article shall apply to any such sub-agent and to the Related Parties of the
Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent, and shall apply to their respective
activities in connection with the syndication of the credit facilities provided
for herein as well as activities as Administrative Agent.
9.06 RESIGNATION OF ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT. The Administrative Agent may at
any time give notice of its resignation to the Lenders, the L/C Issuer and the
Borrower. Upon receipt of any such notice of resignation, the Required Lenders
shall have the right, in consultation with the Borrower, to appoint a successor,
which shall be a bank with an office in the United States, or an Affiliate of
any such bank with an office in the United States. If no such successor shall
have been so appointed by the Required Lenders and shall have accepted such
appointment within 30 days after the retiring Administrative Agent gives notice
of its resignation, then the retiring Administrative Agent may on behalf of the
Lenders and the L/C Issuer, appoint a successor Administrative Agent meeting the
qualifications set forth above; provided that if the Administrative Agent shall
notify the Borrower and the Lenders that no qualifying Person has accepted such
appointment, then such resignation shall nonetheless become effective in
accordance with such notice and (1) the retiring Administrative Agent shall be
discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder and under the other Loan
Documents and (2) all payments, communications and determinations provided to be
made by, to or through the Administrative Agent shall instead be made by or to
each Lender and the L/C Issuer directly, until such time as the Required Lenders
appoint a successor Administrative Agent as provided for above in this Section.
Upon the acceptance of a successor's appointment as Administrative Agent
hereunder, such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the
rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring (or retired)
Administrative Agent, and the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged
from all of its duties and obligations hereunder or under the other Loan
Documents (if not already discharged therefrom as provided above in this
Section). The fees payable by the Borrower to a successor Administrative Agent
shall be the same as those payable to its predecessor unless otherwise agreed
between the Borrower and such successor. After the retiring Administrative
Agent's resignation hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, the provisions
of this Article and Section 10.04 shall continue in effect for the benefit of
such retiring Administrative Agent, its sub-agents and their respective Related
Parties in respect of
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any actions taken or omitted to be taken by any of them while the retiring
Administrative Agent was acting as Administrative Agent.
Any resignation by Bank of America as Administrative Agent pursuant to this
Section shall also constitute its resignation as L/C Issuer and Swing Line
Lender. Upon the acceptance of a successor's appointment as Administrative Agent
hereunder, (a) such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the
rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring L/C Issuer and Swing Line
Lender, (b) the retiring L/C Issuer and Swing Line Lender shall be discharged
from all of their respective duties and obligations hereunder or under the other
Loan Documents, and (c) the successor L/C Issuer shall issue letters of credit
in substitution for the Letters of Credit, if any, outstanding at the time of
such succession or make other arrangements satisfactory to the retiring L/C
Issuer to effectively assume the obligations of the retiring L/C Issuer with
respect to such Letters of Credit.
9.07 NON-RELIANCE ON ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT AND OTHER LENDERS. Each Lender
and the L/C Issuer acknowledges that it has, independently and without reliance
upon the Administrative Agent or any other Lender or any of their Related
Parties and based on such documents and information as it has deemed
appropriate, made its own credit analysis and decision to enter into this
Agreement. Each Lender and the L/C Issuer also acknowledges that it will,
independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent or any other
Lender or any of their Related Parties and based on such documents and
information as it shall from time to time deem appropriate, continue to make its
own decisions in taking or not taking action under or based upon this Agreement,
any other Loan Document or any related agreement or any document furnished
hereunder or thereunder.
9.08 NO OTHER DUTIES, ETC. Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding,
none of the Bookrunners, Arrangers or the Syndication Agent listed on the cover
page hereof shall have any powers, duties or responsibilities under this
Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents, except in its capacity, as
applicable, as the Administrative Agent, a Lender or the L/C Issuer hereunder.
9.09 ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT MAY FILE PROOFS OF CLAIM. In case of the pendency
of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization,
arrangement, adjustment, composition or other judicial proceeding relative to
any Loan Party, the Administrative Agent (irrespective of whether the principal
of any Loan or L/C Obligation shall then be due and payable as herein expressed
or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Administrative
Agent shall have made any demand on the Borrower) shall be entitled and
empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise
(a) to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of the principal
and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Loans, L/C Obligations and
all other Obligations that are owing and unpaid and to file such other
documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of
the Lenders, the L/C Issuer and the Administrative Agent (including any
claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances
of the Lenders, the L/C Issuer and the Administrative Agent and their
respective agents and counsel and all other amounts due the Lenders, the
L/C Issuer and
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the Administrative Agent under Sections 2.03(i) and (j), 2.09 and 10.04)
allowed in such judicial proceeding; and
(b) to collect and receive any monies or other property payable or
deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same;
and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or
other similar official in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by
each Lender and the L/C Issuer to make such payments to the Administrative Agent
and, in the event that the Administrative Agent shall consent to the making of
such payments directly to the Lenders and the L/C Issuer, to pay to the
Administrative Agent any amount due for the reasonable compensation, expenses,
disbursements and advances of the Administrative Agent and its agents and
counsel, and any other amounts due the Administrative Agent under Sections 2.09
and 10.04.
Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to authorize the Administrative
Agent to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Lender or
the L/C Issuer any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or
composition affecting the Obligations or the rights of any Lender or to
authorize the Administrative Agent to vote in respect of the claim of any Lender
in any such proceeding.
9.10 GUARANTY MATTERS. The Lenders and the L/C Issuer irrevocably authorize
the Administrative Agent, at its option and in its discretion, to release any
Guarantor from its obligations under the Guaranty if such Person ceases to be a
Subsidiary as a result of a transaction permitted hereunder. Upon request by the
Administrative Agent at any time, the Required Lenders will confirm in writing
the Administrative Agent's authority to release any Guarantor from its
obligations under the Guaranty pursuant to this Section 9.10.
ARTICLE X.
MISCELLANEOUS
10.01 AMENDMENTS, ETC. No amendment or waiver of any provision of this
Agreement or any other Loan Document, and no consent to any departure by the
Borrower or any other Loan Party therefrom, shall be effective unless in writing
signed by the Required Lenders and the Borrower or the applicable Loan Party, as
the case may be, and acknowledged by the Administrative Agent, and each such
waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the
specific purpose for which given; provided, however, that no such amendment,
waiver or consent shall:
(a) waive any condition set forth in Section 4.01 or 4.02 (in each case
except as expressly provided therein) without the written consent of each
Lender;
(b) extend or increase the Commitment of any Lender (or reinstate any
Commitment terminated pursuant to Section 8.02) without the written consent of
such Lender;
(c) postpone any date fixed by this Agreement or any other Loan Document
for any payment of principal, interest, fees or other amounts due to the Lenders
(or any of them)
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hereunder or under any other Loan Document without the written consent of each
Lender directly affected thereby;
(d) reduce the principal of, or the rate of interest specified herein on,
any Loan or L/C Borrowing, or (subject to clause (v) of the second proviso to
this Section 10.01) any fees or other amounts payable hereunder or under any
other Loan Document without the written consent of each Lender directly affected
thereby; provided, however, that only the consent of the Required Lenders shall
be necessary (i) to amend the definition of "Default Rate" or to waive any
obligation of the Borrower to pay interest or Letter of Credit Fees at the
Default Rate or (ii) to amend any financial covenant hereunder (or any defined
term used therein) even if the effect of such amendment would be to reduce the
rate of interest on any Loan or L/C Borrowing or to reduce any fee payable
hereunder;
(e) change Section 2.13 or Section 8.03 in a manner that would alter the
pro rata sharing of payments required thereby without the written consent of
each Lender;
(f) change any provision of this Section or the definition of "Required
Lenders" or any other provision hereof specifying the number or percentage of
Lenders required to amend, waive or otherwise modify any rights hereunder or
make any determination or grant any consent hereunder, without the written
consent of each Lender; or
(g) release all or substantially all of the value of the Guaranty without
the written consent of each Lender;
and, provided further, that (i) no amendment, waiver or consent shall, unless in
writing and signed by the L/C Issuer in addition to the Lenders required above,
affect the rights or duties of the L/C Issuer under this Agreement or any Issuer
Document relating to any Letter of Credit issued or to be issued by it; (ii) no
amendment, waiver or consent shall, unless in writing and signed by the Swing
Line Lender in addition to the Lenders required above, affect the rights or
duties of the Swing Line Lender under this Agreement; (iii) no amendment, waiver
or consent shall, unless in writing and signed by the Administrative Agent in
addition to the Lenders required above, affect the rights or duties of the
Administrative Agent under this Agreement or any other Loan Document; (iv)
Section 10.06(h) may not be amended, waived or otherwise modified without the
consent of each Granting Lender all or any part of whose Loans are being funded
by an SPC at the time of such amendment, waiver or other modification; and (v)
the Fee Letter may be amended, or rights or privileges thereunder waived, in a
writing executed only by the parties thereto. Notwithstanding anything to the
contrary herein, no Defaulting Lender shall have any right to approve or
disapprove any amendment, waiver or consent hereunder, except that the
Commitment of such Lender may not be increased or extended without the consent
of such Lender.
10.02 NOTICES; EFFECTIVENESS; ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION.
(a) Notices Generally. Except in the case of notices and other
communications expressly permitted to be given by telephone (and except as
provided in subsection (b) below), all notices and other communications provided
for herein shall be in writing and shall be delivered by hand or overnight
courier service, mailed by certified or registered mail or sent by
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telecopier as follows, and all notices and other communications expressly
permitted hereunder to be given by telephone shall be made to the applicable
telephone number, as follows:
(i) if to the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or
the Swing Line Lender, to the address, telecopier number, electronic mail
address or telephone number specified for such Person on Schedule 10.02;
and
(ii) if to any other Lender, to the address, telecopier number,
electronic mail address or telephone number specified in its Administrative
Questionnaire.
Notices sent by hand or overnight courier service, or mailed by certified
or registered mail, shall be deemed to have been given when received; notices
sent by telecopier shall be deemed to have been given when sent (except that, if
not given during normal business hours for the recipient, shall be deemed to
have been given at the opening of business on the next business day for the
recipient). Notices delivered through electronic communications to the extent
provided in subsection (b) below, shall be effective as provided in such
subsection (b).
(b) Electronic Communications. Notices and other communications to the
Lenders and the L/C Issuer hereunder may be delivered or furnished by electronic
communication (including e mail and Internet or intranet websites) pursuant to
procedures approved by the Administrative Agent, provided that the foregoing
shall not apply to notices to any Lender or the L/C Issuer pursuant to Article
II if such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as applicable, has notified the
Administrative Agent that it is incapable of receiving notices under such
Article by electronic communication. The Administrative Agent or the Borrower
may, in its discretion, agree to accept notices and other communications to it
hereunder by electronic communications pursuant to procedures approved by it,
provided that approval of such procedures may be limited to particular notices
or communications.
Unless the Administrative Agent otherwise prescribes, (i) notices and other
communications sent to an e-mail address shall be deemed received upon the
sender's receipt of an acknowledgement from the intended recipient (such as by
the "return receipt requested" function, as available, return e-mail or other
written acknowledgement), provided that if such notice or other communication is
not sent during the normal business hours of the recipient, such notice or
communication shall be deemed to have been sent at the opening of business on
the next business day for the recipient, and (ii) notices or communications
posted to an Internet or intranet website shall be deemed received upon the
deemed receipt by the intended recipient at its e-mail address as described in
the foregoing clause (i) of notification that such notice or communication is
available and identifying the website address therefor.
(c) The Platform. THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE." THE
AGENT PARTIES (AS DEFINED BELOW) DO NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF
THE BORROWER MATERIALS OR THE ADEQUACY OF THE PLATFORM, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM
LIABILITY FOR ERRORS IN OR OMISSIONS FROM THE BORROWER MATERIALS. NO WARRANTY OF
ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD
PARTY RIGHTS OR FREEDOM FROM VIRUSES OR
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OTHER CODE DEFECTS, IS MADE BY ANY AGENT PARTY IN CONNECTION WITH THE BORROWER
MATERIALS OR THE PLATFORM. In no event shall the Administrative Agent or any of
its Related Parties (collectively, the "Agent Parties") have any liability to
the Borrower, any Lender, the L/C Issuer or any other Person for losses, claims,
damages, liabilities or expenses of any kind (whether in tort, contract or
otherwise) arising out of the Borrower's or the Administrative Agent's
transmission of Borrower Materials through the Internet, except to the extent
that such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses are determined by a
court of competent jurisdiction by a final and nonappealable judgment to have
resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Agent Party;
provided, however, that in no event shall any Agent Party have any liability to
the Borrower, any Lender, the L/C Issuer or any other Person for indirect,
special, incidental, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or
actual damages).
(d) Change of Address, Etc. Each of the Borrower, the Administrative Agent,
the L/C Issuer and the Swing Line Lender may change its address, telecopier or
telephone number for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the
other parties hereto. Each other Lender may change its address, telecopier or
telephone number for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the
Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer and the Swing Line Lender. In
addition, each Lender agrees to notify the Administrative Agent from time to
time to ensure that the Administrative Agent has on record (i) an effective
address, contact name, telephone number, telecopier number and electronic mail
address to which notices and other communications may be sent and (ii) accurate
wire instructions for such Lender.
(e) Reliance by Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer and Lenders. The
Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer and the Lenders shall be entitled to rely
and act upon any notices (including telephonic Committed Loan Notices and Swing
Line Loan Notices) purportedly given by or on behalf of the Borrower even if (i)
such notices were not made in a manner specified herein, were incomplete or were
not preceded or followed by any other form of notice specified herein, or (ii)
the terms thereof, as understood by the recipient, varied from any confirmation
thereof. The Borrower shall indemnify the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer,
each Lender and the Related Parties of each of them from all losses, costs,
expenses and liabilities resulting from the reliance by such Person on each
notice purportedly given by or on behalf of the Borrower. All telephonic notices
to and other telephonic communications with the Administrative Agent may be
recorded by the Administrative Agent, and each of the parties hereto hereby
consents to such recording.
10.03 NO WAIVER; CUMULATIVE REMEDIES. No failure by any Lender, the L/C
Issuer or the Administrative Agent to exercise, and no delay by any such Person
in exercising, any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder shall operate as
a waiver thereof; nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, remedy,
power or privilege hereunder preclude any other or further exercise thereof or
the exercise of any other right, remedy, power or privilege. The rights,
remedies, powers and privileges herein provided are cumulative and not exclusive
of any rights, remedies, powers and privileges provided by law.
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10.04 EXPENSES; INDEMNITY; DAMAGE WAIVER.
(a) Costs and Expenses. The Borrower shall pay (i) all reasonable
out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent and its Affiliates
(including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of counsel for the
Administrative Agent), in connection with the syndication of the credit
facilities provided for herein, the preparation, negotiation, execution,
delivery and administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents or
any amendments, modifications or waivers of the provisions hereof or thereof
(whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be
consummated), (ii) all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the L/C
Issuer in connection with the issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of any
Letter of Credit or any demand for payment thereunder and (iii) all
out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent, any Lender or the
L/C Issuer (including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for the
Administrative Agent, any Lender or the L/C Issuer), in connection with the
enforcement or protection of its rights (A) in connection with this Agreement
and the other Loan Documents, including its rights under this Section, or (B) in
connection with the Loans made or Letters of Credit issued hereunder, including
all such out-of-pocket expenses incurred during any workout, restructuring or
negotiations in respect of such Loans or Letters of Credit.
(b) Indemnification by the Borrower. The Borrower shall indemnify the
Administrative Agent (and any sub-agent thereof), each Lender and the L/C
Issuer, and each Related Party of any of the foregoing Persons (each such Person
being called an "Indemnitee") against, and hold each Indemnitee harmless from,
any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and related expenses (including
the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for any Indemnitee), incurred
by any Indemnitee or asserted against any Indemnitee by any third party or by
the Borrower or any other Loan Party arising out of, in connection with, or as a
result of (i) the execution or delivery of this Agreement, any other Transaction
Document or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby or thereby, the
performance by the parties hereto of their respective obligations hereunder or
thereunder, the consummation of the Transactions or, in the case of the
Administrative agent (and any sub-agent thereof) and its Related Parties only,
the administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, (ii) any Loan
or Letter of Credit or the use or proposed use of the proceeds therefrom
(including any refusal by the L/C Issuer to honor a demand for payment under a
Letter of Credit if the documents presented in connection with such demand do
not strictly comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit), (iii) any
Environmental Liability related in any way to the Borrower or any of its
Subsidiaries, or (iv) any actual or prospective claim, litigation, investigation
or proceeding relating to any of the foregoing, whether based on contract, tort
or any other theory, whether brought by a third party or by the Borrower or any
other Loan Party, and regardless of whether any Indemnitee is a party thereto;
provided that such indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnitee, be available to
the extent that such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or related expenses
(x) are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and
nonappealable judgment to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful
misconduct of such Indemnitee or (y) result from a claim brought by the Borrower
or any other Loan Party against an Indemnitee for breach in bad faith of such
Indemnitee's obligations hereunder or under any other Loan Document, if the
Borrower or such Loan Party has obtained a final and nonappealable judgment in
its favor on such claim as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction.
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(c) Reimbursement by Lenders. To the extent that the Borrower for any
reason fails to indefeasibly pay any amount required under subsection (a) or (b)
of this Section to be paid by it to the Administrative Agent (or any sub-agent
thereof), the L/C Issuer or any Related Party of any of the foregoing, each
Lender severally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent (or any such
sub-agent), the L/C Issuer or such Related Party, as the case may be, such
Lender's Applicable Percentage (determined as of the time that the applicable
unreimbursed expense or indemnity payment is sought) of such unpaid amount,
provided that the unreimbursed expense or indemnified loss, claim, damage,
liability or related expense, as the case may be, was incurred by or asserted
against the Administrative Agent (or any such sub-agent) or the L/C Issuer in
its capacity as such, or against any Related Party of any of the foregoing
acting for the Administrative Agent (or any such sub-agent) or L/C Issuer in
connection with such capacity. The obligations of the Lenders under this
subsection (c) are subject to the provisions of Section 2.12(d).
(d) Waiver of Consequential Damages, Etc. To the fullest extent permitted
by applicable law, the Borrower shall not assert, and hereby waives, any claim
against any Indemnitee, on any theory of liability, for special, indirect,
consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages)
arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of, this Agreement, any other
Loan Document or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby, the
transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, any Loan or Letter of Credit or the
use of the proceeds thereof. No Indemnitee referred to in subsection (b) above
shall be liable for any damages arising from the use by unintended recipients of
any information or other materials distributed by it through telecommunications,
electronic or other information transmission systems in connection with this
Agreement or the other Loan Documents or the transactions contemplated hereby or
thereby.
(e) Payments. All amounts due under this Section shall be payable not later
than ten Business Days after demand therefor.
(f) Survival. The agreements in this Section shall survive the resignation
of the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuer, the replacement of any Lender,
the termination of the Aggregate Commitments and the repayment, satisfaction or
discharge of all the other Obligations.
10.05 PAYMENTS SET ASIDE. To the extent that any payment by or on behalf of
the Borrower is made to the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or any Lender,
or the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or any Lender exercises its right of
setoff, and such payment or the proceeds of such setoff or any part thereof is
subsequently invalidated, declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside
or required (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by the
Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or such Lender in its discretion) to be
repaid to a trustee, receiver or any other party, in connection with any
proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law or otherwise, then (a) to the extent of
such recovery, the obligation or part thereof originally intended to be
satisfied shall be revived and continued in full force and effect as if such
payment had not been made or such setoff had not occurred, and (b) each Lender
and the L/C Issuer severally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent upon
demand its applicable share (without duplication) of any amount so recovered
from or repaid by the Administrative Agent, plus interest thereon from the date
of such demand to the date such payment is made at a
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rate per annum equal to the Federal Funds Rate from time to time in effect. The
obligations of the Lenders and the L/C Issuer under clause (b) of the preceding
sentence shall survive the payment in full of the Obligations and the
termination of this Agreement.
10.06 SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS.
(a) Successors and Assigns Generally. The provisions of this Agreement
shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their
respective successors and assigns permitted hereby, except that the Borrower may
not assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder
without the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent and each Lender
and no Lender may assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations
hereunder except (i) to an Eligible Assignee in accordance with the provisions
of subsection (b) of this Section, (ii) by way of participation in accordance
with the provisions of subsection (d) of this Section, (iii) by way of pledge or
assignment of a security interest subject to the restrictions of subsection (f)
of this Section, or (iv) to an SPC in accordance with the provisions of
subsection (h) of this Section (and any other attempted assignment or transfer
by any party hereto shall be null and void). Nothing in this Agreement,
expressed or implied, shall be construed to confer upon any Person (other than
the parties hereto, their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby,
Participants to the extent provided in subsection (d) of this Section and, to
the extent expressly contemplated hereby, the Related Parties of each of the
Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer and the Lenders) any legal or equitable
right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Agreement.
(b) Assignments by Lenders. Any Lender may at any time assign to one or
more Eligible Assignees all or a portion of its rights and obligations under
this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitment and the Loans
(including for purposes of this subsection (b), participations in L/C
Obligations and in Swing Line Loans) at the time owing to it); provided that
(i) except in the case of an assignment of the entire remaining amount
of the assigning Lender's Commitment and the Loans at the time owing to it
or in the case of an assignment to a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender or
an Approved Fund with respect to a Lender, the aggregate amount of the
Commitment (which for this purpose includes Loans outstanding thereunder)
or, if the Commitment is not then in effect, the principal outstanding
balance of the Loans of the assigning Lender subject to each such
assignment, determined as of the date the Assignment and Assumption with
respect to such assignment is delivered to the Administrative Agent or, if
"Trade Date" is specified in the Assignment and Assumption, as of the Trade
Date, shall not be less than $5,000,000 unless each of the Administrative
Agent and, so long as no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing,
the Borrower otherwise consents (each such consent not to be unreasonably
withheld or delayed); provided, however, that concurrent assignments to
members of an Assignee Group and concurrent assignments from members of an
Assignee Group to a single Eligible Assignee (or to an Eligible Assignee
and members of its Assignee Group) will be treated as a single assignment
for purposes of determining whether such minimum amount has been met;
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(ii) each partial assignment shall be made as an assignment of a
proportionate part of all the assigning Lender's rights and obligations
under this Agreement with respect to the Loans or the Commitment assigned,
except that this clause (ii) shall not apply to rights in respect of Swing
Line Loans;
(iii) any assignment of a Commitment must be approved by the
Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer and the Swing Line Lender unless the
Person that is the proposed assignee is itself a Lender (whether or not the
proposed assignee would otherwise qualify as an Eligible Assignee); and
(iv) the parties to each assignment shall execute and deliver to the
Administrative Agent an Assignment and Assumption, together with a $2,500
processing and recordation fee, and the Eligible Assignee, if it shall not
be a Lender, shall deliver to the Administrative Agent an Administrative
Questionnaire.
Subject to acceptance and recording thereof by the Administrative Agent
pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section, from and after the effective date
specified in each Assignment and Assumption, the Eligible Assignee thereunder
shall be a party to this Agreement and, to the extent of the interest assigned
by such Assignment and Assumption, have the rights and obligations of a Lender
under this Agreement, and the assigning Lender thereunder shall, to the extent
of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, be released from its
obligations under this Agreement (and, in the case of an Assignment and
Assumption covering all of the assigning Lender's rights and obligations under
this Agreement, such Lender shall cease to be a party hereto) but shall continue
to be entitled to the benefits of Sections 3.01, 3.04, 3.05, and 10.04 with
respect to facts and circumstances occurring prior to the effective date of such
assignment. Upon request, the Borrower (at its expense) shall execute and
deliver a Note to the assignee Lender. Any assignment or transfer by a Lender of
rights or obligations under this Agreement that does not comply with this
subsection shall be treated for purposes of this Agreement as a sale by such
Lender of a participation in such rights and obligations in accordance with
subsection (d) of this Section.
(c) Register. The Administrative Agent, acting solely for this purpose as
an agent of the Borrower, shall maintain at the Administrative Agent's Office a
copy of each Assignment and Assumption delivered to it and a register for the
recordation of the names and addresses of the Lenders, and the Commitments of,
and principal amounts of the Loans and L/C Obligations owing to, each Lender
pursuant to the terms hereof from time to time (the "Register"). The entries in
the Register shall be conclusive, and the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and
the Lenders may treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Register
pursuant to the terms hereof as a Lender hereunder for all purposes of this
Agreement, notwithstanding notice to the contrary. The Register shall be
available for inspection by each of the Borrower and the L/C Issuer at any
reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice. In addition,
at any time that a request for a consent for a material or substantive change to
the Loan Documents is pending, any Lender may request and receive from the
Administrative Agent a copy of the Register.
(d) Participations. Any Lender may at any time, without the consent of, or
notice to, the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, sell participations to any
Person (other than a natural
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person or the Borrower or any of the Borrower's Affiliates or Subsidiaries)
(each, a "Participant") in all or a portion of such Lender's rights and/or
obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitment
and/or the Loans (including such Lender's participations in L/C Obligations
and/or Swing Line Loans) owing to it); provided that (i) such Lender's
obligations under this Agreement shall remain unchanged, (ii) such Lender shall
remain solely responsible to the other parties hereto for the performance of
such obligations and (iii) the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Lenders
and the L/C Issuer shall continue to deal solely and directly with such Lender
in connection with such Lender's rights and obligations under this Agreement.
Any agreement or instrument pursuant to which a Lender sells such a
participation shall provide that such Lender shall retain the sole right to
enforce this Agreement and to approve any amendment, modification or waiver of
any provision of this Agreement; provided that such agreement or instrument may
provide that such Lender will not, without the consent of the Participant, agree
to any amendment, waiver or other modification described in the first proviso to
Section 10.01 that affects such Participant. Subject to subsection (e) of this
Section, the Borrower agrees that each Participant shall be entitled to the
benefits of Sections 3.01, 3.04 and 3.05 to the same extent as if it were a
Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to subsection (b) of
this Section. To the extent permitted by law, each Participant also shall be
entitled to the benefits of Section 10.08 as though it were a Lender, provided
such Participant agrees to be subject to Section 2.13 as though it were a
Lender.
(e) Limitations upon Participant Rights. A Participant shall not be
entitled to receive any greater payment under Section 3.01 or 3.04 than the
applicable Lender would have been entitled to receive with respect to the
participation sold to such Participant, unless the sale of the participation to
such Participant is made with the Borrower's prior written consent. A
Participant that would be a Foreign Lender if it were a Lender shall not be
entitled to the benefits of Section 3.01 unless the Borrower is notified of the
participation sold to such Participant and such Participant agrees, for the
benefit of the Borrower, to comply with Section 3.01(e) as though it were a
Lender.
(f) Certain Pledges. Any Lender may at any time pledge or assign a security
interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement (including
under its Note, if any) to secure obligations of such Lender, including any
pledge or assignment to secure obligations to a Federal Reserve Bank; provided
that no such pledge or assignment shall release such Lender from any of its
obligations hereunder or substitute any such pledgee or assignee for such Lender
as a party hereto.
(g) Electronic Execution of Assignments. The words "execution," "signed,"
"signature," and words of like import in any Assignment and Assumption shall be
deemed to include electronic signatures or the keeping of records in electronic
form, each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or
enforceability as a manually executed signature or the use of a paper-based
recordkeeping system, as the case may be, to the extent and as provided for in
any applicable law, including the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and
National Commerce Act, the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act,
or any other similar state laws based on the Uniform Electronic Transactions
Act.
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(h) Special Purpose Funding Vehicles. Notwithstanding anything to the
contrary contained herein, any Lender (a "Granting Lender") may grant to a
special purpose funding vehicle identified as such in writing from time to time
by the Granting Lender to the Administrative Agent and the Borrower (an "SPC")
the option to provide all or any part of any Committed Loan that such Granting
Lender would otherwise be obligated to make pursuant to this Agreement; provided
that (i) nothing herein shall constitute a commitment by any SPC to fund any
Committed Loan, and (ii) if an SPC elects not to exercise such option or
otherwise fails to make all or any part of such Committed Loan, the Granting
Lender shall be obligated to make such Committed Loan pursuant to the terms
hereof or, if it fails to do so, to make such payment to the Administrative
Agent as is required under Section 2.12(b)(ii). Each party hereto hereby agrees
that (i) neither the grant to any SPC nor the exercise by any SPC of such option
shall increase the costs or expenses or otherwise increase or change the
obligations of the Borrower under this Agreement (including its obligations
under Section 3.04), (ii) no SPC shall be liable for any indemnity or similar
payment obligation under this Agreement for which a Lender would be liable, and
(iii) the Granting Lender shall for all purposes, including the approval of any
amendment, waiver or other modification of any provision of any Loan Document,
remain the lender of record hereunder. The making of a Committed Loan by an SPC
hereunder shall utilize the Commitment of the Granting Lender to the same
extent, and as if, such Committed Loan were made by such Granting Lender. In
furtherance of the foregoing, each party hereto hereby agrees (which agreement
shall survive the termination of this Agreement) that, prior to the date that is
one year and one day after the payment in full of all outstanding commercial
paper or other senior debt of any SPC, it will not institute against, or join
any other Person in instituting against, such SPC any bankruptcy,
reorganization, arrangement, insolvency, or liquidation proceeding under the
laws of the United States or any State thereof. Notwithstanding anything to the
contrary contained herein, any SPC may (i) with notice to, but without prior
consent of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent and with the payment of a
processing fee in the amount of $2,500, assign all or any portion of its right
to receive payment with respect to any Committed Loan to the Granting Lender and
(ii) disclose on a confidential basis any non-public information relating to its
funding of Committed Loans to any rating agency, commercial paper dealer or
provider of any surety or Guarantee or credit or liquidity enhancement to such
SPC.
(i) Resignation as L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender after Assignment.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, if at any time Bank
of America assigns all of its Commitment and Loans pursuant to subsection (b)
above, Bank of America may, (i) upon 30 days' notice to the Borrower and the
Lenders, resign as L/C Issuer and/or (ii) upon 30 days' notice to the Borrower,
resign as Swing Line Lender. In the event of any such resignation as L/C Issuer
or Swing Line Lender, the Borrower shall be entitled to appoint from among the
Lenders a successor L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender hereunder; provided,
however, that no failure by the Borrower to appoint any such successor shall
affect the resignation of Bank of America as L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender, as
the case may be. If Bank of America resigns as L/C Issuer, it shall retain all
the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the L/C Issuer hereunder with
respect to all Letters of Credit outstanding as of the effective date of its
resignation as L/C Issuer and all L/C Obligations with respect thereto
(including the right to require the Lenders to make Base Rate Committed Loans or
fund risk participations in Unreimbursed Amounts pursuant to Section 2.03(c)).
If Bank of America resigns as Swing Line Lender, it shall retain all the rights
of the Swing Line Lender provided for hereunder with respect to Swing Line Loans
made by it and outstanding as of the effective date of such resignation,
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including the right to require the Lenders to make Base Rate Committed Loans or
fund risk participations in outstanding Swing Line Loans pursuant to Section
2.04(c). Upon the appointment of a successor L/C Issuer and/or Swing Line
Lender, (a) such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the
rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring L/C Issuer or Swing Line
Lender, as the case may be, and (b) the successor L/C Issuer shall issue letters
of credit in substitution for the Letters of Credit, if any, outstanding at the
time of such successor or make other arrangements satisfactory to Bank of
America to effectively assume the obligations of Bank of America with respect to
such Letters of Credit.
10.07 TREATMENT OF CERTAIN INFORMATION; CONFIDENTIALITY. Each of the
Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the L/C Issuer agrees to maintain the
confidentiality of the Information (as defined below), except that Information
may be disclosed (a) to its Affiliates and to its and its Affiliates' respective
partners, directors, officers, employees, agents, advisors and representatives
(it being understood that the Persons to whom such disclosure is made will be
informed of the confidential nature of such Information and instructed to keep
such Information confidential), (b) to the extent requested by any regulatory
authority purporting to have jurisdiction over it (including any self-regulatory
authority, such as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners), (c) to
the extent required by applicable laws or regulations or by any subpoena or
similar legal process, (d) to any other party hereto, (e) in connection with the
exercise of any remedies hereunder or under any other Loan Document or any
action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or
the enforcement of rights hereunder or thereunder, (f) subject to an agreement
containing provisions substantially the same as those of this Section, to (i)
any assignee of or Participant in, or any prospective assignee of or Participant
in, any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement or (ii) any actual or
prospective counterparty (or its advisors) to any swap or derivative transaction
relating to the Borrower and its obligations, (g) with the consent of the
Borrower or (h) to the extent such Information (x) becomes publicly available
other than as a result of a breach of this Section or (y) becomes available to
the Administrative Agent, any Lender, the L/C Issuer or any of their respective
Affiliates on a nonconfidential basis from a source other than the Borrower.
For purposes of this Section, "Information" means all information received
from the Borrower or any Subsidiary relating to the Borrower or any Subsidiary
or any of their respective businesses, other than any such information that is
available to the Administrative Agent, any Lender or the L/C Issuer on a
nonconfidential basis prior to disclosure by the Borrower or any Subsidiary,
provided that, in the case of information received from the Borrower or any
Subsidiary after the date hereof, such information is clearly identified at the
time of delivery as confidential. Any Person required to maintain the
confidentiality of Information as provided in this Section shall be considered
to have complied with its obligation to do so if such Person has exercised the
same degree of care to maintain the confidentiality of such Information as such
Person would accord to its own confidential information.
Each of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the L/C Issuer
acknowledges that (a) the Information may include material non-public
information concerning the Borrower or a Subsidiary, as the case may be, (b) it
has developed compliance procedures regarding the use of material non-public
information and (c) it will handle such material non-public information in
accordance with applicable Law, including Federal and state securities Laws.
88
10.08 RIGHT OF SETOFF. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be
continuing, each Lender, the L/C Issuer and each of their respective Affiliates
is hereby authorized at any time and from time to time, to the fullest extent
permitted by applicable law, to set off and apply any and all deposits (general
or special, time or demand, provisional or final, in whatever currency) at any
time held and other obligations (in whatever currency) at any time owing by such
Lender, the L/C Issuer or any such Affiliate to or for the credit or the account
of the Borrower against any and all of the obligations of the Borrower now or
hereafter existing under this Agreement or any other Loan Document to such
Lender or the L/C Issuer, irrespective of whether or not such Lender or the L/C
Issuer shall have made any demand under this Agreement or any other Loan
Document and although such obligations of the Borrower may be contingent or
unmatured or are owed to a branch or office of such Lender or the L/C Issuer
different from the branch or office holding such deposit or obligated on such
indebtedness. The rights of each Lender, the L/C Issuer and their respective
Affiliates under this Section are in addition to other rights and remedies
(including other rights of setoff) that such Lender, the L/C Issuer or their
respective Affiliates may have. Each Lender and the L/C Issuer agrees to notify
the Borrower and the Administrative Agent promptly after any such setoff and
application, provided that the failure to give such notice shall not affect the
validity of such setoff and application.
10.09 INTEREST RATE LIMITATION. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary
contained in any Loan Document, the interest paid or agreed to be paid under the
Loan Documents shall not exceed the maximum rate of non-usurious interest
permitted by applicable Law (the "Maximum Rate"). If the Administrative Agent or
any Lender shall receive interest in an amount that exceeds the Maximum Rate,
the excess interest shall be applied to the principal of the Loans or, if it
exceeds such unpaid principal, refunded to the Borrower. In determining whether
the interest contracted for, charged, or received by the Administrative Agent or
a Lender exceeds the Maximum Rate, such Person may, to the extent permitted by
applicable Law, (a) characterize any payment that is not principal as an
expense, fee, or premium rather than interest, (b) exclude voluntary prepayments
and the effects thereof, and (c) amortize, prorate, allocate, and spread in
equal or unequal parts the total amount of interest throughout the contemplated
term of the Obligations hereunder.
10.10 COUNTERPARTS; INTEGRATION; EFFECTIVENESS. This Agreement may be
executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto in different
counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when
taken together shall constitute a single contract. This Agreement and the other
Loan Documents constitute the entire contract among the parties relating to the
subject matter hereof and supersede any and all previous agreements and
understandings, oral or written, relating to the subject matter hereof. Except
as provided in Section 4.01, this Agreement shall become effective when it shall
have been executed by the Administrative Agent and when the Administrative Agent
shall have received counterparts hereof that, when taken together, bear the
signatures of each of the other parties hereto. Delivery of an executed
counterpart of a signature page of this Agreement by telecopy shall be effective
as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement.
10.11 SURVIVAL OF REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES. All representations and
warranties made hereunder and in any other Loan Document or other document
delivered pursuant hereto or thereto or in connection herewith or therewith
shall survive the execution and delivery hereof and thereof. Such
representations and warranties have been or will be relied
89
upon by the Administrative Agent and each Lender, regardless of any
investigation made by the Administrative Agent or any Lender or on their behalf
and notwithstanding that the Administrative Agent or any Lender may have had
notice or knowledge of any Default at the time of any Credit Extension, and
shall continue in full force and effect as long as any Loan or any other
Obligation hereunder shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied or any Letter of Credit
shall remain outstanding.
10.12 SEVERABILITY. If any provision of this Agreement or the other Loan
Documents is held to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable, (a) the legality,
validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement and
the other Loan Documents shall not be affected or impaired thereby and (b) the
parties shall endeavor in good faith negotiations to replace the illegal,
invalid or unenforceable provisions with valid provisions the economic effect of
which comes as close as possible to that of the illegal, invalid or
unenforceable provisions. The invalidity of a provision in a particular
jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any
other jurisdiction.
10.13 REPLACEMENT OF LENDERS. If the Borrower is required to pay any
additional amount to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of
any Lender pursuant to Section 3.01, or if any Lender (x) requests compensation
under Section 3.04, (y) is a Defaulting Lender, or (z) refuses to consent to any
waiver, consent or amendment requested by the Borrower pursuant to Section 10.01
that has received the written approval of the Required Lenders, but also
requires the approval of such Lender, then in any such case the Borrower may, at
its sole expense and effort, upon notice to such Lender and the Administrative
Agent, require such Lender to assign and delegate, without recourse (in
accordance with and subject to the restrictions contained in, and consents
required by, Section 10.06), all of its interests, rights and obligations under
this Agreement and the related Loan Documents to an Eligible Assignee that shall
assume such obligations (which assignee may be another Lender, if a Lender
accepts such assignment), provided that:
(a) the Borrower shall have paid to the Administrative Agent the assignment
fee specified in Section 10.06(b);
(b) such Lender shall have received payment of an amount equal to the
outstanding principal of its Loans and L/C Advances, accrued interest thereon,
accrued fees and all other amounts payable to it hereunder and under the other
Loan Documents (including any amounts under Section 3.05) from the assignee (to
the extent of such outstanding principal and accrued interest and fees) or the
Borrower (in the case of all other amounts);
(c) in the case of any such assignment resulting from a claim for
compensation under Section 3.04 or payments required to be made pursuant to
Section 3.01, such assignment will result in a reduction in such compensation or
payments thereafter;
(d) such assignment does not conflict with applicable Laws; and
(e) in the case of any required assignment pursuant to clause (z), the
assignee shall consent to the waiver, consent or amendment described in such
clause (z).
90
A Lender shall not be required to make any such assignment or delegation
if, prior thereto, as a result of a waiver by such Lender or otherwise, the
circumstances entitling the Borrower to require such assignment and delegation
cease to apply.
10.14 GOVERNING LAW; JURISDICTION; ETC.
(a) GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN
ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
(b) SUBMISSION TO JURISDICTION. THE BORROWER IRREVOCABLY AND
UNCONDITIONALLY SUBMITS, FOR ITSELF AND ITS PROPERTY, TO THE NONEXCLUSIVE
JURISDICTION OF THE COURTS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK SITTING IN NEW YORK COUNTY
AND OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT OF THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK,
AND ANY APPELLATE COURT FROM ANY THEREOF, IN ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING ARISING
OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT, OR FOR
RECOGNITION OR ENFORCEMENT OF ANY JUDGMENT, AND EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO
IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY AGREES THAT ALL CLAIMS IN RESPECT OF ANY SUCH
ACTION OR PROCEEDING MAY BE HEARD AND DETERMINED IN SUCH NEW YORK STATE COURT
OR, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN SUCH FEDERAL COURT.
EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO AGREES THAT A FINAL JUDGMENT IN ANY SUCH ACTION OR
PROCEEDING SHALL BE CONCLUSIVE AND MAY BE ENFORCED IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS BY
SUIT ON THE JUDGMENT OR IN ANY OTHER MANNER PROVIDED BY LAW. NOTHING IN THIS
AGREEMENT OR IN ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT SHALL AFFECT ANY RIGHT THAT THE
ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, ANY LENDER OR THE L/C ISSUER MAY OTHERWISE HAVE TO BRING
ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT
AGAINST THE BORROWER OR ITS PROPERTIES IN THE COURTS OF ANY JURISDICTION.
(c) WAIVER OF VENUE. THE BORROWER IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES,
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY OBJECTION THAT IT MAY NOW
OR HEREAFTER HAVE TO THE LAYING OF VENUE OF ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING ARISING OUT
OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT IN ANY COURT
REFERRED TO IN PARAGRAPH (B) OF THIS SECTION. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY
IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE
DEFENSE OF AN INCONVENIENT FORUM TO THE MAINTENANCE OF SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING
IN ANY SUCH COURT.
(d) SERVICE OF PROCESS. EACH PARTY HERETO IRREVOCABLY CONSENTS TO SERVICE
OF PROCESS IN THE MANNER PROVIDED FOR NOTICES IN SECTION 10.02. NOTHING IN THIS
AGREEMENT WILL AFFECT THE RIGHT OF ANY PARTY HERETO TO SERVE PROCESS IN ANY
OTHER MANNER PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.
91
10.15 WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO
THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL
BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR
RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS
CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER
THEORY). EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR
ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PERSON HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH
OTHER PERSON WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE
FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE
BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS BY, AMONG
OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.
10.16 USA PATRIOT ACT NOTICE. Each Lender that is subject to the Act (as
hereinafter defined) and the Administrative Agent (for itself and not on behalf
of any Lender) hereby notifies the Borrower that pursuant to the requirements of
the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26,
2001)) (the "Act"), it is required to obtain, verify and record information that
identifies the Borrower, which information includes the name and address of the
Borrower and other information that will allow such Lender or the Administrative
Agent, as applicable, to identify the Borrower in accordance with the Act.
[REMAINDER OF PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK; SIGNATURE PAGES FOLLOW]
92
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be
duly executed as of the date first above written.
TREEHOUSE FOODS, INC.
By: /s/ E. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------------------
Name: E. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Title: Senior Vice President
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., as
Administrative Agent
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇
------------------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇
Title: Assistant Vice President
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., as a Lender, L/C
Issuer and Swing Line Lender
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Title: Vice President
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇
------------------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇
Title: Vice President
SUNTRUST BANK
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇'▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇'▇▇▇▇▇
Title: Vice President
THE BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA
By: /s/ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------------------
Name: ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Title: Assistant Agent
WACHOVIA BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Title: Managing Director
COOPERATIEVE CENTRALE
RAIFFEISEN-BOERENLEENBANK B.A.,
"RABOBANK NEDERLAND", NEW YORK BRANCH
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Title: Executive Director
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Title: Executive Director
LASALLE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Title: First Vice President
FARM CREDIT SERVICES OF AMERICA, PCA
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇
Title: Vice President
AGFIRST FARM CREDIT BANK
By: /s/ J. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, Jr.
------------------------------------
Name: J. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, Jr.
Title: Vice President
COBANK, ACB
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ C. Little
Title: Vice President
U.S. AGBANK, FCB
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Title: Vice President
NORTHWEST FARM CREDIT SERVICES, FLCA
By: /s/ ▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇
Title: Senior Vice President
FARM CREDIT BANK OF TEXAS
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇
------------------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇
Title: Vice President
THE NORTHERN TRUST COMPANY
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇
------------------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇
Title: Senior Vice President
▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇.▇.
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Title: Vice President