Associated Banc-Corp 12,000,000 Shares of Associated Banc-Corp Common Stock Underwriting Agreement
Exhibit 1.1
12,000,000 Shares of Associated Banc-Corp Common Stock
| November 14, 2024 |
BofA Securities, Inc.
▇.▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Securities LLC
c/o BofA Securities, Inc.
One Bryant Park
c/o ▇.▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Securities LLC
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Associated Banc-Corp, a bank holding company registered pursuant to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHCA”), and a Wisconsin corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to BofA Securities, Inc. and ▇.▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Securities LLC (together, the “Underwriters”), 12,000,000 shares (the “Underwritten Securities”) of its common stock, par value $0.01 per share. The Company also proposes to grant the Underwriters an option to purchase up to 1,800,000 shares of its common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Option Securities” and together with the Underwritten Securities, the “Securities”).
The Company hereby confirms its agreement with the several Underwriters concerning the purchase and sale of the Securities, as follows:
1. Registration Statement. The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), a registration statement on Form S-3ASR (File No. 333-280004), including a prospectus, relating to securities, including the Securities, to be issued, offered and sold from time to time by the Company or any selling security holder. Such registration statement, as amended to the date of this Agreement, including the information, if any, deemed pursuant to Rule 430B under the Securities Act to be part of the registration statement at the time of its effectiveness, is referred to herein as the “Registration Statement”; and as used herein, the term “Preliminary Prospectus” means the prospectus included in such registration statement (and any amendments thereto) at the time it became effective and the preliminary prospectus supplement dated November 14, 2024 relating to the Securities and filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, and the term “Prospectus” means the prospectus (including any prospectus supplement) in the form first used (or made available upon request of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act) in connection with confirmation of sales of the Securities. Any reference in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act, as of the effective date of the Registration Statement or the date of such Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be and any reference to “amend”, “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any documents filed after such date under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”) that are deemed to be incorporated by reference therein. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to such terms in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
At or prior to 7:00 p.m. on November 14, 2024 (the “Time of Sale”), the Company had prepared the following information (collectively, the “Time of Sale Information”): the Preliminary Prospectus, each “free-writing prospectus” (as defined pursuant to Rule 405 under the Securities Act) listed on Annex C(i) hereto as constituting part of the Time of Sale Information, and the pricing information conveyed orally to investors, and as set forth on Schedule 2 hereto.
2. Purchase of the Securities by the Underwriters. (a) The Company agrees to issue and sell the Securities to the several Underwriters as provided in this Agreement, and each Underwriter, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and subject to the conditions set forth herein, agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, the respective number of Underwritten Securities set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule 1 hereto at a purchase price of $24.00 per share. The Company will not be obligated to deliver any of the Underwritten Securities except upon payment for all the Underwritten Securities to be purchased as provided herein.
(b) The Company agrees to grant an option to the several Underwriters, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and subject to the conditions set forth herein, up to 1,800,000 additional shares of Option Securities, at the purchase price of $24.00 per share, less an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Underwritten Securities but not payable on the Option Securities. Said option may be exercised in whole or in part at any time or from time to time on or before the 30th day after the date of the Prospectus, upon written or facsimile notice by the Underwriters to the Company setting forth the number of Option Securities as to which the several Underwriters are exercising the option and the date on which delivery and payment shall occur, which shall not be less than one Business Day after the date of the notice of exercise. The number of Option Securities to be purchased by each Underwriter shall be the same percentage of the total number of Option Securities to be purchased by the several Underwriters as such Underwriter is purchasing of the Underwritten Securities, subject to such adjustments as the Underwriters, in their absolute discretion, shall make to eliminate any fractional shares. The Company will not be obligated to deliver any of the Option Securities except upon payment for all the Option Securities to be purchased as provided herein.
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(c) The Company understands that the Underwriters intend to make a public offering of the Securities as soon after the effectiveness of this Agreement as in the judgment of the Underwriters is advisable, and initially to offer the Securities on the terms set forth in the Prospectus. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters may offer and sell Securities to or through any affiliate of an Underwriter and that any such affiliate may offer and sell Securities purchased by it to or through any Underwriter.
(d) Payment for and delivery of the Securities will be made at the offices of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, (i) with respect to the Underwritten Securities, at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on November 18, 2024, or at such other time or place on the same or such other date, not later than the third business day thereafter, as the Underwriters and the Company may agree upon in writing and (ii) with respect to the Option Securities, at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date specified by the Underwriters in the written notice given by the Underwriters of the Underwriters’ election to purchase such Option Securities, or such other time and date as the Underwriters and the Company may agree upon in writing. Such time and date of such payment and delivery of the Underwritten Securities is referred to herein as the “First Closing Date”, each such time and date for delivery of the Option Securities, if not the First Closing Date, is herein called a “Subsequent Closing Date,” and each time and date for delivery is herein called a “Closing Date”.
(e) Payment for the Securities shall be made by wire transfer in immediately available funds to the account(s) specified by the Company to the Underwriters against delivery of the Securities to or as instructed by the Underwriters for the accounts of the several Underwriters in a form reasonably acceptable to the Underwriters, with any transfer taxes payable in connection with the sale of the Securities duly paid by the Company.
(f) The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters are acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length contractual counterparty to the Company with respect to the offering of Securities contemplated hereby (including in connection with determining the terms of the offering) and not as a financial advisor or a fiduciary to, or an agent of, the Company or any other person. Additionally, the Underwriters are not advising the Company or any other person as to any legal, tax, investment, accounting or regulatory matters in any jurisdiction. The Company shall consult with its own advisors concerning such matters and shall be responsible for making its own independent investigation and appraisal of the transactions contemplated hereby, and the Underwriters shall have no responsibility or liability to the Company with respect thereto. Any review by the Underwriters of the Company, the transactions contemplated hereby or other matters relating to such transactions will be performed solely for the benefit of the Underwriters and shall not be on behalf of the Company.
3. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to each Underwriter as of the Time of Sale and as of each Closing Date that:
(a) Preliminary Prospectus. No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and each Preliminary Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, complied in all material respects with the Securities Act and did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation and warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter expressly for use in any Preliminary Prospectus, it being understood and agreed that the only such information is as set forth in Section 7(b), below.
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(b) Time of Sale Information. The Time of Sale Information at the Time of Sale did not, and at the applicable Closing Date will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation and warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter expressly for use in such Time of Sale Information, it being understood and agreed that the only such information is as set forth in Section 7(b), below. No statement of material fact included in the Prospectus has been omitted from the Time of Sale Information and no statement of material fact included in the Time of Sale Information that is required to be included in the Prospectus has been omitted therefrom.
(c) Issuer Free Writing Prospectus. The Company (including its agents and representatives, other than the Underwriters in their capacity as such) has not prepared, made, used, authorized, approved or referred to and will not prepare, make, use, authorize, approve or refer to any “written communication” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) that constitutes an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy the Securities (each such communication by the Company or its agents and representatives (other than a communication referred to in clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) below) an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”) other than (i) any document not constituting a prospectus pursuant to Section 2(a)(10)(a) of the Securities Act or Rule 134 under the Securities Act, (ii) the Preliminary Prospectus, (iii) the Prospectus, (iv) any documents listed on Annex C(i) and (v) any electronic road show or other written communications, in each case approved in writing in advance by the Underwriters and listed in Annex C(ii) hereto. Each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus complied in all material respects with the Securities Act, has been or will be (within the time period specified in Rule 433 under the Securities Act) filed in accordance with the Securities Act (to the extent required thereby) and, when taken together with the Preliminary Prospectus filed prior to the first use of such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, did not, and at the applicable Closing Date will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed on Annex C hereto does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus; provided that the Company makes no representation and warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter expressly for use in any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, it being understood and agreed that the only such information is as set forth in Section 7(b), below.
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(d) Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Registration Statement is an “automatic shelf registration statement” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act that has been filed with the Commission not earlier than three years prior to the date hereof; and no notice of objection of the Commission to the use of such registration statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Securities Act has been received by the Company. No order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued by the Commission and no proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act against the Company or related to the offering has been initiated or threatened by the Commission; as of the applicable effective date of the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto, the Registration Statement complied and will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act, and did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading; and as of the date of the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto and as of the applicable Closing Date, the Prospectus will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation and warranty with respect to (i) that part of the Registration Statement that constitutes the Statement of Eligibility (Form T-1) of the Trustee under the Trust Indenture Act or (ii) any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter expressly for use in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto.
(e) Incorporated Documents. The documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Time of Sale Information, when they became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act and none of such documents contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and any further documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Time of Sale Information, when such documents become effective or are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(f) Forward-Looking Statements. No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) included or incorporated by reference in any of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information or the Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.
(g) Ineligible Issuer Status. (i) At the earliest time after the filing of the Registration Statement that the Company or another offering participant makes a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the Securities Act) of the Securities and (ii) at the date of this Agreement, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
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(h) Well-Known Seasoned Issuer Status. (i) At the time of initial filing of the Registration Statement, (ii) at the time of the most recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or form of prospectus), and (iii) at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c)) made any offer relating to the Securities in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163, the Company was a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405.
(i) Existence of the Company. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing under the laws of the State of Wisconsin (it being understood that the State of Wisconsin does not acknowledge good standing in its Certificate of Status), no action or proceeding for the dissolution of the Company has been taken, and the Company is not aware of the failure by the Company to make any prescribed filing or take any required action to maintain its legal status certification with the Department of Financial Institutions in the State of Wisconsin with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus; and the Company is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in good standing in all other jurisdictions in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, business, properties or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole (“Material Adverse Effect”).
(j) Subsidiaries; Banking Subsidiaries. The Company’s sole significant subsidiary and principal bank subsidiary is Associated Bank, National Association (the “Bank”). The Bank has been duly organized and is validly existing as a nationally chartered commercial bank under the laws of the United States, with the power and authority (corporate or other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus. Each other subsidiary of the Company is validly existing and (if such concept exists in such jurisdiction) in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, as the case may be, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus. Each subsidiary of the Company is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in good standing in all other jurisdictions in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except where failure to be in good standing, have such power and authority, or be so qualified would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect. All of the issued and outstanding equity interests of the Bank have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable (subject to 12 U.S.C. § 55), and all of the equity interests of the Bank are owned by the Company free and clear from liens, encumbrances and defects. The deposit accounts of the Bank are insured up to the applicable limits by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Associated Trust Company, National Association (the “Trust”) is duly organized and validly existing as a nationally chartered trust company in good standing under the laws of the United States. All of the issued and outstanding equity interests of the Trust have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable, and all of the equity interests of the Trust are owned by the Bank, free from liens, encumbrances and defects. All of the issued and outstanding equity interests of the subsidiaries of the Company other than the Bank and the Trust have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable, and all of the equity interests of the other subsidiaries are owned by the Company, free from liens, encumbrances and defects, except where such defects, individually or in aggregate, would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
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(k) Authorization of Capital Stock. All outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly authorized; the authorized capitalization of the Company is as set forth in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus; all outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable; the shareholders of the Company have no preemptive rights with respect to the Securities; and none of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been issued in violation of any preemptive or similar rights of any security holder.
(l) No Finder’s Fee. Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder's fee or other like payment in connection with this offering.
(m) Absence of Further Requirements. No consent, approval, authorization, or order of, or filing or registration with, any person (including any governmental agency or body or any court) is required in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (including without limitation the offering, issuance and sale of the Securities by the Company), except such as have been obtained, or made and such as may be required under state securities laws.
(n) Title to Property. Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, the Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all real properties and all other properties and assets owned by them, in each case free from liens, charges, encumbrances and defects that would materially affect the value thereof or materially interfere with the use made or to be made thereof by them and, except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, the Company and its subsidiaries hold any leased real or personal property under valid and enforceable leases with no terms or provisions that would materially interfere with the use made or to be made thereof by them.
(o) Absence of Defaults and Conflicts Resulting from Transaction. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, and the issuance and sale of the Securities, will not result in a breach or violation of any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default or a Debt Repayment Triggering Event (as defined below) under, or result in the imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to (i) the charter or by-laws of the Company or any of the Company’s subsidiaries, (ii) any statute, rule, regulation or order of any governmental agency or body or any court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties, or (iii) any agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the properties of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, except in the case of clause (ii) or (iii) for breaches, violations, defaults, liens, charges or encumbrances that would not have a Material Adverse Effect. A “Debt Repayment Triggering Event” means any event or condition that gives, or with the giving of notice or lapse of time would give, the holder of any note, debenture, or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any of its subsidiaries.
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(p) Absence of Existing Defaults and Conflicts. Neither the Company nor any of the Company’s subsidiaries (i) is in violation of its respective charter or by-laws, or other organizational instruments, (ii) is in violation of or in default (or with the giving of notice or lapse of time would be in default) under any existing obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, loan agreement, mortgage, lease or other agreement or instrument to which any of them is a party or by which any of them is bound or to which any of the properties of any of them is subject, or (iii) is in violation of any statute, rule, regulation or order of any governmental agency or body or any court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties, except, in the case of clause (ii) and (iii) only, such violations or defaults that would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.
(q) Authorization of Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(r) Bank Holding Company; Possession of Licenses and Permits. The Company is duly registered as a bank holding company under the BHCA. Except as would not individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and its subsidiaries possess, and are in compliance with the terms of, all certificates, authorizations, franchises, licenses and permits (“Licenses”) and have made all filings, applications and registrations with all courts, regulatory authorities or governmental agencies or bodies having jurisdiction over the Company and its subsidiaries necessary to the conduct of the business now conducted or proposed. The Bank possesses an effective charter duly issued by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Except as described in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor the Bank has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any Licenses that, if determined adversely to the Company or the Bank, would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company has not elected to be treated as a financial holding company.
(s) No Enforcement. Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, and except for such as constitute confidential supervisory information that the Company or a subsidiary is not free to disclose under applicable laws or rules or regulations of a Federal banking agency, neither the Company nor any subsidiary of the Company (i) is the subject of any cease-and-desist order, operating agreement, written agreement, consent decree, memorandum of understanding, commitment letter, order, directive, extraordinary supervisory letter or similar action taken, issued or required by any governmental, regulatory, judicial, self-regulatory or similar body or (ii) has been advised by any governmental, regulatory, judicial, self-regulatory or similar body having jurisdiction over the Company and its subsidiaries that it is considering taking, issuing or requiring any of the items in clause (i), the disclosure of which advisement would be required in the Time of Sale Information or the Prospectus pursuant to the Securities Act. The Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance in all material respects with the terms of any item listed in clause (i) that is disclosed in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus.
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(t) Absence of Labor Dispute. No labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent that could have a Material Adverse Effect.
(u) Possession of Intellectual Property. The Company and its subsidiaries own, possess or can acquire on reasonable terms, adequate trademarks, trade names and other rights to inventions, know-how, patents, copyrights, confidential information and other intellectual property (collectively, “intellectual property rights”) necessary to conduct the business now conducted by them, and have not received any notice of infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any intellectual property rights that, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect.
(v) Environmental Laws. Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any statute, any rule, regulation, decision or order of any governmental agency or body or any court, domestic or foreign, relating to the use, disposal or release of Hazardous Substances (as defined below) or relating to the protection or restoration of the environment or human exposure to Hazardous Substances (collectively, “environmental laws”), owns or operates any real property contaminated with any Hazardous Substances, is liable for any off-site disposal of, or contamination by, Hazardous Substances, or is subject to any claim by any governmental agency or body or other person relating to any environmental laws or Hazardous Substances, which violation, contamination, liability or claim would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect and, to the knowledge of the Company, there is no pending investigation that might lead to such a claim. “Hazardous Substances” means (i) petroleum or petroleum products, by-products or breakdown products, radioactive materials, asbestos containing materials, polychlorinated biphenyls and mold, and (ii) any other chemical, material or substances defined or regulated as toxic or hazardous under environmental laws.
(w) Absence of Manipulation. The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action that is designed to or that has constituted or that would reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
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(x) Internal Controls and Compliance with the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act. Except as set forth in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, the Company, its subsidiaries and the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) are in compliance in all material respects with ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the “▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act”). The Company maintains a system of internal controls, including, but not limited to, internal controls over accounting matters and financial reporting, an internal audit function and legal and regulatory compliance controls (collectively, “Internal Controls”) that comply with the Exchange Act, the Securities Act and the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act and are sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and to maintain accountability for assets, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. The Internal Controls over financial reporting are effective and the Company is not aware of any material weakness in its Internal Control over financial reporting. Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, since December 31, 2023, there has been no change in the Internal Controls that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Internal Controls. The Internal Controls are overseen by the Audit Committee of the Board (the “Audit Committee”) in accordance with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and the rules of The New York Stock Exchange. The Company has not publicly disclosed or reported to the Audit Committee or the Board, and within the next 90 days the Company does not reasonably expect to publicly disclose or report to the Audit Committee or the Board, a significant deficiency, material weakness, change in Internal Controls or fraud involving management or other employees who have a significant role in Internal Controls (each, an “Internal Control Event”), any violation of, or failure to comply with, the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act, or any matter which, if determined adversely, would have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company maintains “disclosure controls and procedures” (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act; such disclosure controls and procedures have been designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company and its subsidiaries is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within those entities and that such disclosure controls and procedures are effective.
(y) Absence of Accounting Issues. A member of the Audit Committee has confirmed to the Chief Financial Officer that, except as set forth in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, the Audit Committee is not reviewing or investigating, and neither the Company’s independent auditors nor its internal auditors have recommended that the Audit Committee review or investigate, (i) adding to, deleting, changing the application of, or changing the Company’s disclosure with respect to any of the Company’s material accounting policies; (ii) any matter that could result in a restatement of the Company’s financial statements for any annual or interim period during the current or prior three fiscal years; or (iii) any Internal Control Event.
(z) Legal Proceedings. Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, there are no pending actions, suits or proceedings (including any inquiries or investigations by or before any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign) against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective properties that could, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, or would materially and adversely affect the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement, or which are otherwise material in the context of the sale of the Securities; and no such actions, suits or proceedings (including any inquiries or investigations by any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign) are, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened or contemplated.
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(aa) Financial Statements and Information. The financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus present fairly the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries as of the dates shown and their results of operations and cash flows for the periods shown, and such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with the generally accepted accounting principles in the United States applied on a consistent basis. The financial information (including at and for years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the three months ended March 31, 2024, the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 and the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024) included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus fairly present, in all material respects, the information therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus. The other financial, operational and statistical information (including at and for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and the year ended December 31, 2023) included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus fairly present, in all material respects, the information therein and are derived from the books and records of the Company. All disclosures contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the Exchange Act) comply in all material respects with Regulation G of the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act. The presentation of the “as adjusted” financial statements showing the effect of the proceeds received from the sale of the Securities reflect the proper application of those adjustments to the corresponding historical financial statement amounts.
(bb) No Material Adverse Change in Business. Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, since the end of the period covered by the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus (i) there has been no change, nor any development or event involving a prospective change, in the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, business, properties or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, that is material and adverse, (ii) except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company on any class of its capital stock and (iii) except as disclosed in or contemplated by the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, there has been no material adverse change in the capital stock, short-term indebtedness, long-term indebtedness, net current assets or net assets of the Company and its subsidiaries.
(cc) Investment Company Act. The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, will not be an “investment company” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(dd) Ratings. No “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” as such term is defined for purposes of Section 3(a)(62) under the Exchange Act (i) has imposed (or has informed the Company that it is considering imposing) any condition (financial or otherwise) on the Company’s retaining any rating assigned to the Company or any securities of the Company or (ii) except as publicly disclosed, has indicated to the Company that it is considering any of the actions described in Section 6(c) hereof.
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(ee) Anti-Bribery Laws; Money Laundering Laws; OFAC. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director or officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, any employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, any agent, affiliate or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) made from corporate funds any direct or indirect unlawful payment or unlawful benefit to any foreign or domestic government or regulatory official or employee of any government owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for political office; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, or any applicable law or regulation implementing the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, or committed an offense under the Bribery Act 2010 of the United Kingdom or any other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption law; or (iv) made any unlawful bribe, unlawful benefit, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment or unlawful benefit. The Company and its subsidiaries have instituted, and maintain and enforce, policies and procedures designed to promote and ensure compliance with all applicable anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the applicable money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions where the Company or any of its subsidiaries conducts business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines issued, administered or enforced by any governmental or regulatory agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental or regulatory agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, directors or officers, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any employee of the Company or any agent, or affiliate or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently the subject or the target of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Government (including, without limitation, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”) or the U.S. Department of State and including, without limitation, the designation as a “specially designated national” or “blocked person”), or any other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor is the Company or any of its subsidiaries located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject or the target of Sanctions, including, without limitation, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria and the Crimea region of Ukraine, the non-government controlled areas of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic regions of Ukraine, and any other Covered Region of Ukraine identified pursuant to Executive Order 14065 (each, a “Sanctioned Country”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering of the Securities hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity (i) for the purpose of financing any activities of any person that, at the time of such financing, is the subject or the target of Sanctions or (ii) for the purpose of financing any activities of any Sanctioned Country.
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(ff) Tax. The Company and its subsidiaries have filed all federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax returns that are required to be filed or have requested extensions thereof (except in any case in which the failure so to file would not have a Material Adverse Effect); and, except as set forth in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, the Company and the Bank have paid all taxes (including any assessments, fines or penalties) required to be paid by them, other than (i) those being contested in good faith and for which adequate reserves have been established and such reserves appear in the Company’s consolidated financial statements and (ii) where the failure to pay would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
(gg) Insurance. The Company and its subsidiaries are insured by insurers with appropriately rated claims paying abilities against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are customary for the businesses in which they are engaged; all policies of insurance and fidelity or surety bonds insuring the Company or any of its subsidiaries or their respective businesses, assets, employees, officers and directors are in full force and effect; the Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms of such policies and instruments in all material respects; and there are no material claims by the Company or any of its subsidiaries under any such policy or instrument as to which any insurance company is denying liability or defending under a reservation of rights clause; and neither the Company nor any such subsidiary has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not have a Material Adverse Effect, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus.
(hh) Independent Accountants. KPMG LLP, who has certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries within the applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and as required by the Securities Act.
(ii) The Securities. The Securities have been duly authorized; when the Securities have been delivered and paid for in accordance with this Agreement on each Closing Date, such Securities will have been validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, will conform in all material respects to the information in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and to the description of such Securities contained in the final Prospectus; and the stockholders of the Company have no preemptive rights with respect to the Securities.
(jj) Descriptions of this Agreement. This Agreement conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and in the Prospectus.
(kk) Outstanding Rights. Except as described in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, there are no outstanding rights (including, without limitation, pre-emptive rights), warrants or options to acquire from the Company, or instruments convertible or exchangeable for, any shares of capital stock or other equity interest in the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any contract, commitment, agreement, understanding or arrangement of any kind to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party relating to the issuance of any capital stock of the Company or any such subsidiary, any such convertible or exchangeable securities or any such rights, warrants or options, except as may have been granted by the Company pursuant to employee awards and employee benefit plans in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practice.
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(ll) Cybersecurity. (A) Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company is not aware of any material security breach or other compromise relating to the Company’s or its subsidiaries’ information technology and computer systems, networks, hardware, software, data and databases (including the data and information of their respective customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any third party data maintained, processed or stored by the Company and its subsidiaries, and any such data processed or stored by third parties on behalf of them), equipment or technology (collectively, “IT Systems and Data”); (B) neither the Company nor its subsidiaries have been notified of, and are not aware of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in, any material security breach or incident, unauthorized access or disclosure or other material compromise to their IT Systems and Data; and (C) the Company and its subsidiaries have implemented reasonable controls, policies, procedures and technological safeguards designed to maintain and protect the integrity, availability, redundancy and security of their IT Systems and Data reasonably consistent with industry standards and practices, or as required by applicable regulatory standards. The Company and its subsidiaries are presently in material compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Data and to the reasonable protection of such IT Systems and Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification.
4. Further Agreements of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees with each Underwriter that:
(a) Required Filings. The Company will file the Preliminary Prospectus included in the Time of Sale Information and the final Prospectus with the Commission within the time periods specified by Rule 424(b) and Rule 430A, 430B or 430C under the Securities Act, will file any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to the extent required by Rule 433 under the Securities Act; and will file promptly all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of the Prospectus and for so long as the delivery of a prospectus is required in connection with the offering or sale of the Securities; and the Company will furnish copies of the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (to the extent not previously delivered) to the Underwriters in New York City prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement in such quantities as the Underwriters may reasonably request. The Company will pay the registration fees for this offering within the time period required by Rule 456(b)(1)(i) under the Securities Act (without giving effect to the proviso therein) and in any event prior to the First Closing Date.
(b) Delivery of Copies. The Company will deliver, without charge, during the Prospectus Delivery Period (as defined below), as many copies of the Prospectus (including all amendments and supplements thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein) and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus as the Underwriters may reasonably request. As used herein, the term “Prospectus Delivery Period” means such period of time after the first date of the public offering of the Securities as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters a prospectus relating to the Securities is required by law to be delivered (or required to be delivered but for Rule 172 under the Securities Act) in connection with sales of the Securities by any Underwriter or dealer.
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(c) Amendments or Supplements; Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. Before making, preparing, using, authorizing, approving, referring to or filing any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and, during the Prospectus Delivery Period, before filing any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, the Company will furnish to the Underwriters and counsel for the Underwriters a copy of the proposed Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, amendment or supplement for review and will not make, prepare, use, authorize, approve, refer to or file any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Underwriters reasonably object, unless in the case of a filing, the Company is required by law to make such a filing, in which case the Company will use its reasonable efforts to include in such filing any comments from the Underwriters or counsel for the Underwriters.
(d) Notice to the Underwriters. From the date hereof and until the end of the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company will advise the Underwriters promptly, and confirm such advice in writing, (i) when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective; (ii) when any supplement to the Prospectus or any amendment to the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus has been filed; (iii) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or the receipt of any comments from the Commission relating to the Registration Statement or any other request by the Commission for any additional information; (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act; (v) of the occurrence of any event within the Prospectus Delivery Period as a result of which the Prospectus, the Time of Sale Information or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus, the Time of Sale Information or any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading; (vi) of the receipt by the Company of any notice of objection of the Commission to the use of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Securities Act; and (vii) of the receipt by the Company of any notice with respect to any suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offer and sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; and the Company will use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or suspending any such qualification of the Securities and, if any such order is issued, will obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal thereof.
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(e) Time of Sale Information. If at any time prior to the applicable Closing Date (i) any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which the Time of Sale Information as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances, not misleading or (ii) it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Information to comply with law, the Company will immediately notify the Underwriters thereof and forthwith prepare and, subject to paragraph (c) above, file with the Commission (to the extent required) and furnish to the Underwriters and to such dealers as the Underwriters may designate, such amendments or supplements to the Time of Sale Information as may be necessary so that the statements in the Time of Sale Information as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances, be misleading or so that the Time of Sale Information will comply with law.
(f) Ongoing Compliance. If during the Prospectus Delivery Period (i) any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading or (ii) it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with law, the Company will immediately notify the Underwriters thereof and forthwith prepare and, subject to paragraph (c) above, file with the Commission and furnish to the Underwriters and to such dealers as the Underwriters may designate, such amendments or supplements to the Prospectus as may be necessary so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Prospectus will comply with law.
(g) Blue Sky Compliance. The Company will qualify the Securities for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Underwriters shall reasonably request and will continue such qualifications in effect so long as required for distribution of the Securities; provided that the Company shall not be required to (i) qualify as a foreign corporation or other entity or as a dealer in securities in any such jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to so qualify, (ii) file any general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction or (iii) subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction if it is not otherwise so subject.
(h) Earning Statement. The Company will make generally available to its security holders and the Underwriters as soon as practicable an earning statement that satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 of the Commission promulgated thereunder covering a period of at least twelve months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company occurring after the “effective date” (as defined in Rule 158) of the Registration Statement.
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(i) Restriction on Sale of Securities. The Company will not, without the prior written consent of the Underwriters, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, or otherwise dispose of, (or enter into any transaction which is designed to, or might reasonably be expected to, result in the disposition (whether by actual disposition or effective economic disposition due to cash settlement or otherwise) by the Company or any affiliate of the Company) directly or indirectly, including the submission or filing (or participation in the submission or filing) of a registration statement with the Commission in respect of, establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act, any other Securities or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, the Securities, or effect a reverse stock split, recapitalization, share consolidation, reclassification or similar transaction affecting the outstanding Securities; or publicly announce an intention to effect any of the foregoing transaction, for a period of 90 days after the date of this Agreement, provided, however, that the Company may (i) effect the issuance of the Securities to be sold hereunder, (ii) issue Securities, options to purchase Securities, restricted share units settled in Securities, or other awards, or issue Securities upon exercise of options, vesting of restricted share units or the settlement of other awards, pursuant to any share option, share bonus or other share plan or arrangement (“Share Plans”), provided such Share Plans are described in the Registration Statement or the Preliminary Prospectus, (iii) issue Securities pursuant to the conversion or exchange of convertible or exchangeable securities outstanding on the date hereof or the exercise of options or vesting of restricted share units issued pursuant to the Share Plans, (iv) file a registration statement on Form S-8 to register Securities issuable pursuant to the terms of a Share Plan or arrangement described in the Registration Statement or the Preliminary Prospectus, and (v) issue Securities in connection with any joint venture, commercial or collaborative relationship or the acquisition or license by the Company of the securities, businesses, property or other assets of another person or entity or pursuant to any employee benefit plan as assumed by the Company in connection with any such acquisition; provided, however, that in the case of clause (v), (A) such Securities shall not in the aggregate exceed 10% of the Company’s outstanding Securities immediately following the consummation of the offering of the Securities contemplated by this Agreement and (B) the recipients thereof provide to the Underwriters a signed Lock-Up Agreement.
(j) Use of Proceeds. The Company will apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Securities as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus under the heading “Use of Proceeds”.
(k) Record Retention. The Company will, pursuant to reasonable procedures developed in good faith, retain copies of each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not filed with the Commission in accordance with Rule 433 under the Securities Act.
(l) No Stabilization. The Company will not take, and will cause its affiliates not to take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Securities.
(m) Listing. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to list the Securities on the New York Stock Exchange, subject to notice of issuance.
5. Certain Agreements of the Underwriters. Each Underwriter hereby represents and agrees that
(a) It has not and will not use, authorize use of, refer to, or participate in the planning for use of, any “free writing prospectus”, as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act (which term includes use of any written information furnished to the Commission by the Company and not incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and any press release issued by the Company) other than (i) a free writing prospectus that, solely as a result of use by such underwriter, would not trigger an obligation to file such free writing prospectus with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433 under the Securities Act, (ii) any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed on Annex C or prepared pursuant to Section 3(c) or Section 4(c) above (including any electronic road show), or (iii) any free writing prospectus prepared by such underwriter and approved by the Company in advance in writing.
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(b) It is not subject to any pending proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act with respect to the offering (and will promptly notify the Company if any such proceeding against it is initiated during the Prospectus Delivery Period).
6. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligation of each Underwriter to purchase Securities on each Closing Date as provided herein is subject to the performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions:
(a) Registration Compliance; No Stop Order. No order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall be in effect, and no proceeding for such purpose, pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) or pursuant to Section 8A under the Securities Act shall be pending before or threatened by the Commission; the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been timely filed with the Commission under the Securities Act (in the case of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, to the extent required by Rule 433 under the Securities Act) and in accordance with Section 4(a) hereof; and all requests by the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of the Underwriters.
(b) Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company contained herein shall be true and correct on the date hereof and on and as of the applicable Closing Date; and the statements of the Company and its officers made in any certificates delivered pursuant to this Agreement shall be true and correct on and as of the applicable Closing Date.
(c) No Downgrade. Subsequent to the earlier of (A) the Time of Sale and (B) the execution and delivery of this Agreement, (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded the Securities or any other debt securities or preferred stock of or guaranteed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” as such term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Section 3(a)(62) under the Exchange Act and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, or has changed its outlook with respect to, its rating of the Securities or of any other debt securities or preferred stock of or guaranteed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries (other than an announcement with positive implications of a possible upgrading).
(d) No Material Adverse Change. No event or condition of a type described in Section 3(bb) hereof shall have occurred or shall exist, which event or condition is not described in the Time of Sale Information (excluding any amendment or supplement thereto) and the Prospectus (excluding any amendment or supplement thereto) and the effect of which in the judgment of the Underwriters makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus.
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(e) Officers’ Certificate. The Underwriters shall have received on and as of the applicable Closing Date a certificate of the chief executive officer and the principal financial or accounting officer of the Company who has specific knowledge of the Company’s financial matters and is satisfactory to the Underwriters (i) confirming that such officer has carefully reviewed the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus and, to the best knowledge of such officer, the representations set forth in Sections 3(b) and 3(d) hereof are true and correct, (ii) confirming that the other representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct and that the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to the applicable Closing Date and (iii) to the effect set forth in paragraphs (a), (c) and (d) above.
(f) Comfort Letters. On the date of this Agreement and on each Closing Date, KPMG LLP shall have furnished to the Underwriters, at the request of the Company, letters, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters, containing statements and information of the type customarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus; provided that the letter delivered on the applicable Closing Date shall use a “cut-off” date no more than three business days prior to the applicable Closing Date.
(g) Opinion and 10b-5 Statement of In-house Counsel for the Company. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, the Company’s Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, shall have furnished to the Underwriters his written opinion and 10b-5 Statement, dated the applicable Closing Date, and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters, to the effect set forth in Annex A hereto.
(h) Opinion and 10b-5 Statement of Counsel for the Company. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇, S.C., counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to the Underwriters, at the request of the Company, their written opinion and 10b-5 Statement dated the applicable Closing Date, and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters, to the effect set forth in Annex B hereto.
(i) Opinion and 10b-5 Statement of Counsel for the Underwriters. The Underwriters shall have received on and as of each Closing Date, an opinion and 10b-5 Statement of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, with respect to such matters as the Underwriters may reasonably request, and such counsel shall have received such documents and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.
(j) Listing. The Securities have been approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange, subject to notice of issuance.
(k) Lock-Up Agreements. The Company shall have furnished to the Underwriters prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement a signed lock-up agreement substantially in the form of Annex D hereto (the “Lock-Up Agreement”) from each director and member of the executive leadership team of the Company and each other person listed on Annex E hereto, which Lock-Up Agreements shall be in full force and effect on and as of each Closing Date.
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(l) No Legal Impediment to Issuance. No action shall have been taken and no statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any federal, state or foreign governmental or regulatory authority that would, as of the applicable Closing Date, prevent the issuance or sale of the Securities; and no injunction or order of any federal, state or foreign court shall have been issued that would, as of the applicable Closing Date, prevent the issuance or sale of the Securities.
(m) Existence and Organizational Status. The Underwriters shall have received on and as of each Closing Date satisfactory evidence of the existence and organizational status, as applicable, of the Company and the Bank in their respective jurisdictions of organization or with their respective banking regulators, as applicable, in each case in writing or any standard form of telecommunication from the appropriate governmental authorities of such jurisdictions or regulators.
(n) Additional Documents. On or prior to each Closing Date, the Company shall have furnished to the Underwriters such further certificates and documents as the Underwriters may reasonably request.
All opinions, letters, certificates and evidence mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall be deemed to be in compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.
7. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) Indemnification of the Underwriters. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates, directors, partners and officers and each person, if any, who controls such Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, legal fees and other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with any suit, action or proceeding or any claim asserted, as such fees and expenses are incurred), joint or several, that arise out of, or are based upon, (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, not misleading, or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Time of Sale Information or any other materials that are deemed to be offering materials with respect to the Securities, or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in each case except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information is as set forth in Section 7(b), below.
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(b) Indemnification of the Company. Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, its officers who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act to the same extent as the indemnity set forth in paragraph (a) above, but only with respect to any losses, claims, damages or liabilities that arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any Time of Sale Information, it being understood and agreed that the only such information consists of the following: paragraphs 13, 14 and 15 under the caption “Underwriting” in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, in each case to the extent concerning stabilizing transactions.
(c) Notice and Procedures. If any suit, action, proceeding (including any governmental or regulatory investigation), claim or demand shall be brought or asserted against any person in respect of which indemnification may be sought pursuant to either paragraph (a) or (b) above, such person (the “Indemnified Person”) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnification may be sought (the “Indemnifying Person”) in writing; provided that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have under this Section 7 except to the extent that it has been materially prejudiced (through the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses) by such failure; and provided, further, that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have to an Indemnified Person otherwise than under this Section 7. If any such proceeding shall be brought or asserted against an Indemnified Person and it shall have notified the Indemnifying Person thereof, the Indemnifying Person shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person (who shall not, without the consent of the Indemnified Person, be counsel to the Indemnifying Person) to represent the Indemnified Person and any others entitled to indemnification pursuant to Section 7 that the Indemnifying Party may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the fees and expenses of such proceeding and shall pay the fees and expenses of counsel related to such proceeding, as incurred. In any such proceeding, any Indemnified Person shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Indemnified Person unless (i) the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person shall have mutually agreed to the contrary; (ii) the Indemnifying Person has failed within a reasonable time to retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person; (iii) the Indemnified Person shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it that are different from or in addition to those available to the Indemnifying Person; or (iv) the named parties in any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interest between them. It is understood and agreed that the Indemnifying Person shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceeding in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Indemnified Persons, and that all such fees and expenses shall be reimbursed as they are incurred. Any such separate firm for any Underwriter, its affiliates, directors, partners and officers and any control persons of such Underwriter shall be designated in writing by the Underwriters and any such separate firm for the Company, its directors, its officers who signed the Registration Statement and any control persons of the Company shall be designated in writing by the Company. The Indemnifying Person shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the Indemnifying Person agrees to indemnify each Indemnified Person from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an Indemnified Person shall have requested that an Indemnifying Person reimburse the Indemnified Person for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by this paragraph, the Indemnifying Person shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by the Indemnifying Person of such request and (ii) the Indemnifying Person shall not have reimbursed the Indemnified Person in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No Indemnifying Person shall, without the written consent of the Indemnified Person, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any Indemnified Person is or could have been a party and indemnification could have been sought hereunder by such Indemnified Person, unless such settlement (x) includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Person, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnified Person, from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding and (y) does not include any statement as to or any admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any Indemnified Person.
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(d) Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in paragraphs (a) and (b) above is unavailable to an Indemnified Person or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each Indemnifying Person under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such Indemnified Person thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Person as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Securities or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds (before deducting expenses) received by the Company from the sale of the Securities and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters in connection therewith, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate offering price of the Securities. The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
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(e) Limitation on Liability. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 7 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in paragraph (d) above. The amount paid or payable by an Indemnified Person as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in paragraph (d) above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses incurred by such Indemnified Person in connection with any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, in no event shall an Underwriter be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by such Underwriter with respect to the offering of the Securities exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 7 are several in proportion to their respective purchase obligations hereunder and not joint.
(f) Non-Exclusive Remedies. The remedies provided for in this Section 7 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any Indemnified Person at law or in equity.
8. Effectiveness of Agreement. This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto.
9. Termination. This Agreement may be terminated in the absolute discretion of the Underwriters, by notice to the Company, if after the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to any Closing Date (i) trading generally shall have been suspended or materially limited on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, New York Stock Exchange or in the over-the-counter market; (ii) trading of any securities issued or guaranteed by the Company shall have been suspended on any exchange or in any over-the-counter market; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by federal, New York or Wisconsin authorities; or (iv) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or any change in financial markets or any calamity or crisis, either within or outside the United States, that, in the judgment of the Underwriters, is material and adverse and makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus.
10. Payment of Expenses. (a) Whether or not the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Company will pay or cause to be paid all costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder, including without limitation, (i) the costs incident to the authorization, issuance, sale, preparation and delivery of the Securities and any taxes payable in that connection; (ii) the costs incident to the preparation, printing and filing under the Securities Act of the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus (including all exhibits, amendments and supplements thereto) and the distribution thereof; (iii) the costs of reproducing and distributing this Agreement; (iv) the fees and expenses of the Company’s counsel and independent accountants; (v) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the registration or qualification and determination of eligibility for investment of the Securities under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Underwriters may designate and the preparation, printing and distribution of a Blue Sky Memorandum (including the related fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriters); (vi) any fees charged by rating agencies for rating the Securities; (vii) the fees and expenses of the transfer agent (including related fees and expenses of any counsel to the transfer agent); (viii) all expenses and application fees incurred in connection with any filing with, and clearance of the offering by, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (including the fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriters relating directly to such review or clearance); and (ix) all expenses incurred by the Company in connection with any “road show” presentation to potential investors. It is understood and acknowledged, however, that, except as provided above and in Section (b), the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including fees of their counsel and transfer taxes on resale of any of the Securities.
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(b) If (i) this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 9, (ii) the Company for any reason fails to tender the Securities for delivery to the Underwriters or (iii) the Underwriters decline to purchase the Securities for any reason permitted under this Agreement, the Company agrees to reimburse the Underwriters for all out-of-pocket costs and expenses (including the fees and expenses of their counsel) reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in connection with this Agreement and the offering contemplated hereby.
11. Defaulting Underwriter. (a) If, on any Closing Date, any Underwriter defaults on its obligation to purchase the Securities that it has agreed to purchase hereunder, the non-defaulting Underwriters may in their discretion arrange for the purchase of such Securities by other persons satisfactory to the Company on the terms contained in this Agreement. If, within 36 hours after any such default by any Underwriter, the non-defaulting Underwriters do not arrange for the purchase of such Securities, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of 36 hours within which to procure other persons satisfactory to the non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase such Securities on such terms. If other persons become obligated or agree to purchase the Securities of a defaulting Underwriter, either the non-defaulting Underwriters or the Company may postpone the applicable Closing Date for up to five full business days in order to effect any changes that in the opinion of counsel for the Company or counsel for the Underwriters may be necessary in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus or in any other document or arrangement, and the Company agrees to promptly prepare any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus that effects any such changes. As used in this Agreement, the term “Underwriter” includes, for all purposes of this Agreement unless the context otherwise requires, any person not listed in Schedule 1 hereto that, pursuant to this Section 11, purchases Securities that a defaulting Underwriter agreed but failed to purchase.
(b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the non-defaulting Underwriters and the Company as provided in paragraph (a) above, the aggregate number of such Securities that remains unpurchased does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all the Securities, then the Company shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the number of Securities that such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder plus such Underwriter’s pro rata share (based on the number of Securities that such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder) of the Securities of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made.
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(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the non-defaulting Underwriters and the Company as provided in paragraph (a) above, the aggregate number of such Securities that remains unpurchased exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all the Securities, or if the Company shall not exercise the right described in paragraph (b) above, then this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of the non-defaulting Underwriters. Any termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 11 shall be without liability on the part of the Company, except that the Company will continue to be liable for the payment of expenses as set forth in Section 10(a) hereof and except that the provisions of Section 7 hereof shall not terminate and shall remain in effect.
(d) Nothing contained herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter of any liability it may have to the Company or any non-defaulting Underwriter for damages caused by its default.
12. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes
(a) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
(b) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
For the purposes of this Section 12:
“BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k).
“Covered Entity” means any of the following:
| (i) | a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); |
| (ii) | a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or |
| (iii) | a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b). |
“Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.
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“U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the ▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
13. Persons Entitled to Benefit of Agreement. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers and directors and any controlling persons referred to herein, and the affiliates of each Underwriter referred to in Section 7 hereof. Nothing in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any other person any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision contained herein. No purchaser of Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor merely by reason of such purchase.
14. Survival. The respective indemnities, rights of contribution, representations, warranties and agreements of the Company and the Underwriters contained in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of the Company or the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement or any certificate delivered pursuant hereto shall survive the delivery of and payment for the Securities and shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any termination of this Agreement or any investigation made by or on behalf of the Company or the Underwriters.
15. Certain Defined Terms. For purposes of this Agreement, (a) except where otherwise expressly provided, the term “affiliate” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act; (b) the term “business day” means any day other than a day on which banks are permitted or required to be closed in New York City; (c) the term “subsidiary” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act; and (d) the term “significant subsidiary” has the meaning set forth in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X under the Exchange Act.
16. Miscellaneous.
(a) Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted and confirmed by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the Underwriters shall be given c/o BofA Securities, Inc., ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇-114-07-01, New York, New York 10036 (fax: ▇▇▇-▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇), Attention: Capital Markets Transaction Management/Legal; and c/o ▇.▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Securities LLC, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ (fax: ▇▇▇-▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇), Attention: Equity Syndicate Desk. Notices to the Company shall be given to it at: Associated Banc-Corp, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, Attention: General Counsel, with a copy to ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇, S.C., ▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, Attention: ▇.▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.
(b) USA Patriot Act. Pursuant to the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)) (the “Patriot Act”), the Underwriters may be required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies the Company, which information includes the name and address of the Company and other information that will allow the Underwriters to identify the Company in accordance with the Patriot Act.
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(c) Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
(d) Counterparts and Delivery. This Agreement may be signed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. Delivery of this Agreement by one party to the other may be made by facsimile, electronic mail (including any electronic signature complying with the New York Electronic Signatures and Records Act (N.Y. State Tech. §§ 301-309), as amended from time to time, or other applicable law) or other transmission method, and the parties hereto agree that any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.
(e) Amendments or Waivers. No amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement, nor any consent or approval to any departure therefrom, shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be in writing and signed by the parties hereto.
(f) Headings. The headings herein are included for convenience of reference only and are not intended to be part of, or to affect the meaning or interpretation of, this Agreement.
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please indicate your acceptance of this Agreement by signing in the space provided below.
| Very truly yours, | |
| ASSOCIATED BANC-CORP |
| By: | /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |
| Name: | ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |
| Title: | EVP, General Counsel and Corp. Secretary |
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
Accepted as of the date hereof:
BOFA SECURITIES, INC.
| By: | /s/ ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ | |
| Name: | ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ | |
| Title: | Managing Director |
▇.▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ SECURITIES LLC
| By: | /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |
| Name: | ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |
| Title: | Managing Director |
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
Schedule 1
| Underwriter | Number of Underwritten Securities | |||
| BofA Securities, Inc. | 6,600,000 | |||
| ▇.▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Securities LLC | 5,400,000 | |||
| Total | 12,000,000 | |||
Schedule 2
Public Offering Price Per Share: $25.00
Number of Underwritten Securities: 12,000,000
Number of Option Securities: 1,800,000
Annex A
Forms of Opinion and 10b-5 Statement of In-House Counsel
| A - 1 |
Annex B
Forms of Opinion and 10b-5 Statement of Counsel for the Company
| B - 1 |
Annex C
Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses
(i) Time of Sale Information
None
(ii) Investor Presentation, dated November 2024
| C-1 |
Annex D
Form of Lock-Up Agreement
BofA Securities, Inc.
▇.▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Securities LLC
c/o BofA Securities, Inc.
One Bryant Park
New York, New York 10036
c/o ▇.▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Securities LLC
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This letter (the “Lock-Up Agreement”) is being delivered to you in connection with the proposed Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”), among Associated Banc-Corp, a bank holding company registered pursuant to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHCA”), and a Wisconsin corporation (the “Company”), and each of you as underwriters (the “Underwriters”), relating to an underwritten public offering (the “Offering”) of common shares in the share capital of the Company, par value $0.01 per share (the “Securities”), pursuant to an automatic Registration Statement on Form S-3ASR (File No. 333-280004) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”).
In order to induce you and the other Underwriters to enter into the Underwriting Agreement, the undersigned will not, without the prior written consent of the Underwriters, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, hedge or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction which is designed to, or might reasonably be expected to, result in the disposition (whether by actual disposition or effective economic disposition due to cash settlement or otherwise) by the undersigned or any affiliate of the undersigned), directly or indirectly, including the submission or filing (or participation in the submission or filing) of a registration statement with the SEC in respect of, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder with respect to, any Securities of the Company or any securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for such Securities, which are owned by the undersigned or may be deemed to be beneficially owned by the undersigned in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) (collectively, the “Locked-Up Securities”), or publicly announce an intention to effect any such transaction, for a period from the date of the Underwriting Agreement until 90 days after the date of the Underwriting Agreement (the “Lock-Up Period”).
D-1
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the undersigned may transfer the undersigned’s Locked-Up Securities, or publicly announce an intention to effect any such transaction:
| (i) | as a bona fide gift or gifts, provided that the donee or donees thereof agree to be bound in writing by the restrictions set forth herein, |
| (ii) | to any member of the immediate family of the undersigned or any trust or other legal entity for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned or the immediate family of the undersigned, provided that the transferee agrees to be bound in writing by the restrictions set forth herein, |
| (iii) | by will or intestacy, provided that the transferee agrees to be bound in writing by the restrictions set forth herein, |
| (iv) | to the Company upon the vesting or exercise of an option, restricted share unit or other award granted under a share incentive plan or share purchase plan of the Company described in the Registration Statement or the Preliminary Prospectus (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement) or the conversion or exercise of a warrant of the Company described in the Registration Statement or the Preliminary Prospectus (in each case, by way of “net” exercise in accordance with their terms, and/or to cover withholding tax obligations in connection with such exercise or vesting, but for the avoidance of doubt, excluding all manners of exercise that would involve a sale to a third party of any securities, whether to cover the applicable aggregate exercise price, withholding tax obligations or otherwise), provided that any such Securities received upon such vesting or exercise shall be subject to the terms of this Lock-Up Agreement, |
| (v) | to the Company, or have Securities withheld by the Company, solely in connection with the payment of taxes due with respect to the vesting of restricted shares granted under a share incentive plan or pursuant to a contractual employment arrangement described in the Registration Statement or the Preliminary Prospectus, |
| (vi) | in connection with an exercise of an option or vesting of a restricted share unit granted under any share incentive plan or share purchase plan of the Company, provided that such plan is described in the Registration Statement or the Preliminary Prospectus (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement) or the Prospectus, provided further that the underlying Securities shall continue to be subject to the restrictions on transfer set forth in this Lock-Up Agreement, |
| (vii) | acquired in open market transactions after the Offering, provided that no public disclosure or filing under the Exchange Act shall be required, or made voluntarily, |
| (viii) | to any corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity, all of the beneficial ownership interests of which are held by the undersigned or its affiliates, provided that the transferee agrees to be bound in writing by the restrictions set forth herein and that any such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value, |
D-2
| (ix) | as part of a distribution, transfer or disposition by the undersigned to its limited or general partners, members, stockholders or affiliates (as defined under Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act), provided that the transferee agrees to be bound in writing by the restrictions set forth herein and that any such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value, provided that no public disclosures or filing under the Exchange Act shall be required, or made voluntarily, |
| (x) | by operation of law, including pursuant to orders of a court or regulatory agency, a domestic order or negotiated divorce settlement, |
| (xi) | pursuant to any contractual arrangement described in the Registration Statement or the Preliminary Prospectus in effect on the date of this Lock-Up Agreement that provides for the repurchase of the undersigned’s Securities by the Company in connection with the termination of the undersigned’s employment or other service relationship with the Company or the undersigned’s failure to meet certain conditions set out upon receipt of such Securities, |
| (xii) | pursuant to a bona fide third-party tender offer for all outstanding shares of the Company, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction made to all holders of the Company’s securities involving a change of control of the Company (including, without limitation, the entering into any lock-up, voting or similar agreement pursuant to which the undersigned may agree to transfer, sell, tender or otherwise dispose of Securities or other such securities in connection with such transaction, or vote any Securities or other such securities in favor of any such transaction), provided that in the event that such tender offer, merger, consolidation or other such transaction is not completed, such securities held by the undersigned shall remain subject to the provisions of this Lock-Up Agreement, and |
| (xiii) | sales or transfers made pursuant to any contract, instruction or plan (a “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of Securities entered into by the undersigned prior to the date of this Lock-Up Agreement and such Plan has been provided to the Underwriters prior to the date hereof; provided that, to the extent a public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act, if any, is required or voluntarily made by or on behalf of the undersigned or the Company regarding any such sales or transfers, such announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that the sale or transfer was made pursuant to a trading plan established pursuant to Rule 10b5-1, |
provided that, in the case of a transfer pursuant to clause (iv) or (v) above, if the undersigned is required to make a filing under the Exchange Act reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of Securities during the Lock-Up Period, the undersigned shall include a statement in such report to the effect that the purpose of such transfer was to cover tax obligations of the undersigned in connection with such exercise.
Furthermore, nothing in this Lock-Up Agreement shall be deemed to prevent the undersigned from establishing a Plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of Securities, provided that (a) such Plan does not provide for the transfer of Locked-Up Securities during the Lock-Up Period and (b) no filing under the Exchange Act nor any other public filing or disclosure of any such action shall be required or voluntarily made by any person during the Lock-Up Period.
D-3
The undersigned also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company’s transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of the undersigned’s Locked-Up Securities, except in compliance with the foregoing restrictions.
The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that the underwriters have not provided any recommendation or investment advice nor have the underwriters solicited any action from the undersigned with respect to the Offering and the undersigned has consulted their own legal, accounting, financial, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent deemed appropriate.
If (i) the Company, on the one hand, or the Underwriters, on the other hand, notifies the other in writing that it does not intend to proceed with the Offering, (ii) the Underwriting Agreement is not executed on or before November 28, 2024, or (iii) the Underwriting Agreement (other than the provisions thereof that survive termination) terminates or is terminated prior to the Closing Date (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement), then in each case, this Lock-Up Agreement shall automatically, and without any action on the part of any other party, terminate and be of no further force and effect, and the undersigned shall automatically be released from the obligations under this Lock-Up Agreement.
Notwithstanding any agreement between you and any other person, including without limitation, any person who may be deemed to beneficially own the Securities owned or held by the undersigned, to the contrary, the terms of this Lock-Up Agreement shall control.
[Signature Page Follows]
D-4
Yours very truly,
| |
Signature
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Printed Name of Person Signing
(Indicate capacity of person signing if signing as custodian or trustee, or on behalf of an entity) |
D-5
Annex E
Schedule of Directors and Executive Officers Signing Lock-Up Agreement:
| E-1 |